Blog

Get Rid of Dust Mites: Short, easy tips that help improve one's health are always my favorite tips. Here is one: Dust mites not only irritate the skin but wreak havoc on sinuses and worsen allergy problems. They thrive in moist environments and what better place than a bed dampened with sweat during the night. Upon rising, turn the covers down to expose the top half of your bed. Bedding and pillows dry during the day and the little scamps wither away from starvation.

With the holidays nipping at our heels, let's continue this series on cleaning areas of the home that are oft ignored. And please don't ask me how I know they are ignored!

How to Clean Lampshades: Most folks dust the base of lamps and leave the shades for a rainy day. Hair dryers are often used in hopes of blowing the dust off the shades. Head to the hardware store for a 1' soft bristle paint brush. Then grab Mary's Dry Sponge.

Remove the lamp shade. Loop a strip of clear box tape around your hand, sticky side out. Gently dab the top and bottom rims. Next grab a lint roller and roll the dust off smooth surface shades or continue with the clear boxing tape wrapped around your hand.

For pleated shades, brush off what dust you can with the paintbrush. Finish by running the edge of Mary's Dry Sponge into the pleats. My Dry Sponge also cleans pleated window shades, window screens and removes pet hair from fabric furniture. Avoid vacuum cleaner brush attachments on shades as they harbor dirt and the stiff bristles damage the shades.

Cleaning luggage: Traveling for the holidays? When was the last time you cleaned your luggage? Okay I'll fess up and admit I stuff my suitcases so full you can't squeeze a hanky in them. Clothing presses against the top and bottom where it can absorb dirt from a cloth suitcase. Besides, the bag brushes against your leg as you carry it. The dirt rubs off onto your pants and that is not the proper cleaning technique.

Suitcase fabrics are durable and clean easily. Grab a bottle of Mary's CleanEz and dilute it 32 parts water to 1 part CleanEz. Remove stains by spraying the spot with a bit of diluted CleanEz. Let that set a few minutes then gently blot the area with a towel dampened with Clean Ez. Poke a knuckle into the cloth and rock it back and forth across the stain. Do not rub as that leaves rough spots. Repeat if needed.

Run the Dry Sponge over the suitcase to remove surface dust and dirt. Next spritz the suitcase with CleanEz or your organic general purpose cleaner. Poke your fist into a damp towel and rock it back and forth over the suitcase to remove the dirt. Shift the towel as it soils. Air dry. Use a clean damp cloth to wipe the interior.

Pre-spray stains on hard-sided luggage with CleanEz and wait a bit to give CleanEz time to dissolve the stain. Then spray one side of the suitcase at a time and wipe to clean.