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Dawn
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Floor and carpet cleaning have been discussed lately and since I don't want to derail the other threads I thought I'd start a new one:
What cleaning supplies - tools, machines, gadgets - do you find most helpful and use regularly?
How do you keep them organized? Do you have a cleaning supply cupboard, closet, caddy or cart?
I seem to have accumulated a lot of cleaning stuff but the cleaning doesn't seem to be getting any easier and the house doesn't seem to be getting any cleaner  !
How do you make housecleaning easier?
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Magnificat
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Hi Dawn!
I love that you started this thread. I'm hoping to get some new ideas!
As far as where I store my cleaning supplies, I have a cabinet in the kitchen, and upstairs I have a shelf in the hall closet. I decided when we moved in that it's just easier to have the supplies on each floor.
I use Magic Eraser (my favorite)-it really does handle just about anything. I also use Vinegar-I know the smell is...YUK...but I put it in a spray bottle, add about 1/3 of water and a few drops of essential oil. Last month it was Lavender, currently the oil used is eucalyptus. Citrus is also good. I use that on our floors, windows and countertops. I have read that bugs hate the smell and its great for the kids to use too!
I have the typical carpet cleaners and furniture polish and that's about it. I used to buy everything under the sun, but I haven't in a while and I think I have finally found what works for us.
As far as other tools, we did invest in a Kirby. I never thought I would spend so much $$$$ on a vacuum cleaner! It really helps with the dust though and at the time we bought it, my 7 year old, then infant, had horrible respiratory issues. I have to say though, in the end, it was a great investment.
I'm anxious to hear other responses!
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Elizabeth
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Dawn,
My all-purpose cleaning solution is just like Charlotte's. I add alcohol to it for windows and mirrors and I add tea tree oil when I really want to disinfect. I add hydrogen peroxide to it when I use it in the carpet cleaner. We had a Bissel upright steam carpet cleaner that worked really well. I used it on my vinyl floors too and nothing got those floors clean like it did. It got broken  --not the fault of the machine. It was cumbesome though and a real pain for every day floor cleaning.
We've used and liked Shmop--it just makes sense. Michael broke the handle, leaning a litte too hard on a stubborn spot. I'll probably get another one. I borrowed a Hoover floormate but it didn't compare to what the fullsize Bissell could do. Then again, it wasn't nearly as heavy, awkward or cumbersome either.
I'm thinking nothing will work in the kitchen like poured concrete with a drain in the middle and and industrial squeegee...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Courtney
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For those of you that use a vinegar solution, what do you use in toilets or BEHIND toilets for those of you with boys?
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Courtney in Texas
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Mom to Candace 10/97 ,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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Elizabeth
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Here's a better link for the Shmop.
Courtney, I mix baking soda with Trader Joe's laundry liquid to make a paste. Clean with that and follow up with the vinegar/tea tree combo. And I make the boys do it. You spray, you pay 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Becky Parker
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Elizabeth, can you tell me how much alcohol and how much tea tree oil you add? This interests me because I am really tired of using clorox spray or windex for everything. (Although I should say the Clorox spray works great behind the toilet!)
I should also add that we use Basic H from Shaklee. It works especially well on our kitchen floor which is Pergo. It's just rather expensive.
Becky
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LLMom
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And I make the boys do it. You spray, you pay
Elizabeth,
How do you tell who did it? That is our problem. The boys of course deny spraying. Do you just rotate who cleans it because they all must have done it at one point? (that's what I figure) They give me so much trouble about this; thinking they shouldn't have to clean it because surely they didn't make that mess. We also have trouble with them remembering to put the seat up and then spraying on the seat. Nothing worse than sitting on a wet seat.  We are talking older boys too!
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
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Becky Parker
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Is a Shmop sort of like a Swiffer?
Becky
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Natalia
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For several years now I have thought about buying
the clean team
starter's kit. I also thought about buying the Shmop. but I have never done it. i don't like to clean and the thought of investing money on it - well, it is not pleasant. That is a silly attitude, I know. My attitude should be to have the good tools to do a good job. So I am looking foward to this thread and maybe I'll get motivated.
We have wood floors throughout the house so we got a canister vacuum- The Eureka Mighty Mite and I really like it. It is light and easy to manouver.
I have enjoyed using the dusting brush to dust instead of using dusters or cloths. it makes dusting so much easier and I find that there is less dust that goes in the air and resettles somewhere else.
For those of you that use vinegar- do the grocery stores sell big bottles of it (I've never noticed) or do you go somewhere else? what about the essential oils- do you get them at the health store?
Natalia
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PDyer
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Natalia wrote:
| For those of you that use vinegar- do the grocery stores sell big bottles of it (I've never noticed) or do you go somewhere else? what about the essential oils- do you get them at the health store? Natalia |
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I find gallon bottles of vinegar at the grocery store on the bottom shelf in the condiment aisle. Essential oils come from the health food store. My homemade cleaner recipe has vinegar, a little bit of borax, Dr. Bronner's soap and essential oil (usually peppermint) and sometimes I add tea tree oil too. I found the recipe in this book: Clean House, Clean Planet. The author recommends others but they didn't "catch" for me the way the all-purpose spray did.
The best thing about mixing my own spray is that I don't have to keep (and shop for and keep track of) a bunch of different cleaners for different jobs, and the recipe uses so little soap that I've had the same gallon bottle of Dr. Bronner's for ages. Hope this helps.
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Patty
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hylabrook1
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With the vinegar water/boys' toilet thing, I have 2 comments:
1. I find that the vinegar water dissolves these stains/splashes very well; and
2. A 30 second wipeover with vinegar water and paper towels daily keeps things pretty nice.
HTH,
Nancy
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StephanieA
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[QUOTE=LLMom] And I make the boys do it. You spray, you pay
How do you tell who did it? That is our problem. The boys of course deny spraying. >>
I was blessed with 3 boys first. I learned after they rotted the side of the cabinet and it needed to be replaced that a new rule was in order. NO STANDING...PERIOD!
No kidding. In public places, of course they stand. But here, hubby on down, everyone sits. It took a while, but I couldn't get the guys to 'fess up and clean up, and it wasn't worth my time to do so. But I wasn't going to put up with that mess or stench anymore.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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Courtney
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Stephanie, I think I need to do this. I only have one boy, but the grout behind the kids' toilet is stained gold! It's disgusting.
One more question: can you use vinegar on granite countertops?
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Courtney in Texas
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Mom to Candace 10/97,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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Christine
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I use pretty much what Charlotte and Elizabeth use. However, for bathtubs, bathroom sinks and toilets, I use baking soda and castille soap (we use the peppermint scented castille soap).
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Christine
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kristina
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We use Shaklee's basic H for everyday counter wiping, floors, etc..
Method window cleaner because I like the minty smell.
Spot carpet cleaning is the Little Green Clean Machine with the leftover cleaner from the industrial rental. (We rent the Rug Doctor when we are having a gathering or out of town company..) We keep it on a bottom shelf in the basement.
Our regular vacuum was found on a remarkable clearance at Target. It is big and noisy and literally has an 'evil' brand name. . I do not recommend it. Our boys do the vacuuming with my husband's shop earmuffs. It is not THAT loud, but perhaps it is the noveltly of using something from daddy's tool area. It is quite a sight to watch them vacuum the rug.
My sister sold Dyson vacuums at Sears and claims that they are outstanding. Can anyone second that claim?
I use clorox or store brand disinfectant wipes on all of our knob, handles and surfaces at least once per week and especially before company. I also use those to wipe down the toilet and around the floor. I know.. not cost effective and not very green of me... I'll keep reading this thread to find a better solution.
I am usually anti-bleach (can't stand the smell!), but once in a while I will fill the bathroom sink with water and a splash of bleach and use an old washcloth to wash the floor/toilet area, then the cloth goes into a bleach wash of white towels (which then get re-washed to get the smell out). I did this recently because I walked into our bathroom and the toilet area smelled like a subway station!  
I had no idea which one of our four little culprits was responsible. Sometimes I wish the boys had their own bathroom with a urinal.
I suppose Shaklee's Basic Germicide is a better solution to bleach. I have some, but the rep told me that once a solution is made that it loses its germicidal properties over time, so spray bottles of solution do not last but one use. I do like that it smells like bandaids.
Last year's cleaning posts mentioned using lavender. Are lavender and tea trea oil available at health stores?
I do not mop our floors. DARLING Husband does that task. Thanks for the link to the schmop. I bet he will prefer it to the swiffer wet jet that has a broken dispenser so the bottle must be held on with a rubber band..
Thanks for this thread. I always get such good ideas from these practical topics.
Blessings,
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Donna Marie
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I am trying to compile all kinds of hints and tips because...GUESS WHAT?? "Housecleaning and Why" is a SUBJECT for school....yep...I am growing weary of "but...I did my best"..."I didn't know"...and I KNOW they know...you know?? LOL
So....I am going to come up with a list of skills to be learned....including info on germs and bacteria....the life expectancy of food...how to do laundry...including info on what could happen if they DON'T clean...etc....
the EQUIPMENT...All tools and several caddies will be available for use...including kid-safe cleaning solutions.
the MANUAL....A household binder of all sorts of good info on the subject!
the UNIFORM.....I will kick off the new program with official cleaning aprons! Does anyone have a good pattern?? I am determined and serious, kids...watch out
any takers to help me with this project? I am going to use the Clean Team's DVD and books to help out with my Homemaking 101 project..
My mil once said to me...I was not going to hand one of my sons over to their wives without them knowing how to clean and cook. Well, the Marine Corps helped her out on the training of my dh....A little over the top for me, but they do have some good hints and tips to share and I am going to pick dh's brain on the subject!
my dc are not hopeless on this subject, but there are holes in the skills and information department. They need a push for greater things to be greater members of an Exceptional kind. Exceptional kids in an Exceptional Family!----right??
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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Servant2theKing
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Donna Marie, can you please write a book on teaching housecleaning in the homeschool?
As far as having boys sit when they go...we have a hsing dad friend, who spent a great deal of time and effort laboriously installing tiny 1 in. ceramic floor tiles...the very first time he had to clean the grout around the toilet, he and his boys started the new practice of sitting down for all bathroom duty! Great idea, which ought to be instituted in all households with dual gender populations!
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Dawn
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kristina wrote:
| My sister sold Dyson vacuums at Sears and claims that they are outstanding. Can anyone second that claim? |
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Yes, Kristina, we have the Dyson Animal and LOVE it! 
I'm just popping on the board while I wolf down my lunch here, but I am so excited to read through all these posts! The toilet cleaning discussion is of particular interest to me.
Donna Marie - you have me very intrigued by your homekeeping notebook idea! Keep us posted! Have you read Home Comforts? I looove that book!
I just came from youngest ds's OT appt. where I spent 45 minutes in the waiting room working on a room by room analysis of what kind of cleaning needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally/annually and any special projects we need to get done. Whew - there's a lot! I was so inspired by Elizabeth's schedule I'm going to try to make one up for myself!
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys
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hylabrook1
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Donna Marie and anyone else interested -
I have a wonderful book called 401 Ways to Get Your Kids to Work at Home by Bonnie Runyan McDullough and Susan Walker Monson. It's really not about coercion (lol), but full of good stuff about how to teach jobs, age-appropriate household skills, charts and checklists. It really is a gem and the whole thing is written with an attitude of helping your children learn the jobs and the value of responsibility; it's not at all coming from a "drill sergeant" mentality.
Peace,
Nancy
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lapazfarm
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Donna Marie that is just brilliant! I love your ideas, keep 'em coming!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Topic: Cleaning 101
