Thursday, April 21, 2011

The very idea of greasy elbows is gross

Top shelf favorite cleaning products...though not necessarily the ones I use the most often, these are the ones that I tried and seriously thought, "Wow! I wish I'd known about this sooner." Feel free to add any of your favorites to the list. I may need them, like yesterday. And yes, I know that I'm admitting to the use and possession of any number of hazardous and environmentally unfriendly chemicals. My apologies are sincere but not deep enough (yet) to change my ways.

Seriously, the best shower cleaner out there. I had to transition from a life in the desert where nothing grows to the world where mold is...well, alive.


Our car gets cleaned infrequently enough that a simple vacuum job doesn't always cut it. This stuff resurrects the most matted and muddy spots imaginable. However, I don't really think I'd use it on my carpet indoors. For that I spray a tiny spritz of Windex, scrub out the spot, and rinse with a damp cloth.



When baby clothes get stained (when food goes in or out frankly) Clorox is too strong, a stain remover like Shout isn't strong enough...so I do the unthinkable and mix them. This is the only thing I ever mix, I'm not an idiot. Anyway, I spray the stain down with Shout until it's dripping, then with water running nearby I dab Clorox over only the stain with a Q-tip until the stain fades (but this takes like two seconds and then the second it disappears I rinse the whole thing so the fabric doesn't bleach or decay under the strength of the Clorox.) Works every time.


I went to a dermatologist in college lamenting the fact that my acne REFUSED to give up despite my battle against it with fire power like ProActive, MaryKay and Noxema. Even the prescription strength peroxide creams really made it worse. Anyway, he'd been a doctor for awhile and he patted me on the hand like I was an dimwit and told me I was trying too hard. Anyway, this was his recommended soap, to wash with once a day and only once a day. Eureka! (And so cheap.)


Now I'll admit that this doesn't get used as much as I'd like. But this stuff in amazing! The story goes like this...All her life a little girl had wanted shiny copper pots hanging in my, ahem, HER kitchen. So when she was married and had a little apartment of her own her husband bought her a fun little rack to hang her pots from. Then she realized that every time she cooked with one of her pots they ceased being happy shiny objects and became instead dark bottomed eyesores with no place to hide because they were hung in plain sight on that blasted rack! Then a little fairy at the specialty cooking store tipped the young wife off that this is the strongest cleanser out there. (Years of marks and smudges and burns just melt away, it's crazy stuff.) She and her pots lived happily ever after.


And does anyone else use these? I use them for everything and mark them with a Sharpie so I don't get the bathtub one in the baby clothes scrubbing basket or the kitchen one in the floor scrubbing bucket. Anyway, they are infinitely better than the traditional sponges (which are gross but sometimes you just need a sponge) and then won't scratch because the outside is fine plastic, like a loofah for your stuff.


I'm sure my sweet daughters will read this someday with smirks on their faces when they remember how truly NOT clean our home has been at certain points of our life, like right now. But we can always raise a spray bottle to toast the possibilities of the future right? And honestly, I'm seriously outnumbered.

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for letting me in on your favorite products. I have never even heard of some of them. Can't wait to try them out. I'm sure you are a wonderful housekeeper and yes seriously outnumbered so unless kids are helping you'll never have a clean house.

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  2. What a great list, I will have to try some of those. 2 of my fav's didn't make your list....Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, you can use it on just about anything...crayons on the wall, to keep your kitchen sink looking white, and to keep your crock pots looking white. And OxyClean for laundry....it gets everything out without fading the color, even blueberries!

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  3. You are so right Miquelle. Thanks for the add! And no Jen, I'm an awful housekeeper...more on THAT later. Ha ha!

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  4. Hi Carrie! Love this list. Although, we'll have to talk more about the adult acne solution. I can't really believe that you are only using baby soap to get your glowing complexion! This is coming from a girl who is keeping the Proactive people in business...
    love you!
    T

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  5. Carrie, I love your blog. I just came across it not to long ago. You are such a fun writer, and have a great voice throughout your post. It makes me feel like I'm talking to you on the playground.

    Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the phone call too. I am waiting for a good time to return it, maybe I should stop waiting for a good time and just call you when the kids are crying because I miss you so much and I'm afraid a good time will never happen;) Love ya, I'll call soon. Steph

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