When home is where everything happens, there are a lot of little messes to clean up. These three cleaners are my go-to faves.
Ninety percent of my household cleaning is simple: vinegar plus baking soda. Or just vinegar. Having just a few earth-friendly cleaners really cuts down on the clutter in the kitchen and closets, but over the last few months, there have been a few vexing problems:
sink, stains, and stink
I keep waiting to see this headline: COVID-19 Causes Increase in Plumbing Emergencies. This is an important lockdown side effect that we’re not talking about. We’re washing more dishes. We’re cleaning up more messy crafts. We’re cleaning more paintbrushes. And, of course, we’re washing our hands sooooo much more. Our sink drains are really taking a beating, am I right? My kitchen sink started to drain slow last month, and I’ve spent a few weeks trying the baking soda/vinegar/hot water volcano method, but I wasn’t making much headway. I even used a whole gallon of traditional drain gel, but with no improvement. Research led me to Green Gobbler drain cleaner that appears to be both more eco-friendly and more effective than traditional drain chemicals. Here’s the Green Gobbler Amazon affiliate link, but if you have a local hardware store, get yours locally like I did. #ShopLocal. I was blown away. After pouring just one pack of premeasured crystals down the sink drain and letting it sit for about an hour, the drain ran fast and clear. Now, remember, there are different types of clogs, so if your sink is clogged with mostly hair, it’s best to remove that mess before trying the chemicals. Helpfully, this product comes with a hair remover zip tool. But in my kitchen sink, just the chemical did the trick.
Wine is the punchline for so many memes right now. My poison of choice is pink wine which doesn’t stain (much), but I keep Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover because of all the other stains it removes from coffee, fruit punch, ink, and blood. It works wonders on that last one. My family would kill me if I told you how I know that, so you are just going to have to trust me. And if you occasionally have the red wine stain, well, this stuff is just a bonus for you.
Lastly, who knew that working from home could be so stinky? When you sit in the same chair for hours at a time, it can get a little funky. Even the scent-free versions of products like Lysol and Fabreeze leave their own residue. My favorite odor-fighter for fabrics is Zero Odor. It claims to be a “molecular breakthrough that eliminates odor and leaves no scent.” I’m no chemist and can’t vouch for the first part of that claim, but I agree with the second part. Every few weeks I spray my chair at the end of the day, and it’s dry and fresh in the morning. There’s a pet-odor product that I haven’t tried, and might be worth a look.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I rarely tell you about products like this. Most families I work with would do better to use up all the dozens of cleaning products already in your cabinets, so you know that these three cleaners really work in order to earn shelf space in MY closet and space on my blog.
I’m doing my best to help you make better decisions in the store (and online shopping cart) so it’s easier to keep an organized home. When it’s more organized, routine cleaning isn’t much of a chore. If you need more help with this, please take advantage of my Black Friday Season Specials, including a special price on the SORT and Succeed 3-pack of books. Get all three books autographed and shipped to you for just $25 (normally $50). Click here.
