Wednesday
Mar192008
Just another Memey Wednesday?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 6:07PM | Mr Lady
It's been a busy week here at Chez Mr Lady, what with 13 hours of birthday parties crammed into a 72 hour period. Which doesn't actually sound like a lot, but throw a toddler into that equation? Yikes. I missed a few days of posting, so I guess it's official. Blog 365 has given me back my toothbrush and my tampons, and we are SO over.
Marge's meme challenge for this week was too good to pass up, however. I was going to wait until next Monday to post it in keeping with my little theme, but if this chic has taught me anything, it's to do what I want.
Kitchen: Baking Soda. We all know it takes the stank outta yo fridge, but did you know that if you accidentally hit 23:50 instead of 2:35 on the microwave when you're trying to make popcorn, that all you have to do it put a little dish of Baking Soda in there after you have put out the flames, sent the firemen home and scraped the remnants of something that was once edible out of the magic box, and the smell will go away? It takes a few days, but shit works, yo. Also, if you decide at 1:28 am that you really want mac and cheese, and then at 5:41 remember that you put some noodles on to boil, that all you have to do is make a paste of Baking Soda and water, smear it all over the burnt pan bottom, and those black crusties will more or less wipe out the next day? Did you also know my house is a walking fire hazard? Now you do. That same paste will take the yuckiest stains off a stove top, or the tile on the floor, or wherever.
Bathroom: Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Why? Not because it's green or safe or non-toxic or anything; I just love the smell of it. Like, LOVE the smell of it. Like, if they made air fresheners in Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner fragrance, I'd buy them all.
Bedroom/Desk/Office: These are my daughter's favorite places to make her art. Her mediums? Ballpoint Ink and Sharpie. My secret weapon? Fucking Aquanet. Aquanet will take any ink-based stain out of anything. ANYTHING. You wash her favorite dress, dry it, and then realize she's drawn a heart and the word FART on the skirt? Wet it, Aquanet it, wash it. NO MORE INK. You find that she's written her ABC's all over the wall with your super permanent Sharpie? Aquanet and a scrubbie. GONE. I find that the cheaper the hairspray, the better it works. You want one, like Aquanet, with a really high alcohol content, high enough that you'd consider drinking it if you were hard-up enough. Honorable mention: Pledge. Because it smells like my house in the 70's with wood paneling on the walls. That's all.
Laundry Room: Vinegar. Actually, I could put vinegar under each of these categories. I clean everything with vinegar. It deodorizes, it sanitizes, it KILLS MOLD. And it brightens your laundry. And it keeps blacks black, which is very very important to Little Ms. Emo Robert Smith Wannabe over here. I put a huge chug of vinegar in every load of laundry that I wash, and if I skip it, I can totally tell afterwards. Otherwise, I totally, whole-heartedly swear by Tide and Downy. Accept no substitutes.
Car: That's just funny. The only thing that could have saved my car would having been the black market. I hear children fetch a good price these days. The best thing I have found for the car is a good Detailer. Other than that, the car version of Febreeze is actually very nice and does not make the knives go through my sinuses the way indoor Febreeze does. I have weird allergies.
Garage: Coke. A can of coke. Scrub scrub scrub. Works every time. Why am I still drinking that stuff?
Yard: The wind has always cleaned my yard more effectively and thoroughly that I ever could.
I think that's it. I should also mention that I cannot and will not do without the following: Mr Clean Magic Erasers, Clorox Bleach pens, WD-40, an iron and Dawn. Any grease-based stain in the world (oil, candle, whatever) can be removed from anything with WD-40, an iron and Dawn. Just sayin'.
(I realized right after I typed this and hit publish that Marge didn't actually ask for cleaning tips, per se, just favorite gadgets. But, see, when I read it I was all, "OOOoooo, a whole post about my favorite cleaning products? REALLY? Eeeek!" Because I get all hot under the collar for cleaning products. Seriously. I'm kind of obsessed. Now you all think I'm totally hot, don't you?)
Marge's meme challenge for this week was too good to pass up, however. I was going to wait until next Monday to post it in keeping with my little theme, but if this chic has taught me anything, it's to do what I want.
TOPIC: Product Testimonials - In each of the following places, what is your most-beloved item or product? Why should I have one too?
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Laundry Room
- Car
- Desk/Office
- Garage / Yard
Nobody really likes infomercials, do they? But when a good friends tells you about a product that has changed their life, you think twice.
Kitchen: Baking Soda. We all know it takes the stank outta yo fridge, but did you know that if you accidentally hit 23:50 instead of 2:35 on the microwave when you're trying to make popcorn, that all you have to do it put a little dish of Baking Soda in there after you have put out the flames, sent the firemen home and scraped the remnants of something that was once edible out of the magic box, and the smell will go away? It takes a few days, but shit works, yo. Also, if you decide at 1:28 am that you really want mac and cheese, and then at 5:41 remember that you put some noodles on to boil, that all you have to do is make a paste of Baking Soda and water, smear it all over the burnt pan bottom, and those black crusties will more or less wipe out the next day? Did you also know my house is a walking fire hazard? Now you do. That same paste will take the yuckiest stains off a stove top, or the tile on the floor, or wherever.
Bathroom: Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Why? Not because it's green or safe or non-toxic or anything; I just love the smell of it. Like, LOVE the smell of it. Like, if they made air fresheners in Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner fragrance, I'd buy them all.
Bedroom/Desk/Office: These are my daughter's favorite places to make her art. Her mediums? Ballpoint Ink and Sharpie. My secret weapon? Fucking Aquanet. Aquanet will take any ink-based stain out of anything. ANYTHING. You wash her favorite dress, dry it, and then realize she's drawn a heart and the word FART on the skirt? Wet it, Aquanet it, wash it. NO MORE INK. You find that she's written her ABC's all over the wall with your super permanent Sharpie? Aquanet and a scrubbie. GONE. I find that the cheaper the hairspray, the better it works. You want one, like Aquanet, with a really high alcohol content, high enough that you'd consider drinking it if you were hard-up enough. Honorable mention: Pledge. Because it smells like my house in the 70's with wood paneling on the walls. That's all.
Laundry Room: Vinegar. Actually, I could put vinegar under each of these categories. I clean everything with vinegar. It deodorizes, it sanitizes, it KILLS MOLD. And it brightens your laundry. And it keeps blacks black, which is very very important to Little Ms. Emo Robert Smith Wannabe over here. I put a huge chug of vinegar in every load of laundry that I wash, and if I skip it, I can totally tell afterwards. Otherwise, I totally, whole-heartedly swear by Tide and Downy. Accept no substitutes.
Car: That's just funny. The only thing that could have saved my car would having been the black market. I hear children fetch a good price these days. The best thing I have found for the car is a good Detailer. Other than that, the car version of Febreeze is actually very nice and does not make the knives go through my sinuses the way indoor Febreeze does. I have weird allergies.
Garage: Coke. A can of coke. Scrub scrub scrub. Works every time. Why am I still drinking that stuff?
Yard: The wind has always cleaned my yard more effectively and thoroughly that I ever could.
I think that's it. I should also mention that I cannot and will not do without the following: Mr Clean Magic Erasers, Clorox Bleach pens, WD-40, an iron and Dawn. Any grease-based stain in the world (oil, candle, whatever) can be removed from anything with WD-40, an iron and Dawn. Just sayin'.
(I realized right after I typed this and hit publish that Marge didn't actually ask for cleaning tips, per se, just favorite gadgets. But, see, when I read it I was all, "OOOoooo, a whole post about my favorite cleaning products? REALLY? Eeeek!" Because I get all hot under the collar for cleaning products. Seriously. I'm kind of obsessed. Now you all think I'm totally hot, don't you?)
Reader Comments (29)
*busily writing some of this down...Sharpie...Aquanet, check!*
Do you get a little nostalgic for the eighties when you smell the Aquanet?
daysgoby's last blog post..http://jessalogic.blogspot.com/2008/03/yup-still-city-girl.html' rel="nofollow">yup, still a city girl
I never believed in magic until Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They are GODLY.
Huckdoll's last blog post..http://huckdoll.blogspot.com/2008/03/so-sorry-your-presence-is-not-requested.html' rel="nofollow">"Your Presence is NOT Requested....."
I buy vinegar by the buckets at Sam's Club... I cannot be without it! I use it for everything!
MamaWise's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wordfromthewise/FLeo/~3/254046288/' rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday - #5
I heart you even more knowing you have a list of favorite cleaning products. It is like mental forplay.. kinda like reading a sexy short story.
Kim's last blog post..http://www.joggingincircles.com/journal/2008/3/20/not-so-wordless-wednesday.html' rel="nofollow">Not So Wordless Wednesday
Not only do I think you're hot, but you smell fabulous. And, you have the whitest whites!
Latte Mommy's last blog post..http://lattemommy.blogspot.com/2008/03/back-in-saddle.html' rel="nofollow">Back in the Saddle
Oh, you're hot. Hot with a capital H. Now, what do you use on hardwood floors?
Ree's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hotfessional/KKFw/~3/254489293/' rel="nofollow">What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Dude, you are so totally hot. You can come clean my house any time.
Also? You scooped the list I was working on about the virtues of baking soda. But mine was really boring, and people would probably have fallen asleep reading it anyway, so I appreciate yours. :)
MommyTime's last blog post..http://mommysmartini.blogspot.com/2008/03/wisdom-of-parents-aka-geez-what-sucker.html' rel="nofollow">The Wisdom of Parents (aka, Geez, What a Sucker I Was!)
Wow, how can you be so hawt AND so handy at the same time.
I used Aquanet for pen scribblings on my wall when the boy drew all over it. I was pretty stoked on the fumes, but boy did it work.
Karen MEG (pomtini)'s last blog post..http://gliks.blogspot.com/2008/03/wordless-wednesday-kumbaya.html' rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday (kumbaya)
hot hot hot, girlie!!!
whoda thunk it on aquanet? but i cannot live without my mr. clean magic eraser.
janet's last blog post..http://fromtheplanetofjanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-cannot-believe-what-dork-i-am.html' rel="nofollow">I canNOT believe what a dork I am. Seriously.
Mmmm. Cleaning products . . .
I love how you call it "fucking Aquanet" instead of just "Aquanet." I'll have to locate that on the shelf ;)
Loved this post!
Maggie's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MaggiesMind/~3/254076393/how-to-turn-103-into-minus-7-lattes.html' rel="nofollow">How to Turn $1.03 into Minus 7 Lattes
I didn't know they still sold Aquanet. I love that stuff. I love love love vinegar. Great tips!
janethesane's last blog post..http://janethesane.blogspot.com/2008/03/squat-toliets.html' rel="nofollow">Squat Toliets
Aquanet is going to be my new best friend, because I never knew. Ozone be damned because we have entirely too many markers around here.
amy's last blog post..http://amysbratpack.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-love-burbs.html' rel="nofollow">I Love the Burbs!
Hey good tips! Have you tried the whole shampoo or body wash as your tub cleaner? Smells a lot better...and can be cheaper (and less toxic)! Just sayin... :)
Ashley Sanders's last blog post..http://www.bosssanders.com/2008/03/19/wordless-wednesday-kind-of/' rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday - Kind of.
but how do you feel about the smell of sani-foam? i swear, it's the after-dinner mint of bathroom products. too bad it doesn't do anything more than smell good. and foam. it DOES foam pretty nicely.
baking soda and vinegar are my favourite cleaning tools, but i had never heard of putting it in the laundry. will that have any impact on the fact that isobel now owns no clothes without stains?
zoeyjane's last blog post..http://mommyismoody.com/2008/03/19/copycat/' rel="nofollow">Copycat
Rubbing alcohol works same as aqua net. Please explain the WD40, Iron and Dawn. I have some grease stains I want to get rid of.
saltgirl's last blog post..http://saltgirl.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/you-say-its-your-birthday/' rel="nofollow">You say it's your birthday?.
scrubbing bubbles is amazing what it can do in the bathroom. it is worth the cost. and i would rather do anything than clean the bathroom!
so grateful to be mormon's last blog post..http://sogratefultobemormon.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/have-aliens-taken-my-hubby-he-he/' rel="nofollow">have aliens taken my hubby? he he
Ok, I will swear by this one: Peanut Butter. IT WILL DISSOLVE CHEWING GUM. Even grape bubbelicious that got stuck on the ass of my kids jeans, washed in the washer, dried in the DRYER, seen by kid, and promptly hidden under her bed for 2 years.
I put peanut butter on it. Smeared it around some. It was gone. It disappeared. It almost made me feel like God.
Peanut butter will also remove gum for hair. Tried it, it works. Ditto carpet. Ditto tried it.
Peanut butter is RIGHT WITH GOD.
Miss Ann Thrope's last blog post..http://colormecomplicated.blogspot.com/2008/03/its-obvious-to-me-that-you-suck.html' rel="nofollow">It's obvious to me that you suck...
You know the OxyClean stuff that you are supposed add to laundry? I dissolve it in water and keep it in a spray bottle in the shower. After shower, spritz spritz spritz-voila! No mildew!
Easy cleaning makes me happy. Taught my nine year old to clean the toilet. That's heaven.
Jennifer's last blog post..http://jenniferhast.blogspot.com/2008/03/at-least-this-politician-knows-his.html' rel="nofollow">At Least This Politician Knows His Place
Your daughter can spell FART?
Dude. My kids are so behind in their spelling. :)
ohmommy's last blog post..http://www.classychaos.com/2008/03/late-night-visions-early-morning_19.html' rel="nofollow">Late Night Visions - Early Morning Regrets
So what's up with the iron, WD40 and Dawn? I'm trying to figure out the combinations and all I'm seeing is spontaneous combustions.
Jenni's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/justchickenfeed/NrIT/~3/254018258/gave-whole-new-meaning-to-phrase-hot.html' rel="nofollow">Gave A Whole New Meaning To The Phrase "Hot Lips"
Let me just say this:
I fucking love you!
I'm a cleaner (part time), but I love it when people know what works! Baking soda, vinegar, auqanet, and WD40, you ROCK!
Also, when you're cleaning the microwave, try putting a few slices of lemon in there too! It gives it a great fresh (but not overpowering) scent. Or lemon juice. And pure lemon juice cleans as well as vinegar in most cases.
Sue's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BeggarsShotGlass/~3/254487399/three-loads-of-fun-in-one-day.html' rel="nofollow">Three Loads of Fun in One Day
Is it wrong that I got so excited over cleaning products?
Sue's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BeggarsShotGlass/~3/254487399/three-loads-of-fun-in-one-day.html' rel="nofollow">Three Loads of Fun in One Day
I think I drank Aqua Net in high school a time or twelve. That, and Sun Country wine coolers in a 2 liter bottle.
Wishing you the happiest birthday of all!!!
Momo Fali's last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Momo-Fali/~3/254914608/great-toilet-paper-debate.html' rel="nofollow">The Great Toilet Paper Debate
Whaaa??? You also love to clean??? ME TOO! Was unaware of the vinegar tip, but this raises the question-don't your clothes kinda stank?
TRACI's last blog post..http://mymanettasfam.blogspot.com/2008/03/imagine-funny.html' rel="nofollow">Imagine The Funny
Vinegar? Really?! I'm adding two mega-gallon size bottles to my grocery list. Your post is better than Martha Stewart's book of such tips.
I think it bears mention however, that as cool as baking soda is, and as cool as vinegar is, there are sure to be unintended consequesces should you think that combining the two in large quantities with your favorite black top in the washer would be a good idea!
Marge's last blog post..http://wheremytruthlives.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/god-o-editors/' rel="nofollow">God ?o? Editors
I am so printing this and putting it on my fridge.
thanks for the note, you made me grin. happy cleaning today...not. ha. happy friday, kathleen
so grateful to be mormon's last blog post..http://sogratefultobemormon.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/friday-fiction-come-lie-to-me-where-am-i/' rel="nofollow">friday fiction ? come lie to me ? where am i?
...And It Almost Goes Without Saying:...
Stay-at-home Moms who are into cleaning are the hottest. ...or so I've heard. Knowwhutahmean?......