Bartender's Friend is a uniquely adaptable cleanser that cleans many surfaces and kinds of dirt. One of its uses is removing stains--on porcelain, countertops, etc. I've found nothing else that works so well at this.  It's got one ingredient that's made in a laboratory so I don't use it as part of my standard toolkit. But, in a pinch, it's a handy product to have around.

I use ecofriendly products as much as I can, probably about 95% of the time. But there are moments when you need something to blast through a super build up of dirt that goes a step beyond. This is the first in a series on products to use in a pinch when nothing else will work.

Bathroom showers and tubs can built up soap scum that is really hard to get clean. When even my best bathroom product, Ecover Bathroom Cleaner, won't do the job, I turn to Zep Bathroom Cleaner. It's the most potent soap scum remover I've found!

Here is a product I used to great effect. Unnecessary backstory: I tried an experiment of keeping my loud new cat in the basement during the night and my new cat experimented with clawing the wood basement door, trying to get out. Mineral Bee Wood Conditioner, a food grade mineral oil made with beeswax, covered up the scratches beautifully. I'm looking for other uses too. The cat, by the way, won. No more basement. Ear plugs are doing the trick.

This homemade recipe is from Annie Berthold-Bond's Clean and Green, a pioneering book on eco-friendly cleaning. Start with two cups of water. Add in three tablespoons of white vinegar and a quarter to a half  teaspoon of liquid soap (vegetable-based)  and put in a spray bottle. Simple and effective!

Okay, so the plunger didn't do the trick (see last post!). Here's a simple, time-honored way to unstuck many a clogged drain:

1. Boil a couple gallons of water.
2. Pour one gallon down the drain (to loosen the stuff).
3. Pour a cup of baking soda after it.
4: Pour two cups of white vinegar down. Give it five minutes to fizz and percolate.
5. Pour the other gallon of hot water to wash it away.
Voila!

linthicumplumbing.net/blog/diy-unclog-sink

Next time a drain gets plugged up, here is the most effective way to use a plunger. First, be sure there is only enough water in the sink or tub to cover the bottom of the plunger. If it's the toilet  this is less of an issue. You might want to put petroleum jelly on the rim of the plunger for a better seal. Next, pump the plunger 15 to 20 times. This increases the pressure on the clog. Finally, if water starts to trickle down, get some boiling water and let it go down the drain and then start pumping again. Hopefully, that will do it. If not, try boiling water with baking soda and vinegar. More details next week.

This advice is from Good as New by Jeff Campbell, a book full of great tips

Here are the final three areas (first four listed above):

5. Baseboards
Baseboards are a part of the room that nearly every homeowner overlooks. Although they're usually white, many still allow them to eventually turn a murky grain from a buildup of dirt, dust, and debris. 
 
Take the time, at least once a month, and before you sweep, vacuum, or mop, go around with a damp cloth and clean these. It shouldn't take more than a wipe, but you should avoid coming into contact with  the walls themselves. 

6. Windows
Your windows matter! You should put in the work to ensure they look as good as they can. Vinegar diluted in water in a spray bottle and newspaper for drying are a good team for getting your windows up to speed. Be sure to wipe down the window frames as well.

7. Bedding
The average person doesn't replace or wash their bedding nearly as often as they should. Of course, you should wash your sheets twice a month at the least, but you should be washing your comforter or duvet at least once every other month. Skin cells, sweat, oil, and grime eventually build up on these surfaces, and cleaning them can ensure they last longer and look better while they do.

--Whether you're cleaning your home to sell or you're just getting your spring cleaning done: it's important to work in these portions of your home more than any other. This set will leave your property feeling and looking brand new!

Andrea Erickson is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. She is a blogger and content writer for the real estate industry. Andrea is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.
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Going down the list:

Laundry Room

Laundry rooms may not be an obvious space that needs to be cleaned, but over time link dust gathers, gunk from stains and dirty clothes, dripped laundry detergent, dirty shoes, and more all add up into a space that needs to be scrubbed down. 
 
At least once every six months, it's a good idea to pull your washer and dryer away from the walls. being careful not to disconnect them, and sweep behind them to gather any extra debris. This will lower your home's risk of fires and will keep the space neat and clean.
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Exterior of Home

The exterior of your home needs to be cleaned too! Beyond classic lawn work, it's a good idea to take steps to research how to clean other parts of your home’s exterior. This could mean googling things like 'how to remove oil stains for driveways' or checking out tutorials for removing pollen from your fiber cement siding. 
 
Usually, a power washer can do the work for you on many jobs, the strong stream of water breaking loose and dirt or grime, but there are plenty of other options that can help get the exterior of your property as clean as the interior. 

Written by Andrea Erickson is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. She is a blogger and content writer for the real estate industry. Andrea is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.

Here is another series of blog posts by guest blogger Andrea Erickson.

Our homes are our escapes from the rest of the world, giving us a wonderful space to get away and enjoy spending time with family and loved ones. But unfortunately, spending so much time in an area leads to endless grime and dirt that can be difficult to keep up with.

If you're scrubbing your home down and not sure where to start, pay attention to these areas:

1. Kitchen

Although we all love our kitchens, they're unfortunately the fastest room to get dirty and the most difficult to get completely clean. So when deep cleaning your home, special attention should be paid to areas in the kitchen like the space between your cabinets and appliances, underneath your cabinets, in corners, and on your walls themselves.

Be sure to disinfect as you go, doing more than just picking up visible debris. Start at one spot and make a circuit around the room. Work from the top to the bottom of the room, double-checking spots as you go so that you don't create more work for yourself! If you have a junk drawer, now's a good time to spring clean it and give it an organizational kick.

2. Bathrooms

Bathrooms are one of the dirtiest spaces for very obvious reasons. start Pay special attention to those areas that commonly don’t get attention: the floor tile behind the toilet, the area behind the sink faucet and handles, and the grout in the shower stall if you have that there.Your shower curtain should be washed every other month at the very least, and your bathroom rugs should be washed at least once a month.

Andrea Erickson is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. She is a blogger and content writer for the real estate industry. Andrea is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.

Here are decluttering suggestions from a very creative website. Great ideas for making your fridge more content-manageable!
www.apartmenttherapy.com/decluttering-project-worth-it-37052556