Wednesday, April 3, 2013

"PRODUCTS I LOVE SERIES": MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASERS

With a toddler in the house, I am always at one moment or another cleaning, cooking, or picking up after my little man. And since my son was born, I have really become more in tune with a lot of products out there to help me accomplish those tasks.  Over the last few years, I have found several "can't live without" products that have really made my life easier!! So I've decided to make a new series of posts now and then about some of the products that I love and how they really do make my life a whole lot easier!  These won't just be cleaning products. Some will be foods, organizational products, health and beauty....anything really.  Eventually, you will be able to find links to the posts from my main page. :) I hope they help some of you the way they have helped me!!


MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER
 
Anyone who breathes should find this product a god send! I love these magic erasers so much because there are so many awesome uses for them and there is no denying that they work!!! And the best part? They aren't expensive, and one square can be cut into 4 pieces to quadruple the amount of use you get!! These little foam squares are great for most surfaces and all you need is water.  Here are some of my favorite uses for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers...and some from other bloggers and friends. :)
 
*Removes marks on walls: This is one of my favorite uses! I'm sure most of you out there with young children have experienced your little Van Gogh's masterpiece conveniently colored on your wall instead of on a piece of paper.  The first time my son did that I was in a panic that I would never be able to get it off my white paint.  But this took the crayon off without any problem and left my wall spotless.  It's also perfect for scuff marks, handprints, and splatters from cooking in the kitchen!
 
*Removes mold, mildew, and soap scum: Perfect for showers, sinks, and plastic containers!
 
*Clean your microwave with ease: No more scrubbing the inside of your microwave or heating up a cup of vinegar inside.  Just use a damp magic eraser to easily wipe off any splatters or grease from inside your microwave.
 
*Clean shoes to make them look almost new: Scuff or dirt on your shoes? Use a magic eraser to remove all the grime and scuffs from your shoes to renew their look.
 
*Clean your children's toys without harmful chemicals: I love this use! These are perfect for cleaning all those plastic toys that your child chews on, drools on, drops on the street or grocery store floor. :) Just make sure to rinse them off after using the eraser. But they work wonders!!
 
*Clean wheels and tires of your car: My husband loves this!  Get your tires and wheels/hubcaps looking brand new with just the eraser. No need for expensive wheel cleaner.
 
*Remove bugs from the grill or windshield of your car: There is nothing that looks worse than a bunch of bug guts all over the front of your nice clean car. Use a magic eraser to scrub them off without damaging your car.
 
*Clean non-skid surfaces: Since this product works great on all types of surfaces, they are great to clean items like handrails, shower floors, appliance handles, etc.
 
*Great for scrubbing your floors: Have a tile or ceramic floor that just doesn't look clean enough to you? Attack it with an eraser and get them super clean!
 
*Remove grease and buildup from kitchen appliances, especially the stove! It's also great for cleaning the inside of the microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher.
 
*Remove pen, pencil, marker, and crayon from virtually any surface.
 
*Get your stainless steel sink and faucets to sparkle!
 
*Get paint and nail polish out of carpet (and everything else): This one I didn't believe until I spilled a bottle of bright pink nail polish onto my beige carpet.  It took a lot of scrubbing but actually removed the nail polish completely! Is it any wonder why I love these things!
 
*Remove food stains from plastic containers: No more annoying spaghetti sauce stains!
 
*Clean patio furniture
 
*Clean vomit, feces, or spit up stains (people or animal) from carpet and clothing: This is awesome for moms with babies.  I hated all the spit up stains on my son's onesies!
 
*Remove grass stains from virtually anything!
 
*Clean hairspray residue off of mirrors and woodwork.
 
*Remove brown baked on spots on baking dishes and pans: This works amazing. I hate trying to scrub my baking dishes with an SOS pad. But with the magic eraser I don't have to :)
 
*Clean window screens without having to remove them! Who wouldn't love this?? Never have to take out the screens again! LOVE this!
 
*Clean your toilet and remove rings: Cut a piece of the eraser off and put into toilet. Let it sit for 12 hours without flushing. Removes the toilet rings and grime.
 
*Remove coffee stains from mugs and coffee pots.
 
*Clean mirrors: Perfect for removing hairspray buildup, toothpast splatters, bird poop, etc.
 
*Clean your grill: Makes the grates look like new
 
*Remove hair dye spills or splashes: Did you get hair dye on the floor or the sink when you were dying your hair?? They will get the stain out easily :)
 
*Remove adhesive residue from stickers or tape.
 
*Clean white grout or caulking
 

 
I am positive that there are many, many, many more uses for these little miracles!  I use them so often that I have multiple boxes in my kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, etc.  Got a problem...i'm sure one of these would be able to fix it. :)
 
 
 
  
 
 

Monday, April 1, 2013

SPACE SAVING DVD STORAGE

In an true effort to organize my house, I have decided that the best way is to break my work down into different rooms.  A house with a 2 year old is NEVER going to be completely organized, I have come to accept that. However, the OCD in me has not accepted it.  This week I've really been trying to organize my living room.  With the huge collection of toys that inevitably ends up thrown in the corner of my living room, this has proven to be a bigger challenge than I ever could have imagined.  Pre-kid times, my home was always neat and tidy. Very seldom would there be a pile of mail on the table or clutter in the corner.  However, after my son was born, my living room began to look more like a daycare and less like a home.  And while I admit that I hate the clutter, I wouldn't change my lil human tornado for anything!

One thing in my living room that is a total eyesore, is our DVD collection.  When my husband and I first got married and we combined our DVD collections, we bought a big wooden DVD storage shelf. After a while, we managed to fill the shelving unit and then some.  (When I say "and then some", I mean 600+ DVDs).  And in my opinion, nothing looks tackier than a ton of DVD cases taking up space in my living room.  So I was determined to eliminate some of the clutter by figuring out a way to condense all the movies. 

A long time ago, I saw somewhere online an idea for putting your DVDs in plastic sleeves instead of keeping them in the cases.  So after some searching on Amazon and other online sites, I came across these DVD sleeves that let you put two movies into one sleeve! I found the ones below on Target.com for about $13.99 for 25 sleeves (which fits 50 movies!) Awesome!


I bought a few packages of these sleeves and as soon as I started using them, I went online and order enough packages to fit most of our movie collection! Each sleeve holds 2 DVDs and the case art for both movies! I even put the inserts from inside the cases in there too!  In the picture below on the right, there are 56 movies in those sleeves. Now picture 56 DVD cases and how much room that would take up.


 
Now I can store our whole movie collection in neat little baskets on a shelf instead of all those cases!