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Simple Cleaning Tips

Laundry Tips: Is Your Dryer Too Slow?

Dryer Too Slow

Is your dryer slow to dry? Try these simple tips to get clothes dryer, faster: (Note-These are not meant to replace good maintenance of your dryer by a professional!)

Lint Trap Issue #1– Check the lint trap. Between every use, you should remove the lint that is trapped there, but there may be some lint still caught down inside. Use a lint trap brush to get in there and remove all that gross lint!

Lint Trap Issue #2 – This is something I did not know about until recently, but if you use dryer sheets when drying clothes, they can deposit a substance on your lint trap that will make it more difficult to filter the lint, making your dryer work harder. Just scrub that lint trap with warm soapy water and a scrub brush, rinse thoroughly, and allow to dry before placing it back in the dryer.

Lint Trap Issue #3 – Check the vent that leads from the lint trap to the outside – the air is pushed outside and some of that lint can be carried through, or there may be something blocking it from venting properly. Check the outside while the dryer is running; see if anything is hanging out of vent, if sufficient air flow is coming out. If there is no airflow, and you can’t remove it with your hands, you can try using a shop vac to suck out the blockage. You may need to call a professional to service the dryer and the vent outside.

Throw the Towel In (Literally!) – Finally, if you just have an old dryer like I have, the element that heats just may not be doing as good of a job anymore! So toss a clean, dry towel in with your wet load of clothes. It will help speed up the drying process!

Thanks to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these simple laundry tips!

Simple Holiday Survival: The Easy Way To Clean Silverware

Welcome to the FIRST Simple Holiday Survival Tip for 2014! For the next six weeks, I will feature a tip that will save you time during the holiday season!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and for many of us, that means pulling out the good china and silverware to set the table. I can pretty much count on my silverware being tarnished – and I really don’t enjoy cleaning silverware.  I thought there had to be a better way,

WELL, I could not believe how easy this tip was until I tried it myself! And check out the before and after:

Silverware before after

Simple Ways To Fold Shirts, Towels and Fitted Sheets!

Before I became Simple Solutions Diva, I always wondered if there were secrets to doing things that would make life a little easier!  I found a few simple solutions to some very vexing laundry issues and thought I’d share them with you! (FYI – Laundry is my LEAST favorite thing to do!)

Fold a Shirt In Seconds!

Sounds crazy, but I saw this video by Dave Hax on YouTube and was intrigued. This guy folded a shirt in under 2 seconds! Well, I had to try it – I’m not going to attempt to recreate the video, because he did it so well, so I’m sharing his video below.  And yes, I can now fold a shirt in seconds. I love it!

 

 

Fold A Towel For Optimal “Stackability”

One of the best parts of staying in a luxury hotel for me?  I get to choose from a beautiful stack of fresh, clean bath towels! Why so wonderful for me? Because when I open my linen closet at home for a towel, this is what I see:

 Image

Kind of a mess! So I looked up how to fold a towel so it would stack easily and look good!

1)  Start with your towel on a clean bed or table.

Lay Towel on Clean Flat surface.
Lay Towel on Clean Flat surface.

2) Fold towel in half.    3) Fold bottom 1/3 of towel.    4) Fold top 1/3 of towel.   5) Fold towel one more time to make a square.

Screenshot 2014-03-27 13.47.20

My Towels Before And After:

Screenshot 2014-03-26 11.55.40

Tame The Fitted Sheet!

This is a hard one, because fitted sheets are just difficult to fold! Try this simple tip to fold them:

1) Fold sheet in half, tucking the fitted corners of one side of the sheet into the other side, so four corners become two.

2) Fold sheet again, tucking the one fitted corner into the other corner, making two corners into one.

3) Fold 1/3 of the sheet side without the fitted corners.

4) Fold the rectangle in half.

5) Fold that rectangle into a small square.

How to fold a fitted sheet.
How to fold a fitted sheet.

Screenshot 2014-03-27 18.28.24

BONUS: My Top Three Favorite Laundry Tips

 

Tide To Go Stick – Always have a Tide To Go Stick with you to pre treat stains as soon as they occur.

Get The Grease Out! If you get a grease splatter on clothes while cooking, tackle it immediately with Dawn dish detergent! It actually releases the grease from the clothing so it when you wash it in the laundry, it will lift the grease out! Use a Q-Tip to liberally apply Dawn directly to the grease spot, then wash as usual.

Red Wine Wipe Out – Remove fresh red wine stains with this little trick! Placing the stained fabric on a safe surface, sprinkle baking soda on the fresh stain. Cover the entire stain with the baking soda – not too thick! Next, sprinkle vinegar on the baking soda. The baking soda will bubble and you should see the stain change color (kind of a dark green or dark blue).  Allow this to sit for a few minutes, then rinse with cold water, then wash as soon as possible.  If you pull it out of washer and stain is still there, soak in a solution of 1/3 cup vinegar to 2/3 cup water. Wash again.

Other Related Simple Solutions Diva Videos On Laundry:

 

Pillows  Simply Clean Your Pillows!

 

Screenshot 2014-03-27 18.50.29 Clean Your Top Loading Washer

Screen Shot 2013-06-20 at 8.53.18 PM   How To Remove Mildew From Towels

 Simple Tip To Store Linens 

 

Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for having me on to talk all about laundry!

Celebrate The First Day Of Spring With Spring Cleaning Tips!

 

 

Thursday, March 20 is the First Day Of Spring! I always get itchy to clean up my home around this time of year (yes, just slightly crazy, but true!). Here are some simple tips for tackling those spring cleaning projects in your home:

Think About Strategy:

Do you choose to clean a room or do a project? It really is a personal choice, because it comes down to your personal preferences. I love to attack projects, one at a time. When I step back and look at what I’ve done, I feel accomplished.

If You Pick A Room:

Think 360 Degrees

Screenshot 2014-03-18 08.35.20

Pick a spot in the room and move left to right around (in a 360 degree circle) the room to clean. You know you’re finished when you reach the start location.

If You Pick A Project, Simple Things Make A Big Impact:

Turn To Professionals: Hire professionals to clean your carpet and most used upholstered chairs/couches. The professionals know what they are doing and the drying times are faster because they have the equipment that can really get the water out of carpets better than those rental units you can rent. Tip: Turn your air down in your home until carpets dry out; it creates lower humidity, making drying time faster.

Use the 3 Box Rule:

Screenshot 2014-03-18 08.30.58

Declutter, one room at a time, using three boxes. If you don’t use an item, place it into the “toss it” bin, “donate it”, or if it is sentimental, place it into the “ sentimental bin”, where items in this box can be displayed on a rotation schedule. Rotating sentimental items for display quarterly or every six months lets you appreciate the items more.

Clean Out Your Closet:  Having a clean closet sets the tone for everything else in your house. It makes you feel good.  Tip: If you are a shoe lover, try using clear plastic shoe boxes to organize your shoes. They allow you to easily see the shoes, keep them neat and dust free. The Container Store offers a kit of 20 clear shoe boxes on sale for $33.80 (usually $37.80).

The Container Store Clear Plastic Shoe Box.
The Container Store Clear Plastic Shoe Box.

Organize Your Pantry:  We all have items in the pantry we bought because we were going to use it for a recipe that never happened.  It is time to clean those out! Look for items that have sat in pantry too long. Check expiration dates and  toss; have too many of one thing that you will never use before expiration date?  Donate it. One great way to manage your smaller pantry items so you can see them is by using an over the door shoe bag. Clear pockets allow you to see the little items that may get lost on your pantry shelves.

Reorganize Your Bookshelves:

Spring Cleaning Tip: Reorganize your bookshelves (Photo: RealSimple.com)
Spring Cleaning Tip: Reorganize your bookshelves (Photo: RealSimple.com)

A surefire way to make an impact in a room is to reorganize the bookshelves. Donate books you are not interested in anymore. Dust all remaining books, then sort by size and subject. Line books, some vertically, some horizontally to give some visual interest. Add some of those sentimental items, but not too many. For some great ideas on how to arrange your shelves, check out this wonderful pictorial from Real Simple Magazine.

Just to illustrate how great a bookshelf can look, check out these before and after shots of one bookshelf (photos from GothamOrganizers.com):

Before Shot of Disorganized Bookshelf (Photo: GothamOrganizers.com)
Before Shot of Disorganized Bookshelf (Photo: GothamOrganizers.com)
After Photo of Organized Bookshelf (Photo: GothamOrganizers.com)
After Photo of Organized Bookshelf (Photo: GothamOrganizers.com)

 

 

 

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