Tips and Tricks

There is no better time to “Go Green” than right now. The following tips will help you achieve cleaning in an environmentally friendly way.

BUY ALL-PURPOSE CLEANERS
You do NOT need to buy a cleaner for every cleaning chore. This is simply a tactic used by manufacturers to get you to buy several different products. Try Watkins Natural All-Purpose Cleaners. These chemical-free, biodegradable products can take care of most of your cleaning chores. Safe for your family, safe for the environment.

READ THE LABELS
If a product label states “caution” or “warning” that product will have less of an impact on the environment than a label that states “danger”. Try Watkins Natural Plant-Based Home Care. These products are 100% safe for the environment.

USE COLD WATER
Whenever possible use cold water for cleaning. When washing a deck or your driveway you do not have to use hot water. Or when you are doing laundry cold water sometimes will work just as well as hot water. Try it!

NO MORE PAPER TOWELS
Try to clean with reusable products such as rags or sponges. Disposable cleaning cloths or paper towels may seem convenient but they are not good for the environment.

USE CONCENTRATED PRODUCTS
By using concentrated cleaning products you will be using less packaging. Try Watkins All-Purpose Concentrate. This earth friendly, ultra concentrated all-purpose cleaner will save you money and save the environment.

CLEAN DAILY
Don’t let dirt and dust pile up before you clean. It makes the most sense to clean daily. In the long run you will use less energy and less products than if you allowed the dirt to accumulate. Also, pick up clutter as you go through your day. You will be surprised how easy cleaning day will be.

RECYCLE
One of the most important things you can do for the environment is to recycle. It’s also one of the easiest, simply rinse and recycle. Most cities offer bins for you to recycle your plastics, glass, newspapers, etc. Check with your local city office and see what day they pick up.

USE GREEN CLEANING PRODUCTS
Whenever possible, and that should be most of the time, use eco-friendly cleaning products. Not only are they better for the environment, they will be safe for your family. These products clean great, smell great and best of all you can feel good what you use in your home. Watkins Natural Home Care is the better choice!

You don’t have make all your changes at once. Try one tip at a time until it becomes natural for you to have a “green” house.
Good Luck, Tracey
www.VanillaGourmet.com

  Here is a helpful hint on how to determine if the charcoal or gas grill has reached the right grilling temperature?  This method works for both gas and charcoal fires.

Hold you hand, palm side down near the cooking grate and the length of time you can keep it there. Hot fire you will only be able to hold your hand there 2 second.  A medium hot fire you will be able to hold it there for a count of 4 seconds.  And a low fire you will be able to hold it there for 5 seconds.

Now that you have the heat factor down pat, Waktins bbq sauce and grilling seasonings will make the food a hit with your family and guest.

Enjoy!

Mary Ellen Glynn

www.watkinsonline.com/glynn

www.oldthymegoodness.com

Green Clothes Dryer

I love the smell of laundry after it’s been hung out on the line to dry, it smells so fresh and clean. It brings back fond memories of my childhood, my Mom never had an automatic clothes dryer so summer and winter all our laundry was hung on a clothes line to dry.

I have a electric dryer but when the weather permits I like to dry our laundry out side. It not only saves money but it’s another way we can be greener.

Some things are essential for homemaking even if you are trying simply your life. Basic cleaning products, gizmo’s, gadgets, appliances and homemaking tools you can’t simply live without. Some of these items just make your life way easier. It’s our goal to give you our honest opinion of the very best and most essential ones.

Solutions for your toughest homemaking and cleaning problems, you’ll find the answers here! We make every effort to help you find the best deals, usually recommending the practical solutions we use ourselves. This is also where we will share solutions to your life’s biggest challenges, like getting organized and simplifying.

Don’t hesitate to contact us and tell us about your “problem” so we can help you find your solution.

I’m very excited to announce, the Homemaker Helpers site is getting a face lift, actually the entire site will be move to word press and redesigned. Not only will we look better but it will be easier for you to navigate around. It will also be easier for our authors to post their articles which is even more good news for you!

Thank you to all our wonderful and loyal subscribers, you’ll want to watch you inbox for a link to download our free All Natural Cleaning Guide. Cleaning your home shouldn’t be a chore… it should be an experience! Stay tuned and we’ll let you know as soon as we are ready for the unveiling.

The summer heat is here and we are all doing our best to stay comfortable and cool  but that usually means a high electric bill! Here’s how to save energy and money this summer.

Keep the sun out! Close the curtains, drapes or blinds to keep the sun and heat it generates out of your home. Plant a vine so that it grows over your windows to shade them in the summer. Hang bamboo blinds over the outside of your windows. Add a heat blocking  liner to your drapes or temporarily hang a sheet or towel over a window with sheer or lace curtains to block the sun.

Turn your portable air conditioner down, and use the power saver option if it has one. Use fans to move and circulate the cool air. If you have central air, turn the thermostat up. 75 degrees feels cool when it’s hitting 90 or more outside!

If it cools off outside at night, open all your windows and let the cooler air in, then close them in the morning before the temperature rises. This works even better if there is a breeze, if not place fans in a few window facing out to blow the warm air out of your home.

Keep your home from heating up by keeping the sun out and letting the cool night air in, plus adjusting your air-conditioning to a warmer temperature and using fans will all save you energy and money this summer!

You’ve put it off long enough, and it’s time to clean the refrigerator! Since you have the time and the patience; let’s give you some quick refrigerator cleaning tips to hurry along the process.

• Take everything out of the refrigerator, I prefer to do one shelf at a time so I can quickly and easily put items back in the same spot.
• Throw away any outdated cans, jars and plastic bottles.
• Take out the vegetable bins; wash and dry.
• Use a wet cloth to clean the shelving and the inside of the door. You may want to add some baking soda to the wash water.
• Put the bins back, and sprinkle a bit of baking soda in each if you like.
• Put back whatever items you have left.
• Place an opened box of baking soda towards the back top shelf.
• Wipe down the exterior of the refrigerator; top sides and doors.

You’re done! That was easy enough, right? Well that’s because you have been cleaning it religiously every month. Alas, there are some refrigerators which have not been so lucky, and cleaning will require more time.

To keep your refrigerator clean so that a simple once-over is required, here are some additional tips to follow.

• Use tin foil under your milk cartons to prevent leaking.
• Use food containers to store your leftovers.
• Change the box of baking soda every three months.
• Set the temperature to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
• Try not to accumulate more than two items. Check certain items before buying them. Oftentimes, we buy too much of one item, and it just stays in the refrigerator for months on end.
• Keep your vegetables in zip lock bags or better yet re-usable plastic containers to maintain their freshness.
• Line the bins with paper towel or something similar to absorb moisture and spills.
• If’ it’s not a frost free model defrost your freezer at least once a month. Don’t forget to place a box of baking soda in there as well.

By following these simple tips, your next cleaning will be easier and faster and you’ll feel like a lazy man.

Did you know that there is a cleaning product that’s safe and all natural, cleans, disinfects and deodorizes, and doesn’t cost a fortune? And that you may already have it hidden in your refrigerator door!

So, what is this magical cleaning product? It’s plain old lemon juice. You can use lemon juice instead of bleach to clean your house safely and effectively. In fact, you can use it in places you wouldn’t consider putting bleach.

If you’ve even tasted lemon juice, it’s pretty obvious that it’s a strong acid. Have you ever tried using lemon juice to clean a penny? The beauty of an acid is that it dissolves things water can’t. This includes dirt, grease and also parts of bacteria vital to it’s survival. Next time you clean, ditch the sponge, bleach and chemical cleaners and pull out a fresh lemon. It’s easy to hold, packed full of cleaning power, and can be thrown away when you’re done.

You can mix lemon juice with water and put it in a squirt bottle. You can use it along with your all purpose cleaner to scrub the kitchen, bathroom, and even clean walls and floors. The acid will cut through mineral deposits on bathroom fixtures.

Instead of adding bleach to your whites, add lemon juice instead. After washing, hang your clothes in the sun to dry and you’ll see how white your laundry can be without the smell and dangers of bleach. You can mix lemon juice with cream of tartar and rub into stains.  Just don’t leave them out in the sun to dry as it may fade the spot.

Lemon juice can also be used to polish, shine, and remove tarnish from the copper, chrome, and other metals in your house. Simply add a little salt or baking soda to a freshly cut lemon and rub it onto the metal’s surface, rinse well and polish dry.

Try mixing lemon juice with baking soda to make a great natural drain cleaner. It works just as well as vinegar and baking soda, but leaves that lemony scent.

Have you noticed lately that most disinfecting products have an version that smells like lemons? That’s because lemons naturally have a fresh, clean scent. Instead of cleaning with lemon scented chemicals, what could be better than getting your fresh lemon scented kitchen from actual lemons?

Leave it to Watkins to improve on mother nature! We are pleased to introduce a new line of non-toxic plant-based cleaning products that harness the power of lemons naturally. You’ll can choose from all-purpose cleaner, liquid dish soap, automatic dish washing detergent, toilet bowl cleaner, furniture polish and liquid laundry detergent concentrate all scented with natural lemon oil.

These are just a few of the many uses of this powerful cleaner. Cleaning with the power of lemons not only removes dirt, it also disinfects to keep your family safe. What a great way to leave your house looking and smelling great.

April 22nd is Earth Day, it’s an important day for the human race, as well as all creatures great and small who share this wonderful world with us . We are becoming more aware of the affects of global warming. Shouldn’t we strive to keep our eco-system in tact and keep our rainforests from being destroyed? There is more we can do on an individual basis. Celebrating Earth Day with your kids highlights the importance of Earth Day and is the first step.

It is important to explain to your kids what Earth Day represents, and what your family does every day to preserve our environment, as they will be the future caretakers of our planet.

• Teach kids how to grow plants and herbs. If you have a place you could even plant a tree in your yard.
• Recycle as much as possible.
• If they are old enough have your kids walk or ride their bikes to school.
• When you leave the room turn out the lights, and when no one is at home, keep lights off.
• Ensure that you are preserving water by repairing leaky faucets. Conserve water by not leaving the water running when brushing teeth, limit the time in the shower, and wash your vehicle less often.
• Replace the filters in your furace and air conditioner regularly.
• When shopping at grocery store, use recyclable bags.
• Volunteer to help clean up your local park.
• Put a birdbath and, or bird feeder in your backyard.
• Make Earth Day posters with your child and display them at school or at home.

By implementing these suggestions, you are teaching your kids energy and resource conservation; recycling; increasing plant and tree growth; respect nature; save water; reduce toxins in the air; keep the environment clean; planting trees and flowers to increase oxygen; reduce air pollution; and love and respect all animals who inhabit the earth.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone took the time to implement just one of these suggestions? Then we would truly be able to save what little we have left, thus preserving our precious earth for our children and generations to come. Teaching your kids the importance of Earth Day has become necessary to the future of our planet.

How often do you vacuum your lovable pooch? Yes, you read right, my darling dog was a rescue and her previous owner would vacuum her.

It is a hoot to see her scamper over to me when I bring the portable vacuum out. The first time she did this I didn’t know what to make of it. She would lie on her side waiting for me to start. When, I figured out what she was wanting, I open the hose to release some of the suction, put on the furniture attachment so not to injury her. This has become a routine with us every time I vacuum.

The advantages I have found are two fold, for the dog she is more comfortable less scratching and her bedding is cleaner. She is not sneezing from the loose hair and dirt in her coat.

For me it is having a home with a lot less dog hair and less dust. This has prompted me to vacuum and clean her bedding on a regular basis, not just when I can’t stand it anymore.

I have found we still have those not so wonderful days when she runs through the mud puddles with glee and arrives at the door looking like a dog that has been dipped in chocolate. My cure for that is giving her a bath with Watkins Botanical Pet Shampoo, I love the ingredients of aloe vera, lemon oil and vitamin E, and it leaves her coat shiny and smelling great, not like wet dog, yuck.

Mary Ellen

Associate #364297