LilSugar

Spring Cleaning: 5 Kitchen Items to Double as Pet-Friendly Cleansers

PetSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:30:05 -0800

When life hands you lemons, you . . . create a DIY solution! See my five ideas for all-natural, pet-friendly aids to keep your home clean and green!
Source: Jupiter Images

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How-To: Spring Clean Your Earbuds

GeekSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:45 -0800

You probably use your earbuds all day - during your commute to work, during work, and during your commute home. As many times as you pull them in and out of your bag, you probably don't think often enough about keeping them clean. Unsurprisingly, earbuds can transmit bacteria from person-to-person if they're shared, and in some cases can even cause ear infections. Clearly they need to be kept clean, but what's the best way?

Obviously you can't just toss your earbuds in the dishwasher to clean them. While doing some research, I came across a few suggestions of how to properly clean earbuds. To find out how to do it yourself, just read more.

Use a gentle cleaner, like soap and warm water. No need to go too heavy-duty here; try a mix of dishwashing detergent and water.
Use a gentle cloth with just a small amount of the soap mixture. Too much soap could leave a residue on your earbuds, and too much water, well that goes without saying.
If there's a lot of dirt or dust in the metal part of your earbuds, try brushing them with a dry toothbrush to dislodge the dust.
Some earbuds, like Apple's In-Ear Headphones, come with removable (and replaceable) silicone covers, so try removing them and cleaning those separately.
Never submerge them in water. You'll damage the wiring. Ditto for running them under the faucet, even for just a second.
Remember to only clean your earbuds when they're detached from your iPod or other device!

Source: Flickr User Dano

Casa Beta: Mother's Lil' Helper

CasaSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:30:00 -0800

Stains, you've met your match. Few people know more about pesky blots than moms. When red wine ends up on your carpet, who do you call for advice? If it's not Casa, it's probably your mama. Instead of making the phone call and updating her on your love life and hearing about family drama, just pick up a bottle of Mother's Lil' Helper instead.

To see why I think this belongs in your cleaning kit, just read more.

For starters, Mother's Lil' Helper is a self-proclaimed toxic-free product, which is a must in my linen closet. Not only are my nose hairs unsinged, my sniffer is actually pleased with the powdery scent that comes from the bottle. After a nasty wine spill left my natural color rug a little worse for the wear, I consulted a mother of four for her advice. Having battled it all, I trusted in the product she swears by - Mother's Lil' Helper.

Alas, her stain secret is a secret no more. Indomitable blueberry juice? Gone. A few drops of blood? Erased. The salad dressing oil that spilled on the tablecloth? Can't even spot it anymore. One application of the magical solution and you may be ordering this bottle by the box load. And I say ordering because it's not so easily found. I had to track it down at a local baby shop (it apparently works wonders on stinky child messes, too), but it's worth the hunt.

How-To: Wash Your Pillows

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:15 -0800

While we do have pillowcases to protect our pillows from getting dirty, sooner or later all pillows will need a good scrubbing. This past weekend I went camping, and even after a lot of airing my pillows out, that nostalgic campfire scent remained. So it was time to give them a good cleaning. Luckily, they can be easily machine-washed, unless the care tag says otherwise.

To wash feather and down pillows:

Fill your sink 3/4 with warm water and a scoop of powdered laundry detergent. Learn how to make eco-friendly powder detergent here.
Squish your pillow under the water until it's completely soaked, squeezing it gently.
Then, drain your sink and wring your pillow to squeeze out the water.
Place your pillow on a towel and roll it up to pull out more water.
Then, pop it in the dryer with a few clean white towels and dry it on low-moderate heat. If you want, add a tennis ball to make it fluffy.
Hang it on the line to let it dry completely.

To learn how to wash synthetic or foam pilows, read more.

To wash synthetic or foam pillows:

Machine-wash your pillow on the gentle cycle with powder detergent and warm water.
Dry on moderate heat with clean towels, as above. Fini!

Putting a pillow protector on your pillows before you put on your pillow cases will prolong their cleanliness in the future, FYI!

How-To: Clean Your Window Blinds and Shades

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:00:52 -0800

As FotoFlat says, it's "2010, Y'all. Out with the old." It's nearly March already, so I hope you've gotten a start at cleansing your home of things you don't need and giving it a deep clean too. One area that's often overlooked, especially if you don't hire a cleaning service, is your window blinds and shades. Dust can collect there overnight, and they're bound to be covered in greasy fingerprints. So I figured I'd give you a little refresher on cleaning them.

Window Blinds:

Lay a towel down in your bathtub (for protection).
Remove your dusty aluminum or PVC blinds and place them in your tub.
Fill your tub up with warm soapy water - dish soap will do. Make sure to keep the roller mechanism dry, though!
Rinse with your shower head or a spongehead and shake the water off.
Rehang the blinds and let them air dry. You can place a towel underneath them to catch the water.

To learn how to clean your fabric shades, read more.

Fabric Shades:

Using your small brush attachment, gently vacuum your fabric shades or blinds.
If any spots remain, test clean them in an inconspicuous place using an upholstery cleaner (like a spray). Let dry.
If the colors haven't bled or faded, spot clean the dirty spots. Fini!

Keep Your Keyboard Clean With the Keyboard Vacuum

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:45:13 -0800

Can't stand a dirty keyboard? Neither can I, but getting in between the keys to clean (especially on my laptop) can be challenging at times. Not eating at my desk is not an option (plus, a little dust here and there is pretty hard to avoid), so of course I love this gadget! It's a USB-powered keyboard vacuum ($5).

It plugs into the USB port on your computer and comes with two attachments: a brush and a flexible rubber tip to get in between keys. It's a great stocking stuffer for your favorite workaholic or anyone who appreciates a clean keyboard.

Daily Tech: Hands on With Barnes & Noble's Nook

GeekSugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:30:51 -0800

The Nook is the leader of the ereader pack - Engadget
Learn how to keep your gadgets glistening clean -Gizmodo
Ten things you probably didn't know about Google - The Silicon Alley Insider
Find out what's so great about the super-sized Nintendo DSi LL - Kotaku
Check out the top 10 sci-fi movies of the past decade - CrunchGear
Log in for your chance to win a HP Envy Laptop - GeekSugar
Submit your Cool Captures for your chance to win a CanvasPop print - GeekSugar

How to Clean Leeks

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:45 -0700

With their mild onion flavor and thick white stalk, leeks are one of my favorite vegetables. They're excellent in cold weather preparations like soups, stews, and braises. When cooking with leeks, it's important to take the time to properly clean them. Because of the way they grow, leeks are one the dirtiest of vegetables, with mud and dirt getting trapped between the layers. Here's how I like to clean mine:

Most recipes call for the white and light green parts only. Start by slicing the dark green part off. Slice off the bottom end.
Cut the leek in half lengthwise and dice according to the specifications in your recipe.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Toss the chopped leeks in the water and swirl with your hands.
Let stand in the water for several minutes. Swirl with your hands again to ensure all the dirt is removed.
Drain in a colander and dry with a paper towel.

Do you cook with leeks? How do you prepare them?

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How Often Do You Change Your Dish Sponge?

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:05 -0700

Although doing dishes isn't one of my top kitchen pet peeves, hand-washing dishes with an old sponge is. The thought of spreading bacteria and grime, rather than actually cleaning an utensil or plate, makes my skin crawl more than a full moon on Halloween. Although most people simply replace their dish sponge when it starts smelling, I swap mine out much more frequently than that - probably every two to three weeks. I know it's not the greenest move in the world, but I can't help it! How often do you swap out dish sponges?

How to Quickly Clean a Whisk

partysugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:50:56 -0700

For years I hated when a recipe required whisking. Not because it hurt my wrist, but because cleaning the whisk was such a pain. Until one day, while doing the dishes, I had a light bulb moment. The dirty whisk was sitting in a small bowl filled with soapy hot water. Without thinking I quickly swirled the whisk, whisking the soapy water. In seconds, I realized the whisking had whisked all the sauce off, and voila! The whisk was so clean I could make another custard or béchamel sauce. Now I always whisk my whisk until it's clean.

Do you have any secret no-brainer tips for cleaning everyday kitchen tools? Share with us below!