A Fresh Start to the New Year

Now that we’ve all said, “Bye Felicia” to 2020, it’s time to focus on the new year and all of it’s possibilities. The new year may feel like it’s just more of the same, but you have the power to make some changes. Instead of feeling like we’re dragging 2020 along with the results of Covid-19 into the new year, let’s take a pro-active approach and make a fresh start for the new year.

Some states and towns my still have strict lock down orders and you’re feeling a bit trapped in your home. You may have done some of the projects we’ve talked about over the past months and your house is looking bright and cheery. Some of you have picked up some great hobbies and projects keep your minds and creative juices flowing. Once aspect that isn’t nearly as fun as a great new hobby is taking a day or two to truly deep clean your house. Consider this the way to make a fresh start for the new year.

A lemon can clean your microwave

The microwave oven is an often used and yet often overlooked appliance. The soup you zapped for lunch boiled over a bit, you remove the bowl and think, “Boo, a spill. I’ll clean it up after I eat.” And you don’t think of it again until you go to warm your coffee up later that day. It’s easy for the spills in your microwave to go unchecked until you’ve got quite a job ahead of you to get it all clean. You can actually avoid the use of harsh chemicals and still get your microwave sparkling clean.

Measure about half a cup of water into a microwave safe bowl. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water. Drop the lemon halves into the bowl and microwave on high for about three minutes so that the liquid comes to a boil. Don’t open the microwave for five minutes. The steam from the boiled lemon water will loosen the food particles and grease from splatters and spills.

Carefully remove the bowl of water and the turntable. Keep the water bowl close by. Wipe down the turntable with a cleaning cloth, if you encounter any stubborn stains, dip a corner of the cloth into the lemon water and scrub the spot. The same applies for the interior of the microwave. Voila! You’ll have a sparkling microwave and a lovely lemony scent to boot.

Unclog your drains naturally

After all of the cooking you did over the holidays, it’s possible that your kitchen sink is not draining as quickly as it should. You can remove drain clogs with ingredients you likely have on hand. 

1. Pour some boiling water down the sink. 
2. Pour a solution of 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup water, and 1 cup vinegar down the drain. 
3. Put the plug in the drain and wait minutes.
4. Rinse away with more boiling water. 

This is a great way to clear your drain without having to run to the store for a brand drain cleaner.

Window cleaning spray 

Then there is nobody’s favorite chore; cleaning windows. There is just something nice about a freshly cleaned, sparkling window. If your out of your store bought brand of cleaner; don’t fret. You can make a simple window cleaner  by mixing water, vinegar, and dish soap. Spritz your windows when you are ready and enjoy sparkling windows naturally. 

Stove top cleaner

Cleaning the stovetop after cooking a meal is one of my all time, super-hated chores. It seems no matter how hard I try, grease inevitably spatters everywhere. A great solution for removing those grease spatters is to combine equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle (one cup each works), then add in 10 drops of lemon essential oil. Next, sprinkle good ol’ baking soda onto the surface where spills and food particles landed while cooking. Give it a good spray of the liquid solution and it will start to fizz. After the fizzing stops, take your cleaning cloth and wipe your surfaces clean. You can use the texture of the baking soda to help scour off the grease.

Clean out the pantry 

Your pantry is the place pests love to hide. Open boxes need to be tossed. Chip bags should be closed with an air tight clip. There are lots of plastic containers with lids especially made for your pantry items. This will go a long way in deterring any pests from making a meal out of your pantry items. If you already have a problem, calling a pest removal company in your area to eradicate the little suckers is a good idea. After the pests are treated, go ahead and secure all of the items that pest can infiltrate. Your local dollar store generally has all of the sealed containers your could have for very little money.

Knocking out these common household chores seem like a small thing, but they can go a long way to making your feel like you’re making a fresh start to the new year.