Establish Rules #4: Toilet

Once upon a time, Zoe and Zach (The Z's) happily flushed the toilet with giggles.  However, it took just one visit from their older brother to break their perfect habit. He never flushes the toilet and the kids harangued him about keeping the toilet clean. Proudly, my step son announced that it was not environmental friendly to keep flushing all that water away and that he only flushes once a day at his home. The Z's love to save the planet and embraced their beloved brother's behavior. After a couple of weeks, they began screaming at me to clean the toilet because it looked "DISGUSTING".

I took my cue to teach them about flushing in a "environmentally" safe way by using non toxic chemicals:

1. Flush the toilet after every use
2. You can clean it since you guys created the "DISGUSTING" bowl
3. Here is 1 cup of vinegar ... Pour the vinegar into the toilet
4. Set the timer for 30 minutes
5. After 30 minutes, take this toilet brush and 1/2 cup baking soda AND scrub away to remove the stains

To get a sense of the prowess of vinegar and baking soda, I have the "BEFORE" picture here:

If you prefer to avoid vinegar, BORAX is a great alternative and can be discovered at the below hardware stores:

• Euston Hardware in the Village at 6955 Tomahawk Rd (913-262-4737)
• Westlake Ace Hardware at Corinth Square located at 4049 Somerset Dr (913-381-7750)
• Waldo Hardware in Kansas City, Missouri at 126 West 75th St. (816-523-2244)

Windows need to be cleaned!

Welcome to Martha Stewart's world of constant cleaning... Her Sunday tip of the day can be found at Spring Cleaning Checklist. I suggest focusing on her window washing techniques. If selling your home, your house will appear so bright after a good cleaning of all the windows.

• Wash window screens using warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid, scrub each screen with a brush; rinse thoroughly.
• Clean window treatments... Wash or dry clean draperies and curtains. Wipe off wooden blinds with a damp cloth; warm water mixed with mild dishwashing liquid is safe for metal and vinyl blinds.

The third page of the checklist's PDF goes into more detail about your windows! Have fun!

Cleaning Frenzy... It does not have to be stressful!

Is your home for sale during this holiday season?

Even if your answer is NO, these cleaning hints will help keep the chaos in check!

• A little soap, water and a sponge will do wonders at keeping the grime the away. 
• Keep your home smelling nice with a pan of water on the stove (setting low) with a dash of lemon or orange peel plus a few cloves. Remember safety!
• Declutter quickly by recycling all the catalogues, magazines and newspapers scattered throughout the house.
• Begin the no shoes rule: Leave shoes at the door. This will keep the dirt at bay from the drizzle and snow.

Daily cleaning or decluttering for 10-15 minutes a day has shown to release stress!