2009, what a pip

I just haven't been able to find more than a few minutes to get one and make a decent post. Yesterday I had to get up early to get baby girl and myself around and take David up to the Detroit airport and it seems like we were just running all day. The same thing with Monday. I didn't even get home that day until almost 4 pm and then I was rushing to get dinner done.

Today I have a few minutes here before I have to go do a few things and then get Rylie up again and run a few more errands. Hopefully we will be home before it's too late in the afternoon. However, I won't hold my breath on that...unless I feel like being a pretty shade of blue.

Since I wasn't able to post a cleaning tip yesterday I'll do it today. I hate cleaning the hood over the stove. Our's is a big one because the stove is in the middle of an island. It gets to be a real mess and cleaning it up is even messier. All the goo just plops down on the stove and island...gross stuff.

Kitchen Grease: I recently had to clean the hood of the stove exhast fan, it was covered with grease and accumulated dust. The cleaner I had wasn't doing much good, just gunking it up and slightly moving it around. So I put a little dishwasher powder on a wet sponge and used that. It worked great! It cut the grease and the powder acted as a mild abrasive without scratching the finish.

We'll see how well this works now that I am making my own dishwasher detergent. I hope it cuts the grease as well.

To get grease off of kitchen cabinets use vinegar, that wonderful all-purpose natural cleaner will clean and remove cabinet buildup. If the cabinets just need a regular cleaning, a solution of half vinegar and half water should do the trick. For more stubborn dirt and buildup, try straight vinegar. A paste made of baking soda and water makes a formidable scrub and helps remove a lot of the grime. Even club soda and lemon juice can be applied.

Try using a natural cleaner like the vinegar before using a cleaning product. Some of the things you buy at the store are too strong for wood cabinets and may remove the finish. If you have to use a store bought cleaner be sure to use it on a hidden part of the cabinet first. You may need to dilute the cleaner with water so it doesn't remove the finish. Also, be sure to use a soft sponge and nothing that will scratch the cabinets.

Well, happy over the hump day. I can hear the trash truck coming and I see a few bags of gift wrap papper that were left in my office that I have to rush out there.
Hugs!
Jill Marie