By this I mean, not only scrubbing the floors, the oven and counters, but I plan on emptying out the fridge and all of the cupboards.

Unless you have a bare fridge, I think most of us can say that we all have a jar or two or ten that has been sitting in the back of the fridge or in the fridge door for God only knows how long. Did you know that most items such as jams, mayonnaise and relishes are only good for three or four months once they’re opened? If you’re like us and you don’t us them up that fast they could be in the fridge a heck of a lot longer than that, right? Not good.

So between the fridge and all the stuff I find in the back of our cupboards I’m sure there will be a lot of stuff thrown out. I know there are things in my cupboards that I haven’t used in years. That includes foods like muffin mixes and small appliances.

Once I do get around to clearing out my cupboards I might take a serious look at my pots and pans. I have Lagostina pots and I love them, but they’re getting old or at least some of the ones that I use most often are getting a little worn out. Maybe I could add one or two new pieces of enamel cookware to my collection? I know I’ll have more room for them once the cupboards get cleared out.

Whens the last time you totally cleaned out your fridge and or cupboards? Big job, isn’t it?

I can’t wait to give not only the air conditioning but maybe our new Hunter ceiling fans a bit of a break this weekend.

Oh and it will be nice to have the doors and windows open – get some fresh air inside the house.

I love air conditioning when it’s hot outside. It’s a necessary evil … but the longer it’s on and the doors are sealed shut the staler the air inside the house seems. It’s so nice once we can open the doors and windows and I can feel a breeze on my skin.

Don’t you love it when the weather is nice enough that you can let some fresh air into the house?

I’m not sure what they’re doing as far as renovating or repair the house goes. I’ve heard a lot of hammering and banging, but it doesn’t seem like they are doing a lot of new work. unlike us when we got our house – we were at our house every day for three weeks tearing down walls, refinishing floors, plastering and painting before we finally moved in … whereas our new neighbors have only visited their new home about four times since they got the key.

Anyway, since it doesn’t seem like they’re doing a lot of work to the house I expect that they must be almost done cleaning and painting so maybe they’ll move in this weekend. If not perhaps the following weekend. It can’t be much longer.

One thing that I liked about moving to our house when we got it was that it was a chance to get new furniture. LOL I loved preparing the rooms and then picking out new contemporary furniture that would look great in each room. As it turned out we didn’t have to buy a lot of new furniture as we had quite a bit in our apartment, but I did get to get all new master bedroom furniture and a year later we got new living room furniture.

We haven’t talked to the new neighbors very much, but they seem nice enough. That’s all I’m hoping for anyway … I mean, we have to share a tiny driveway and our houses are very close to each other so it’s important that we’re at least on friendly terms with our neighbors. Hey … they’ve got to be better than the awful renter neighbors that we’ve had to deal with for the last year.

When my husband and his brother get together it gets really loud and smelly in here! My brother in law smokes roll your own cigarette and occasionally a cigar … I think he smokes tatuaje cigars but whatever they are, along with the cigarettes … that’s all my house smells of for a week or so after he’s left.

My husband and I smoke as well, but Canadian cigarettes don’t smell quite as much as American ones do. Oh don’t get me wrong I know they smell, but there’s a distinct smell to American cigarettes and cigars.

My brother in law knows he’s not supposed to smoke his cigars or cigarettes in the house. He can smoke our cigarettes … but not his. Still .. after a few drinks and when my husband and him get going out comes those stinky things and I’m stuck with the smell. Grrrr

So how do you get the scent of cigars and cigarettes out of a home? I’d love some good ideas. I put out little dishes with diluted white vinegar and that helps a bit, but not enough. Suggestions?

When we moved into our house (our first and only house so far) we decided to use curtains on the main floor and and a combination of blinds and sheer curtains or roller blinds in the upstairs bedrooms.

Curtains are easy to clean – just throw them in the wash or take them to the dry cleaner depending upon what materials they’re made of, but blinds are another story.

We have mini-blinds in our master bedroom and I’ve taken to wiping them down with a damp rag and dusting them with my big duster whenever I’m cleaning. This works, but not as well as I’d like or perhaps I’m just not doing it as often as I should.

The roller blinds in the two spare bedrooms we have get vacuumed or dusted. I’d love to wash them since they are made of material, but due to their construction that’s pretty much impossible.

Any good tips on cleaning mini blinds and roller blinds?

One my first attempt using the steam cleaner I went after the backsplash tiles in the kitchen, the stove and the fridge. The cleaner worked great on the stove and the fridge. It really got the grime out of the corners and crevices on both appliances.

The backsplash tiles in the kitchen were another matter. I used the scrubbing attachment on the steamer to try to clean the grout area between the tiles and while the grout did look cleaner where I worked at it they didn’t look anywhere near as clean as I’d hoped.

I guess I was hoping that using the steamer once on the tiles would remove years of grime that had built up on the grout. I guess I’m going to have to get some kind of grout cleaner to clean the grout between the backsplash tiles and then I can use the Shark Steamer to maintain the clean look.

One my next attempt to use the Shark steamer I’m going to tackle the bathroom. The grout in the bathroom isn’t that bad, but it could use a good cleaning. What I really want to clean in there is the silicone seal between the tub and the shower wall tiles. It looks like it has mildew in some areas and the steamer should at least help kill the mildew … and hopefully remove it too.

Actually almost all of our upstairs bathroom is tile of some kind or another. The tub/shower area is tiles up to the ceiling and then the walls have tile that goes from the ground up to about 4.5 feet in height. (our Kitchen is like that too .. I guess the former home owners really liked tile?). The bathroom floor has those tiny square floor tiles and yes, the grout between those tiles could use a very good cleaning too.

Hopefully I’ll find the time this weekend to get the steam cleaner out and try it out in the bathroom. It’s a shame that I’ve only used it once since I bought it.

Do you have a general purpose steamer that you use to clean the bathroom, tiles, appliance and perhaps even the floor? If so, what kind do you have and are you happy with it’s performance?

Instead of scrubbing off the cooked-on food remnants on the grill, many of us take one look at the mess and decide that we can always do it tomorrow. Maybe you really intend to follow through, but it’s not always easy or convenient to actually do it. So we end up just putting away or covering up the dirty barbeque grill, complete with charred food remnants and pooled grease.

And before you know it, your barbeque gas grill simply isn’t working. And the real downside to these circumstances is the ultimate effect on the taste of your next piece of meat if the grill remains dirty.

Buying a new BBQ grill can be a costly purchase, so it’s important that you properly maintain the one you have so it lasts as long as possible. It’s actually not that difficult to clean the grill after each use. Really, you only need to scrub it down for a couple of minutes, leave it to dry, and then put it back.

Check out these simple ways to keep your barbeque clean and in top working order.

Your first task is to get rid of the bits of food that have been burned black while cooking and are sticking to the grill. Wait until the grill has completely cooled down and then scrub the inside with a stiff wire brush, preferably one made for this purpose. Clean the interior of the grill thoroughly. Don’t use soap or chemical products, since the remains of these products will enter into your food the next time you cook.

When cleaning the grate, first detach it from the BBQ and then give it a good wash with warm water and mild detergent. Avoid harsh chemicals and bleach as you clean up the burned bits that are stuck on the grill.

To remove stubborn food particles, soak the grate for a few minutes and then vigorously brush it to remove the charred bits of food. Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove any traces of soap. Then allow the grate to air dry before placing it back in the grill.

It’s a good idea to keep your barbeque grill covered or put away out of the elements so that it won’t start rusting.

More than a few put off cleaning out their gutters potentially putting their house at risk for thousands of dollars worth of damage. Gutter maintenance and cleaning needs to be done at least twice per year in the fall after the leaves are down. and in the spring when the tree pods have all fallen from the trees. If you neglect cleaning your gutters you run the risk of serious damage occuring to your home including mold, interior water damage, roff damage and basement leakage.

As gutters fill with leaves and debris, they will collect water and bsck up diring rain and snow melt. Also when water and debris collects it adds more weight that will over time cause the gutters to losen and possibly fall off tho house. Debris clogged gutters can also force water into contact with the fascia, which can cause the wood to rot and mold to form. During winter clogged gutters can accumulate ice and snow which can result in ice damming which can damage the shingles allowing water to get in and damage the interior of your house. Clogged gutters can cause water to pool around your foundation causing basement flooding and possible damage to your foundation.

Gutter cleaning can be a very dangerous job on houses and buildings that are more than one story. Many people have been hurt performing this task. For this reason alone it is highly advised that you hire a company that specializes in cleaning out your gutters as opposed to completing this task yourself.

Many homeowners install gutter covers which will block debris and leaves before they have a chance to clog the gutter system. These gutter covers can be pricey but will pay for themselves in a few years especially when you figure in the medical bills that can result from a fall. There a several types of gutter covers available from inexpenive screen systems to a hood system that separates leaves and debris from the water befor it enters the gutter.

Gutter cleaning is an important maintenence item on your houses todo list. Remember it can be quite dangerous and there are ways to avoid doing it yourself by either hiring a professional or installing gutter guards.

For more information on cleaning your gutters visit http://www.guaranteedgutters.net

I’m sure you have heard the suggestion that putting your clothing or stuffed animals into sealed plastic bags will suffocate head lice. This is not the case. More likely, by putting them into plastic bags the lice die of starvation. But there is a chance that doing this will not kill the lice and therefore a re-infestation can occur. This is not the case with putting articles into a high heat dryer for 30 minutes.

Obviously not everything will fit in your dryer. So, for things like carpeting and furniture, it’s best to vacuum everything thoroughly. Be sure to throw away the vacuum bag inside a sealed garbage sack, or empty the debris container for bagless vacuums, and remove it completely from your house. An outside garbage can is best.

There is no need to vacuum for 30 minutes in one concentrated area of course. A few times over the area will do fine.

You may also want to try creating your own “natural” repellent spray that can be made by using an average sized plastic spray bottle with about 20 drops of 100% Tea Tree Oil and water. Lice, among other pests such as ticks and mosquitoes, do not like the smell of Tea Tree Oil, and so it is a terrific choice for a repellent.

Once you have your mixture, simply begin spraying it on your furniture and carpeting. You needn’t over-spray and completely saturate your furniture. Lightly spraying will do the trick.

Of course, while this guide is for “natural” remedies, if you still feel unsafe about the conditions of your household items where lice can survive for a few days, then you can use a de-licing spray. But this is solely at your discretion. Vacuuming should work just as well. I hope these tips will help you in the future should you find an outbreak in your family.