Day 126: Clever Scent Spot

Do you want your bathroom to smell lovely, without burning out all of your candles or using up air fresheners?  (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE using lovely-scented everythings in our WCs, but sometimes I am not there to refresh, plug in, spray or light!)  Well, here is a clever, little tip, straight from the "Neat Freak Cheat Sheet."  Just put those scented oils to use!

Every time you load up a new roll of toilet paper (and you know it will be you, since apparently no one else in the house knows how to reload those oh-so-complicated TP tubes!), add a drop or two of your favorite scents.  Every time someone spins the roll, the scent will be released!  Simple, right! ;)

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 125: Washing the Dish Washer

We’ve broached the topic of washing the washing machine, which I never in all my life thought would be necessary.  So, of course, another device that doesn’t seem to need cleaning would be – the dishwasher.  I mean, it’s running all the time, cleaning dishes, so you’d think it would remain sparkling, sanitized and perfect.  Right!?!?  I suppose if we ran on that theory, then the shower and the tub would never need cleaning, either.  Yuck.  So, if your dishwasher looks or smells a little funky, just give these three simple steps a try!  You can get a cleaner, gunk-free dishwasher, and you may improve the overall life of this much-needed kitchen appliance, too!

FIRST: Remove the bottom rack and examine the drain area; make sure there are no nasty food bits or random chunks of stuff that could block the drain, cause damage to the pump or even scratch your dishes!  When I unscrewed the dishwasher spray arm (white thing in my hand) from the bottom of our dishwasher, I found a small, sharp (very clean) pairing knife lodged by the pump/motor (gray thing).  That's probably not a good thing... ;)

SECOND: Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with plain white vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher. Using the hottest water available, run the dishwasher through a cycle. (Except for the cup of vinegar, the dishwasher will be empty.) The vinegar will help sanitize your dishwasher and will help remove any musty odors.
 

THIRD: When the cycle is complete, sprinkle a cupful of baking soda around the bottom of your dishwasher, and run it through a short but complete cycle using the hottest water. The baking soda will help freshen the smell of your dishwasher and will brighten up the look of the inside of the appliance by removing stains.

Now you can use your dishwasher again, as normal... but hopefully it's much cleaner... and safer!

Now, THAT's neat!