How To Clean an Oven with Baking Soda & Vinegar

What You Need

• Baking soda
• Water
• Rubber gloves
• Damp dish cloth
• Plastic or silicone spatula
• Spray bottle
• White vinegar

Instructions

1. Empty the oven: Remove your oven racks, pizza stone, oven thermometer, and anything else you have inside the oven. Set aside.
2. Make a baking soda paste: In a small bowl, mix a 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water. Adjust the ratio of both as needed until you have a spreadable paste. For me this took about 3 tablespoons of water to get the desired spreadable consistency.
3. Coat your oven: Spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of your oven, steering clear of the heating elements. I used gloves for this portion, as my oven was pretty grimy. It helped me really get in there and coat the dirtiest nooks and crannies without having to worry about all that grime under my nails. The baking soda will turn a brownish color as you rub it in; it also might be chunkier in some places than others, which is fine. Just try to coat the whole oven to the best of your abilities, paying extra attention to any particularly greasy areas.
4. Let it sit overnight: Allow the baking soda mixture to rest for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
5. Clean your oven racks: Meanwhile, clean your oven racks. See the full cleaning tutorial here.
6. Wipe out the oven: After 12 hours or overnight, take a damp dish cloth and wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can. Use a plastic or silicone spatula to help scrape off the paste as needed. I found that the damp cloth was enough for me, but a spatula might come in handy in those hard-to-reach places.
7. Spray a little vinegar: Put a little vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz everywhere you still see baking soda residue in your oven. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and gently foam.
8. Do a final wipe-down: Take your damp cloth and wipe out the remaining foamy vinegar-baking soda mixture. Repeat until all the baking soda residue is gone. Add more water or vinegar as needed while wiping to really get the oven clean and shiny.
9. Replace your oven racks: Replace the oven racks and anything else you keep in your oven, and you're done!

The 9 Most Common Halloween Messes—and How to Clean Them!

The day after Halloween has to be one of the biggest cleaning days of the year. Your children leave chocolate and candy all over the house and themselves, leftover gunk from your jack-‘o-lantern is stuck to the front porch and the neighbor’s kids decided to throw eggs at every car on the block. You’ve got a lot of work to do, but don’t fear! Most Halloween stains can be eliminated easily, using products you already have around the house.

Sticky candy: Mix 1 teaspoon of neutral detergent and 1 cup of lukewarm water. Blot the stain using this solution and a cloth. For melted candy, blot with a mixture of one-third vinegar and two-thirds water. Finish by blotting with water, then scrape off the candy.

Chocolate: Scrape off the excess chocolate, then head to How Stuff Works for specific instructions depending on surface or fabric.

Gum: If it’s stuck in hair, rub strands with peanut butter until the gum gets out. If it’s stuck to clothing, press ice to the sticky area until it hardens, then scrape off.

Pumpkin: Before you start carving a jack-‘o-lantern, lay down newspapers under the pumpkin for easy cleanup. Too late? Use a spoon to scrape off as much as possible, then scrub with a solution of dishwashing liquid and water.

Glitter: First, vacuum up any glitter you can. For the remnants, try rolling some Play-Doh over the mess to pick up sparkles.

Silly String: Most will come off your house with soap and water, but you can remove any residue with a cotton ball or swab.

Shaving cream: Don’t wait to clean this, since―surprise― shaving cream can leave stains on outdoor items. Luckily, it should easily come off with a hose and microfiber cloth. If your car is the victim, though, you should have it professionally washed.

Toilet paper: Make sure to clean up toilet paper before it starts raining or before sprinklers go off, as wet toilet paper is a nightmare to clean. If dry toilet paper is high up in a tree, use a ladder and a stick wrapped in sticky duct tape to reach it.

Eggs: First, pick up the eggshells, then use a hose to remove as much of the egg as possible. If eggs are stuck to surfaces, place a rag soaked in half water, half vinegar on the egg for 15 to 20 minutes. Then wipe down the area with another rag.

How to Dust Cobwebs at Home

1 Prepare a mixture of bleach and water. You can also use a combination of bleach and water to address spider webs. This is best used for live webs rather than cobwebs. This will get rid of spider eggs and kill any spiders still living in them.

You can buy bleach at a local department store or online. Make sure to read any instructions provided before use. Always dilute bleach with water to the levels recommended on the container. For most homes, one gallon of bleach is all you'll need.

If you're spraying bleach outside, you'll need to purchase some kind of bleach sprayer. You can do so online or at a local department store. You also may need a garden hose or adjustable spray nozzle

If you're bleaching in your home, a big sprayer might have too much force. You can simply mix bleach and water in a small handheld spray bottle. Make sure to wear protective gloves when handling bleach. It can be corrosive to skin.

Always mix bleach with hot water, not lukewarm or cold water. Never mix bleach with other household chemicals.

Spray the webs. Pump the sprayer towards areas infected by spider webs. Your sprayer's settings should allow you to spray bleach somewhere between a solid stream and a gentle mist. You might want to test the sprayer on sidewalk or cement before using it on your home.

Apply a generous amount of bleach water to any areas you notice that contain eggs or webs. As you notice the webs and sacks loosening, spray another layer of bleach and water.

If webs are stuck on hard, use a cleaning brush to manually remove them.

How to prevent spiders in your home

OK. So you know how to clean cobwebs. But how do you keep them from forming in the first place? Well, to prevent cobwebs from accruing in your corners, you need to spider-proof your home as much as you can. Below, you’ll find several ways to curb cobweb accumulation in your house.
 

Regular cleaning: The best way to keep cobwebs out of corners is by dusting and vacuuming regularly. This removes spiders and their webs. And when those variables are eliminated, cobwebs can’t form.

Vinegar: Distilled white vinegar is great for everything from cleaning the shower to keeping spiders away. Mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle and mist corners—high and low—along with baseboards, window sills and the bases of doors.

Essential oils

Pest control

Window seals

How to remove sticker residue :)

Kids often have a bit of a passion for stickers! They’re one of the simplest activities you can use to keep them occupied for hours. But turn your back for five minutes, and those stickers will be slapped onto all kinds of hidden surfaces. Of course, you’ll only discover this later, when their stickiness has had time to well and truly settle in on walls, windows, and your favourite clothes. If you think it’s about time you learnt how to remove sticker glue, whether from surfaces kids have decided to ‘decorate’ or just from jars, then follow our easy guidelines below.

Removing stickers from plastic, wood, and metal can be a little bit trickier if you don’t know the safest method to use. Chemical removing agents can damage these materials, and anything abrasive can leave marks or dents. Instead:

1. Apply vegetable oil to the area and let it soak in for a couple of hours.
2. Use a warm (not hot) hair dryer to soften the glue, and wipe the residue off.
3. Use hot soapy water and cloth for a final clean.

Window cleaning and Pimms

Summer time and everyone in East London is through their windows into their gardens and balconies, and planning their Pimm's parties.

Yes, folks, it's time to clean your windows.

Now there are many schools of thought in relations to cleaning windows. You can buy special window cleaning products, invest heavily in mops, microfiber cloths and squeegees, or even get in a specialist window cleaning company.  However, there is a cheap and easy alternative. Do it yourself with simple household ingredients. Me? I use newspaper, a microfiber cloth and plain warm water with vinegar.  

Want a trade secret? The real key to clean windows is when you clean them. Always clean them on a cloudy day. Never clean them in full sun because the sun will dry the window too quickly and it will leave unsightly streaks on the glass.  

Everyone wants a gleaming surface and that is where the newspaper comes in. A crumpled-up newspaper won't lint like other types of paper so you can buff your window surface to your heart's content. Your windows will sparkle and then you can toast your achievements with a  glass of Pimms. Lovely.  

Kettles and cleaning tips from East London

I always like finding out how people clean, and what they clean. Some people are very particular about skirting boards while others are fussy about benchtops and hops. Me? I love a clean kettle! 

I can't leave a kitchen without making sure I have wiped down the handle and cleaned the outside. A  shiny kettle makes a kitchen feels fresh and inviting. 

Anyone who lives in London will know about limescale. My East London clients have an array of solutions to managing it.  Some people see limescale as a natural part of the water and they simply live with it while others use vinegar and good soak or boil.  One or two clients use shop bought kettle cleaning products.  

Whatever your approach, can I suggest you clean your kettle? It's one small but really wonderful way to helping you feel good in your kitchen.

And feeling good is what cleaning is all about, isn't it? 

Chinese New Year 2017: Rooster

January 28th marked the Chinese New Year and it's now the year of the Rooster! Famous roosters are said to include Dawn French, Britney Spears, Yoko Ono and Bob Marley. 

I've been reading about Chinese New Year celebrations over the last week and discovered that getting your hair cut in the first month of the new year is apparently regarded as courting bad luck.  

However, you'll be pleased to know that house cleaning is fine as long as it takes place before the 28th. Decluttering and scrubbing is a symbolic way to say goodbye to the last year and welcome the new.  On a cautionary note, DON'T clean for the first few days of the new year in case you sweep away your good fortune. 

Here is another tradition I read about: It is very lucky to shop in the new year! 

Happy to new to all my customers across East London who celebrate this tradition. I'd love to hear about your special day.   

I wish you good health and prosperity. 

Justyna

New Year Resolutions

Welcome to 2017!

I adored my time with friends and family over the Christmas break but now I am back home in lovely London and full of excitement about the forthcoming year. 

Did you make any resolutions?

I did ;-)

I want to grow my business and throw myself into creating a beautiful home for my partner and me to enjoy.

I come from a very house-proud family tradition.  Walk past my front door and you will find orderly shelves, clean benches, perfectly folded towels and freshly ironed clothes.  

London is such a busy city. We are constantly surrounded by crowds, noise, and activity. While I love the fullness of London life, sometimes it's hard to find peace and quiet. For me, my home is my retreat.

I think it was Ghandi who said: "I will not let anyone walk through my  mind with their dirty feet." Cleanliness and order soothe but they also help me to think creatively and freely which is energising. 

I am big on decluttering.  I have a small selection of dear ornaments, treasured photographs and soft furnishing which totally reflect who I am. This year, I am resolved to make my home even more of an oasis. 

Good luck with your New Year resolutions. 

Best wishes,

Justyna

Christmas in Poland

This year I am heading home to Poland for Christmas to be with my family. I can't wait. My mother cooks delicious home made food and on Christmas Eve we prepare the house together. It is such a  special time. 

Unlike lots of people in the  UK, our main celebration takes place during Christmas Eve.  Known as "Kolacja wigilijna" we eat traditional and mostly vegetarian Polish food as soon as the first star appears in the sky.  

We feast in 12 delicious meals: a meal for each of the forthcoming months and each representing a disciple. Think beetroot soup,  mushroom dumplings and pancakes and then a selection of fish dishes. 

After the meal, we open presents which makes meal time for children seem endless.

I wish you well for your December and, for those who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you all.

Justyna.