2012 Third Quick Tip Week: Removing Ink Stains

October 15, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Darren Sacks)

Quick Tip Week continues! Hope this week of shorter posts highlighting one tip in each category helps you in using time wisely. For series already in progress, I will continue with the next segment following our Quick Tip Week. Embrace this week, add your tips in the comments, and continue using time wisely!

Quick Tip #2: Removing Ink Stains

As my 2-year-old waved around an uncapped ink pen, my shirt met the blue ink resulting in a stain. Thinking I would just soak the shirt, Paul suggested drawing out the ink using hairspray.

With the hairspray bottle in hand, I sprayed the soiled section, waited a few moments to activate, and then I pressed down paper towels on the spot. With each treatment, the stain became less visible until it disappeared after the fourth round.

Though I’m sure the OxiClean would have worked, I liked the immediate result of using hairspray when removing ink stains. Upon laundering, I found my shirt without ink or any residue from the hairspray. 🙂

In using time wisely, I spent less than 5 minutes removing ink stains from my shirt. If you find a stray ink mark on your clothing from a 2-year-old, test out the hairspray trick to save you money, energy, and time. Happy stain lifting!

Question: How do you remove ink stains?

2012: Halloween Decorations

October 8, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

With a love for holidays, I store totes of decorations for each holiday and season in our garage. By taking the time to remove previous decorations, I seize the opportunity to clean my home while preparing for the next holiday or season. With fall activities underway, I’m ready to break out my Halloween decorations.

Though I keep my decorations simple and non-frightening, I love to see the creations of others. Depending on the project, I enjoy crafts, but I limit the time requirement. In using time wisely, these are some fun Halloween decorations that are child-friendly that you will want to display:

Decorating Candles

Love the simple additions to these candles creating a non-frightening mummy and ghost. The others are cute as well, but I really like the mummy.

Another candle craft option where children can help is this “batty” decoration over a tea candle.

Pine Cone Garland

Combine a family walk finding pine cones and a craft project to add a decorative pine cone garland to your home.

Spooky Silhouette

If you have empty wall space, then check out this adorable Halloween-style family tree.

As you decorate your home for Halloween or the fall season, enjoy using time wisely with your family. As a co-manager of our home, Paul leaves the decorating to me. Though I can decorate much quicker on my own, my children love to help which makes the event a family affair. Happy decorating!

Question: What is a favorite fall decoration in your home?

Fall Home Maintenance

October 1, 2012 by Tracy

When Paul and I purchased our home, we also purchased the book, Home Maintenance For Dummies.*

Besides money-saving tips to fix small repairs, this book also provides monthly maintenance checklists. Of that list, Paul and I plan to perform the following tasks for our fall home maintenance:

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Drain hot water heater

Clean and replace furnace and air conditioner filters

Check air intakes for insect blockages and debris

Clean range hood filter

Clean all appliances and counters

Disinfect and freshen garage disposal with vinegar ice cubes

Paste wax our dining room table and wooden trash can

Deep clean laminate surfaces

Deep clean all the floors

Test smoke detectors

Test carbon monoxide detector

Test auto reverse safety feature on garage door opener

Clean lint from dryer duct and from the interior of dryer housing

Inspect washing machine water supply hoses

Depending on your home, you may need more or less items on your fall home maintenance checklist. In our home when I find light bulbs out or batteries low, I jot them down on my “Honey-do” list. As Paul has a few moments to spare, he will work through the list to keep our home operating efficiently.

In using time wisely schedule your fall home maintenance. Create your own list to perform monthly or quarterly checks. Heading off problems before they happen will save you money, energy, and time. Happy maintaining!

Question: What additional items would you add to this fall home maintenance checklist?

* This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon.com (disclosure policy). Should you choose to purchase Home Maintenance For Dummies, Using Time Wisely benefits. 😉

Homework Helper: Dry Erase Markers

September 24, 2012 by Tracy

Stocking up on dry erase markers during back-to-school sales proved very helpful in my home. Besides the quick note and emergency numbers on the family white board, we use dry erase markers for homework practice.

In our home, we have a Crayola easel with a white board on one side and a chalkboard on the other. My son used to practice his spelling words on this vertical white board for K5 and first grade.

When shopping at Target during the back-to-school deals this year, I found dry erase boards with dotted notebook lines. Perfect!

As my children practice writing spelling words, cursive letters, and paragraphs, they write on their dry erase boards. Even my toddler enjoys her “homework.” 😉

These boards make learning fun, save money on paper, and clean up quick and easy.

In using time wisely, our dry erase markers are our favorite homework helper. We love them so much that we included writing strips and packages of dry erase markers in my daughter’s teacher’s gift bag. It seems that our homework helper is also a favorite classroom helper. 🙂 Happy helping!

Question: What school supply is your family’s favorite homework helper?

Cleaning: Our Gas Fireplace

September 17, 2012 by Tracy

On this chilly rainy day, I dressed in a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and welcomed the changing weather pattern in front of our gas fireplace.

Though it’s not here yet, my favorite season is autumn. In anticipation of falling leaves and pumpkin decorations, I replaced my summer candle with a pumpkin spice flavor to spark a new scent throughout our home.

Though we are not yet ready to turn on the fireplace, I noticed that the dust had built-up on our gas logs. As I took off the glass plate, I met cob webs and a thick layer of dust. In between a few sneezes, I wiped down the entire fireplace resulting in a pile of dust.

NOTE: My pilot light had been shut off. If you attempt cleaning your gas fireplace, turn off your pilot light before taking anything apart.

After a thorough cleaning of the inside and outside of the glass plate using Windex, I put the fireplace pieces back together.

Even with a deep spring cleaning each year, our fireplace had collected quite the dust. As we continue preparing our home for the changing temperatures, the current dust-free logs in our gas fireplace will warm our home while we wrap up in blankets all snuggled together. Did I mention that I love autumn? 😉 Happy fall preparations!

Question: Do you have any tips for cleaning a gas fireplace?

« Previous Page