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Cleaning: Ridding Mildew from the Dishwasher

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Ridding mildew from the dishwasherUpon returning home from our vacation, I found mildew growing in our dishwasher. Disgusting!

My house was nice and clean with I left, so I was surprised that my dishwasher did not enjoy its vacation from us. 🙂

Since we do not use paper plates in our home, I serve each meal on our everyday ceramic dishes. With dishes from three meals a day and snacks, our dishwasher gets a workout.

The warmth inside and the bout of inactivity brought on a growing case of mildew.

Though the black residue was only on the sides and the vent of the door, I quickly started ridding mildew from the dishwasher.

Ridding Mildew from the Dishwasher

  • Tracy’s Tools of the Trade

1. Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

2. Toothbrush

3. Old towel

  • Tracy’s Cleaning Technique

1. Spray the mildew with the Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

2. Wait about 5 minutes

3. Use the old toothbrush to remove stubborn mildew from the sides and vents

4. Dry off with the towel

One of the sides needed extra scrubbing to release the mildew. To get a thorough cleaning, I scrubbed inside the rubber seals around the dishwasher door which trapped mildew in the creases.

Preventing Mildew from the Dishwasher

In running our dishwasher almost every day, I did not realize that frequent use keeps mildew away. Simple wipe downs and scraping food from the dishes prior to loading the dishwasher keep the appliance parts clean and clear to operate efficiently.

For more tips, visit this How to Clean and Maintain a Dishwasher post which explains how to take the dishwasher apart for a thorough cleaning.

 As you load and unload your dishwasher, check and rid mildew before it builds up. Keeping your appliance clean and clear of debris prevents overworking your dishwasher. Yes, it takes time, but in using time wisely, your efforts can lengthen the longevity of your household appliances which saves you money, energy, and time. Happy cleaning!

Question: How often do you run your dishwasher?

Organizing: Outside Toy Chest

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Organizing: Outside Toy ChestHappy Labor Day! For some this is the end of summer while others are just taking a little break from their new school routine. Between last dips in the swimming pool to summer picnics and barbecues, I wish you a wonderful Labor Day.

As our family is taking a little break from our new school routine, I have closed the chapter on our summer fun. The fun remains, but we fit it in between school obligations and responsibilities.

In completing most of our backyard outings, we took a little time after dinner one evening to clean out and organize our outside toy chest. My decision came after rearranging the items twice to fit toys with broken pieces. Rather than fuss with the lid, I began unloading the chest.

Unloaded the Toy Chest

Our outside toy chest contains all our outside toys. Everything from baseball and soccer equipment, chalk, water guns, sand box shovels, Frisbees, and balls find their way into the toy chest.

Overfilled outside toy chest

Our too many unused and broken toys

With getting the toys in and out, my children have emptied containers, broken items, and out-grown some of the toys. As our summer came to an end, we unloaded the toy chest by dumping the contents into the yard.

Organizing Outside Toy Chest

Unloaded the outside toy chest

Sorted the Toys into Piles

After spraying out the chest, we sorted the items into two piles:

    • Trash
    • Keep
Organizing outside toy chest

Trash and Keep Piles

We had lots of broken items, including swimming toys from our first baby pool – 5 years ago. Yep! We needed to clean out this chest.

Organized the Toys

After trashing the one section, we put similar items together from the keep pile. Our sections consisted of water toys, sand toys, soccer toys, baseball toys, etc. The sections were then placed back into the toy chest. By the time we finished the sun had set, so the picture is a little darker than the others. But we finished!

Organized outside toy chest

Project complete!

In using time wisely to organize our outside toy chest, our family unloaded, sorted, and organized the toys that will entertain my children into the fall season. Clearing out the chest rid our toy stash of unused, broken, and out-grown items. With an organized chest, we will find the wanted item without wasting time and energy searching among broken toys.

Before putting the summer items away, spend a little time clearing out for next summer. In using time wisely now, you will save storage space and energy at the start of next summer by keeping only the toys you need. Enjoy the rest of your summer and your Labor Day. Happy organizing!

Question: Where do you store your outside toys?

Vacation Recovery . . . Almost

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Overwhelmed laundry pileThough we are back from our long and much-needed vacation, I am far from caught up and in my groove. With late nights, late mornings, and naps as needed, I’m not sure I want to fully recover from our vacation routine. 😉

Overcoming the piles of laundry, snagging the last few back-to-school items, and squeezing in those last days of summer fun, I have mixed feelings about this week of vacation recovery. On the one hand, I am ready to get back on a routine as I really. need. my. exercise. time. back. I look forward to keeping the same routine each day and knowing where to fit in exercise, errands, cleaning, homework, and extra activities.

But the flip side of this equation is that our summer fun is coming to a close. Gone are the late nights watching the Olympic athletes strive for gold, the all-day carefree days spent splashing and swimming at the water park, the family outings, summer picnics, and double-header baseball games. In using time wisely, I have maximized the time I have had with my kids this summer. We are not promised today, tomorrow, this school year, or next summer.

Sorting - breaking down into manageable sectionsAs I plan for our new routine (taking effect this week), I choose to enjoy the process. This season of change will have its challenges, but with brand-new school supplies, new teachers, and a fresh start, I’m embracing this up-coming school year.

With no regrets from the summer, I press on. Like the mound of clothes in the laundry pile, the start of this new school year may overwhelm. But by taking the pile and sorting it – breaking it down into manageable chunks – I will find a schedule that works for our family. This is my plan as I emerge from vacation recovery . . . almost.

While you finish your summer or adapt to a new routine, press on without regrets. Make sure the important things get done today while using time wisely.

Question: How is your schedule or routine changing?  

Where You Shouldn’t Use Scrubbing Bubbles . . .

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Where not to use Scrubbing Bubbles . . .

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

One of my favorite cleaning products is Scrubbing Bubbles. This family of products has kept my bathrooms clean for years.

With porcelain sinks, I read a number of reviews prior to cleaning that recommended using Scrubbing Bubbles, which I did.

Finding the Corrosion

On this last round of cleaning at our home, I noticed that the chrome around our bathroom faucets was peeling away.

At first, I thought my children had left toothpaste on the knobs causing the flaking and corrosion down to the metal.

To clean it, I took off the hot and cold knobs and did a thorough cleaning. Whatever happened, the peeling chrome was beyond repair.

Realizing that our over 7-year-old house might need a new faucet or two, I purchased a similar model and Paul, my “Mr. Fix It” husband, replaced the faucet. In reading the directions, Paul asked how I cleaned the sinks. Well, of course, I use Scrubbing Bubbles.

Locating the Source

Well, guess what? The directions on the faucet state that the use of products by Lysol and Scrubbing Bubbles has been known to damage the chrome. Wow! No wonder 3 of our 4 sinks had chrome-peeling issues.

Since I just learned that my constant cleaning (at times) with Scrubbing Bubbles caused damage to our home, I will refrain from using Scrubbing Bubbles on all our chrome fixtures. I will still use it on my toilets, counters, and possibly the porcelain basins.  We now have 1 faucet replaced, another that was not affected, and 2 more with minor chrome damage.

If you also use Scrubbing Bubbles on your chrome faucets, take notice. In cleaning your home and using time wisely, use Scrubbing Bubbles on your toilets, showers, and tubs. The product is great for cleaning, but the chrome fixtures is one place where you shouldn’t use Scrubbing Bubbles. Learn from my mistake, and happy cleaning!

Question: In my quest for another cleaner that will protect the porcelain basins without damaging our chrome faucets, what do you recommend?

When Your Organizing System is Less than Perfect, Get Creative

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When your organizing system is less than perfect, get creative

Photograph Credit: Martha Stewart

There it is that perfect organizer that gives everything a place and looks fantastic. The advertiser has lured you in with perfect lighting, balance, and color. You consider your space and budget and decide to purchase it.

Then you get it home and the drawers are too small to hold all your items, the height seems smaller than pictured, and reality sets in. The ideal organizer looks great, but lacks functionality in your space.

Don’t Give Up

Hang in there because not all is lost. Remember the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” find a new use for that great organizing system.

Creativity and organization go hand in hand. What works for one individual is not guaranteed to work for another. Just because that scrapbook station worked for one scrapbook artist who loves small items like buttons, eyelets, and paperclips does not mean that the same system will work for the scrapbook hobbyists who loves bulky items like paint, stamps, and stickers.

Try, Try, and Try Again

Organizational systems are great. But when your organizing system is less than perfect, get creative. Go back to the drawing board, and answer these questions:

  • What is currently working well?
  • What is not working?
  • What changes would you like to make to the existing system?
  • What do you need to get from your current system to a workable solution?
  • Do you have anything around the house that will fit your needs?
  • Can you adjust your beautiful scrapbook station into an office or music center?

If not, get creative. See if you can move a media storage center into a tall, narrow space to solve your problem. As you evaluate your organizational systems, you have options. Just because the designer chose to market that set as a sewing center, you can adjust that system to create a desk, kitchen island, or workbench.

What worked last year is not necessarily workable this year. Stay flexible and creative in finding a solution that works for you. Happy organizing!

Question: What organizational solution resulted from your creativity?Â