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Here are some of the top New Year’s resolutions related to cleaning. How many are on your list?

1 ) Steam clean all your rugs and carpets. You can either do this yourself by renting a steam cleaner or hire a company to do it for you.

2 ) Dust in areas that normally get missed. For example, the top of your picture frames, ceiling lamps or chandeliers.

3 ) Polish your brass and silver. Don’t wait until you need to use it, just do it because it will look nice.

4 ) Give all your tile grout a deep cleaning. Kaboom® Stainbuster will do the trick.

5 ) Give your computer a good dusting including the keyboard and monitor.

6 ) Throw out all your junk mail and shred any outdated documents. File those papers that you need to keep.

7 ) Wash your walls to remove any marks and then touch up the paint to remove any chips.

8 ) Mop underneath your appliances. You’d be amazed by the dust and dirt that has collected under your refrigerator!

9 ) Clean your oven. If you’re lucky you have a self-cleaning oven but if not then you’ll need to employ a little elbow grease.

10 ) Clean all your household linens including drapes, comforters and pillows.

Follow any or all of the above for a fresh start to 2010! Happy New Year!

Now that we’re knee deep in the winter holiday season, many people are welcoming out of town guests, family and friends into their homes. We usually spend plenty of time decorating the living room, family room and even the kitchen but few of us think to spend any time decorating our bathrooms for the holidays.

Here are a few fun ideas to make your bathroom a little more festive this holiday season:

* Start by giving your bathroom a good clean and a fresh scent – try using the new Kaboom® Foam-Tastic™ product from GreatCleaners.com.

* Add some festive soaps in holiday colors and scents.

* Pick out some holiday hand towels featuring poinsettias, Christmas trees, snowmen or snowflakes. You can stick with the traditional green and red theme or go with something more wintery like blue and silver.

* Consider a new shower curtain in holiday colors or simply buy a plain white shower curtain and stencil on a holiday design of your choosing.

* Switch out your bathroom floor mats with some holiday mats.

* And the final touch, some holiday toilet paper! Yes, such a thing does indeed exist, just check out the selection at ChristmasToiletPaper.com.

Happy decorating!

Did you know that the air inside your home may be filled with more pollutants than the air outside? We’ve all heard of opening the windows to let in some “fresh air,” but misconceptions have left many people thinking that they can escape bad air by staying indoors. Newsflash: indoor air may be more detrimental than good for your health. The good news is, there are plenty of ways to clean up the air in your home, so you can take a deep breath and relax.

Plant One on Your Loved Ones

A simple first step to cleaning your air is to purchase indoor plants that are especially good for this purpose. You can make fresh air grow in your home by purchasing any of the following houseplant varieties: Peace lily, Rubber plant, Bamboo palm, Areca palm, English ivy, Ficus Aliii, or the Boston fern. Spread plants out throughout your home to optimize their pollutant pulling power. We all know from basic science that plants draw carbon dioxide out of the air and replace it with oxygen… they also draw out dangerous toxins including chemicals released from paint, furniture, carpets and cleaners.

Invite Fresh Air in to Stay

If weather permits, you should open your windows daily to clean out your indoor air. Most people think they get sick in the winter time because it’s cold outside. The real reason people fall ill is because they spend so much more time indoors with the windows closed in close proximity to other people during the winter months. Opening your windows will actually help rid your home of bacteria and airborne viruses. Winter is actually the most vital time to let the fresh air in, and if you crack your windows open slightly, it won’t make your home frigid, and it may increase your heating bill, but only by pennies per hour. I’d rather pay for heating than medicine or doctor visits anyway!

Make sure Home Improvements really are Improvements

If you have the space to let new furniture items such as mattresses, particleboard cabinetry and pressboard shelving air out before installing it in your home, doing so will decrease the amount of indoor pollutants circulating in your air.  If you’re painting a room, choose a safe paint that won’t emit VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) into the air. If you’re putting in wallpaper, use a natural water based adhesive over a toxic glue.

Say “Nay” to Sprays

The less you can spray products throughout your home, the better. Hair spray, insecticides, oven cleaners, air fresheners… all of these sprays add up! Use them sparingly, and preferably near an open window in a well ventilated room. Aerosol sprays are especially harmful to personal and environmental health.

Break Out the Feather Duster

Toxins may settle easily into the dust throughout your home, so it’s important to dust and then vacuum on a regular basis. Dust and vacuum even more frequently if you are pregnant, have young children, or pets.

Maintain a Strict, Smoke Free Environment

Keep your children and your loved ones safe by never allowing anyone to smoke inside your home.

These tips should have you well on your way to cleaning up your indoor air… now go crack open your windows and enjoy your day!

If you’re planning to carve pumpkins this Halloween, here are some useful tips to make sure the process is both fun and safe for everyone.

* Be careful of sharp tools – We all know that sharp tools are a necessity when carving pumpkins but always make sure that your children are supervised during the process.

* Lay lots of newspaper – Try to contain your mess when gutting your pumpkins by laying down lots of newspaper. You may even consider working outside if the weather is warm enough.

* Clean thoroughly – Make sure to get all the pulp out of your pumpkin as any hanging pieces can pose a fire hazard once you light the pumpkin with a candle.

* Waste not, want not – Rather than throwing away all your pumpkin seeds, consider using them in some of these clever recipes.

* Artifical light – Consider using artifical light instead of candles to light your pumpkins since this helps eliminate most of the fire hazard and can be just as effective.

* Clean up easily – Finally, when you’re all done, use your favorite GreatCleaners cleaning products to give your home back its sparkle.

Happy Halloween!

No matter where you live, as we approach Winter, there are some things we should all be doing to get our homes ready for the colder weather. I found this great article on About.com with a list of 10 items we should cover during the winterizing process:

1. Have your furnace inspected, stock up on filters and remove any flammable materials from the area.

2. Prepare your fireplace, have your chimney cleaned and stock up on firewood.

3. Check doors and windows for cracks and install storm windows if you have them.

4. Check your roof for worn or missing shingles and clean out your gutters and downspouts.

5. Store your lawnmower and make sure your snow blower is ready.

6. Seal any foundation cracks and close off any entry points.

7. Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and install a carbon monoxide detector.

8. Insulate your plumbing and drain garden hoses.

9. Prune trees, seal patios and wood decks and move delicate potted plants inside.

10. Prepare an emergency kit.

For the full article – visit About.com and remember to always be prepared!

Do you ever feel like you live in a toy store? Most families have a hard time avoiding mountainous eruptions of toys that trickle throughout their homes. There are ways to find a happy medium, so you don’t have to feel like your house is being taken over by monster trucks, dolls, children’s books and flashing musical instruments. We may not be able to hide our children’s tracks through our home entirely, (and who would want to, anyway?), but we can keep toys in check with these simple organizational tips.

Less is Less

Children are all for having “too much of a good thing,” but we can teach them how to scale back to keep everyone’s life more sane! For every new toy or book that comes into your home, one should be donated to charity or put into storage if you plan on saving them for a younger sibling. Convincing your little ones to adhere to your “out with the old, in with the new” policy shouldn’t be too difficult. Most kids will happily part with an older toy, as long as it doesn’t have sentimental value, to welcome a new addition to their toy box. *Top Tip: Also keep in mind that toys aren’t the end all be all in childhood entertainment. Spending time outdoors, in parks and museums and partaking in family activities rounds out playtime and cuts back on the need for tons of toys.

Enlist Kids to Help with Clean-up

Teach your children from a very young age to put away their toys and books when they’ve finished playing with them. A fun way to encourage this habit is to purchase bins for each type of toy: plush toys, musical instruments, Legos, trucks, etc. Take a picture of each set of toys, perhaps as your child plays or poses with them, and then tape the photograph to the outside of the bin. This will enable your child to see exactly where his toys need to go during clean-up.

Book Smart

Purchase a small bookcase to house all of your children’s books. Make sure it is topple proof and sturdy before  acquainting your child with her reading niche. Teach her to put away her books when she’s finished reading them. Kids love to sort and stack books, so this activity will give them pride in their book collection, and help nourish their love of the written word.

Decide What “Look” You’re Going For

Some parents want to camouflage their children’s toys and belongings, while others are happy to have them out in the open as part of their home decor. If you want to maintain a more sophisticated home appearance, there are a variety of sleek baskets and containers that will conceal toys when they’re not in use. You may also store toy containers under a bed or in a closet, and only take them out at playtime. If you’re lucky enough to have a designated play area in your home, opt for cute, child-friendly toy storage boxes so your kids may easily access their entertainment. *Top Tip: Don’t buy storage containers or toy boxes that have heavy lids or hinges, as you want to avoid any injuries from lids slamming closed or hinges pinching your child’s fingers.

Routine Round-Up

Staying on top of toy clean-up and organization is essential. Daily maintenance is required so things don’t get out of hand and you aren’t tripping on remote controlled cars on your way to make dinner. Sometimes toy clean-up is required several times a day, but it is worth the effort to maintain a sense of decorum, and safety in your home.

If you’re a parent, you know that life will never be the same now that you have children. In the same vein, our homes will always be touched by their wonderful musings. Go easy on yourself and your children if your home is less than perfect! The above tips should help you find a comfortable way to live amongst all of your children’s gear and reverie!

GreatCleaners’ newest bathroom cleaner is a product called Kaboom® Foam-Tastic™. This fantastic foam sprays on blue and then turns white as it cleans. I actually tested this product out myself to see if it really works as advertised. I sprayed the foam around the rim of a sink and sure enough it came out of the can a bright blue color. I stood and watched as it turned white signaling that the cleaning was complete. I then rinsed off the area and was amazed at the results. The scum and grime was completely gone and I never scrubbed, wiped or sponged the area at all!

I highly recommend Kaboom® Foam-Tastic™! You can buy it online now and save $1.00 off the retail price. Don’t spend any more time cleaning than you have to!

If you’re a Mom with little kids like me (I have 3) then it’s often a huge challenge to get them to help with tidying up their rooms, playrooms, etc. Here are a few ideas to make clean up time less stressful:

* Sing songs or listen to music while you tidy up. This often makes the time go much faster and who doesn’t love to dance once in a while?

* Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and challenge your kids to pick up as much as they can in that time frame. This tatic turns a chore into a competition and you’ll see your kids quickly rise to the occasion to see how much they can do before the timer goes off.

* Play a game that involves asking your kids to put away all the red toys first, then all the yellow ones, etc. This helps you get the room tidy and also help your children with color recognition.

* When all else fails, a reward often does the trick! A promise of pizza for dinner or an ice cream treat often works wonders.

If you have other ideas that work for you, leave them in a comment below and happy clean up to everyone!

Hi – I’m Julie and I’d like to welcome you to Julie’s Cleaning Secrets! This blog will provide you with fresh tips and ideas around cleaning, organizing, products for the home and more. If you have your own ideas that you’d like to see featured here then please leave us a comment under this post and I’ll be more than happy to post about them. And don’t forget to check out all our great products and deals at GreatCleaners.com. Thanks for reading!