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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6 ) Throw out all your junk mail and shred any outdated documents.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!

With all the rain this winter, I am always worried about ruining my favorite shoes…but not anymore! I ran across this fantastic product called SHUELLA. It’s basically an unbrella for your shoes, hence its name and it comes highly recommended (it even made Oprah’s “O” list).

The SHUELLAs come in black, hot pink, buttercup yellow and apple green and simply slip over your favorite pair of shoes. And best of all, they fold up nice and compactly into a little carry case that you can slip right into your purse.

Don’t ruin another pair of shoes in the rain – order your SHUELLAs today!

I recently ran across a wonderful feature on CountryLiving.com that suggested some lovely ideas for making your Thanksgiving dinner table truly special. Here are a few of my favorites:

* Look for table linens that actually have words of thanks printed or embroidered on them. This is an elegant way to remember the real meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday.

* Use the colors of fall to bring some drama to your dinner table. Rich reds, bright oranges and lush greens are all perfect for adding some autumnal color in your home.

* When creating your centerpieces, incorporate things like small pumpkins and gords or berries and leaves. And remember to keep them low in height so dishes can still be easily passed by your guests.

* Consider adding place cards or menu cards to your table for a more formal look. Use card holders that reflect your fall theme.

You can see these and many more ideas at CountryLiving.com. Have fun planning the perfect Thanksgiving table!

Kaboom® is proud to be an official sponsor of 2009 Bathroom Blogfest.

I am a busy Mom with 3 young children and have probably spent 4 of the last 7 years or so working on potty training. And as a result, I have seen my fair share of public restrooms.

All of my children began potty training with a fear of public restrooms. To begin with, the toilets were sized for adults and so there was that horrible feeling of dangling feet or, worse yet, the feeling that I might actually fall in if Mommy lets go of me. Then there was the noise. It seemed that each public toilet flushed louder than the last and it sent my kids screaming in terror as they attempted to block out the noise by covering their ears.

Fortunately, the fear eventually subsided and has now given way to fascination (which may actually be worse)! My youngest child always manages to announce in a loud voice at restaurants, in church, or anywhere else that others may hear, that she needs to go to the bathroom. So, never one to ignore that plaintive cry for fear of an accident, I race with her to the ladies’ room where my daughter proceeds to inspect everything from the toilet seat covers to the soap dispenser. Occasionally, she will actually use the toilet but most times we return to the rest of the family after nothing but an exploratory visit and lots of cries from me saying “don’t touch that!”

Not 5 minutes later comes the inevitable request again to go to the bathroom. I consider ignoring the second request while people around me begin to stare as my child begs to go, but eventually I give in and back we go. I have, on occasion, made this trip upwards of 5 times before my daughter eventually decides it’s time to go. But that ultimate success is a great reward!

So, in summary, it’s safe to say that at this point in my life, I don’t care if I never see the inside of another public restroom

About five years ago, my dear friend Alison turned me on to composting. Composting is a great way to recycle organic materials such as plant food scraps, egg shells, fruit and vegetable peels, leaves, grass clippings, plant matter, shredded cardboard boxes, and similar materials right at home, even in a simple container under the sink. You can also add a small amount of garden soil or compost starters or accelerators, if desired, as you begin composting. You’ll want to avoid using meat or bones; styrofoam or plastic, vegetation from diseased plants, or human or pet waste in your compost pile!

When you are ready to begin composting, you can use a simple composting pile without the bin, or there are many types of composting bins available—larger, smaller, static, and tumbling. Before you begin composting, think about the location of your compost pile. Think about how much space you will want for composting, and consider the visibility of your compost, particularly if you choose not to use a compost bin. For a single compost pile, two to four square feet of area is usually best. When you compost, go higher, rather than wider, as a higher pile of compost produces better heat. After you start your pile, mix or turn it every so often (when you add more material is a good time) so that it is adequately aerated.

For best results, use a wide variety of materials in your compost. Having too much of any one thing will throw off the pH of your compost, and the material will not decompose very well. Also, make sure that your compost pile is neither too dry nor too wet—you need moisture to keep the composting process going, but your compost pile shouldn’t be soggy. Temperature, oxygenation, humidity, and the carbon-nitrogen ratio (which can be kept in balance by monitoring the humidity and composition of your compost) all affect the success of your composting, so keep these factors in mind.

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!

Did you know that dryers are typically the biggest energy zappers in our homes?

There’s no better time than the summer season to let your laundry air dry in the sunshine. Even if you don’t have a sprawling backyard and clothesline, you can still hang your clothes to dry indoors on a rack in your basement, garage or other dry area. By doing so, you’ll not only save money on your personal electricity bill, you’ll also pitch in and help save the planet from global warming.

Line drying is beneficial for clothing, and may even prolong the life of certain garments. Tumble dryers can be rough on clothing, while line drying poses no wear and tear. We’ve all scratched our heads over unbelievably wrinkled, scrunched up clothing sometimes pulled from the dryer. When you shake out clothing and pull it taut before hanging it to line dry, wrinkles are eliminated. Sunlight acts as a natural bleaching agent, so whites get even whiter on the line. For this reason, turn bright colored clothing inside out, or hang vibrant items to dry indoors. If you think your clothes aren’t as cuddly when dried on the line, simply add fabric softener during your wash cycle to soften the load.

As you know, I’m all about re-purposing household items, and those dryer sheets will need a new job while you hang your laundry out to dry on clotheslines. Here are ten clever ways to use your dryer sheets outside of the dryer:

1. To leave a fresh scent in odorous areas, place a dryer sheet in the bottom of the diaper pail, under the liner of the kitchen trashcan, at the bottom of the laundry basket, inside stinky shoes, in your gym bag and under the seat of your car.

2. Dust your blinds with a dryer sheet and watch the dirt stick.

3. Pin a dryer sheet to your shirt while in the great outdoors, and it will act as a mosquito repellent.

4. Wipe your television screen with a dryer sheet to remove static and dust.

5. Use a dryer sheet to clean soap scum off shower doors.

6. Rub a dryer sheet across your clothing or fabric furniture to collect and remove pet hair.

7. Next time you spill flour, powder, or sawdust, easily wipe it up with a dryer sheet.

8. Clean scissor blades with a dryer sheet to restore smoothness.

9. Place a dryer sheet in your luggage and clothes will smell laundry fresh throughout your trip.

10. Rid an old or used book of a musty odor by enclosing a dryer sheet between its pages.

Most of the above work with used dryer sheets as well, minus some of the fragrance.

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!

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