Kitchen

My Cleaning Cabinet

Here’s what all the housecleaning info on my blog boils down to: in this cabinet all the recipes, recommendations, ingredients and tools I've mentioned reside.

Changing the Smell of Clean

To me, growing up, the smell of clean was sharp, pungent, and nose scouring. It didn’t smell like any naturally occurring substance I knew of. When I smelled it, I

Liquid vs. Bar in Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap

The liquid came first – peppermint to be exact. Bar soap meandered in a few decades later. While there are hardliners in both camps, the difference between liquid

Water Conservation Tips

"Don’t let L.A. drip dry." I still remember this water conservation commercial from the '80's that showed a man turning on his bathroom faucet, and only drips came out.

Cleaning A Stainless Steel Sink

To make my stainless steel sink sparkle, I turn again to my standbys, baking soda and Sal Suds spray. I made a handy shaker for my baking soda out

Three Roads to “Clean”: Thermal, Mechanical, and Chemical

Let’s back up a bit and look at the big picture of how things get clean. There are three ways by which anything can be cleaned: Thermally (heat), Mechanically (scrubbing),

Testing for Water Hardness (Video)

The term “hard water” refers to the concentration of minerals dissolved in the water. “Soft water” indicates that there are very few minerals in the water. In this

Scum, Scum, Go Away

Let’s not pretend here. The drawback to using real soap in the bathroom is that you have to face the reality of scum. Soap scum, to be exact.

Mopping Floors with Sal Suds

Today was floor mopping day. My floors are tile and get really, really dirty – with three kids, three dogs at the moment, and a backyard full of dirt.