Yes, friends, it’s getting to be that time of year–time for spring cleaning! Can I just admit that I have been slacking off on cleaning for the past few months? Things have been so busy, and now that we have the kids and me living in one place and Chris in another, I hardly ever entertain. I looked around the house the other day and found actual cobwebs in the corner of my living room, and a five pound tumbleweed of Harley fur under the blue chair (we live in squalor!).
The kids are on spring break right now, so our schedule is a bit more relaxed than usual. I know that I need to do a full head-to-toe (ceiling to baseboard?) cleaning to make things habitable again, and it’s at the very top of my to-do list.
As you guys know, my HomeRight SteamMachine (buy here) (learn more here) and a few natural cleaners are pretty much my go-to items when it’s time to clean.
••••We’ve partnered with HomeRight to give one lucky reader a SteamMachine; be sure to enter at the end of this post!!••••
Here are a few of my favorite uses for the SteamMachine–there are dozens, but these are the ones I use the most.
Yes, we’re surrounded by germs and allergens all the time, but this is the time of year when my entire household starts sneezing thanks to the pollen that’s dropping outside. I use the 290° steam from the SteamMachine to kill dust mites in our furniture, pillows, and mattresses and at least make our indoor air more breathable!
We have hard water, so that means that every few months I have to attack the hard ring of gunk that accumulates behind the faucets on all of our sinks. The wire brush attachment handles that in a snap.
I wipe down my counters several times a day, but the SteamMachine actually sterilizes them. I use the squeegee attachment and it takes about five seconds since our kitchen is very petite!
Whenever I buy new drapes–or bedding–or just pull them out of the box at the end of yet another move, I HATE ironing large pieces of fabric! The SteamMachine takes care of wrinkles while the drapes are hanging at the window, and it also kills dust mites as you learned ^up^ there.
Deep cleaning the tile is a three-step process: I use the large cleaning brush attachment to remove dirt and grime, then the chenille mop pad (that’s my favorite for everyday cleaning, too), and the brass utility brush for scrubbing grout. After all that’s done, you could seriously eat off my floors–for at least fifteen minutes!
Stains on my washable upholstery and carpet don’t stand a chance when I fire up the SteamMachine; I can get most stains out without chemicals although I always have a can of SpotShot ready, just in case.
I have no idea what nastiness lurks under the toilet, and I don’t want to know. The jet nozzle sterilizes every crevice, baseboard, nook, and cranny. I’m good with that!
You saw in {this} post how I use the SteamMachine to get all the soap scum and hard water stains off of our glass shower doors–it’s a game changer!
I have quite a few pieces of clothing (most of them formal dresses) that don’t like to be ironed. In between trips to the dry cleaner, the SteamMachine takes any wrinkles right out, and freshens the fabric. I use a tablespoon of our favorite Glamorous Wash mixed with water in a spray bottle on washable fabrics–it smells heavenly!
While removing wallpaper is never what I would call easy, I have used the SteamMachine for this job, and it does make it much less painful. Read all my tips and tricks to get the job done in {this} post.
Amy does all of her spring cleaning with her SteamMachine in this video:
Need a SteamMachine of your own? Of course you do! The best price is usually on Amazon:
Since we’re talking about spring cleaning, you can visit {this} post for my favorite natural DIY home cleaners made with essential oils, and free printable labels. Amy has a great natural bug spray {here}, too.
As promised, here’s your chance to win your own SteamMachine, and don’t forget that if you’re already following on Facebook or Instagram, you can still count those entries!
Thanks for stopping by~
