Cleaning Archives

After 5 years of having 3 sets of towels for my Master bath, I finally bought new ones. Now before YOU say “Ewwwwww 5 years gross!” Let ME just say, nobody ever taught me about the lifespan of a towel. Nor did anyone teach me how to wash my towels properly either. Knowing when to replace towels is such an “Adult” thing to do and let’s face it, before Google everyone was probabaly flying by the seat of their pants.

When we first got married, we had Walmart towels because that’s what we could afford. Slowly we moved up to Target towels, then Bed Bath & Beyond one’s then Pottery Barn & my new purchase is from Frontgate. I feel it’s safe to say the more expensive the towel the higher the “probability” of it lasting longer BUT i’d like to add, it’s the way you care for said towels that also determines their longevity.

Keeping that theory in mind, Walmart towels from the 90’s weren’t made well & had to be replaced every 2 years which is hella good considering they were about $7 per bath towel. In true transparency, I was really bad at laundry in our early years of marriage. As in throw everything in one load kind of bad. On the bright side, our Walmart towels lasted 2 whole years even with my reckless behavior so massive props to me.

While I know that sounds ridiculous, let me say over the years I’ve learned a few tricks because with age comes wisdom. I’d like to think that’s what kept our last set of Pottery barn towels alive so damn long.

Let me share with you how I care for our towels and trust me it’s easy because

1- You know damn well I’m lazy

2- I’m of the strong belief that caring for towels shouldn’t be rocket science

I have mainly white towels but these tips are great for ALL towels no matter the color or brand.

Here’s how to wash towels properly

Use the gentle cycle with cold water & change the rinse & spin to high
Don’t overfill your washer tub. Towels should come half way up the tub & not more to ensure proper washing.
Wash towels with mild detergent. Recently I’ve switched to Clean Mama Super Laundry Powder and really love how it works and smells.
Instead of liquid fabric softener, use WHITE vinegar. I pour it into in the area I normally pour my liquid softener.
No bleach
Tumble Dry low. I use a dryer ball with lavender essential oils instead of dryer sheets.

The benefits of using Vinegar is:

Less chemicals in your clothing and therefore on your body
White Vinegar costs less
It won’t affect the absorbency of fabrics which often happens when towels are washed repeatedly with fabric softeners.
Vinegar also removes even the toughest of odors

The only downside is that it doesn’t leave your towels with that strong scents we’ve grown to love by using store bought detergents. I’m totally fine with that since I’m trying to cut back on the amount of chemicals we use in our home.

That’s it in a nutshell! Now for those of you asking, as my hubby did, about when to replace towels, here’s my answer “When you’re drying your skin & being exfoliated at the same time, that’s when you know it’s time to buy new towels”

Good luck with your new towel routine!

MY EASY PEASY FLOOR CARE SYSTEM

It’s been roughly 2 years since we installed dark hardwood floors throughout the downstairs in our current home. Our previous home had lighter wood floors. I love the dark wood but it’s a little tricky to maintain. Everything shows against the dark wood, so daily maintenance is a must. When we first got them, the installers suggested products to use but after 6 months, those same products dulled my floors.

I reached out to my followers on snapchat and got many suggestions. I tried them all and narrowed it down to ones that I found work for me and my floors.

ROOMBA = SANITY

Instead of sweeping, I ROOMBA. No not as in a dance but as in a vacuum. I’m super Lazy and prefer things that take minimal effort with maximum results, hence the Roomba 890. Roomba has many models but this one happened to be on sale in 2017 and was a Christmas gift from my mom. I’ve programmed it on my phone to run twice a day, mid-morning and at 5pm. It’s great for topical vacuuming but more importantly my sanity. After dinner & dishes I run a smaller stick vacuum before I mop. This one is ridiculously cheap but works like a charm.

Once a week I do a deeper vacuum, both on my hardwoods and carpet. I’m not on a strict schedule with vacuuming but if I had to guess, I think it usually happens midweek.

MOPPING

My friend Tiff, known for her great Christmas Crack recipe, suggested the Reveal mop. I use Bruce’s floor cleaning solution in the bottle. I’ve found Bruces to be best at cleaning the hardwoods, quick at drying and doesn’t leave streaks. Bruce’s also doesn’t dull the floor.

GLOSSY BOSSY

One a month I use Orange Glo 4 in 1 floor solution straight out of the bottle to give my floors that extra shine. I use a new reveal cloth pad & simply squirt the Orange Glo straight onto the floor and mop over it with my reveal. I find dark woods look much better high glossed. Reviving that high gloss is super simple and the dark wood looks like a boss when done.

Here’s my floor care routine in a nutshell:

Daily:

I run my Roomba which we lovingly named “Alfred”.
Nightly after dinner, I quick vacuum the wood areas then mop with my Reveal mop w/ Bruce’s floor cleaning solution.

Weekly:

I vacuum my floors both hardwood and carpets with my Miele vacuum.

Monthly:

After vacuuming and mopping the hardwoods thoroughly, I shine my floor Orange Glo.

I try to keep my systems for home chores easy because there are tons of other things I’d rather be doing then constantly cleaning.

If you have any simple cleaning tips or great floor products you use, please share them with me in the comments below.