Wash Pacifiers and Breast Pump Parts in the Dishwashing Machine Utilizing...
It’s a well-known parenting hack to put baby socks in a zippered mesh lingerie bag before tossing them into the washing machine and dryer. This prevents them from getting lost or—gasp—eaten. But I never thought about using the bags in the dishwasher, too. Commenter BigPharmaSkeptic shared this tip on our post about dishwasher tricks. Many, many…
Assist Your Kid Tidy Their Space With the ‘Mountain Technique’
“Okay, Mom, my room is clean!” You know before you even see the finished product that your child’s room is most definitely not clean. And, sure enough, when you poke your head in the door, you see the same thing you always see after they’ve supposedly cleaned their room: A big clear spot in the…
Behold: A Practical, Not-Too-Overwhelming Fall Cleaning Checklist
Photo: VH-studio (Shutterstock)First, allow me to manage your expectations: This is not a comprehensive fall deep-cleaning cleaning checklist. There’s nothing complete or ultimate about it (because frankly those lists give us anxiety).This is a list for those among us (me) who realize their home needs some care as we head into the cooler months, but…
Chores You Only Need to Do Once a Year (Thank God)
Photo: FotoDuets (Shutterstock)There are many annoying chores that need to be done daily: washing dishes, spraying and wiping down kitchen counters, picking toys up off the floor, sweeping. And then there are those that are blessedly much less frequent. It will always suck that we have to do more things, but at least some of…
How to Kill Mold In Your Washing Machine
Photo: New Africa (Shutterstock)Have you ever opened your washing machine only to be met with a foul, funky stench? Did you shrug and ignore it? Me too. But it got worse, didn’t it? Until eventually, your newly washed clothes smelled like mildew. We both had mold and bacteria growing in our washers and befouling our…
Buy Your Little Kid a Cheap Vacuum Cleaner
Photo: Miljan Zivkovic (Shutterstock)When you see a vacuum cleaner, you see a chore: one more thing you have to do that it feels like you just did and yet will have to do again in mere days. When a young child sees a vacuum cleaner, however, they see nothing but possibility: the noise, the effort…
Is Laundry Stripping a Bunch of Baloney?
Photo: faridan hadi rukmana (Shutterstock)Laundry stripping is a method of removing detergent buildup, as well as any fabric softeners, body oils, or hard-water minerals that have built up in your clothes over time. Although laundry stripping is a long-standing technique, it’s been in the spotlight again due to some viral social media videos. And although…
Life Kit: Cleaning Better
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Many of us are spending a lot more time in our homes. So if you are noticing the dust on the bookshelf or the crumbs on the kitchen floor, Life Kit's Kavitha Cardoza has some tips for how to clean house, starting with your bedroom. KAVITHA CARDOZA, BYLINE: Kevin Frazier, a master…
You Should Be Cleaning Your Indoor Plants
Photo: By Marianna Karabut (Shutterstock)When your house is a disaster, the last thing you are thinking about is cleaning your plants. But houseplants get dirty and dusty just like anything else in your home, even if cleaning them requires some specialized knowhow. Many cleaning products (and even gentle soaps) can damage a plant’s leaves and…
The Difference Between Mold and Mildew, and How to Get Rid...
Photo: Rattiya Thongdumhyu (Shutterstock)That green stuff that grows on old bread—that’s mold, right? What about the black coating on damp parts of a basement? Which one has that musty smell? Basically: what’s the difference between mold and mildew? That’s exactly what Michael Rubino, author of The Mold Medic: An Expert’s Guide on Mold Removal, addressed…
