No You Didn't...

Oh yes I did!!!! 

And it's not what you think...

I decided it was time to clean our cream sectional sofa. In our old house it sat downstairs and wasn't used very often. It got the occasional vacuum and cleaning but it didn't get the wear and tear it gets now. Plus it was upstairs while we were tearing out flooring and the dust was getting ground in. 

I've cleaned it many times before with a carpet cleaner and then with my Bissell Green machine. But I'd used upholstery cleaner. I'm trying to go chemical free and found a recipe I thought would work in the machine. 

I mixed 2 parts warm water with 1 part vinegar and 1 part hydrogen peroxide and went to work cleaning. I was having some problems with the Bissell sprayer, why I'm still not sure. So I proceeded to take out my vinegar and water, spray away and then vacuum up the excess water. Didn't really think this would do anything other than clean, well was I wrong. I finished and left it to dry while we went out looking for tile for our bathroom, the buttons rusted and seeped through. 

Gross! But I was pleased with the amount of dirt that was removed but the end result, not so much.

APPARENTLY! I didn't pay much attention in chemistry class and didn't realize the vinegar reacted with the metal in the button. The area where I'd sprayed the vinegar and water was the worst. Yes, I had wrecked my nice cream couch. Darcy was calmer than I expected, thank goodness and searched Google for a way to solve the situation. I love Google. 

This one doesn't really show the extent of the damage I caused. 

When I look at these photos the couch still looks dirty :(

Luckily, we found out that lemon juice will neutralize the acid of the vinegar and the salt will work to remove the stain. 

I tried it on a couple of places and it was seeming to work. The hydrogen peroxide did not work, it removed some of the rust stains but not all. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo but I was way to worried about this to even think about doing a post. It was after the fact when I had was putting on the lemon juice and salt where I even thought to take photos. 

I let that sit for about an hour or two and then vacuumed up the salt. It had worked, well at least it was better than the brownish rust stains. The only thing the lemon juice and salt did was to bleach or clean the area around the button more than the couch had already been cleaned. You'll see a little bit of brighter fabric around the button area if you look real hard. I know it's there but others might not. Like I said, it was WAY better. 

Here you can see the little white areas around the buttons. Not at big deal. I'm sure they will eventually blend into the rest of the couch. Or maybe I'll try using lemon juice next time. Kidding...

Final product. I'm happy to see the lightened areas around the buttons rather than the dark rust stains. Next, I think I'll rearrange the room. Come back to visit to see if I change it or leave it this way. 

Kitchen Cloths

Before I begin each day, I usually start with clean up. Yes, I'm working on doing it before I go to bed each night but in the mean time we don't have a dishwasher and I've been on holidays so breakfast dishes accumulate in the morning from Darcy going to work and from us snacking at night ( I know, I know....). I find if I do the clean up before I start projects, then it's done and I don't have to worry about doing it later when I'm tired. 

I want to share with you the kitchen cloths I use and why. I love white, it's just as plain and simple as that. I can't get enough of it, well with a mechanic (boy) and two wiener dogs there is a limit. I think it looks fresh and clean. I would decorate my whole house in white if I could but Darcy says no because then I'd be even more pickier than I am now :-). 

So I find places where I can use it. Not on a living room couch, although I've seen people who do own white couches with kids no less. Yikes!! I don't know if I'm in for that. 

I have come across the best kitchen clothes in awhile. I should have known about them before because I used them everyday when I worked in restaurants. 

I know you're sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to know what brand, how expensive, where can I get them, etc. Well wait not further, they are called Gillett's Bar Mop Cloths. They are the best I've used in a long time and very inexpensive at 6.99 at London Drugs here in town. You can find them on sale for 5.99 if you were looking to save the dollar. They come in a pack of 8. 

After searching for the picture on Google, it appears you can buy them at Canadian Tire as well. There is a towel version which I have but I want to talk about the dish cloths first. 

Why do I like them so much? 

1. They are white.
2. I know when they are dirty and soiled.
3. They are very absorbant.
4. Good size for wipping down counters, sinks, kitchen table. I don't like a big dish cloth. 
5. They are cheap and you get 8 of them, that's .87 cents per cloth. You can't beat those savings. 
6. They match everything. White goes with all colours. You've got to think of decor ;-)

Some of you might think this crazy but I use one everyday. I HATE it when I pick up a dish cloth and my hands start to stink because the cloth is old. This happens because we re-use our dish clothes over and over again. Sometimes not changing them for a week. Gross!!!! You are washing your dirty counters, dishes, etc with this dirty stinky cloth and then you wonder why everything smells. Yes, back to the whole smell thing. I've got a sensitive nose you know. 

Cloths do start to smell after awhile and you have to throw them out. I'm taking all of my old cloths and tossing them out and only keeping these. Well not completely because I still need special cloths to clean my appliances and such but for the most part these will be in my kitchen drawers. 

Now you're wondering how do I keep them clean. Because I only use one a day, it doesn't get really dirty but some of you are thinking spaghetti sauce or darker foods are going to stain them. Yes, they do but I use a paper towel to get most of the crud out of the pan or rinse it with water first. Once I've used the cloth it's downstairs to wait for a load of white towels and dish cloths. I use hot water, Oxy Clean, Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda to clean them. So far so good. On the back of the package it says to use bleach. I haven't used it but I would if I had some. If they end up getting too icky or darkish looking then it's to the garbage or my rag pile for them. I wouldn't throw them in with white cloths, my mother would have a fit. Yes mom, I did listen to your washing cloths instructions.

So there you have it, my favourite dish cloths to date.

What do you use at home for dish cloths?