Day 31: Printable Deep Cleaning Checklist

Welcome to day 31 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Woo hoo! We made it. 31 days of deep cleaning our homes!

Today I am sharing with you two printables so you can keep track of all of your hard work. These sheets are perfect for printing out and putting in your home management binder. (If you don't have a home management binder, or don't know what I am talking about, in the next few weeks I will be sharing what it is, how to set one up and some more printables!)

The first printable is a 'deep cleaning list'. Here you have all the tasks listed and a place to write down the date you completed it. I find these kinds of lists to be most helpful since I always know when I last did a task. If you place the print out in a page protector, you can write on it with a wet or dry erase marker and just wipe it off when you need to change it.

Deep Cleaning List

Since I know not everyone works the same when doing tasks around the house, the second printable is a 'deep cleaning checklist'. This is a traditional checklist with all the tasks listed and boxes next to each one so you can just check off when you have finished each one. Again, you can always place this in a page protector and re-use it again and again!

Deep Cleaning Checklist

These downloads are for private use only. Please do not redistribute or sell these printables. I would love for you to share them, but please link back to the original post to share!

Download:

• Deep Cleaning List
• Deep Cleaning Checklist

If you missed any of the tasks or need specific instructions for any of the tasks, please see the 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home post.

Day 30: Clean Exterior Doors and Light Fixtures

Welcome to day 30 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean your exterior doors and light fixtures.

This is our last day of actual tasks for the 31 days series. Tomorrow I will be sharing a printable to help you keep track of everything we did this month!

For your doors, you are going to clean them just like we cleaned the interior doors. Using some warm, soapy water and a cloth, wipe down the door and molding from top to bottom. Pay attention to the door edges and around the handle. This is usually where the most dirt builds up.

If you have glass inserts (or a glass door) you can use a solution of half vinegar and half water. Spray this solution on and wipe off with a cloth or squeegee. If you are getting too many streaks on your glass, try using some wadded up newspaper instead of a cloth. It helps to clean glass to a streak free shine!

For the light fixtures, each of us has different types of light fixtures surrounding our homes. Most of them have removable pieces that can be cleaned in the sink with warm, soapy water. This particular light fixture has decorative screws that can be removed to allow me to remove the small panes of glass as well as clean or change the light bulb. On other fixtures you may have clips to remove or you may have to use a screwdriver to get it apart.

I usually just dust the inside of the fixtures with a feather duster or dry cloth. I don't recommend using water to clean around the light bulb or the part where the light bulb screws in. We don't want anyone getting electrocuted!

Once the parts are dry, replace them back onto your light fixture.

If you have any burnt out bulbs, now is the time to replace them!

See you back here tomorrow for day 31, the final day, of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Egg Carton Bats

Every holiday I have these grand ideas of all the fun stuff I want to do as a family and with the kids. And every year I get about 2 to 3 of those extra projects checked off my list in addition to all our usual family traditions. I have a Pinterest board for Fall full of fun ideas. One of the ideas on there was egg carton bats from Domestic Charm. I knew the kids would love to make these and it was something both kids could participate in.

Egg Carton Bats

Supplies Needed:

• Egg Carton
• Black paint
• Paintbrush
• Googly Eyes
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Optional: Glow in the Dark Puffy Paint

The first step is to cut out three of the spaces from the egg carton. Cut a curved semi-circle into the two egg spaces on the ends to create the bat "wing" shape.

Next, have your child paint the egg carton black. You will want to paint the top and underside of the egg carton, especially if you plan to hang your bats.

Allow the paint to dry. Once it has dried, you will want to attach your ribbon. Poke a hole in the top of the middle of the bat. I used metal skewer to make my hole. Take a piece of ribbon and create a loop. Tie a knot in the end. Push your ribbon up through the hole so the knot is the underside of the bat and the loop is on the top.

Now you can glue on your googly eyes. My son and I chose regular size eyes, and my daughter chose really big eyes!

The next step is optional, but is pretty fun! When I participated in the I Love to Create fall campaign, I received a tie dye kit that included some glow in the dark puffy paint from Tulip. We outlined our bat eyes with puffy paint and drew on some fangs as well!

Here is a picture of my son's bat with his glowing eyes and fangs. He also added some black construction paper bat ears to his bat to make it look more real. (If anyone has any tips on photographing glow in the dark objects, I would love to hear them!)

Once everything on your bat is dry, hang them up! I hung ours from the light fixture above our computer area.

This is my son's completed bat. He added bat ears, and glow in the dark eyes and fangs!

My daughter's bat turned out pretty cute as well. She chose the super huge googly eyes. 

Did you do any fun Halloween crafts with your kids this year?

Linked up here:

Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Tip Junkie, Clean and Scentsible, Tatertots and Jello

Day 29: Clean Baseboards

Welcome to day 29 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean your baseboards.

Remember how I said at the beginning we would be working from the top down? Well, we are finally on the bottom!

The first step is to vacuum your baseboards with the brush attachment. This may be all you need to clean them if you have recently painted or they are not that dirty.

Tip: At least once a month vacuum your baseboards as part of your normal cleaning routine. This will virtually eliminate the need for scrubbing, except if something gets spilled on them.

If you have spots and scuff marks, wipe them down with warm, soapy water or your favorite all purpose cleaner. Be certain to test a small area to be sure your paint can handle your cleaning solution.

Magic erasers can work wonders for scuff marks. You may need to use a scrub brush for really stubborn marks. I have found a solution of oxi-clean and water, and a scrub brush removes just about any kind of mark.

The two black marks are nail holes. I have not caulked or touched up the nail holes in our
kitchen on our baseboards because I am hoping to get new flooring in the future!

If you still have a lot of marks that you cannot get out with scrubbing, it may be time to re-paint your baseboards or at least touch up the paint.

As in every other day of this series, if you don't have enough time to devote to today's task, choose the dirtiest or most used room in your home and just clean those baseboards.

See you back here tomorrow for day 30 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Day 28: Spot Clean Walls

Welcome to day 28 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to spot clean walls.

Just like yesterday's task of cleaning the doors, we are going to use a cloth to wipe down our walls where ever you see a spot or mark. You can use a solution of warm, soapy water or your favorite all purpose cleaner. Be sure to test a small, inconspicuous spot to be sure you won't be removing too much paint off the walls. Magic erasers work great for getting crayons and even sharpie off the walls!

Below is picture of my wall after scrubbing. The two big spots are actual scuff marks and will have to be touched up with paint. 

This is the second part to today's task. Touch up any paint in areas where it is needed.

Tip: After painting walls, store some paint in a small glass jar. Baby food jars work great for this, but any glass jar will do. (You can keep your jars from pickles, mustard, etc., wash them out, and use them for storage.) Label the jar with the room the paint was for. It is easy to shake up these small jars and use a small brush to touch up any scuff marks as you see them!

If your walls are really dirty or you have too many rooms to get to, just choose the dirtiest or most room used in your home to make the biggest impact.

See you back here tomorrow for day 29 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Day 27: Clean Interior Doors

Welcome to day 27 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean your interior doors.

You can use warm, soapy water or spray on your favorite all-purpose cleaner and wipe to clean your doors and molding. (Always be sure to test a small area first, to be sure your paint won't be removed too much. It is normal to see a little bit of paint transferred to your cloth. What you don't want to see is a large amount of the paint being removed. Most doors and trim are painted with semi-gloss paint and can be cleaned easily.)

Below you will see some of my 2 year old's newest artwork. She has found that coloring on anything BUT paper is most fun! This is just pencil scribbled on the door.

After a few seconds of wiping with my soapy water and my microfiber cloth, it was gone.

Be sure to pay special attention to the area around the door knobs and the base of the doors. These tend to be the dirtiest places. We have cats, and they like to rub on the doors, so about nose height on the edge of our doors can get pretty dirty as well.

If you have a really stubborn mark, you can try to use a magic eraser. WD-40 works well on scuff marks.

If you have a lot of nicks and marks, it may be time to touch up the paint or re-paint your doors and/or trim.

See you back here tomorrow for day 28 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Day 26: Clean Doorknobs and Light Switches

Welcome to day 26 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean your doorknobs and light switches.

Get a bucket of hot, soapy water and a cloth or sponge. Start with the outside doors and work your way in, washing off each door handle and knob in your house. As you go through each room, also wipe down all the light switches.

If anyone has been sick in your house, this is a great time to disinfect as well. You can see yesterday's post on cleaning the trash cans for different methods to disinfect hard surfaces. Method has some great wipes you can use for this task. This is a great chore to enlist help from the kids on.

Tip: Disinfect door knobs, light switches, phones and remotes at least once per week during cold and flu season to cut down on the amount of germs you are bringing into your home. Doing this and being vigilant about hand washing can really cut down on the amount of sickness your family experiences!

See you back here tomorrow for day 27 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Change Favicon in Blogger

Last year I wrote a tutorial for how to change your favicon from the orange blogger logo to your own personal logo. I have had some recent requests on how to change it with the new blogger interface.

First, open your Blogger account.

Next, click on the 'Layout' button.

Now, click on 'edit' under the 'Favicon' heading towards the top of the page.

Lastly, you will click on 'choose file'. Upload a square image file from your computer. It cannot be bigger than 100 kb, so you may need to first edit it in a program like Picmonkey or Photoshop. Once it has uploaded, click 'save'.

If you are still using the old Blogger interface, you can see my older tutorial on how to change your favicon in Blogger.

Day 25: Clean Trash Cans

Welcome to day 25 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean our trash cans.

The kitchen trash can, in particular, can get pretty gross if you don't clean it regularly.

Start by emptying your trash can and taking out the trash.

Take your trash can outside and use the hose, or put it in the bathtub, and wash it out with hot, soapy water,. You may need to use a stiff brush to get all the dried on gunk off. Rinse and dry. (Be sure the can is completely dry before replacing the trash bag.) Be sure to pay special attention to lids. These have a lot of crevices and places for food and debris to get stuck. You can use a q-tip or toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.

If you have a metal or stainless steel trash can, after cleaning you can use a product specifically made for stainless steel to bring back the shine and remove any fingerprints.

If you want to disinfect your trash cans, you have several options. Use any of these options after first washing out the trash can. Some are greener than others.* Each of these should help to remove any lingering odors. Be sure to wear gloves with any of the below methods as even natural cleaners can irritate some people's skin.

• Allow the trash can to sit in the sun for several hours.
• Mix a solution of 1:1 vinegar and water and spray on. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and wipe off.
• Mix a solution of 1:1 hydrogen peroxide and water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry.
• Use 15 to 20 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle of hot water and wipe down your trash can with this solution. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Wipe off.
• Spray a disinfecting spray on the trash can after it is cleaned. Be sure to allow the product to stay wet for the recommended amount of time or you won't be getting all the germs.
• Wipe down with a disinfecting wipe (again, making sure you follow manufacturer directions).
• Make a solution of 1/2 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Wipe down your trash can with this solution and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry.

See you back here tomorrow for day 26 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

*More information on green cleaning: National Geographic, EcoHearth

Day 24: Clean Under Furniture

Welcome to day 24 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean under, behind and around the furniture.

We have already done this in both the kitchen and living/family room. Now is the time to focus on the bedrooms, office and any other room you may have in your home.

If you can reach your vacuum attachment under the furniture without moving it, you can certainly clean them that way. If not, you will need a helper to pull the furniture out from the wall, vacuum behind it, and place the furniture back into place. Remember places like under your bed can often be home to lots of dust bunnies!

If you don't have much time for this task today, just focus on the dirtiest or most used rooms in your home.

See you back here tomorrow for day 25 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Day 23: Purge Files and Paperwork

Welcome to day 23 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to organize/purge your files and paperwork.

Paper work is my downfall. I always seem to have so many papers coming from everywhere. I have some pretty good systems in place that I will share at a later time. Today we are going to focus on filing any stray papers laying around.

My file box of papers needing to be filed

Now is also the time to do a quick purge of your file folders. Remove any unnecessary papers and shred them or throw them away. I like to do this every six months (or at least once a year) to stay on top of all the paperwork that can be accumulated.

This is a great task to do while catching up on your favorite shows. Just grab one file folder at a time, go through it, put it back and onto the next one!

See you back here tomorrow for day 24 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.

Day 22: Clean Washer and Dryer

Welcome to day 22 of the '31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home' series!

Today's task is to clean your washer and dryer.

The first step is to start by cleaning the inside of your washing machine. Using the longest, hottest water wash cycle, fill your washer with hot water. Add 1 cup of vinegar to the wash water. Allow to agitate for one minute and then let the wash cycle sit for 1 hour.

Now, using the warm vinegar water solution, dip your cloth into the wash water and wipe down the entire exterior or your washing machine. Pay special attention to the knobs, the bleach and fabric softener dispensers, door and the underside of the washer drum. You can use a q-tip or toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.

 Allow the washer to complete the wash cycle.

Optional: If you still notice any kind of odors coming from your washer and you don't normally use bleach with your washer, complete the following steps. Again, using the hottest, longest wash cycle fill your washer drum with water. Add 1 cup bleach to the water. Allow to agitate for one minute and then let the washer sit for 1 hour. Complete the wash cycle.

Tip: Be sure to remove wet clothes promptly from the washer and leave the door open after a wash load to keep the mildewy, musty smell down.

Once you have completed the above steps, be sure to wipe down any remaining residue on the inside of your washer, paying close attention to the agitator.

(If you have a top loading machine, you can still follow the above steps, but instead of adding bleach or vinegar directly to the water, make sure to add it to the detergent cup or bleach dispenser on your machine.)

Now, onto the dryer. Using an all purpose cleaner (I use a mixture of half vinegar and half water) wipe down the top and front of your dryer to remove dust and lint. If yours is really dusty, you can vacuum with the brush attachment first.

Next, pull out your lint filter and remove any lint.

Scrub your lint filter with a scrub brush and a mild soap and water solution. Allow to dry before replacing in your dryer. Your lint filter can build up a film from using dryer sheets and fabric softener.

Wipe down the inside of your dryer with a damp cloth.

Now have your helper pull out your washer and dryer from the wall and clean the sides and back. Vacuum the floor behind the washer and dryer.

Unplug your dyer. Remove the clamp holding your vent hose onto your dyer. Pull out any lint build up. You can also use your vacuum to remove even more lint build up.

Also, be sure to check inside the vent hose for any lint build up. You can use your vacuum here as well, just be careful as the vent hoses can tear. If you notice any tears or rips in your vent hose, it may be time to replace it. These are inexpensive and can be purchased from any home improvement store.

It is a good idea to check where your dryer exhausts to on the outside of the house. Clean out any built up lint on your outside vent as well.

After cleaning it out, replace the hose on your dryer and to the wall, plug your dyer back in and put your washer and dryer back into place. Be sure your washer and dryer are level after moving them back. Usually you can adjust the legs in the front and the back. If they are not level, especially the washer, you can get a lot of extra noise from your machine.

Remember to always follow any manufacturer care and maintenance instructions for your particular machines!

See you back here tomorrow for day 23 of 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home.