Cleaning Tips and Tricks

11 Steps to Post-Pandemic Spring Cleaning 0

TRUMP BUBBLES: THE HUGEST FUN EVER! 0

HOW TO MAKE TRUMP BUBBLES

Why Trump Bubbles? Because they are HUUUUUUUUUUGE. 

[Bonus - they aren't full of hot air.]

Summer is here and we are all about three things: quality products, saving money, and having fun!
So when we found this recipe for HUGE bubbles online, we figured we had to try it with a South African twist, and we are pleased to report that our local ingredients do an AMAZING job of making these long-lasting enormous bubbles to bring joy to old and young alike!

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups water (distilled is best but tap water is fine)
1/2 cup Dishwash DeLux liquid (super concentrated!)
1/2 cup Maizena (corn flour)
1 tbsp baking powder (not baking soda)
1 tbsp glycerine
[Pssst: Need a bucket?]

MAKING YOUR HOMEMADE HUGE TRUMP BUBBLE RECIPE:
1. Dissolve Maizena in the water, stirring really well.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients being very careful not to create a lot of froth. .
3. Allow your mixture to sit for at least an hour, stirring occasionally when you see the Maizena settling to the bottom.
4. Some of the Maizena won’t dissolve completely, and may even settle to the bottom when you’re using your bubble mixture, but it won’t affect the quality of your bubbles.
   
         
The secret ingredient!

WANDS

 
Cos every magician needs one...

Get creative! Two sticks and some string is all you need, but coathangers twisted into shapes are fun and easier for kids to handle.

THE MORE BUBBLES YOU MAKE, THE BETTER THE MIXTURE GETS!
The first several bubbles popped immediately, and I was feeling deflated (no pun intended). I soon discovered however, that more we played with the bubble formula, the silkier it became and before we knew it, we were making huuuuuuuge bubbles much to the great delight of my kid.

Who am I kidding?

It was the adults getting progressively more hysterical and delighted. Remember… play is genius at work. Keep playing and you’ll stay wise - and young - forever!

Kitchen Hacks - 19 Great Uses For Paper Towels 0

Paper towels are your kitchen staple, cleaning up spill after spill... after spill! But they have a lot more uses than you may realise that will save time and money. Check out these game-changing paper towel tricks to see how:

1. Drain the fat off the top of your broth by using a bit of paper towel to absorb it.

2. Wrap herbs and veggies in some paper towel to keep them fresh for longer.

3. Need to clean inside the cogs of your tin opener? Close the cogs around a sheet of paper towel and wind it through to get the grime off!

4. Wrap a sheet of damp paper towel around various bottles or cans and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to help them chill quicker.

5. Wrap a small piece of paper towel around the neck of an oil bottle and secure it with a rubber band to prevent drips.

6. Place just-cooked bacon on paper towels to soak up the excess grease.

7. Cast iron pans are expensive, and they require some tender loving care. After use, wipe them down with paper towels to remove oil and food, and consider storing them interleaved with paper towels if you're not hanging them up, ensuring that rust won't arrive.

8. Drop a few drops of essential oils on the cardboard tube inside of your paper towel roll for an instant kitchen air freshener.

9. Hurt yourself and no ice pack? Place a wet paper towel in the freezer for a few minutes, and then mould it around your sore hand for instant relief.

10. Place a sheet of paper towel under your empty gravy boat to easily catch spills when transferring hot gravy from the stovetop.

11. It’s time for dessert and you run out of coffee filters? Use a paper towel instead!

12. Place a damp paper towel on top of the salad in a bowl or in a freezer bag to keep it fresh for up to one week.

13. Need to sweep and run out of sweeper pads? Before and after the festivities, use a dry paper towel for dust or a damp paper towel with a multi-surface cleaner and mop away!

14. Ever wonder how to clean a waffle iron or similar small appliance because the darn cord is attached? Use a damp paper towel to clean your unplugged appliance!

15. Don’t discard left over pasta and rice - instead, reheat it with a wet paper towel on top to prevent coming out dry or hard.

16. Remove crayon marks and other wax by setting a paper towel over the wax stain and run an iron over it on low. The paper towel will absorb the crayon, while also protecting the iron. This works best on hard surfaces like chalkboards, but you can use it on upholstery and carpets too!

17. Ever stick a loaf of bread in the freezer for later, thaw it out, and discover that you have a soggy mess? Try adding a paper towel to the bag before freezing. When you do that, it'll collect the moisture and wick it away from the bread, keeping your loaf nice and fresh.

18. Clean stainless steel appliances in a jiffy before your guests arrive by spraying WD-40 on a paper towel and wiping them down.

19. To clean the microwave oven, place two damp paper towel inside, turn it on "high" for three minutes. The steam from the towels will soften the grime, then use the cool paper towels to wipe down the inside of the microwave.

On top of everything, paper towels are biodegradable and planet-friendly! Paper contains a lot of carbon, and that makes it great for the so-called "brown" content in your compost management system. After you've used a paper towel, compost it to help maintain the carbon balance in your compost and aerate the pile. The paper towel's fluffiness encourages air pockets to form, supporting the growth of beneficial microorganisms, so you'll have nice, healthy, beautiful compost.

Click here to buy yours now!

Why You Should Clean Your Health-Hazard Car NOW 0

Especially in Joburg we all know that the type of car you drive apparently speaks volumes about you... but your vehicle’s price tag isn’t the biggest factor that sheds some light on who you are.

No matter what you drive, the way you maintain your car – inside and out – gives people some insight into your personality. So, how gross are you?

WELCOME TO ADULTHOOD: CLEANING 101 0

One of the biggest shocks of your young adult life is having to buy your own cleaning supplies for the first time. This adulting stuff sucks - how did they trick us into it, and how do we make it stop?!

Chances are that you default to whatever it was that your family bought for the household, but even then the variety can be overwhelming and it leaves people buying products that they don’t really need.

The first trick to buying cleaning products is this: buy in bulk! You are going to be using the stuff for literally the rest of your life, so don’t worry that it’s too much. Store it in the garage, if you have to, but the savings are significant, and leave you with way more money for avocados or binge drinking, as the folks think we do.

As for the rest… we have you covered. This is your essential kit.

1. Cleaning Caddy



Keep all your cleaning supplies conveniently located in this little holder to trot round the house with. It minimises spillage, wastage, and time spent saying “Where the **** did I put the [insert item]?”

2. Microfibre Cloths



These cheap miracle rags literally suck up dirt with their multiple tiny hairs. Use them to mop up spills but also to give everything a last minute polish before that hot girl (or your mom) pop round for a visit.

3. Rubbish bags



You had forgotten these, hadn’t you? This is the laundry bag of your twenties, but it doubles up as camping insulation and a handy body disposal unit. Don’t believe us? Read this… then buy your black bags in bulk!

4. Good Cleaning Stuff



Go for an all-purpose cleaner that can take care of tiles, windows, the odd carpet woopsie, and the grimy bits in between. Sure, you can go buy five separate products, but with something like this you never need to worry about that nonsense. This isn’t a surgical theatre, it’s just a millenial’s house. Expectations are low.
Pssst: for use on windows or surfaces, dilute 1:200, put it in a spray bottle, and voila!

5. Dishes be done



Have a little washing-up station at the sink. You need some good washing-up liquid (this is ultra concentrated, so you only need a smidge) as well as a two-sided sponge and a drying up cloth.

6. Loads of Laundry

You need a good powder detergent and an even better fabric softener to keep you smelling sweet and cuddly-fresh. And we CANNOT recommend this enough: stain remover. Trust us, you are going to spill wine, and then tomato sauce, and then more wine, and then possibly fall down somewhere. This is adult life. A little bit of our trusty pre-wash will stop you looking like a homeless person, and keep you employable / dateable / respectable.
Remember: buy in bulk and just decant some powder into a tupperware, and some softener into a bottle to keep close to the washing machine.

7. S*** Happens…

So be prepared! You are never going to say “Aw, I wish we didn’t have more toilet paper.” I promise.

The best bit? If you bought ALL of this, it would cost you less than R500, DELIVERED. That means you have more time to be working hard and becoming a contributing member of society. Or binge drinking and buying avocados.

5 Equine Essentials For Riders 0

The life of an equestrian is a complex one, riddled with equal amounts of delight and dirt. We understand that, and our founder was inspired to create products to make this life easier and hopefully give us a half a chance at pretending we are normal, clean members of society and maintain a social life.

We have outlined four of our favourite and most versatile products here for you to try, with handy links to buy the product! Because we know you would rather be riding your horse than grocery shopping, we have to tell you that you can buy this online, AND we will deliver it right to your door. What could be easier?!

1. Microfibre Cloths



Microfibre cloths are a marvel of science. They are designed to have little “micro fibres” (big surprise) to suck up and hold dirt particles. This makes them invaluable for a few things…
- Keep them in your grooming kit to give Silver a shine
- Have a couple in your show box to gloss your boots before a class
- Keep one in the car to easily dust off your dash after an afternoon in yard

2. Pre-Wash Stain Remover



We like white, don’t we? I don’t know if that is part of our masochism, or a desperate attempt to prove that we aren’t filthy, but it’s madness. After a show you have bandages, numnahs, breeches, shirts, stocks, and so much more brownness to return to white. It’s depressing… but it doesn’t have to be! Our stain remover is the bomb. It removes everything from grass to grime to the inevitable wine stains. Use it liberally on everything and come back to your kit being show ready once again.

3. Leather Conditioner

It sounds kinkier than it is, but equestrians loooove leather! Bridles, saddles, boots, headcollars, spur straps, there is an abundance of the stuff and it constantly takes a beating against the elements and our wayward steeds. Our leather conditioner preserves and renews materials to their original shine while guarding against hardening, cracking, dulling and fading of finished leather. Simply apply with a cloth or damp sponge, wipe with a clean cloth to finish. It’s cheaper than saddle soap, more nourishing, and you’ll never look back!
NOTE: cowboy not included, but if you find one, let us know.

4. Luster Pet Shampoo

It’s the start of competition season and that means lots of baths for Buttercup. But you need a product that is as gentle as it is effective, so that while she is sparkling, she’s not itching or having her coat dried up. That’s where our glorious shampoo comes in, which is mild on skin but strong on dirt to leave your pets’ coats clean and healthy.


5. Hand Cleaner Grit



Now we have to say something… only your horses should have hooves. You can usually tell an equestrian by their calloused filthy hands, and we have just the thing to put a stop to that! Our hand cleaner is an exfoliator designed to get the toughest dirt off your hands, but with lanolin added to leave them feeling soft and sweet so when you pat your pony (or your partner) they don’t flinch. Keep some in the yard bathroom, and never have claws again!