School's Out For Summer!!

No more teachers, no more books, no more CARPOOL!
Why not start the summer, and end the first vacation weekend, by cleaning out your vehicle. After driving your kiddos and the neighbors' around all school year, reclaim your vehicle.


Wash inside and out! Spray the top of the window with an ammonia-free glass cleaner (ammonia can damage tints, coatings and weatherstripping). Using a microfiber or 100% cotton towel (it won't scratch or streak), trace hard along edges and in corners, then wipe from top to bottom and side to side. Do the same for window interiors and mirrors. Remove floor mats and shake them out. Lay them on the driveway and vacuum up loose dirt and pevvles with a vacuum extension. Then either soak them for an hour in large bin of warm water mixed with clothing dtergent and rinse, or wash with carpet cleaner and hose them down. Line-dry. Vacuum regularly, expecially if anyone in your family has allergies.




Designate smart, specific places for all of your car belongings, and clutter will dissappear. Get a trash tote, keep extra at the bottom and line with one bag. Invest in pop-up mesh mini-hampers and keep them in the trunk. Loose clothes-extra uniforms, mittens, hats, etc.-go here.




Make a trunk emergency kit. In an old duffel bag put:jumper cables, flares, a flashlight, batteries, a first-aid kit, a whistle, screwdrivers (a flathead and a Phillips), a small shovel, ice scraper, cap, scarf, gloves, blanket, waterproof matches, candles and, most important, a bright yellow poncho-to make you visible to other drivers, rain or shine.

Have a happy, safe and blissful driving summer! And please remember to buckle up!!

Iron Staining Clothes!?!

Before the kiddos are out of school, (and it's still raining outside), why not catch up on all those clothes to iron and watch a chick-flick.

No, this is not my husband, he thinks ironing is actually a waste of time, but sometimes you want your man to look pressed, RIGHT!?!

If you sew or press your clothes a lot then eventually you'll need to clean your iron. Why? The tap water you use in your steam water resevoir starts to calcify and/or oxidize and you start hetting whitish and/or reddish crud in your steam water-and it will leave a giant stain on whatever it is you're ironing.  If you're like me, first you will cry, then you will turn to the internet to figure out what to do.
Turns out, all you just need to do, is clean your iron.
1ST-Buy a big bottle of white distilled vinegar.
2nd-Fill your resevoir with it & turn the iron on.
3rd-Steam the heck out of a fluffy white towel or rag until there is no vinegar left in your resevoir. Then do it again or until you fell confident that no more whitish/reddish crud is coming out of your iron.
4th-Flush it with water a few times to get the vinegar smell out.
DONE!
*NOTE: Open a window, because ti is going to be foul in there while you're steaming all your vinegar out. I'm pretty sure it isn't bad for you but it is very unpleasant smelling and feels really weird to inhale.
Not recommended.
Hopefully this little tip will make your next ironing feat a little more blissful!

Come on, open up!

What a beautiful day to open up all the windows and let your home air out!  While you are at it, open up all the closet doors, (I don't know about you, but I'm sick of wondering the last month or so when did my house start smelling like Grandmas moth balls.) Febreeze can also be a Blissful tool to spray the carpets in those closets and maybe some upholstered furniture, like the dining room chairs!

Don't let all that Spring Cleaning go to waste!

Most household dirt -75%-80%- is tracked in from outside.  Keep your home cleaner by regularly sweeping porches, sidewalks, driveways, and garages.  Spring is also a perfect time to add a new doormat to both inside and the outside of the door. Potted plants also make this space feel more in inviting and Blissful!