Spruce It Up Sunday {No. 1}

One of my goals for the New Year is to have more focus to the blog, rather than just posting randomly all the time. I do love posting in 'real time' but I also have weeks where I don't have much in the way of craft projects to post yet. Another goal is to get more organized around the house and to simplify how our house runs.

So, to work on two goals at once, I have created Spruce It Up Sunday! I am going to be sharing my organization and cleaning tips to hopefully make all our lives easier. Some weeks, it will be a simple tip on how to get something done faster (like this week) and other weeks, I will be sharing majorly overhauled spaces (like my kids rooms!) It might be a project I have done on my own, or it may be a project that was inspired by someone else (as it is today).

I am truly excited about this and I hope you are too! And really the goal of all of this is to have more time for the things I want to do, rather than all of those things I need to do.

Let's get started. Today I am going to share with you an article I found on RealSimple.com.

Speed Clean your Stove Top

Click on the link above to be taken to the full instructions. I use this every time I clean my stove top. It only takes 5 minutes to do and you will love the results.

Some helpful tips:

If your stove top is particularly dirty (mine was, I hadn't really scrubbed it since before the holidays - don't judge) then it may take you more like 10 to 15 minutes to get this done
I try to use biodegradable or natural cleaners. Here is what I use:

All purpose cleaner: Simple Green concentrate (diluted 1 part simple green: 10 parts water)
Glass cleaner: Mixture of vinegar and water (1:1) You can add a few drops of essential oils to this, like lemon, orange or tea tree oil to make the smell better if you wish.

For stuck on grime and gunk, make a paste of baking soda and water. Add just enough water, so the baking soda is spreadable. Spread this over the the spot you wish to clean, wait between 5 - 10 minutes and then wipe off. Rinse with water. (I had to do this with my stove top as I had some spills that were completely cooked on there and would not come off with just all purpose cleaner.)
I use microfiber cloths instead of paper towels. That is just me since I am trying to reduce my carbon footprint, and I think these cloths work so much better than a plain paper towel.
Wipe up spills as soon as they happen (once your stove top has cooled down). This way they will not become baked on the next time you use your stove!

If the stove top isn't clean, then the kitchen doesn't truly feel clean for me. Do you have any other tips about cleaning your stove top? I would love to hear them!

Labels: Spruce It Up Sunday