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The Clean-zine, Issue #18 - Summer Stain Tips
June 01, 2014

WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Summer Stain Tips

2. 7 Gardening Games for Kids

3. June Housecleaning Checklist

Summer Stain Tips

Summer stains - smudges, drips, drops, and smears - no matter what their source, the right stain remover is key to keeping them from ruining your favorite clothes.

Your first line of defense: Take quick action to remove stains from clothes before it gets a chance to dry.

For most fabrics, this means blotting up the excess or rinsing the discolored area with cold water (don't rub; this spreads the spot and grinds it deeper into the fabric), and then pre-treating the spot with your favorite stain removal products.

Summer stain removal can be especially tough. Here's how to remove the 8 most common drips, drops and smears of the season.

1. Chewing Gum. Rub the gummy spot with ice to harden it. Scrape away as much of the gum as possible with a dull knife. Saturate what remains with a prewash spot remover; rinse and launder as usual.

2. Perspiration. Deodorants, antiperspirants. Use a prewash laundry product; if the discoloration is old, apply white vinegar. Rinse, then launder using oxygen bleach in the hottest water that's safe to use with the fabric.

3. Iced Coffee. Sponge with or soak in cold water. Apply a pre-treating product on the blight.

Wash as usual and air dry; repeat if spot remains. Read the full summer stain tips article here.

7 Gardening Games for Kids

With gardening comes routine jobs that are fun at first, but they might get a bit boring for kids with time.

Our challenge as parents is to keep that interest level high with a combination of education, games, and contests.

Gardening games for kids can help achieve all three of these goals.

Here are 7 of my favorites:

1. Flower Rangers. Master growers define a weed as any plant in the wrong place.

Roses can be weeds if they are invading your watermelon patch. Weeds are bad because they steal nutrients that our flowers and veggies need. Show children how to distinguish the `good guys' - or `most wanted' bugs - from the dirty dozen `bad bugs'.

Set up an adversarial relationship with weeds. They are "invaders" and must be eradicated.

As the Flower Rangers, your kids must eliminate these evil enemy forces. (Oh, heck, let them wear costumes if they like.) Let's get our game on!

Read the full article on gardening games for kids here.

June Home Checklist

June Checklist: 10 things to include in your home cleaning and preventative maintenance program this month to keep your home well-maintained.

Some tasks only need to be done once or twice a year. The problem is that we forget to do them once or twice a year.

An easier way is to try the monthly maintain-and-repair approach. Here are the 10 things to do around your home in June.

1. Is that Fluffy? June is the perfect time to clean stuffed animals to keep them sanitary as well as cuddly.Some can be laundered. Some you just have to wipe down.

2. Caution: Hazardous Zone: While the kids are home from school, entice or enlist them to clean their rooms top to bottom.

Be patient. This could take a while. (But then, the summer is young.)

3. The Land Down Under. Clean and organize the bathroom sink area. Buy under sink drawer units or stackable baskets to make the best use of the space.

Read the full June Home Checklist article here.

 Have a great month!
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