Use Oatmeal to Keep Cast Iron Skillets Clean - PROVEN

Cooking on cast iron is pretty awesome, except when you are left with a mess that is hard to clean up.  And since cast iron is a special material that you aren't supposed to clean with soap it becomes a hassle to keep the pans clean and maintain the "seasoning" you have done so far.

Well my sister found this awesome idea and it's just too good not to share.

Because of this, I will probably uncover and dust off my old cast iron cookware and start using it a lot more often.  Takes a lot of the hassle out of the clean-up and it works amazingly well.

Click the link above to get a detailed list of directions.   She used oatmeal (which I have a ton of in my cupboards)

Can't wait to do this and to be able to use my cast iron more often!

Thanks for sharing the story and pictures, Ann!

Cleaning the Inside of an Oven Door - PROVEN

I am so excited about this one, people!

I have been searching for an easy way to clean inside the glass of my oven door.  There is a double pane and things, nasty, terrible things get trapped there and I needed to get them out.....especially because we have an Open House this weekend!

Beth was here today watching Maddy and I roped her into helping me with this project.

We found this pin on how to clean inside, between the glass and got moving! 

This is my oven before....like all my other 'before' photos, please don't judge!

First we tried it with a wire hanger, because I thought that was a better idea than the stick the pin suggested...plus it was raining.  Also, I didn't have any duct tape handy so I used scotch tape and it worked perfectly (the tape, not the hanger)

Unfortunately, that idea was a bust, I should have put trust in the pin.  The wire hanger was too thin and I couldn't create enough friction with it to clean the inside of the glass, so we went in search of the perfect stick.

I am so happy I did this.  Who thinks about how to clean the inside glass of the oven door?  This girl...she does! And she did it!

Do this one, it is amazing and I couldn't be happier with the results.

(I also cleaned the rust stains from inside our dishwasher but that's a separate issue...I just want you to know I have been busy today! Haha)

Cleaning Microfiber with Rubbing Alcohol - PROVEN

My couch is long overdue for a good cleaning.  I have used other products before that weren't effective.  At the time a stain occured I would use carpet cleaner, which removed the stain only to leave a large water mark on the couch.

With a one year old and 5 animals inside the couch has always been a bit of a tough piece of furniture to keep clean, even when we don't let the animals on the couch.  (now we only have 4 animals and all the cats are "outside" cats now...makes it a little easier)  but still, babies and microfiber are NO match!

Don't judge my before pictures...they are terrible, but it shows even more how effective this process is.

The pin says to use Rubbing Alcohol in a spray bottle, a sponge of similar color to the couch and a bristle brush.  Well, I used a blue sponge (the white one shown started to crumble as I was using it!) and a blue bristle brush and there was no color transfer.

DURING PROCESS:

The results speak for themselves, but even the overall appearance of the couch it better, it appears "fluffy" and like new, not to mention that ALL the stains and water spots are GONE!  With a little help from the products I purchased and some elbow grease my couch looks awesome!

I am so pleased with these results that I will continue to use this process on anything and everything I ever own that is microfiber.  I believe they sell microfiber cleaner, but it's not worth the money.  I got the rubbing alcohol, spray bottle, sponge (assortment pack of 6) and brush from Dollar General for a total of $4, and I can use it more than once.

I am sure you will be just as surprised and pleased with the results on your microfiber furniture!  Enjoy!

Oxygen Bleach to Clean Grout - PROVEN

My husband came up with this idea actually, and I later found it on Pinterest.

He used AJAX Oxygen Bleach, Vinegar and Water to clean our bathroom grout.

The online version I found did not include white vinegar, but he used it anyway and the results were amazing.  He decided on the Oxygen Bleach because it is safe for kids and pets and we have both :)

I am embarrassed about the condition of our grout in the before photos, so please don't judge.

I knew this item needed to be crossed off our to-do list, we just never seemed to get around to it.  I came home to my husband on his hands and knees in the bathroom with a scrub brush and the stinky smell of vinegar.  The results were beyond what I could have imagined and I am so happy that this is done.

Our tiles look brand new and the vinegar smell only lingered while he was scrubbing, airing it out was a breeze ;)

Can you tell which area has been scrubbed??

Explosive Shower Head Cleaner - PROVEN

Finally!!!  I used baking soda as a cleaner and I wasn't disappointed.   

Once again, we have a water softener on the brink of a break down and well water that is really rusty, so we get a lot of rust build up.  Scrubbing the tub, sinks and toilets is a constant pain but I wanted to test this idea out I found on Pinterest to remove water residue and build up called the Explosive Shower Head Cleaner.

I wasn't expecting much, since I haven't had great luck with the cleaning pins, but I wanted to test it anyway.




Before



Vinegar and Baking Soda Mix (Explosive Mix)

Let soak overnight (I didn't have a twist tie so I used a large hair tie!)

I noticed that the water build up and residue was greatly diminished, if not gone completely in most places on the shower head. Also, it actually removed some of the rust, which I wasn't expecting (I'll have to scrub with some CLR or "The Works" to finish the job) but that's fine with me.

After using this product the shower seems to have more water pressure since there is no more build up around the spouts!

Overall, I am very pleased with these results!

Cleaning a Glass Top Stove with Baking Soda - BUSTED

From now on, I am only using my baking soda for baking.  Last time I used it to clean my dishwasher I was disappointed and ended up without any in the cupboard when I went to make Banana Bread.

This pin says to use baking soda, hot water and dish soap to get your glass top stove sparkling clean.  I should have known it was too good to be true.  Although the results weren't non-existent, I probably would have gotten these same results using just a wet rag and some elbow grease.

Here are the before pictures of my glass top:

In Process Pics:

 

 

 

I followed all the directions exactly, except I did leave the rags on longer than 15 minutes (it said to do this for added effect)

Below are pictures of the result.  Not the greatest.  I'm not saying that this process didn't work at all, but I was expecting more "wow" factor.  I'll stick with my trusty glass top stove cleaner and plastic razor blade, in fact, I will probably go finish the job the baking soda didn't right now.

Sparkling Clean Dishwasher - ON THE FENCE

First of all, I am really upset that somehow my before and after photos have disappeared.  So, I apologize for not having any hard evidence here, but you will just have to trust me on this one. 

Unfortunately the before and after photos look exactly alike, I probably would have had a hard time labeling them as "before" or "after"

Although this once again proclaimed "miracle" did NOT get my dishwasher "sparkling clean" I think it has more to due with built up rust stains from our periodically hard water than anything else.  I will say this, my dishwasher certainly had a fresh scent and I have used the baking soda cycle several times since to keep it smelling fresh.

I probably should give it a try with bleach, and if I do I will post those results.  Since I didn't have any on hand when I tried this, I omitted it (it was optional, anyway)

You might want to give this one a try on your own dishwasher, but for me, the appearance of the inside of mine is still the same.

You can find the pin here: Sparking Clean Dishwasher