Great Way to Remove Countertop Stains

Traffic in our kitchen is pretty high everyday. We start our day preparing our coffee and then we cook or heat up leftovers throughout the day. We try to keep the countertop clean, but it is really unavoidable to have stains on it. We were told to just make sure to wipe the countertop to avoid stains. 

I tried using baking soda and vinegar, but noticed it's not too friendly for countertops. The combination is too abrasive for the surface, so I try to clean stains with Thieves. It gets most of the dirt out, but there's a stain by the sink that I haven't been able to remove for awhile now. 

I was advised by a cleaning company to try using Spotless. They said I could use it to remove stains. I got one container from Ace Hardware and I finally tried it yesterday. Instructions said to wipe a little on the surface with a damp cloth. I tried it on a small part first to make sure it doesn't ruin the countertop. The stain came from an Ikea dishrack that rusted. 

I was worried I wouldn't be able to remove it. Wiped a little on the stain and was surprised the spot slowly disappeared. After I finished the area I moved to the side of the sink that had a stain. Some baking soda stuck to the surface and I haven't been able to remove it (aside from the stain). After wiping the area gently with the paste I was surprised the stain cleared up. 

Aside from countertops, Spotless is good for ceramic and chrome surfaces according to the product info. Just make sure to try on a small part first before going all out to make sure it doesn't ruin your item. I'm so happy I was able to remove the stain yesterday. I will surely include this product in my cleaning tools arsenal, haha. 

What's your go-to product for cleaning stains?

#BeKind #StaySafe

What We Learned from Our Decluttering Coach

We are about 85 to 90% done decluttering our home. We just have a few boxes left and we're aiming to clear most of it out before the month ends. We got help from a decluttering coach because merging two homes was overwhelming. It's almost two years now since we moved back to the Philippines and we're hoping to have a more decent living space by Christmas. 

We learned a lot from our decluttering coach, Ally Canita in the past few months. Here's what she taught us:

1. Define your intention. Knowing your intention makes it easier when you need to make decisions on what to keep and let go. 

2. Make a plan. In our case we identified rooms where we needed help. From the room places to keep items in were identified. 

3. Sort everything first. This is where we were really glad to have help Ally and her team went through all our boxes and cabinets and sorted all the items. They were categorized in different boxes. 

4. Identify items that will be kept, decided on later, and for donation. We went through this process a number of times until we were able to choose what to keep and donate. 

5. Integrate a system in storing your items. I was shocked to find out how much dishwashing liquid I had in my inventory. I kept buying whenever we did groceries because I always thought we were about to run out. What we didn't know was we kept storing it in different places, haha. The team organized our pantry and cabinets properly. And yes, we finally ran out of dishwashing liquid, hahaha. The system they did helps us to know easily what items we need to re-stock. 

6. Identify organizations where you could donate pre-loved items. Luckily Ally was already in contact with organizations. The boxes of books we donated were eventually sent by the org to Bicol. We also donated a lot of clothes, bags and houseware. 

I was so happy I was able to reduce my stuff. I really had a lot and defining my intention helped a lot. I also based my decisions on my current situation. I rarely go out, so I don't really need a lot of clothes, bags and shoes. I'm still working on reducing what I still have since I think I still have too much. 

Still a long way to go, but with Ally's coaching we aren't as overwhelmed anymore :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Home Hacks: Cleaning and Pest Control

Miggy and I lived in my parents home until Sweetie and I got married. It was honestly a shock for me when we moved because it was our first time to live on our own. Mom sent someone to help clean every week and she also sent food for the first few weeks (well it was Christmas time and there was always a lot of food). Eventually, we were on our own and early days adventures are chronicled on Mabuhay ang Bagong Kasal. 

We've been on our own for 14 years now. We are now on our 9th home and we also experienced living abroad. I didn't chronicle much of our time in Singapore since I considered it as one long business trip. I don't know why, but I only felt Singapore as my second home in the last few years we lived there. I had a hard time adjusting since my boys were in Manila. 

Anyway, we're far now from our band-aid filled early days. We get help when needed, but here's a list of home hacks we learned through the years:

• 
  Keep Roaches Away. Baygon roach bait (the tablets you stick on the wall) - we use this all the time to keep roaches away since I'm allergic to it (even just the smell). 
• Stain Removal. Baking soda - for cleaning and removing stains. Best paired with vinegar to remove hard water stains. Babad containers that are hard to wash to remove oil. 
• Repel Animals from Using Your Garden as their Toilet. Lemon juice + apple cider vinegar + water - don't want cats to use your garden as their toilet? Spray this and they'll stay away. 
• Plant Pest Control. Baking soda + neem oil + castille soap + water - best pesticide for your garden. Keeps annoying aphids and other insects away.
• Glass/Mirror Cleaning. Dishwashing liquid + baking soda + vinegar + water - spray on glass/mirror to keep it clean. 
• Floor Cleaning. Pine Sol or Pledge Floor Cleaner - best for wooden floors. Also, always ask the floor provider (or landlord if you're renting) what to use. 
• Remove Algae. Clorox or Domex - best for removing algae. Soak the algae with it and it will die. Brush or wash off after. 
• Disinfect Tools. Hydrogen peroxide - to disinfect tools (i.e. I use it mostly for garden tools). I also use it to restore used soil especially if it was infested with insects. I mix a little in a gallon of water and soak the soil. Then I put it under the sun. 
• All Around Cleaner. Young Living Thieves household cleaner. One bottle goes a long way. I have spray bottles of it all over the house and use it to clean coutertops, tables, bathroom countertop and sink. I also disinfect the dish sponge in water with half a cap of Thieves cleaner every so often. 
• Baking Soda + Joy. Did you notice that Joy dishwashing liquid is less bubbly now? I don't know if they changed anything because it takes more now to really clean. I added a teaspoon of baking soda to the Joy + water mixture and that helped a lot. 

I have severe allergies, so we've avoided using commercial pest control sprays. We got help from a pest control company though for termites. They advised never to DIY that because the termites will just move. Best to have a professional do it. They also offer insect treatment and we do it quarterly since we had a really bad higad infestation last year (lot's of trees around us). 

I don't have a wide array of cleansers in my cupboard. My staples are Domex and Clorox and I just mix baking soda with other ingredients for other needs. A box of baking soda lasts me months since I just use a teaspoon or two whenever I make concoctions.