Cleaning Couches

Right now is a great time to get those pesky stains out of your couch, especially with the holiday season so near. Wouldn’t want your mother-in-law making snide comments, would you?

As a good first step, vacuum off cushions or use a brush to dislodge dirt.

For red wine spills, grab a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Blot up as much as you possibly can with a paper towel and then mix in a teaspoon of your favorite dish soap with another cup of hydrogen peroxide. Blot the mix, then blot again with a dry towel. This method also works wonders on carpet, clothing and other fabrics as well. Wine-o’s rejoice!

For coffee stains, mix an egg yolk with luke-warm water and rub on the spot. Pat dry and vacuum the rest away.

For other stains caused by life (i.e. children, cats, dogs, husbands, etc.), make your own whipped detergent. Create a froth using half dish detergent, half water, and then use a whisk to mix it all together. Using a rag, rub the froth into the spot and then rinse away with water.

You can also use shampoo to wash away stains and yucky scents from upholstery. Still can’t get the stain out? Try steam cleaning the spot first to help lift stains before treating with detergents.

Do you have any other stain removing tips to share?

Best Winter Houseplants

Don’t feel like tending to outdoor winter plants this season? No worries. There’s plenty of flowering plants that do well in your home. Here are some of our favorites.

Lavender. A famous plant and go-to herb for aromatherapy, soaps and other yummy things, lavender is one of the best indoor plants to grow in the winter. Lavender will grow from a seed if you wish to start from scratch, or you can pick up a young plant. Clearly, the benefit of a young plant is that you get to instantly enjoy the fragrance and pretty purple-blue flowers. You’ll want to place your lavender plant in your home’s sunniest window.

Jasmine. Originating in Asia, jasmine is very simple to care for if you keep your home’s temperature in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Make sure to place this starry-flowering plant in an east or south-facing window and don’t let the soil dry out. Also, jasmine will climb a trellis, so stake one in the pot if you’d like!

Citrus. Yes – really! You don’t need to live in Florida to enjoy citrus fruits such as grapefruit, lemon, or oranges. All you need is a very bright spot in your house, and follow these easy directions from HGTV on how to properly care for your citrus plants.

Geraniums. Are you a fan of lemon, lime, rose, ginger, or even chocolate? Who isn’t? Geraniums are available in all of these fragrances, but did you know the fragrance comes not from flowers but from their hairy leaves? Your local nursery can tell you which they have in stock and which would work best for your home.

What’s your favorite indoor plant for the winter?

Composting 101

Composting isn’t just for farmers and country-dwellers. Here’s a list of ways you can compost in your backyard and do your part to contribute to our environment.

First off: what is compost? Compost is a mix of decaying vegetables, grass clippings, leaves and other organic matter. If you’re a gardener, compost is a fabulous fertilizer for your beds because it’s rich in yeast, fungi, and bacteria, and best of all – it’s free!

Photo cred: howtocompost.org

So let’s get started. Compost is just a mixture of brown matter and green matter. Shredded leaves, straw and twigs make up the brown matter, and grass clippings, veggies, fruit scraps, and even coffee grounds make up green matter. Mix it all together and add a little water and soil. That’s it.

Every week or two, rotate the pile and keep adding materials until the pile reaches three to five feet. Your pile will be good to use around six months – so get started now!

The biggest question we see is: what do I put compost in? You don’t have to buy one of those fancy compost bins (unless you want to!). You can grab a big compost bin at Lowe’s or Home Depot – they’ll be the ones with a sealed lid and little door to add materials.

Don’t forget: everything you put in your bin should be organic, so absolutely no herbicide treated grasses or plants. If you want to add manure, feel free, but be sure the animal it’s coming from was not fed meet (that also means no meat off your table should enter the bin as well).

Are you an experienced composter and have a tip to share? Do so below in the comments!