Pressure Washing My Outdoor Cushions For The First Time in Two Years + A Video

Pressure Washing My Outdoor Cushions For The First Time in Two Years + A Video

When we remodeled our primary bedroom a couple of years ago, we added beautiful outdoor seating to extend the space to our backyard. It’s been great! But, I’ll admit that I neglected doing a deep cleaning for two years. Mostly because it’s just so easy to care for outdoor furnishings in our climate. They sometimes get food spilled on them, and they do get rained on, but the San Diego sunshine often dries out the moisture and bleaches out the stains in a matter of days. Or so I thought.

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Declutter Challenge! 20 Projects to Kick Off 2020

Declutter Challenge! 20 Projects to Kick Off 2020

It’s the first day of a new decade! January is the month of decluttering when we get the itch to start fresh and get some post-holiday clutter relief. So, I thought we should declutter and organize together! I’ve compiled a list of 20 projects to tackle as we welcome in 2020 to get our homes a bit more organized. I’ll be doing these projects (and sharing daily progress in Instagram Stories!) so join me, why don’t you!?

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How To Remove Rust From Cast Iron Pans - Naturally and With Only Two Items

How To Remove Rust From Cast Iron Pans - Naturally and With Only Two Items

Cast iron has become my favorite cooking material and now I’m on the hunt for it whenever I pass a garage sale or antique shop. It’s nonstick, it isn’t going to poison me (cough Teflon), it’s easy to clean, and it lasts forever. When it rusts, it comes clean with two simple kitchen staples that you probably have at home already. Let’s get into it!

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Clean With Me: Windows Edition - A Video and A Guide to My Waste-Free and Streak-Free Clean with A "Helpful" Puppy

Clean With Me: Windows Edition - A Video and A Guide to My Waste-Free and Streak-Free Clean with A "Helpful" Puppy

You know I love cleaning, and there’s nothing like squeaky clean windows! Now that summer is truly upon us, I know there’s no more rain in the forecast for several months, so I feels good to shine those windows up.

Window cleaning can be a struggle, they can turn out super full of streaks, and the process can create a lot of wasteful paper towels. But, as someone that ditched single-use towels years ago, I’ve found a technique that uses no waste and is 100% streak free! I also use this technique on my mirror, too.

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I Installed a Clothesline!

I Installed a Clothesline!

The more I dive into the low-waste, environmentalism, and energy conscious worlds, the more I think about alternatives to basically everything I do. I also have dreams of being a homesteader and recluse. So, a project I did last fall was install an exterior clothesline!

Air drying clothes is a great way to save on energy when doing laundry and I’m the perfect candidate for air drying clothes in my sunny San Diego climate. Plus, sunshine is the nature’s bleach. So, why not?

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Clean With Me: Kitchen Edition - A Video and My Guide to Non-Toxic and Zero Waste Cleaning

Clean With Me: Kitchen Edition - A Video and My Guide to Non-Toxic and Zero Waste Cleaning

Among my top 10 hobbies is deep cleaning my house. Call me crazy, but it’s just my jam. I’ve spent ages perfecting my routine to be as efficient as possible, years finding my favorite non-toxic cleaners, and just a few months to learn how to do it all without any waste. I filmed a quick video of me doing a kitchen deep clean and wrote out my step-by-step cleaning process. Check it out!

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Gift Guide for Organizers, Tidiers, and Cleaners

Gift Guide for Organizers, Tidiers, and Cleaners

I guess I’ve made it known that I’m a type-a neat-freak that likes cleaning, sorting, and organizing because I got a bunch of requests for an organizer gift guide. I’m not surprised because I admitted the other day that one of my hobbies is oiling my wooden utensils. Anyway, I’m a proud neat-freak, so here’s a collection of goodies for your tidying loving friend.

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My Review of the Dyson V8 and Roomba Vacuums + My Cleaning Tricks

My Review of the Dyson V8 and Roomba Vacuums + My Cleaning Tricks

If you follow along on Instagram, you know I debated getting the Dyson V8 during Amazon's Prime Day last week. I asked for feedback and hundreds of followers said how much they looooove theirs! Well, you all are very persuasive, so I got it while on sale! As a true Monica Geller and fan of new cleaning products, I've been vacuuming all weekend. Because it comes at a big price tag (currently $419 on Amazon), many folks are asking me if it's worth the money, so here are my thoughts after many hours of using it. Plus, I’ll get into my love for the Roomba!

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Where to Donate Items After Cleaning House

January is often when I get the bug to purge the house. Holiday decor starts to get claustrophobic towards the end of December, and winter travel to tidy hotels rooms (like Rivertown Lodge pictured below) gets me excited about minimal living.

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There are many more options than your local donation drop-off center to take your unwanted items. In fact - did you know many of the items dropped off at Goodwill just end up in the landfill?? I'm listing my favorite places that put things to the best use - since there’s always a better solution than the landfill and so many go to such a good cause. Please share your favorite alternatives in the comments!

Linens/Towels

I give our unwanted sheets, blankets, and dingy towels to animal rescue centers. They use them to pad the beds for our critter friends during recovery or while they wait for forever homes. In San Diego, I donate to Project Wildlife or the Humane Society.

House Parts and Tools

Habitat for Humanity is my go-to for anything house related. Items from furniture to doors and paint to light fixtures are sold at their ReStore centers and the proceeds support affordable housing projects. Psst! It's also a great place to shop for house parts.

Toiletries/Makeup

San Diego has the largest K-12 school for kids experiencing homelessness. They have an extensive wishlist including school supplies and kids' clothes. Since I don't have either of those at home to give away, I donate toiletries and unwanted makeup. Women’s shelters are also a great option for these items.

Cleaning Products

I’m obsessed with giving things away on my local Buy Nothing Project Facebook group where neighbors can post things to give away. I posted a collection of cleaning supplies that I no longer needed and someone that runs a local nonprofit picked them up to clean her community center. Consider joining a similar giveaway group, or think of a favorite nonprofit when cleaning out the cleaning cabinet.

Electronics

When I upgraded computers last year, I donated my old iMac to a favorite local nonprofit, Include Autism, but many community centers, nonprofits, or schools would be more than happy to receive old computers, iPads, and electronic toys. If your electronics are broken, they need to go to e-waste recycling. Look up a local recycling event in your neighborhood or check earth911.com.

Books

Local libraries will take your used books, but you can also take subject-specific ones to places that will read them more. Consider kids' books for a local YMCA and coffee table books for a retirement home. Also, your neighborhood may have a Little Free Library where you can drop off a book and pick up another one in exchange.

Magazines

Glossy pages filled with colorful images are great for collage art projects. Consider taking a stack of catalogs, magazines, maps, and scrapbook paper to a children's museum, art center, after-school program, or school.

Art Supplies & Paint Samples

Schools, art museums, and youth programs can put unwanted paints, brushes, and craft paper to use. Before dropping it off, check to be sure they can use what you want to give - oil paints are toxic and won't be put to good use with young kids, so gift them to older artists.

Furniture

Salvation Army will pick up big furniture items that you'd normally have to pay someone to move, so it's a win-win. Smaller furniture items can go to Habitat for Humanity or your local donation center. If it's too small to have Salvation Army pick up, but too big to fit in the car, I put it on the curb with a free sign, post it on my Buy Nothing Group, and/or post it on Craigslist. It's often gone in an hour.

Light Bulbs

Do you have any of those pesky incandescent bulbs laying around but don’t have a need for them because you switched everything to LED? My local animal wildlife rehabilitation center, Project Wildlife, uses them in incubators for baby animals without their parents because those old bulbs emit heat. Consider finding a similar organization near you!

Office Supplies

If you ended up with too many Sharpies (guilty) or you're changing out your office chair, consider giving to your favorite community organization. You may be used to donating dog food to the animal shelter, but the administrative staff that support the pups could benefit from your extra office accessories.

Eyeglasses

There are thousands of people without access to vision care so giving your old glasses can help someone have the ability to read for the first time. When I upgrade to new frames, I mail in my old ones to Lion's Club where they redistribute them.

Food

Feeding America will accept unopened non-perishable food items at their distribution centers. It's a great place to give when you do a major pantry clean out, but when I have a couple of items we don't need, I keep them in my car and pass out to folks on the street that are hungry.

Clothes and Housewares

Donation centers are an easy option for dropping off clothes and housewares, but your community likely has organizations that can give directly to folks in need. Refugee families can benefit from clothes and basic housewares as they settle into a new country. Women's shelters are in need of child and adult clothing in addition to basic home items as they transition housing. Consider donating old suits and business attire to an organization offering job training for underserved individuals. This is a good one for women’s clothes. If your clothes are so worn that they can’t be reused (think a sock with a hole in the toe or very worn undergarments) take them to a textile recycler - H&M happens to be a drop-off center for textile recycling.

Houseplants

I haven't done this one myself, but I'm sure any retirement home would appreciate houseplants that no longer fit your space, or those you need to give up when you move. I’ve also listed nearly dead plants on my Buy Nothing Group and had a few neighbors pick them up to try to revive them. 

Kids Toys and Clothes

If you receive kid toys or clothes for your little ones that you don't want, you can donate brand new ones to children's hospitals. Gently used toys and clothes can help kids at a shelter where they may be displaced due to housing, domestic violence, behavioral challenges, and more. Refugee families and women and children’s shelters would also love these items.

Camping Gear

That tent you never use can be put to great use for someone living on the street. You can walk up to someone that is struggling with housing and hand it to them directly or work with a local organization that serves folks that are displaced.

Gift Cards

I've received $5 gift cards to places I don't frequent then they end up in a pile, or clogging my wallet. Many nonprofits will use these to give to their volunteers as gifts. Local children's centers will use them when they go on outings with kids that are living on the center's campus.

Pet Food

When we changed Mabel's diet, we ended up with a bunch of open bags of treats and kibble. I found an organization that takes these snacks to animals in Tijuana. Unopened items can go to your local animal shelter.

Random Odds and Ends

There’s always that something that you’re sure nobody wants. But I’ll bet you someone will take it. When you take a weird item that doesn’t have a specific purpose or needs explaining to a major donation center, it’s likely to get trashed. For items like this, I turn to my Buy Nothing Group and post it to my neighborhood where they can get a description as to what it is. I have given away twist ties, canvas photos of me as a child (not kidding), nearly dead plants, coupons, an open container of milk, and so so much more.

Save the Wishlists of Your Community Organizations

Many nonprofits share wishlists on their website. Some are like Monarch School's list of needs and others are shop-able Amazon wishlists like the Humane Society where you can purchase items online to be mailed directly to the center. The wishlists can often inspire cleaning you didn't even think of (I now know to take the wrong-sized batteries I accidentally bought to the Humane Society). I also like to keep my local non-profits in mind when I see BOGO deals at the store. I can buy a tube of toothpaste for myself, and drop off the free one at Monarch School. Also, many organizations will take your recycling off your hands, too - our local children's museum is always looking for toilet paper tubes.

The list above is just what I do in my city with links to San Diego organizations, but here is a list of national organizations to support. Please share the ways you clean out your house for a good cause!

If you’re in the giving spirit and want to make monetary donations, here’s a list of my favorite non-profits to support.