Cleaning: How to Clean your Glass Top Stove

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Cleaning a glass top stove is not as scary or difficult as many people think.  In my experience, I found that you do not need the special glass top cleaning agent with the special scrubber sponge that the manufacturer claims is necessary.  (*Disclaimer- Not following the manufacturer's directions may damage your cooktop.)  Again, this is my own experience that no damage has occurred from my cleaning practices.  Any scratches that I have on the surface are from my pots and pans during cooking.  All I use is a regular dish sponge with a scrubber side and Dawn dish soap.  I use this method to clean my stove every time.  Even with the dirtiest messes, including grease splatter from frying, your stove will be clean and shiny.


Step 1:
Wipe all debris off the surface.

*If you have burnt on rings around each burner, you can use a scraper (flat razor tool) to scrape everything up first.  I usually do this once-twice a year.

Step 2:
Using a very wet, soapy sponge, wring out soapy water onto the surface of the stove.

Step 3:
Use the scrubber side of the same sponge to spread the soap on the entire surface and scrub in a circular motion until everything feels nice and smooth.

Step 4:
Either use the same sponge or a new soap free sponge to wipe up suds, rinsing between each wipe.  The purpose of this is to clean the soap off the stove.

Step 5:
Use a dry paper towel to wipe up any excess water and soap so the surface is nice and dry.  If you have any ridges or seams (as I do around the edge), be sure to use your fingernail to get the paper towel in the ridge to get out all residue and soap.

Done!!  That's it!

Personal Business Recommendation: Interior Designer

**I'm so excited to announce that I've started a youtube channel discussing everything home making. My channel name is Surviving As Mom.  Check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrj6ilyMI5G2hnraXRWpEQ

For those of you are planning a renovation in your home, or just looking for a minor improvement, please check out  http://merriinteriors.com.

Meredith Weiss is an incredibly talented interior designer located in Commack, NY.  She has an amazing portfolio that I often look through as I try to imagine my dream kitchen.  I haven't used her yet for my own home, but I would love to if my budget ever permits.  She can work with many budgets and has very reasonable fees and prices!

Her work has been featured on Houzz and she will soon have one of her kitchens featured in a National Design Magazine!

Home Improvements: Kitchen Cabinets and Dresser

**I'm so excited to announce that I've started a youtube channel discussing everything home making. My channel name is Surviving As Mom.  Check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrj6ilyMI5G2hnraXRWpEQ

I posted a video of my complete kitchen remodel.  Check it out!!

You will eventually see in photos how awful my kitchen is.  It is the only thing we did not redo yet in our house.  It is the original from the 1950's with no counter space and very little cabinet space.  It also had the original appliances which we've already replaced (minus the 10 year old refrigerator).  We hope to completely redo it in the next few years.

That being said, I decided that after 6 years of living here, it was time to do something to improve its appearance since I've completely ignored it since moving in.  The old torn wallpaper was still up and the cabinets and hardware were the original gross colors.  So, last November I decided to at least paint the kitchen to try to improve the appearance a little so it wouldn't be as embarrassing.  Even though it didn't improve the functionality much, at least it looks a little nicer now.

I painted the walls, ceiling, and all the cabinets.  I also spray painted all the hardware.  This is the finished product.

Since the cabinet can counter space is so pathetic, I had to come up with a solution (on a tight budget) for improving this a little.  So, I found an old dresser on craigslist for $30 that I sanded and repainted with matching paint colors from the kitchen.  I also spray painted the hardware on the dresser to match. This definitely helped with space a little.  This is the finished product.

This just goes to show with a little paint and imagination, you can improve just about anything!

Cleaner Cleaning: Vinegar, peroxide and baking soda

**I'm so excited to announce that I've started a youtube channel discussing everything home making. My channel name is Surviving As Mom.  Check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrj6ilyMI5G2hnraXRWpEQ

I'm not at all a "green" person by any means.  However, in recent months, I've come to realize that many of the harsh cleaning chemicals that I've used for so many years aren't all necessary.  Ok, nothing beats bleaching a dirty mess, but there are healthier alternatives for everyday messes.  Unlike "green" cleaners, these three actually disinfect, which is a priority to me.  I'm not a "germaphobe", but I definitely am very aware of common bacteria and viruses.

Vinegar!  Peroxide!  Baking soda!

These are my new best friends!  I always have these items in my home in large quantities (always purchased at Costco for next to nothing).  For example, two 32oz bottles of peroxide cost me less than $5 compared to a 26oz spray bottle of commercial cleaner for almost $6.

Vinegar, peroxide and baking soda, used each on their own, or in various combinations together work as effectively at cleaning many messes and they are much safer to the environment and our bodies.  There is a ton of info on the web on how to clean with these three, so start looking and be enlightened!

Vinegar and baking soda: 
I always add a cup of each to my laundry to boost the cleaning power and aid with odor removal.

I also use these two for cleaning my kitchen sink.  After I rinse the sink clean, I spray it with vinegar, then sprinkle it with baking soda.  After is sits about a minute, I scrub with the abrasive side of the sponge.  It gets all the grease, grime and funk out and leaves my stainless steel sink looking pretty good (for a 50 year old sink).  It is also good for cleaning and deodorizing the drain.  Put about 2 tbsps in the drain and pour about half a cup of vinegar inside.  You will probably see it foam up.  This is good!  Let it sit for a few minutes then just run the water to wash it down.

This combination can also be used for cleaning tile grout.

Peroxide:
I often use this in place of bleach wipes.  I especially love it to clean and disinfect my son's high chair tray since it doesn't leave a harmful residue of chemicals for him to eat off of.  I also use it to clean and disinfect my kitchen countertops after handling raw meats.

You can also use it to disinfect fruits and veggies and help them to last longer.  Vinegar will work for this purpose too.  I'll either spray peroxide directly on the fruits and veggies or soak them in water with vinegar mixed in.  Just be sure to rinse them all before eating.

I also love to use peroxide and vinegar combined in my bathroom around the toilet.  I have all boys, so as you can imagine, it can get messy and quite smelly around the toilet.  After scrubbing daily with commercial chemicals, I could NOT get rid of the odor so I did some research.  If you spray peroxide, then vinegar and let them sit for a few minutes, they will neutralize the odor.  No more urine stink in my bathroom!!


I still use commercial cleaning products, especially bleach wipes for some jobs, but its nice to know that there are healthy alternatives available that actually work.

Here are some links I found useful:
51-fantastic-uses-for-baking-soda
using Peroxide
cleaning with peroxide
25-ways-to-clean-with-vinegar