A Confession & Some Early Spring Cleaning

Confession: I do not ever leave the house without makeup. Ever.

I even go to the gym with a quick swipe of MAC powder and a brush of mascara on my lashes (okay, okay, and maybe some lip gloss... geez...). And I always wear earrings. I can hear my mother's voice in my head... "Don't leave home with empty holes! Put on some earrings!" And so, I do.

That being said, when was the last time you cleaned your make-up brushes?

It's not a super important, every day, or every week ritual, but I tell ya.. if you keep your makeup brushes clean, they'll last for-eva! I've seriously had 3 of these brushes since Brian and I did Amway back before we were married (that's like 13 years ago for those of you who are new here).

I simply wash them by hand with warm water and gentle soap (hand or face soap will do, as long as it's not harsh or heavily scented) and rub gently until the water runs clear. Then let them air dry on a towel.

And what about your jewelry?

This is probably one of your biggest investments other than your house and cars, and yet, so many people never clean their wedding ring!

Come on ladies... let it shine in all it's sparkly glory!

This is my favorite cleaner. Although, I replace it every 6-8 months because it works best when it's fresh and strong!

I like to drop my ring in this cleaner when I jump in the shower. I let it soak until I'm totally done getting ready (e.g. no more hair spray being sprayed) and then give it a quick scrub with the included brush and then let that baby shine! :)

I've mentioned this before, but if you have a front loader washer, I highly recommend using this product:

 

It temporarily eliminates the mold smell. "Temporarily" being the key word here. As anyone who owns a front-load washer knows, that awful smell returns no matter what you do! UGH!!!! 

The last random place I wanted to mention in this post is baseboards and chair rails. Payton has a chair rail in his bedroom and when I dust it, I'm amazed at the amount of crud that collects there in just a couple of weeks. Same goes for the baseboards.

If you have time to really clean your baseboards by hand, I recommend using the Magic Eraser:

 

You'll go through several of these, so just be prepared. But nothing works quite like it. Then, if you really want them to look like a model home, bust out a quart of white paint and paint them. It's a pain in the rear, but it will make your home feel so fresh and new!

One last tidbit... if you have a glider, a Pottery Barn anywhere chair, or any couch cushions that are washable, I highly recommend giving them a quick wash on the delicate cycle. It makes a world of difference!

And if your couch cushions aren't washable, just remove all the cushions, vacuum underneath, vacuum the cushions, then take them outside and spray them with Febreeze and let them air dry. Fluff them when dry and replace on the couch. You'll swear it feels like a new couch!

Here's to some early Spring Cleaning!