What does “green” cleaning have to do with saving money?  Read on….

If you have green cleaners under your cabinet that you DO NOT Like throw them out and switch to a SAFE and GREEN product that really works! I promise! Shaklee cleaners are AMAZING. They work so well that Shaklee offers a 100% money back guarantee and you do not have to send the product back to them. So, you have nothing to lose!

Best of all, these products are not only GREEN, they are SAFE and concentrated! You can let your kids clean the kitchen and bathroom because they are safe and you can save money because they are concentrated.

It is a win/win situation! Save the earth and get your kids to clean the bathroom!  AND save lots and lots of $$$$$$. Shaklee products are HIGHLY concentrated, so they LAST FOREVER!!!! So give yourself a gift for Earth Day….put some money back in your pockets, sit back, relax, and let the kids clean up their own dirt.

I suggest you start by purchasing this mini household kit from Shaklee. It is an affordable way to make the switch. Email me if you have any questions! ReadySetClean@gmail.com

Hands down my favorite GREEN product for whitening and brightening is Shaklee Nature Bright. This product is AmAZinG!!!!! I have been using Nature Bright for 19 years and still LOVE it. Ways to use Nature Bright include:

1. Bleach replacer. Use this in your whites to whiten the clothes, but it can be used on colors too. It will not bleach.
2. Carpet spot remover. 2 TBS per 16 ounces of water. Dissolve and use to blot out the stains (see directions on product).
3. General stain remover. 2 TBS. per 16 ounces of water ( see directions on product)
4. TILE GROUT cleaning. My daughters love to use this and a toothbrush to clean the tile grout. We make the carpet spot remover formula and get on hands and knees with a toothbrush. Have a clear bucket of water and microfiber cloth to wipe it off after application. The difference is AMAZING
5. Bathtubs and showers. This will whiten your tile grout in the shower too. I use 1 TBS in about 2 cups of water with a 1/2 tsp Basic H and scour this on with a good tile scrubbing brush and then rinse. The shower willsparkle!

I know I am protecting my family, the planet and our clothes every time I use Nature Bright. Shaklee is 100%guaranteed, so you if do not like it, they will send you a refund and let you keep the product!

For product information and ordering click here.

Toss out the Comet and Ajax and for Earth Day replace them with Scour Off. This pink scouring paste will last you at least a year! It truly is green because you are saving on packaging by not needing to replace it for a long time.

Shaklee is 100% gauranteed! If you do not like it, they will give you a refund and you do NOT have to send it back, so you can still use it or pass it on to someone else. You have NOTHING to loose! Try it.

I promise you will LOVE this product. I have been able to remove soap scum in showers that other maids never could. When I use the product in the homes of clients they are dumbfounded at how sparkly their glass shower doors and tiles are!

Click here to order today.

P.S. I did not take the photo, but I have scoured stove tops like this, and all that brown gunk will come off perfectly when you use Scour Off. Dry with microfiber and you will have a spotless, streak-free stove top!

Cleaning, as a basic life skill is the foundation kids need for the rest of their life! I am very concerned when parents tell me “My kids are too busy with homework, sports, ballet and music lessons to do chores.” Don’t misunderstand me. These activities build character and are really good for kids, however; not many kids are going to grow up to be a professional football player or ballet dancer. On the flip side, how many of these kids are going to need to know how to clean a bathroom and make dinner someday when they own their own house? Most of them!

My kids are in extra curricular activities too. But, chores come first! If the bedroom is not clean, the privledge of their “extra” curricular activity is cancelled. These activities are called exactly what they are, “Extra”. Keeping a bathroom tidy and clothes picked up off the floor are not “extra”. Teaching your kids basic life skills builds a strong work ethic and an appreciation for order and cleanliness.

My oldest son can clean a house from top to bottom. YEP, you heard me! My 19 year old son can clean our entire house and it would be spotless. I systematically taught him all the techniques that are in my DVD and he can rock out a cleaning job and make GOOD money cleaning a house professionally. However, he does not clean professionally. At eighteen years old, he was the youngest person hired by our local police department in the history of this city, as a 911 dispatcher. He is a HARD worker and carries a strong work ethic on his sleeve. Time and time again my husband and myself hear compliments on what hard workers my kids are. My teen daughters get hired to clean houses and make $18- 20 per hour and do a great job. It brings me great joy to see all my teenagers working together as a speed cleaning team. They are amazing! Your kids can do it too!!!

The concept of building a strong work ethic begins at home with basic chores. I challenge you to get serious and start teaching your kids this basic responsibility. Develop a chore routine and hold them accountable. YOU can do it!

Where should you start?

1. Read Children Who Do Too Little by Patricia Sprinkle
2. Watch my DVD & use the demonstrations to teach them how to clean
3. Look at the “Chore” tab on my website and contact “Accountable Kids” and try their chore system
4. Print this list on Age Appropriate jobs and get started teaching them today!

If you follow these 4 simple steps, you will have all the tools you need to begin implementing a strong work ethic in your kids and you will also benefit from having a house that is clean and in working order. It REALLY Works. Don’t just take it from me. Read some of the testimonies from other moms who have tried this.

These classes are open to families in the surrounding cities, and not limited to Highland Village Residents. If you know anyone in this area of Texas who might be interested, please forward them this information. For the class schedule and information please see page 4 of the on-line class catalog here. Or visit the website here and click on the Spring/Summer 2012 Catalog for Community Classes.

Class Syllabus is as follows:

• Week 1: Green cleaners (what works, what doesn’t? And what is really safe?) reading labels and MSDS, household products database and dangerous common chemical examples, microfiber intro.
• Week 2: Continuing on the benefits of microfiber, Cool Cleaning Tools, Speed Cleaning, Training little people and motivating teens, Intro. establishing chores and routines, Assigning homework for the week with my DVD.
• Week 3: Q&A from homework. Building confidence in yourself and your kids,Troubleshooting chores and routines: refining your personal goals and routines.

Don’t call your mom to babysit, while you do all the housework. Involve the family, and YES, The preschoolers can clean too! Preschool aged kids love to be needed and have lot of energy to contribute to this task. Don’t underestimate their capacity to be involved. To successfully involve the preschooler in cleaning there are some valuable tips that will help them stay in the cleaning mode.

1. Get them an apron. They love aprons and it makes them feel “official”. Cleaning is an important job and they need to know you value their hard work. Hobby Lobby has aprons for kids in the art department, but I love the kid’s aprons from this website. Call them at 1-800-717-2532 to order one of the kid’s aprons. The parent aprons are here.

2. Load the apron with a few microfiber cloths and a small spray bottle with water. Target usually had 8 ounce spray bottles in the travel size section of the store. I also love the ones I blogged about here. They deliver fairly quickly and the kids LOVE these bottles.

3. Give some easy training. Show them how to perform the task that you want them to do. Keep the job simple and do not expect them to perform it perfectly. If you need ideas,  My DVD gives easy training tips and teaches the kids how to perform simple cleaning tasks for all ages.

4. Assign age appropriate jobs. Pre-schoolers can actually do quite a bit of work. They love to know they are important and they can play a vital role with the family. For ideas on job that a pre-schooler can learn, click here for a list of age appropriate skills.

My favorite job for pre-schoolers is to wipe baseboards and door frames. After all, the finger prints all over the walls and doors were put there by them! Why break your back bending over and cleaning the low spots, when the little people in your home can clean these areas? See #2 above, these are the tools they need in order to clean the baseboards and door frames.

Give them a lesson before you set them to work. Expect them to be soaking wet when they are done. If you have a grade school aged child, teach them how to supervise and help the pre-schooler. OR have grandma supervise and help the little one.

The most important thing to remember is to include them and believe in their abilities. Three year olds are far more capable than most adults realize. Let them have a chance to amaze you. This will build their confidence and allow them to learn an important life skill and feel like part of the family!

Have Fun!

Is your playroom a disaster?

Do your kids cry everytime you ask them to clean up their toys?

If you answered “YES”  to this, I have a great solution for you!

When a mother of ten children, who has a clean and organized home shares a brilliant idea with you, what do you do? You listen! That is exactly what I did. When my friend who has ten children shared this brilliant idea with me, I decided to share it when I speak to Mom Support Groups. Many women have told me that they implemented this simple organization method and they have had great success!

1. Purchase 4 of the largest Storage containers you can find.
2. Label each box with a season: “Spring”, “Summer”, “Autumn”, “Winter”.
3. After the kids are occupied or in bed, sort everything into the 4 boxes. Sort the toys, stuffed animals, games and puzzles evenly so that each box has a balanced amount of each item in the box. Also, have a trash bag and a give away box while you are sorting.

Once you have everything sorted, deep clean the room. Pull the shelves out, dust and vacuum. Once the room is clean, you can empty the ONE box that is the current season back onto the shelf and organize the items.

Simply plug their name in the “premade” chart and it will open up with their name and you can print.
I suggest that you tape it to the bathroom mirror or on the back of the bathroom door or on the back of the cupboard door under the sink. This little chart will help your kids remember to brush their teeth at least twice a day. Buy a little pack of stickers and put them in a ziplock bag and tape or staple that bag to the bottom of the chart, so you can keep it organized and make it easy to add a sticker.

Here is the link and I also have widget on the sidebar of my blog that you can click.

For kids, you can’t go wrong with the Scotch Brite No Scratch sponge. It really will not scratch and is a safe bet for little people.

Once your kids are ready to learn how to clean their shower/tub then they can start using the Heavy Duty Sponge, (I suggest that kids master the duties of cleaning their own bathroom by the age of 10).

When to use the Heavy Duty Sponge (yellow and green):

• Scouring a bathroom glass shower door
• Scouring Tiles in a bathtub
• Scouring a porcelain Bathtub or sink (DO NOT use on fiberglass)
• Scouring Stainless Steel sink; however, If the Stainless has nice lines, follow the lines with the scouring, otherwise, it will scratch the stink.

When to use the Non-Scratch Sponge (blue) :

• Faucets
• Fiberglass showers, sinks, counters or tubs
• Corian counters
• Wood/cabinets  (I prefer just microfiber, but for a spot cleaning where you need to scour, it is ok to use this sponge as needed)

Children under the age of 10 should be told to ONLY use the Non-Scratch sponge OR a good Microfiber Cloth. Explain to the kids why it is important to take care of our fixtures and how costly they are to replace. This will avoid any accidental damage to appliances and faucets.

I always finish off cleaning by drying and polishing with microfiber!

So you wonder how in the world I have 4 teens who clean without being told?
Do you want your baseboards to be white again?

The first secret: teach your kids to clean when they are toddlers. A spray bottle with water, toothbrush and microfiber cloth will do wonders in the hands of a 3 year old. Using the simple method of the 3 Period lesson, as instructed in the Ready, Set…Clean! DVD will have your little ones learning how to clean like masterminds.

The second secret: If you have children between the ages of 2-5, you should have spotless baseboards and no finger prints on you walls. At least once a month, you should create a family chore day and they should clean all those little disasters that their little hands created. No excuses! They made the handprints, so they certainly can clean them.

Teach them when they are young to develop the good habits for keeping a clean house, and they will grow up and notice when things need done. Who knows! Maybe you will come home to teenagers cleaning the house “just because it needed it and they love you!”