5 Creative Ways to Use Bleach

This post is sponsored by The Clorox Company but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

When it comes to the many daily activities required to keep my official parent card, cleaning is not one of my favorite. I wouldn’t even put it in the top ten. Or twenty. 

The actual act of cleaning isn’t so bad. Its more the fact that, as a parent, cleaning seems to be a constant never ending battle filled with gross (often unidentifiable) messes that should legally require a hazmat suit. 

Since I have yet to win the lottery or be gifted a staff of cleaning professionals, I’ve resolved to the fact that I’m head cleaner of Casa de Magnolia Mama. Over the years I’ve become a pro at crayon wall art removal, rogue toddler nail polish application recovery, and am certified in 87 different ways to remove stains. 

Because I know life is messy, I like to have powerful products on hand that can be utilized to do multiple jobs. The biggest one in my arsenal is Clorox® Bleach. They have an amazing line of products - and we all know the amazing cleaning power of bleach. Because I like to keep things easy I always place these Clorox Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ and Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ in my Amazon cart. Not only are they lighter, less messy, and easier to store than liquid bleach - they come straight to my doorstep. I call that a mom life win. (If you haven’t used Amazon Pantry for your groceries or favorite house hold cleaning products you’re missing out!)

My favorite part about  Clorox Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ and Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ are that they are spill-free bleach options that are only activated when mixed with water - so no accidental splashes! My daily mom uniform of black yoga pants are safe, and bleach spot free. Friends who see me (or better yet, have to be seen with me), you’re welcome. 

Until I did some research I didn’t realize how many different uses bleach actually has. Some of my favorite ways to use bleach aren’t even in the laundry room!

5 Creative Ways to Use Bleach 

Brighten Up Glassware - Notice how sometimes after awhile glassware will get that film on it? Well by using a little bit of bleach you can give your glassware its old sparkle back. 

Fill up your sink with soapy water, place a teaspoon of Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ or one Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ and let your glassware soak in the mixture for a few minutes. Rinse really well, and once you dry with a towel your glassware looks brand new!

Remove Mildew Stains From Outdoors Spaces - Nothing is worse than when Spring weather finally rolls around and you want to enjoy your outdoor spaces only to learn that mildew has taken over your patio over the winter (Okay…we know there are a lot worse things, but in the South there’s only a short season to enjoy outdoor patios. There’s a pocket of about ten days that pops up somewhere between freezing cold winter and sweltering hot humid summer. So let us have our dramatics to enjoy our spiked lemonade tea and a mildew-free patio!). A quick mixture of one Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™, two cups of water, and an arm workout with a scrubber brush will have your patio white pants approved. 

Clean Butcher Block Cutting Boards and Counter Tops - Butcher Block is a trend we will always be behind. Keeping them clean. But it’s also tricky. Our favorite solution is to gently scrub them with a cleaning brush lightly dipped in a mixture of one teaspoon of Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ and one quart of water, being careful not to oversaturate the wood. We wipe down with a damp paper towel and dry immediately.

Keeps Floral Glassware Looking Bright-  One of the more creative uses I’ve learned for bleach is keeping floral glassware brighter. You know how with in a day vase doesn’t look as clear because of the build-up created by the flowers decaying?

Just mix 1/4 of a teaspoon of Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ with a quart of water in a vase before placing in any cut floral stems. Just a quick rinse with soap and water when you’re ready to change out your floral arrangement. The Bleach has done all the algae stain removal work for you.

Whitens Tile Grout - Way back when we were designing our house we put white everywhere - including the bathrooms. While it looks great when it cleans, I’ve noticed it always tends to dull around the toilet and the shower. But I’ve learned with bleach it can be a quick and easy fix! To whiten grout I mix one Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ in a gallon of water. I fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray directly on the grout. Let it sit for a few moments and then gently scrub with a toothbrush or a bristled cleaning brush. With in just a few minutes the bathroom is back to its bright, white state. 

Do you have some unique ways to utilize bleach? Share with us!

To learn more about Clorox Clorox® Control Bleach Crystals™ and Clorox® Zero Splash™ Bleach Packs™ visit here.

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5 Ways to Stay on Top of Life’s Messy Moments

This post is sponsored by Clorox®, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Okay, moms we all know there is nothing better than finishing your day and walking into a clean house; or stepping into your car and smelling a fragrant lemon fresh scent instead of eau de two day old baseball cleats. Having our lives clean and orderly just makes us feel good, but the reality is life is full of messy moments. Ones that we have to tackle daily and continuously. Who knew that little people could create such big messes?!

But tackling life’s messy moments just comes with that whole mom job description. As moms we tend to take this into stride, accept it as our grown-up duty, and happily move forward in our wash rinse repeat phase of life. 

At least until it’s time to clean the kid’s bathrooms. Then we just put on a hazmat suit, arm ourselves with the strongest Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes in our arsenal and pray we come out alive. 

Kidding. 

Sort of. 

These messy moments could overwhelm us, but as pro-moms we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to keeping our sanity while combating anything thrown our way (and that mysterious puddle on the floor). 

5 Ways to Stay on Top of Life’s Messy Moments 

Don’t Fall Prey to Cleaning ADD - We know it is so easy to get distracted. Between the little people in your house running around, and your email inbox constantly dinging at you from both your phone, wi-fi tv, and your fancy smart watch it’s hard not to. But we find it best to really try to focus on one task at a time. We are total list people. Create a list and start with your first task, and - here’s the key part - stick with that one task before diving into another. If you decide to clean bathrooms (bless you), resist the urge to start organizing that make-up basket under the sink since 2006. Get in and get out, and leave all the “extra” stuff for another time. And you will get a little thrill checking something off your list. 

Make Time for the Small Stuff - Yes, we know all the majors when it comes to cleaning. Vacuuming the living room, folding and putting away the laundry, cleaning the playroom…when it comes to our most lived in areas we knock it out of the park. But make time for those lesser traveled areas too. Maybe not every other day do you need to do a full wipe down of your car, or clean out your guest bathroom linen closet, but incorporating these smaller, less obvious tasks into their own timely routine will save you from being overwhelmed at a later date. 

Just Say No to Clutter - It’s inevitable. You’re a busy family, and with that comes a lot of “stuff”. One minute you have sparkling clean counters, and the next minute you turn around and it looks like a paper bomb exploded and brought contents of your pantry along with it. When stuff piles up it makes life seem messier. Combat clutter as it comes at you. Get rid of junk mail right away. Throw away unnecessary school papers. Donate toys you notice aren’t getting played with. Tackling the clutter as it comes at you is way less an arduous task than when it covers every surface of your house. 

Have Powerful Products on Hand - Listen, when you see what destruction small toddlers can do in a short period of time, you know you need to have some powerful back-up on hand at all times. We make sure to keep powerful multi-purpose products on hand to help us combat any mess that might come our way. 

These new Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Ultra Strength Blue Fibers are some of our favorite! We buy them in bulk from Walmart (available in store or online) and store them in multiple places in our homes ready to be used when ever the cleaning call of duty arises. The Clorox Disinfecting Wipes with Ultra Strength Blue Fibers work great on grease, cleaning up crumbs, and even are strong enough to eliminate those mystery stuck on messes that occur on occasion. 

Not to mention they can work on a multitude of surfaces - stainless steel, finished hardwoods, and even granite counter tops. Having such a powerful disinfecting wipe that is multi talented on hand definitely makes combating life’s messes that much easier. 

Take a Break - One of the most taxing things is knowing that the messes will never stop. That’s life. But it can be overwhelming at times and sometimes you just have to know when to take a break. Take a moment from the clean routine to sit down and do something you love. Give yourself small amounts of time to enjoy your favorite show, read a good book, paint your toenails that new shade of pink you grabbed at Walmart with your new favorite disinfecting wipe, and ignore the mess around you. It will still be there after you are done with a little “me” time, and to be honest, it will probably be something that will occur approximately 4,607,299 more times. So taking a five minute scroll through your social media won’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of life’s messes. That five minute refresh for yourself can do wonders for your mental heath. When you are refreshed and rejuvenated you are way more equipped to be able to tackle all of life’s messy moments. 

To learn more about Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Ultra Strength Blue Fibers and how you can stay on top of life’s messy moments click here. 

How do you stay on top of life’s messy moments? Share with us your tips and tricks! 

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