In this expert interview: how to clean your house, meet Julie Edelman author of The Accidental Housewife and entrepreneur in her own right. Love To Know Cleaning's Heather Long sat down with Julie to discuss defensive cleaning, how to keep house and stay sane as well as some tips on going green.
Meet Julie Edelman Expert Interview: How to Clean Your House Author
Julie Edelman is a mom, an entrepreneur and an author. She knows all about being busy and doing things on the run. She also knows how it feels to look at the housework piling up and feeling the crunch of not living up to some internal expectations.
When you use the statement: "defensive cleaning," what does that mean to you? What has it come to mean for other accidental housewives?
As Oscar Wilde said, "Man (and woman) was made for something better than disturbing dirt" so I try to do simple things to minimize my toxic zones (bathroom and kitchen) from harboring mold, mildew and bacteria and non-toxic zones (living spaces) dirt and dust bunny-free.
For example, I'm a big proponent of using everyday products that you already have such as white vinegar - which can kill 90 percent of bacteria and more than 80 percent of mold and mildew. Therefore, I keep a spray bottle with a 3:1 water to vinegar mix in my shower and under my kitchen sink. As for store-bought wonders, I love disinfecting wipes and use them like tissues to clean my counters, switch plates, door handles and anything else in swiping range.
To minimize dirt and moisture I have absorbent mats inside and outside all entranceways; wax my furniture to keep dust at bay and I use decorative decoys such as fresh flowers, photos and scented candles to keep the focus off those not so cute dust bunnies when I have guests over!
What it means to my fellow or is it feline accidental housewives is they do just enough cleaning and not stress over doing a complete floor to ceiling cleaning which will help them maintain their home, sanity and manicure!
Go Green Cleaning
More homes are going green and using all natural products to clean house. Julie Edelman works with the Go Green Expo and supports greener cleaning.
You're working with the Go Green Expo. What tips can you offer wives, mothers, daughters, dads and other people who have to clean on being the greener cleaner? Is it an easy transition?
The key here is my general philosophy on dealing with our homes and family is to keep it real: We are not all going to allocate toilet squares as my fave singer Sheryl Crow has suggested since that will create more laundry from our little ones nor do we have to become the Queen of Green overnight. What's important is that we do it seamlessly and blend it into our everyday lifestyles to help save our planet one watt, drip or paper product at a time.
For example if you've been using the good ole Thomas Edison incandescent bulbs wait until you've used them all or they blow and then replace them with CFL bulbs; when you're not using your curling iron unplug it since like the chargers for your cell phone, IPOD, BLACKBERRY, laptop and any other appliance in your home they're draining energy if they're plugged into an outlet. It's about balance and not stressing-just like cleaning enough to maintain your home, family, sanity and manicure same with be more eco-friendly-do it in a manner that compliments your lifestyle-just trying to be green enough is enough!
Making Time for Yourself
In our expert interview: how to clean your house, Julie discusses looking after yourself. House keepers (moms and more) can stress themselves and their families out trying to live up to an idealized image.
How can Moms make more 'me' time in and around their housework, chores and errands
By blending housework into our everyday routines: For example when I'm in the shower I keep that spray bottle with vinegar and water in arms reach so I can clean as I preen; I keep disinfecting wipes on my bathroom and kitchen counters so I can clean door handles, counters, switch plates and faucets while I'm yakking on the phone with my mom or BFF; and I put shaving cream on my mirrors as I'm shaving my legs to clean and keep them fog free. And, the list goes on!
For the mom who is juggling five kids, a career and a household, what is the first thing she needs in her arsenal to keep her sanity in check?
A dirty martini at 5:00 which will make her home look clean enough! Kidding aside, she and we all need to realize that we don't have to do it all. We're not all Martha, nor our mothers, nor our best friend and how we approach what I lovingly call these 'chores that bore' is very individual. Know and believe that that if dishes are left in the sink or the bed's left unmade one day it's okay. We're doing the best we can given who we are. Our best is good enough so long as our families are healthy and we can find it in ourselves to smile.
Everyone has some chore they'd rather never, ever do and may even procrastinate it to the end, what chore would that be for you?
Cleaning the family throne i.e. toilet cleaning-mine looks like a paint ball target and if I could leave it I would, but being the numero uno toxic zone in my home that's not a reality. That's why I put on my fashionable and functional pink and polka dot gloves, drop two effervescent tablets into the bowl to fizz and remove poop and whiz at arm's length followed by a swipe and wipe with my fave disposable toilet bowl brush!
Next Up for The Accidental Housewife
To share more simple and quick ways to maintain our homes, sanity and manicures! Most importantly I truly want to 'spread the glove' and enlighten, entertain and keep empowering housewives through TV, radio, online and by bringing a new attitude to dealing with these chores that bore which is one of the reasons I created a fashionable and functional line of home keeping products that will be debuting this spring which are both ego and eco-friendly. It is time we felt good not guilty about doing just enough vs. trying to do it all. We need to keep it real and take a breath, some time and smile as we deal with our lives on what I call Hysteria Lane-we only have one life and we need and deserve to live it well enough!
Love To Know Cleaning would like to thank Julie Edelman for taking the time to talk to us and wish her great good fortune on her journeys on and off Hysteria Lane. Check out her website for more information on what's next for Julie!
