Cleaning Your Diamond Ring

Hey ladies...looking for a quick way to clean your bling? (Of course I had to include this whopper from Tiffany's in this post.)

When you don't have time to get your diamond ring cleaned professionally, drop a little liquid dish soap on it, rub it a little with your finger, then rinse. The soap cuts through oil and dirt that inevitably accumulate over time, and you'll have a sparkly diamond in seconds.

Some more eye candy....

Fabulous.

Organizing My Pantry

After I had my baby, it became difficult to find the time to do basic cleaning, let alone organizing. Now that he is a little more independent (and takes good naps) :) I am tackling each of the neglected spots in my house. It's amazing how "out of control" the stuff can get!

Today's project: the pantry. Oh Lord. It was BAD. Not so "charming," eh?

First thing I did was completely empty it out and gave it a good scrub down. I was about to paint the inside of it on a whim, but naps aren't THAT long, and you have to draw the line somewhere.

I tossed things that were old and things that were just never going to be used. I broke out my label maker and began sorting.

I separated everything into categories and put a label on the wall behind each "section." I find that labels help our family remember to put things where they belong rather than just toss them somewhere.

I must have opened it about 20 times since then, just to look inside! Now I can check one thing off the list!

Make cleaning dishes easier!

I went through a phase where I refused to boil pasta or potatoes because I could not stand to clean the dishes afterwards. You know what I'm talking about-that slick....dare I say it....slimy feel that boiling a carbohydrate leaves on your strainer, pots, etc. You scrub and scrub only to find after rinsing that you need to scrub once more. Such a pain, and so not worth it.

Seriously, who has the time?

However, I am married to a man who loves his potatoes, and I love my pasta, so I knew I needed to find a solution. And low and behold...I found it....

VINEGAR!!

Yes, good old distilled vinegar is the answer. Just before you wash that dish (or, like me, stick it in the dishwasher) pour vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the dish with it. The vinegar will allow you to simply wipe away the residue, and then you can clean it as you normally would. Why? Vinegar breaks down the carbohydrate just as it does when you are making a vinaigrette. (I thought of trying vinegar after Rachel Ray suggested mixing vinegar with different jellies to make fruity vinaigrettes.)

Hopefully this tip helps you save a little time so you can spend it doing more important things.