{Heart and Home}: Keeping our hearts and homes clean.

We often help our mothers clean. Some of us may enjoy cleaning, and others may not enjoy it, but its necessary to keep things clean! Just like its good to keep our houses clean, its also good to keep our hearts clean before God. Cleaning time is a good time to pray and ask the Lord to clean our hearts. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits." Proverbs 16:2 What are some unclean things that we need to clean in our hearts? Maybe its some anger, anxiety, jealousy or discontentment. Maybe its some bad thoughts about someone or something, or a picture we saw. Whatever unclean thing may be in our hearts, we need to ask God to clean our hearts and renew a right spirit in us. He will renew our minds and spirits if we allow Him.

:: Baking soda stain remover :: We sometimes get stains on our counters from berries, food coloring rust... etc. To remove these stains that don't come off with just soap and water, sprinkle a little baking soda on the stain, drizzle a little water on it, and rub it into the stain 'til it makes a paste. Let it sit on the stain for 2-5 minuets depending on how big the stain is or how long its been there. Then wipe off the paste with a soapy sponge or dishrag. This works great! ::Cleaning with vinegar:: Add about two Tablespoons of white vinegar to your dishpan when you wash dishes. This helps remove stains and leaves the dishes shiny! Also, use vinegar and a scouring pad to remove burnt on stains on pots and pans. To make a multi use cleaner for around the home, put one cup of vinegar, 3 cups of water in a 24 oz. spray bottle. Squeeze half of a medium sized lemon into the mixture. Screw on the bottle cover and shake to mix it all together. You may use this cleaner for many purposes: countertop cleaning, wall cleaning, floor cleaning and even windows. ::Cleaning with honey:: I read that honey is a disinfectant. When I am done cleaning the sink, I scrub it down a second time with about 1/2 a Tablespoon of honey and rinse. It adds shine!