No matter how you go about it, laundry is a regular part of life. Even more so if you have kiddos running around and getting dirty! While many might hang our clothes on a line to dry, the majority of us choose the convenience of the dryer. One of the most toxic things we do on a regular basis is use fabric softener or dryer sheets. These products are full of nasty chemicals! Exposure to such toxins is linked to skin irritations, neurological disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance. Yikes!
Chemicals infiltrate the clothing we wear, which in turn gets on to our skin and is absorbed by our bodies. There are reports that show the occurrence of brain disease is growing, as well as the levels of industrial chemicals being found in human bodies. Some suggest the two are linked! Using alternatives to these products is a great way to avoid increasing the amount of chemicals being absorbed by your body.

Soft Laundry with no Toxins

Don’t worry, you can still have super-soft and scented laundry, without subjecting your body to horrible toxic chemicals thanks to Nellie’s Lamby Wool Dryerballs and Nellie’s Flyerballs! Both are made with 100% pure New Zealand wool, so no nasties! They reduce drying time by helping dry your clothes faster, so you’re saving energy and money. They also reduce wrinkles, all while softening your clothes. Plus, they’re chemical free and will last about 2 years. What’s the difference between the original Lamby Wool Dryerballs and the Flyerballs? The wings on the Flyerballs are designed to help float through your dryer to separate fabrics, shortening drying time and reducing static.
If you prefer your laundry to have a fragrance, the Scented Wool Dryerballs are infused with pure essential oils and available in Citrus, Lavender, and Simply Fresh. The scent will last about 50 loads, so you can enjoy the chemical-free natural scent. We recommend tossing one scented wool ball with your four unscented wool balls to enhance your drying experience.
 

The first step in finding a cleaning routine that really works for you and your lifestyle is to determine your cleaning personality. Are you a bitsy cleaner that likes to do small cleaning tasks each day, or do you like to procrastinate before buckling down for a day-long cleaning spree? If you fall into the first group, we have got the time-saving tips for you! For those who want to make cleaning a seamless part of their everyday routines rather than a big daunting task they'll procrastinate doing, here are 6 little ways to work cleaning into your schedule. By introducing five-minute habits, like wiping down your kitchen counters before you go to bed and taking the trash out when you head out the door for the day, you'll be able to fit these micro cleaning moves easily into your life.

Clean the Dishes as You Cook

If you tend to leave dinner cleanup until after the meal is cooked and eaten, you run the risk of spending more time scrubbing caked-on food later. Or worse, you're tired and decide to leave it all for tomorrow. Ugh! Not nice to wake up to a messy kitchen. Instead, get in the habit of cleaning up as you cook. Find the downtimes in a recipe (like when you're waiting for the water to boil), and instead of reaching for your phone, wash a cutting board or start loading tools and utensils into the dishwasher. Once you get in the habit, cleaning as you go will become second nature.

Wipe Down Your Kitchen Counters before Bed

No one feels like cleaning right before bed—we get it. But if spending two minutes to wipe down the kitchen counters before you hit the hay means you get to wake up to a clutter-free kitchen every morning, it's a worthwhile addition to your nighttime routine. Just give a spritz of the All-Purpose Cleaner and give a wipe with a paper towel or cloth. Not only will wiping away sauce splatters and spills at night save you from scrubbing set-in messes the next day, but this way, your counter will be ready for breakfast prep and packing school lunches in the morning. Your morning routine just got a little bit easier and cleaner!

Take Out the Trash on Your Way to Work

Depending upon what time you leave in the morning and what time your local garbage pickup is, it might make sense to start taking out the trash into your morning routine. At night, remove the bag from the can, tie it up, and replace the liner. In the morning, all you have to do is grab the bag on your way out the door. This way, you can avoid carrying trash out to the curb when you're tired after work, or even worse, after you've already changed into your pajamas for the night!

Add a Cleaning Spray and Squeegee to Your Shower

Name your least favorite cleaning tasks. Did scrubbing the shower tiles land on the list? To make a shower deep-clean less daunting, add the Nellie’s Shower & Bath Cleaner to your shower stall. After each shower, spritz down the tiles and allow to dry. For a deeper clean, spray the entire area and allow the solution to set for 30 seconds to loosen the dirt. Scrub with a non-abrasive sponge if necessary, rinse, and then wipe clean. Soap scum won’t stand a chance!

Let Garbage Time Cue Your Fridge Cleanup

When you go to tie up a bag of garbage, let it remind you to quickly check the fridge. Scan for cheese that's moldy and milk past the expiration date. If you take a quick peek every time you take out the trash, you'll avoid disasters like liquefied produce, while minimizing the amount of time potentially smelly items hang out in your kitchen trash can or compost bin.

Stash a WOW Mop in the Bathroom

In the bathroom, dust, hair, and towel fuzz tends to collect quickly. Store the WOW Mop nearby so you can do a quick floor cleaning after your morning shower or after styling your hair. Especially if you have a bulky full-size vacuum that's difficult to lug around, this trick will let you go longer between vacuuming and mopping sessions.

The flowers are about to bloom, the birds are singing… but the house still feels stuck in the winter blues! Spring cleaning is one of our favourite traditions – it allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the hectic seasons of spring and summer. We’ve got a few tips to help you make this your easiest spring cleaning sessions yet!

Clean Room-by-Room

Approaching your home room by room is the most effective way to deep-clean your home no matter what time of year, but especially in spring. Use room checklists as a springboard for deep-cleaning the areas of your home that really need extra attention. Feel free to skip items that have recently been cleaned so you can focus on the parts of your home that have been neglected through the winter.

Organize & Clear the Clutter

One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter you no longer need. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of that natural spring urge to get rid of items that are weighing you down and begin fresh with a more streamlined lifestyle. Sort your belongings into four categories: trash, donate, store, put-away. This is a perfect time to plan a garage sale or donate items to a good cause. Cleaning is so much easier with fewer things in the way!

Involve the Family

If you need a little help in your cleaning projects, get the whole gang involved! Even the most unwilling helper can make a difference in the workload. Put some music on or establish a family reward as an incentive to finish the job.

Tackle the Seasonal Chores

There are some special shores that must be done seasonally – time to bite the bullet! Even though those chores need only be done once or twice a year, they’ll help your home look better and run more smoothly. Outdoor chores like cleaning the BBQ, patios, and windows can be daunting, but you’ll be relieved once they’re done.

Keep Cleaning Products to a Minimum

You don’t need to resort to harsh chemicals and toxic cleaners to get your house into shape! Nellie’s makes just about everything you need, from the All-Purpose Cleaner to the One Soap and more!

We wash our clothes to keep ourselves, our families, and our favourite items smelling and feeling fresh, but there is actually such a thing as washing too much or too little! There are downsides to both: laundering your clothes more than necessary can shorten their lifespan and ultimately wear them out more quickly, and washing them too infrequently can be unhygienic and lead to bacteria growth. Yuck! When to wash? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading for our general laundry guidelines for you and your family!

For your clothes

Bras: After three to four wears
Underwear: After every wear, of course!
Stocks and stockings: After every wear
Sports and swimwear: After every wear
Jeans: five to six wears, although some advocate washing as little as possible
Tops: One to two wears
Dresses: One to two wears
Pants, skirts, and shorts: Three to four wears
Jackets and blazers: Five to six wears
Coats: Once every two months of wear, and before storing away for the season
Pajamas: Three to four wears
Get your clothes fresh and clean, but don’t sacrifice your health and the environment! Wash clothes (and towels, bedding, etc.) with Nellie’s Laundry Soda, and remove tough stains with the WOW Stick. If your clothes need some extra brightening or whitening, choose Nellie’s Oxygen Brightener instead of resorting to harsh and toxic bleach.

For your kids’ clothes

Washing your kids’ clothes doesn’t need to be a massive chore! Many experts say you can wash their clothing along with yours anytime you see stains or they don’t pass the sniff test. The problem is that kids tend to get dirtier more often than adults do, so those stains and smells come up more frequently. Here’s a handy guideline: the lighter and softer the fabric, and the closer it hugs the body, the more you need to wash it. But as long as you don’t notice dirty patches or stains, kids can wear clothes multiple times before they’re ready for the laundry pile, just like you.

Whether you’re looking to extend the life of an investment piece or give Grandma’s hand-me-down a loving boost, regular cleaning (ideally once per season) can grab dirt before it truly becomes part of the furniture. Here’s our quick and easy plan for keeping upholstery fabric fresh and stain-free.

What You’ll Need

A vacuum
A few clean white cloths
A can of compressed air
Nellie’s WOW Stick Stain Remover and/or the Oxygen Brightener
A small bucket
Carbonated water (optional)

The How-To

Using the upholstery attachment, vacuum left to right in short, overlapping strokes, starting at the top of the piece of furniture and working towards the bottom. This left-to-right method is especially important for materials that hold onto dirt, like suede, velvet, and corduroy. Switch to the crevice nozzle (if you’re worried about sucking up coins, cover it with a piece of old nylon pantyhose secured with a rubber band); vacuum under cushions and around seams. Then grab the can of compressed air to blast dirt from tufting and buttons.
Attack stains on linen, cotton and polyester-acrylic blends with the WOW Stick Remover or the Oxygen Brightener.
For the Oxygen Brightener, create a solution using 1tbsp per 16oz (500ml) of water for upholstery (also works for counters, trash cans, and all over water-washable surfaces). Apply solution to stain with a cloth, wait 1 to 5 minutes, and scrub with sponge or blot with a towel. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Do not use on leather, silk, or wool.
Alternatively, use the WOW Stick Stain Remover on any stubborn stains. Simply wet the stained area (you can use carbonated water here to help lift old stains), rub the WOW Stick onto the stained area, and agitate the stain underwater. Repeat until the stain is removed, and let air dry. The WOW Stick is ideal for removing grass, makeup, wine, and blood stains.