Even on the longest, worst days, every one of us can take five minutes to make a room look a bit better (and hopefully, as a result, feel much better too). Whether you’ve got guests coming over and forgot to clean, or you just want a nicer looking space, you can make a major impact in just five minutes! Here are five things you can do quickly to make a big change.

Let in more light during the day or dim the lights at night

Is it daytime? Throw open every curtain, roll up every blind and try to get as much natural light into your home as physically possible. Though that might seem to shed more light on a less-than-clean home, when you've got great natural light flooding in through windows, everything just seems nicer. Have a few more minutes? Give your windows a quick swipe to let even more light in. Is it nighttime? Do the opposite. Turn off overhead lights and focus a room into dimly lit pools of warm glow from lamps and candles.

Break decluttering rules

We often argue against things like junk drawers and overflowing baskets, but when you've only got five minutes, ignore all those rules and start tossing clutter into hidden spots as quickly as you can. But only if you promise yourself to declutter those areas when you've got more than five minutes to spare.

Straighten things

I don't know what I do in my home that makes every chair, book and table askew all the time, but just the simple act of aligning things back to where they belong can bring order and pleasantness to a room. So readjust any ottomans that aren't where they go. Realign any tables (especially that coffee table) that have been nudged out of a place. Adjust a stack of books or magazines. Even straighten any crooked art pieces. It's not about trying to always live in a state of perpetual perfection — these little straightening movements are just easy things to do to create a pleasant effect on the overall feel and look of the room.

Pick up or dust visible dirty spots

It might be the coffee table, it might be that rug made of a material that is like a dust bunny magnet — use whatever tools you have at hand (even if it's just your hands) to quickly remove the largest and most visible spots of dirty. Stray pieces of paper or trash that have fallen on the floor. A quick swipe of a table top that catches the light with the All-Purpose Cleaner, or a quick swish on the dusty floor with the WOW Mop. Yes, a full cleaning would of course make the entire room look great, but the 5-minute refresh is about keeping up the look of a clean home in between regular cleanings, and doing it quickly so you can get back to enjoying your beautiful home.

Spritz a good smell

Wait a minute, this post title says "look" nicer. Well surprise! Our noses are tied to our eyes in such a way that a room that smells nice and fresh will magically look a bit cleaner and fresher to us. It's a powerful illusion, and the Wrinkle-B-Gone works as a perfect refresher for couches, pillows, and linens! Just spritz, smooth, and inhale a deliciously fresh lemongrass scent.

Preparing for big holiday dinners is by no means a one-day affair. If you're hosting, you've been getting your house and kitchen ready, and spent days making lists, shopping, and cooking. Once the feasting is over, the last thing you want to do is spend hours cleaning up—and you shouldn't have to! Here's our fail-proof, get-it-done method for getting your kitchen back in shape so you can relax.

First, Your New Motto:

Four Words: Clean as You Go

This should be a standard working-in-the-kitchen habit, but when you're making large portions of multiple dishes, the principle will save you from epic messes and keep your kitchen running smoothly even as you're still cooking.
Clean up small messes as you go. Put a paper towel under the teaspoon you're using to measure vanilla, and wipe spills from counters right away with the rag you have at arms-length. Also clean cooking utensils as you're done with them. We recommend filling one side of the sink with hot water and the One Soap and toss used tools in there until you’re done cooking.
If you've split your preparations into a few days' time, cleaning as you go is especially manageable. The goal is a clean kitchen at the end of each preparatory task.

Get a Helper, if You Need to

Solicit the help of a friend or family member who can wash dishes while you're cooking. This will save you time and energy, and you'll be giving someone who wants to help the opportunity to be useful and keep you company while you're working
When it comes time to clean after your meal, let everyone who wants to lend a helping hand. But don't be afraid to communicate how you want things done: If your china doesn't go in the dishwasher, let your helpers know how to handle it or give them another task.

The After-Thanksgiving Plan

Clear the table

First things first: Clear the table thoroughly. This is an easy way to have others pitch in. Try to have a close family member or someone familiar with your household involved so they can immediately put away things like salt and pepper shakers, etc. in the right places. Have helpers scrape any uneaten food from the plates into the compost and toss any paper napkins as well. Make sure the table is all the way cleared, to the point that it can be wiped. Now you've got one all-clean space and you can turn your attention to the kitchen itself.

Put away leftovers

Besides the food safety reasons for not leaving food out for too long, getting the leftovers put away first thing allows you to move on to the next step of sorting the types of dishes you will need to wash.

Soak pots and pans

Inevitably, there will be some cooking items that you weren't able to "clean as you went." Soak difficult-to-clean pots, pans, and any empty serving dishes that are aren't being used to store leftovers with hot water and the One Soap. Depending on your kitchen's layout, consider setting these soaking dishes on the stove top while you address everything else.

Hand wash and load the dishwasher

While heavily soiled dishes are soaking, tackle the rest of the pile. You're going to batch process so everything goes as quickly as possible. Again, this is a great job for helpers. Wash items that require handwashing, if there are any. Finally, you'll be left with dishes that, since they're already clear of food bits, simply need to be loaded into the dishwasher. Load them, and start the wash cycle with the Dishwasher Powder!

Wash the big stuff

Only one big washing task is left in your nearly-clean kitchen. While you might be tempted to stop here, remember that cleanliness begets cleanliness and it'll be easier to encourage yourself and others to maintain a clean kitchen if it's clean in the first place. However, definitely don't be afraid to delegate! Since all the other dishes and food are put away, you'll have plenty of room to scrub the roasting pan, etc. and when you're done with these, you are just about couch ready.

Give the kitchen a quick clean

Ride the momentum of whipping a kitchen into shape and give your counters, the outside of your fridge, and your sink a quick clean. Your floors could also probably use a cursory clean-up. Don't deep clean by any means, but getting your kitchen in tip-top working order will prevent a messy kitchen from overshadowing your post-meal glow. The All-Purpose Cleaner will take care of any mess, leaving you with a sparkling kitchen once again!

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s already time to start ticking things off your holiday gift shopping list! We wanted to help, so we’ve put together a list of Nellie’s favourite must-haves. These are the items that are perfect for your grown-up baby living at university or in their first apartment, new & expecting mamas, the hostess with the mostess, or any other wonderful person in your life. Everyone could use a little more clean and sparkle, especially this time of year!

WOW Mop

It’s no secret that the WOW Mop has become a beloved must-have! The cordless, lightweight, and rechargeable mop makes cleaning your floors effortlessly easy. Featuring oscillating pads, a high-frequency motor and a long-grip handle, you can tackle dirt and stains with just a swipe! For the full package, the WOW Mop Bundle comes with everything you need: Nellie’s WOW Wet Floor cleaning pads, Nellie’s WOW Dry Floor cleaning pads, and a 50 load pouch of Nellie’s Laundry Soda to clean the pads!

WOW Stick

With all the imbibing this time of year, we’re bound to end up with some stains! Enter the WOW Stick Stain Remover. Made with natural ingredients and free from dyes and synthetic fragrances, the WOW Stick contains lemongrass and sweet orange essential oils, which work in combination with the cleaning ingredients for a delicious clean. It’s perfect to use on food, wine, and coffee stains - and even blood (but don’t ask us how we know that one).

Oxygen Brightener

Make it a white Christmas with the Oxygen Brightener. White tablecloths, towels, linens, bed sheets… they all get dirty quickly when the aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws are around! Use the power of oxygen to penetrate stains, stripping away dirt, odor, and grime to keep your colours bright and your whites white. Our chlorine-free formula is colour-safe, septic-safe, hypoallergenic, environmentally-friendly, and biodegradable.

Fruit & Veggie Wash

We all know a friend that is health-food obsessed, but you can ensure they’re eating clean fruits and veggies! Most fruits and vegetables are covered in pesticides and contaminants – yes, even the organic ones! Nellie’s Fruit & Veggie Wash helps remove surface pesticides, preservatives, and other contaminants from your produce. Most importantly, it’s odorless and tasteless, gluten-free, biodegradable, and made with no animal by-products. Yum!

Take Care of it All

For the hostess with the mostess, take care of everything in a pretty box! Perfect as a gift to yourself or the one that’s hosting the holiday dinner this year, Nellie’s Host Bundle includes all the necessities you need to breeze through the holidays! It includes some of our favourites, like the Fruit & Veggie Wash, the 50 Scoops Dishwasher Powder, the One Soap in Melon, and the WOW Stick, AND a secret mystery item! Limited availability, so order it now!

Last weekend was Daylight Savings – did anyone else have a tough time getting out of bed?! We're officially switching gears and getting ready for winter, and that means getting some things done around the home. These things should be done about every six months, and they’ll help you settle into autumn and get ready for winter!
First off, of course:
Reset your analog clocks back an hour if you haven’t already.
Then, use the next week to tackle any of these tasks that apply to your home life:
Change your smoke alarm batteries. Whether or not they’re drained, do it now. The low battery alarm never sounds at a convenient time, and a smoke alarm is not something you want to be running low on juice.
Flip or rotate your mattress. Newer layered foam mattresses aren’t designed to flip like those simple old-school spring mattresses, but you can still rotate them around to even out wear. Better yet, use this time to clean your mattress! Click here to see our how-to blog post!
Flip and switch your couch cushions. Moving things around will ensure even wear and keep your couch looking nice and cushy longer. While you're at it, give them a refresh with the Wrinkle-B-Gone to ease any creases and take care of any odours.
Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. During winter, your fans should spin clockwise to bring warm air back into the living space from the ceiling. While you’re at it, give the fans a wipe with your All-Purpose Cleaner!
Decorate. If you haven’t already, set out the decorate pumpkins and squashes, hang a seasonal wreath, or plant some mums.
Declutter winter wear. How many mittens are missing their mate in your closet? Start cold weather dressing off right with winter wardrobe staples pared down to the best, the favourite, and the necessary.
Clean your gutters. Most of the leaves have left the trees by now, so use this time to remove dirt and leaf build up from your gutters.
Change filters. HVAC, air purifier, water, refrigerator – all of them!
Try out a new evening routine. Taking after-dinner walks may no longer be an option when it gets dark earlier. What might you do instead? We recommend a family game night – whether it be Monopoly or a simple card game!

Just in time for the coming holidays, Nellie is here to help you out! She’s the green hostess with the mostess, and she’s got you covered with everything you need to make hosting this season as easy as pie. Whether you’re hosting the in-laws for Thanksgiving or your sister is having the family around for Christmas, the Nellie’s limited edition Host Bundle makes for the perfect lifesaver for yourself or a friend.
What’s in the bundle? Everything you need to breeze through the holiday season this year PLUS a MYSTERY ITEM! Keep reading for more details!

Dishwasher Powder

The new Nellie’s Dishwasher Powder pouch easily tackles tough stains, grease, and food particles to leave every plate spotless! It even takes care of stubborn baked-on foods, so you have nothing to worry about with your mother-in-law inspecting each plate and fork. What’s more? Our phosphate-free formula provides an eco-friendly cleaning experience

Nellie’s Fruit & Veggie Wash

Before roasting those Brussel sprouts to perfection, make sure they’re clean! Did you know that most fruits and vegetables are covered in pesticides and contaminants from traveling from the farm? Yes – even the organic ones! That’s why we launched Nellie’s Fruit & Veggie Wash, which helps make sure that the healthy food you and your guests are eating is clean (just like your home). The Fruit & Veggie Wash helps remove surface pesticides, preservatives, and other contaminants from your produce. More importantly, it’s odourless and tasteless, gluten-free, vegan, biodegradable, and made with no animal bi-products. Yum!

One Soap

There’s no way around it – there’s a lot of washing up to do around the holidays! Plus, when you’re getting the whole home ready and sparkling, you need one soap to tackle several jobs. Why use three soaps when you can just use one? Our One Soap is safe for hands, dishes, dogs – anything you would use a sudsy soap for! The colour-free, SLS, SLES, and toxin-free formula effortlessly strips away food and grime, creating hypoallergenic results for every surface.

WOW Stick

When you’re hosting and everyone is indulging, spills and stains are bound to happen! With the WOW Stick, you don’t have to worry about them anymore. Red wine on a white tablecloth? No problem! Made with natural ingredients and free from dyes and synthetic fragrances, the WOW Stick contains lemongrass and sweet orange essential oils, which work in combination with the cleansing ingredients to combat odors caused by the offending stain. A delicious smelling bonus!
Order your limited edition Nellie’s Host Bundle today!