The Clean Truth

Tips and Tricks for Maintaining Your Home or Vacation Rental

june 10, 2024 - a simple, portable cleaning kit

I’m frequently asked about my favorite products and tools for cleaning. When I first started Mariposa I spent (um, wasted) a lot of money on ‘miracle’ products and gadgets which were inevitably abandoned in favor of classic simplicity. For basic cleaning I recommend a portable kit of the following products:

  • All-purpose and counter cleaner made by diluting 1 teaspoon of Dawn® Dishsoap in 12 ounces water

  • Glass cleaner

  • Wood and wood cabinet cleaner made by diluting 2 teaspoons of Murphy’s Wood Oil Soap® in 12 ounces of water

  • Comet® powder or Softscrub® with bleach - great on sinks, bathtubs, and toilets

  • Stainless steel cleaner, but glass cleaner will do!

  • Dish gloves

  • A sponge with a ‘scrubby’ surface

  • At least 4 microfiber cloths of different colors so you don’t mix up which cloth you use with which product

  • Whenever the paper towels are down to about a 1/4 roll I put that in the kit for anything that needs a dry finish

April 24, 2024 - The Many Amazing Uses of Dawn® Dish Soap

I would like to take more credit for this, but as a former (and in my heart, forever) librarian, I always have to cite my sources: five years ago when I established Mariposa Cleaning Services, I watched most of Angela Brown’s YouTube videos and noticed how often she recommends Dawn® Dish Soap for all kinds of cleaning. If it’s gentle enough for oily baby ducks, you can bet it’s safe and effective for most fabrics and surfaces in your home. Here are some of my favorite ways to use Dawn®

  • Dilute about a teaspoon with 12 ounces water to make all-purpose or counter cleaner.

  • Wet mopping floors - my staff have Dawn® in their kits to make mop water solution. because it’s so gentle but also effective at cutting grime, and doesn’t have the overpowering scent of more common products like Fabuloso® or Pine-Sol®

  • Dilute a teaspoon with 6 ounces water and 6 ounces white vinegar for window cleaner. This mixture also works great on tubs, tile and glass shower doors if cleaned regularly and there’s minimal soap scum or hard water buildup.

  • Undiluted Dawn® works great to pre-treat laundry stains or remove stains from upholstered surfaces. Just rub in, let it sit for a bit, then wash or rinse.

  • Finally, not a household surface, but a big part of most households - it’s a great substitute for pet shampoo! 

April 20, 2024 - Exploring the pros and cons of all-natural cleaning products

  1. Mariposa Cleaning Services offers the option of cleaning your home with all-natural products, and we proudly promote several products that we make ourselves. However, it’s important to recognize that some cleaning tasks require a stronger product, particularly the hard water deposits and resulting effect on surfaces that are simply the cost of living in the beautiful Texas Hill Country! When cleaning my home I prefer traditional products, but also do not have the same considerations for health, young children and pets as many of our clients. Following are a few more of the pros and cons for choosing these products.

PROS

  • Better for Septic Systems:  All-natural cleaning products typically utilize biodegradable ingredients, meaning they break down more easily in septic systems, and minimize the risk of harsh chemicals leaking into groundwater.

  • Reduced Indoor Air Pollution: Traditional cleaning products often contain harsh chemicals like ammonia and bleach, and the most effective hard water removers have very high acidity. Without a careful process in place, mixing these chemicals can create harmful gasses.

  • No Animal Products: Our in-house products that use soap or scents utilize vegetable-based soap and essential oils.

  • No Perfumes or Chemical Scents - we use either unscented products, or essential oils such as citrus oils because they also have cleaning properties.

CONS

  • While all-natural cleaners are generally effective for daily cleaning tasks, they may struggle with heavy-duty grime, baked-on grease or food in stoves and ovens, and of course limescale. This can require more elbow grease or the use of additional products.

  • The best product to remove mold and mildew is bleach, and the best product to remove limescale is a high-acidity counteragent. And depending on the situation, the temporary exposure to bleach can outweigh the danger prolonged exposure to mold and mildew buildup. 

  • Shorter Shelf Life: Natural cleaning products typically have a shorter shelf life than their chemical counterparts due to the absence of preservatives

  • Higher cost