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!
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Introducing the Limited Edition Host Bundle!
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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!
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
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!
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.
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!
Read more →
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!
Nellie's Green Clean Essentials
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In every well-stocked cleaning arsenal, there are a few workhorses that can tackle a variety of cleaning jobs. Thankfully, you don’t have to resort to using cleaners with harsh, toxic ingredients! Nellie’s has a variety of multi-functional cleaners that will help you clean up just about any mess, without the toxicity! Keep reading to learn more about our must-haves.
Cleaning floors has never been so fun or easy with the WOW Mop! The cordless and lightweight mop features oscillating pads, a high-frequency motor, LED lights to illuminate under large furniture, and a long grip handle so you can tackle dirt and stains effortlessly. The WOW Mop comes with the WOW Mop Wet Floor cleaning pads, specifically designed for the WOW Mop. They clean up spills, stains, and dirt with ease, leaving your floors spotless. Plus, the cleaning pads are eco-friendly and machine washable, and can be used up to 100 times. Use the cleaning pads with our plant-based Floor Care. The tough-on-stains formula tackles any household dirt and odors. It’s perfect for hardwood, laminate, tile, and more - you can even use it on carpet! Keep reading to find out how you can make stains disappear on carpet with the WOW Mop!
Not just for whitening your whites and brightening your colours, the Oxygen Brightener can tackle stains on carpets! Whether you’re dealing with coffee, wine, or worse, have no fear! Create a solution of 1 tablespoon of Nellie’s Oxygen Brightener per 500ml (16oz) of water. Soak up any excess liquid from the stain before applying the solution. Wait 1 to 5 minutes, and then soak up with a white towel. Repeat if necessary, and then rinse thoroughly with water and blog dry. If it’s still not lifting, bring in the WOW Mop! The oscillating pads are perfect for lifting tough stains effortlessly. Simply apply some of the solution, place the pads over the stain, and go!
We think there’s a lot to be said for simplicity – why use three different soaps when you could just use one? Our One Soap is safe for hands, dishes, dogs, cars – anything you would use a sudsy soap for! The colour-free, SLS, SLES, and toxin-free formula effortlessly strips away food and grime, leaving you with a hypoallergenic result on every surface. Plus, it comes in for options – Peppermint, Melon, Water Lily, and Fragrance Free. Get to sudsing and scrubbing!
The latest addition to the Nellie’s lineup, the Fruit & Veggie Wash helps make sure that the food you’re eating is clean (just like your home). Most fruits and vegetables are covered in pesticides and contaminants from being transported – yes, even the organic ones! The Fruit & Veggie Wash helps remove surface pesticides, preservatives, and other contaminants from your produce. Most importantly, it’s odourless, tasteless, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable, and made with no animal by-products. Yum! Simply spray directly onto your fruits and vegetables, or dilute a tablespoon with water in a bowl. Rub gently for thirty seconds, and then rinse thoroughly with clean water. Nellie recommends washing your fruits and veggies right away so they’re ready to eat when you are. Enjoy!
Read more →
WOW Mop & Floor Care
Cleaning floors has never been so fun or easy with the WOW Mop! The cordless and lightweight mop features oscillating pads, a high-frequency motor, LED lights to illuminate under large furniture, and a long grip handle so you can tackle dirt and stains effortlessly. The WOW Mop comes with the WOW Mop Wet Floor cleaning pads, specifically designed for the WOW Mop. They clean up spills, stains, and dirt with ease, leaving your floors spotless. Plus, the cleaning pads are eco-friendly and machine washable, and can be used up to 100 times. Use the cleaning pads with our plant-based Floor Care. The tough-on-stains formula tackles any household dirt and odors. It’s perfect for hardwood, laminate, tile, and more - you can even use it on carpet! Keep reading to find out how you can make stains disappear on carpet with the WOW Mop!
Oxygen Brightener
Not just for whitening your whites and brightening your colours, the Oxygen Brightener can tackle stains on carpets! Whether you’re dealing with coffee, wine, or worse, have no fear! Create a solution of 1 tablespoon of Nellie’s Oxygen Brightener per 500ml (16oz) of water. Soak up any excess liquid from the stain before applying the solution. Wait 1 to 5 minutes, and then soak up with a white towel. Repeat if necessary, and then rinse thoroughly with water and blog dry. If it’s still not lifting, bring in the WOW Mop! The oscillating pads are perfect for lifting tough stains effortlessly. Simply apply some of the solution, place the pads over the stain, and go!
One Soap
We think there’s a lot to be said for simplicity – why use three different soaps when you could just use one? Our One Soap is safe for hands, dishes, dogs, cars – anything you would use a sudsy soap for! The colour-free, SLS, SLES, and toxin-free formula effortlessly strips away food and grime, leaving you with a hypoallergenic result on every surface. Plus, it comes in for options – Peppermint, Melon, Water Lily, and Fragrance Free. Get to sudsing and scrubbing!
Fruit & Veggie Wash
The latest addition to the Nellie’s lineup, the Fruit & Veggie Wash helps make sure that the food you’re eating is clean (just like your home). Most fruits and vegetables are covered in pesticides and contaminants from being transported – yes, even the organic ones! The Fruit & Veggie Wash helps remove surface pesticides, preservatives, and other contaminants from your produce. Most importantly, it’s odourless, tasteless, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable, and made with no animal by-products. Yum! Simply spray directly onto your fruits and vegetables, or dilute a tablespoon with water in a bowl. Rub gently for thirty seconds, and then rinse thoroughly with clean water. Nellie recommends washing your fruits and veggies right away so they’re ready to eat when you are. Enjoy!
Four Mistakes that are Keeping Your Home Messy
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When you devote time every day to keeping your home clean, it can be surprising learning that little habits in your everyday routine could actually be making it messier! The good news is we’re here to help! These little changes don’t require extra work, it’s just a matter of switching up your habits.
If your habit is to shut the washing machine door the second you finish a load of laundry, you may want to reconsider. While the closed door might make the laundry room look neater, it traps moisture inside the machine which could cause mildew. Even if your freshly-laundered towels have that funky towel smell, this habit could be to blame. The fix is easy! Just remember to leave the door slightly ajar. Of course, if you have small children or curious pets, you might want to continue closing the door for safety reasons.
If your first instinct is to reach for a roll of paper towels when you clean the bathroom mirror or the kitchen windows, you may want to swap them out for a microfiber cloth. Paper towels not only can cause streaks, but they can leave tell-tale trails of lint on mirror or glass surfaces. Plus, using a reusable cloth is friendlier for the environment! A microfiber cloth and the All Purpose Cleaner are a match made in eco-friendly heaven.
In recent years, studies have shown that microwaving kitchen sponges to disinfect them isn’t as effective as people thought! If you’re microwaving your sponges and then using them to wipe down your kitchen counters, you could unknowingly be smearing bacteria around. Instead, commit to replacing your kitchen sponge regularly (ideally once a week) to ensure that this cleaning tool is actually clean. Or, switch to a cloth that you can easily toss in with your laundry and clean with the Laundry Soda! Less waste, but still a sparklingly clean kitchen.
If you’re spending all your time disinfecting your counters and cutting boards, but then setting your germy cell phone down on every surface in your kitchen, you could be undoing your best efforts! Studies have shown that a cell phone could be carrying more germs than a toilet seat. Yuck! To make sure you’re not spreading these germs around the house, disinfect your phone regularly. We like using a gentle cloth and the All Purpose Cleaner!
Read more →
Not Leaving the Washing Machine Door Open
If your habit is to shut the washing machine door the second you finish a load of laundry, you may want to reconsider. While the closed door might make the laundry room look neater, it traps moisture inside the machine which could cause mildew. Even if your freshly-laundered towels have that funky towel smell, this habit could be to blame. The fix is easy! Just remember to leave the door slightly ajar. Of course, if you have small children or curious pets, you might want to continue closing the door for safety reasons.
Using Paper Towels Instead of a Microfiber Cloth
If your first instinct is to reach for a roll of paper towels when you clean the bathroom mirror or the kitchen windows, you may want to swap them out for a microfiber cloth. Paper towels not only can cause streaks, but they can leave tell-tale trails of lint on mirror or glass surfaces. Plus, using a reusable cloth is friendlier for the environment! A microfiber cloth and the All Purpose Cleaner are a match made in eco-friendly heaven.
Assuming Your Kitchen Sponges are Clean
In recent years, studies have shown that microwaving kitchen sponges to disinfect them isn’t as effective as people thought! If you’re microwaving your sponges and then using them to wipe down your kitchen counters, you could unknowingly be smearing bacteria around. Instead, commit to replacing your kitchen sponge regularly (ideally once a week) to ensure that this cleaning tool is actually clean. Or, switch to a cloth that you can easily toss in with your laundry and clean with the Laundry Soda! Less waste, but still a sparklingly clean kitchen.
Forgetting to De-Germ Your Cell Phone
If you’re spending all your time disinfecting your counters and cutting boards, but then setting your germy cell phone down on every surface in your kitchen, you could be undoing your best efforts! Studies have shown that a cell phone could be carrying more germs than a toilet seat. Yuck! To make sure you’re not spreading these germs around the house, disinfect your phone regularly. We like using a gentle cloth and the All Purpose Cleaner!
Your Dishwasher's Best Friend
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Introducing your dishwasher’s best friend and the newest addition to the Nellie’s family, the dish refill pouch! It’s the same beloved formula we use in our Dishwasher Powder tins – easily penetrating grease, food particles, and more, leaving every plate spotless! It even takes care of stubborn baked-on foods, so you have nothing to worry about when your mother-in-law unexpectedly knocks on the door. In fact, she may even be so impressed with your sparkling dishes she stays for dessert! (Sorry about that)
Plus, our phosphate-free formula provides an eco-friendly cleaning experience, so the environment is left as clean as your plates and glasses. Shop the new Nellie’s Dishwasher Powder pouch here.
Why does Nellie’s use powder? Liquid detergents are made of largely of water. We don’t think selling and moving water around the planet is a very good idea. The fact is, more cleaning power can be packed into a smaller space using powder! You can learn more here.
Read more →
Plus, our phosphate-free formula provides an eco-friendly cleaning experience, so the environment is left as clean as your plates and glasses. Shop the new Nellie’s Dishwasher Powder pouch here.
Why does Nellie’s use powder? Liquid detergents are made of largely of water. We don’t think selling and moving water around the planet is a very good idea. The fact is, more cleaning power can be packed into a smaller space using powder! You can learn more here.