mean green

Gettin’ All Up in My Grill

Everyday Adventures

This post is sponsored by Mean Green Degreaser.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer–I can only hope the thermometer gets the memo. And even though we here in the Deep South have the luxury of using our grills pretty much year-round, it feels a little more natural to use it more in the summer. And a well-used grill tends to show it.

When Todd and I moved in together back in 2009, my family gifted us with a lovely gas grill for our housewarming party (that we immediately put to use). That grill is still hanging with us, though we had to get new grill grates a couple years back because the set that came with it had been cooked and scraped through in places. Now, I’d like to see the replacement plates last at least as long as the originals, so a little maintenance is in order.

We try to remember to give them a once-over with the wire brush before each use, but it’s more like every 2-3 uses if we’re being real. Now that prime grilling season is over, though, it’s a good time for a deep clean.

The Before: Not Too Pretty

The Before: Not Too Pretty

Oh, wait, let’s get a little closer so you can see the true extent of what we’re working with.

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Yeah… kind of a mess, right?

First I hit it with the wire brush to knock any larger particles loose and then shook the plates out before hitting them with the hose.Then a liberal application of Mean Green Super Strength Cleaner & Degreaser, let it soak in for a minute before giving it a scrub. Rinse and repeat because, well, it’d been a while.

jvanderbeek_meangreen_grillcleaning_superstrength-3

Once they had a chance to air dry, back into place they went–not quite good as new but definitely a vast improvement. Even Todd was impressed!

The After: you could totally eat of this grill (which is sort of the point, right?)

The After: you could totally eat of this grill (which is sort of the point, right?)

This clean-up was simple and painless and didn’t ruin my nails, not something I usually associate with grubby tasks like cleaning the grill or anything else. It all comes down to the right tools, you know?

So before you put away your summer gear, make sure it’s ready and waiting for the next season by cleaning it up before you store it.

And with that, let the autumn fun begin!

 

Make Your Own Anti-Bacterial Kitchen Wipes

Everyday Adventures

Last month, when I first shared with you about how much I was enjoying my new post as a Brand Ambassador for Mean Green, I mentioned how much better the Mean Green Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner was. Namely, that it didn’t leave a sticky residue on my kitchen counters the way a certain brand of kitchen wipes did.

But I really missed the convenience of those pop–up wipes and not having to locate both the cleaner and a roll of paper towels when a mess needs managing. (I don’t know about your house, but our paper towels like to go on walkabout on a fairly regular basis.) So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Kitchen Wipes

Making your own pop-up wipes isn’t new or even novel, but it usually involves making your own cleaning solution on top of finding the right container. With the Mean Green Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner on hand I didn’t have to worry about it. And since I had a half-used roll of paper towels and an empty, tall, gallon-sized container on hand I had absolutely everything needed to make these kitchen wipes!

Super Simple, just 4 "ingredients"

Super Simple, just 4 “ingredients”

Gather together:

1 Canister or Plastic Container
1 Roll of Paper Towels short enough or narrow enough to fit inside the chosen container
2 Cups Mean Green Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner
1 Cup Water

Step 1

Step 1

Wedge the paper towels into the chosen container. If it’s a snug fit, I found that twisting the roll, as if threading a screw, helped get everything in place.

Step 2

Step 2

Combine 2 cups of Mean Green Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner with 1 cup of water. It’s not essential to dilute the cleaner since it can be used full-strength with no problems, but I wanted to stretch it a little without decreasing the cleaning power. A 2:1 ratio seemed like a good idea.

Step 3

Step 3

Slowly pour the water and cleaner mixture over the roll of paper towels, saturating the entire roll.

Step 4

Step 4

Put the lid on and let sit for 4-6 hours so the cleaning mixture has time to sink through the roll of paper towels.

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And if I was worried about using too much cleaning solution, the fact that there was only 1/4″ or so of liquid at the bottom of the container after sitting for several hours eased my concerns!

Step 5

Step 5

Remove the cardboard tube form the center of the paper towel roll. By this time it’ll be super-soaked and incredibly pliable.

Step 6

Step 6

Find the first (or closest to it) towel on the roll and pull up. I prefer the rolls with the half-sheets in general, and they come in extra handy for this sort of DIY as well.

Now, the one thing I opted not to do was to drill, cut, or otherwise make a hole in the center of the lid. That’s just asking for the wipes to dry out and I have no intention of making more work for myself. It’s really not that tough to take the lid off and put it back on, especially if it means my wipes stay ready-to-use!

These wipes came in handy almost immediately, thanks to Duncan’s antics, and I even got to use some in the kitchen, as well!

This post has been sponsored by Mean Green Degreaser. As a Brand Ambassador I receive product and other compensation for my participation and posts, but all opinions and experiences are my own.

 

Jump Into Clean with a Spritz of Mean Green

Everyday Adventures

Neither Todd nor I are what you’d call overly concerned with cleaning the house.

Don’t get me wrong, we both like and appreciate a clean home, but we will happily put off one chore or another in favor of far more fun things and not stress out over it one bit. I often tell people, as they enter our home, that Todd didn’t marry me for my housekeeping skills (which is true), but at that point I’ve usually done a good top-level clean if the company was expected.

One of the many reasons I like hosting parties is that it gives me the motivation I need to clean the house.

My Power Trio!

My Power Trio!

All of that being said, why then, you might be wondering, did I sign on as a Brand Ambassador for Mean Green Degreaser? Simple: when it’s a least-favorite thing, it’s even more important to have some reliable go-to products to make it easier. And I have been very happy with my decision!

When my shipment of Mean Green Degreaser arrived, the first thing I did was do a much-needed deep clean of the fridge.

We tend to keep our fridge rather full and, while it’s a good thing in general, that means it’s easy for a spill to go unnoticed or something to mutate in the crisper drawer undetected. And sometimes the fridge just develops a smell. It happens. So that Sunday, while Todd was out shopping, I grabbed the Orange Champ, emptied the fridge completely, and gave everything a good wipe-down.

Let me tell you a few things about me:

  • The barest hint of bleach fumes gives me major headaches
  • I worry about mixing chemicals and unintentionally gassing myself into oblivion (how many showers between is safe to try a different product on a tub, for instance? I don’t know!!!)
  • I’m pretty sensitive to scents in general, good and bad

So when I researched Mean Green and saw that they were bleach* and ammonia-free, that was a definite point in the pro column. And when I used the Orange Champ I was happy that there was only the lightest of scents and it was very pleasant–not overly chemical or floral like some cleaners. I was also surprised at how much help the slightly orange tint was–I could easily see if I’d sprayed an area but had failed to wipe it down. And that’s on top of how easy it was to clean out the crisper drawers and the glass shelf with the Orange Champ.

*The Mildew Destroyer that I also received is one of the few products that includes bleach, and it makes sense for that. Thankfully it’s not an issue we have right now, so I haven’t had cause to use it, but Todd knows that he’s welcome to if he wants to give it a go. 

For a first run it was quite a success!

This past weekend I decided it was time to give the kitchen a good cleaning (even though no company is expected any time soon) and used the Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner instead of the big-name-brand kitchen wipes I had been using on the counters, etc. Not only was I happier with the light scent and cleaning power of the Anti-Bacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner, but I was thrilled that there was no sticky residue left on our laminate counter tops (an issue I had with the aforementioned wipes). I don’t know if it’s the degreaser component that eliminates this “sticking point” or what, but I’m sold!

(If only they made refills for my Swiffer WetJet–maybe I can finagle my own refills?)

Finally, with the new pup underfoot we’ve had a considerable uptick of messes to manage and the Maximum Strength cleaner has come in quite handy. I won’t go into details about what I was cleaning up (I’m sure you can guess quite easily… *sigh* housebreaking), but the concentrated cleaner made short work of it–thank goodness!

While I have no lofty ideas about becoming the next queen of clean, I can safely say that my new Mean Green products are making cleaning up easier and even a little more enjoyable. This weekend I’ll be giving the bathrooms a once-over and I expect to have the same positive results that I’ve had in the kitchen (and dining room, and hallway, and living room… thank you, Duncan, for the thorough proving grounds?). Want your own (Mean Green, that is, not Duncan), check out your local Lowes or use the store locator on meangreendegreaser.com!

In case it wasn’t obvious, this post was sponsored by Mean Green Desgreaser. I receive product and compensation for being a Brand Ambassador but I assure you, all opinions and experiences are my own.