Ask Anna

5 All Natural Spring Cleaning Tips

Since the weather has been nicer and the sun has been pouring in our windows, I’ve been motivated to do a little spring cleaning. Over the last year I have been working on eliminating toxic-smelling cleaners that I’ve used in the past, and replacing them with all-natural, healthier versions. In the past, spring cleaning has meant coming home to the lingering smell of cleaners, but not this year! Today I’m going to share 5 all natural spring cleaning tips, that will eliminate unwanted odors in your home. #1 Dusting To wipe up dust and show the natural shine of wood furniture,… Read More

How to Organize Bathroom Drawers

Today I’m going to show you another sneak peek of our guest bathroom makeover, but this time I’m exposing my drawers. Since this is my daughter’s bathroom I don’t spend a lot of time getting in and out of the drawers in here but when I was taking things out to stain the cabinets, and put on the new hardware, I realized how unbelievably unorganized the drawers were! I guess it makes sense since she’s only 5, I haven’t taken the time to organize them since we moved in, and they obviously couldn’t organize themselves… so… they remained unorganized. But… Read More

5 tips to Organize While You Spring Clean

It’s always important to organize when you clean, but organizing while you Spring Clean is even more important because it’s a more detailed cleaning of your entire house! Today I’m going to share 5 tips for how to organize while you Spring Clean, which will help you maintain a cleaner, more organized home all year long. #1 Start from Scratch When you’re cleaning an area in your home it’s always best if you remove everything from the area first, instead of trying to clean around it. For example when I spring cleaned in our master bedroom closet, I took everything… Read More

DIY Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Today I’m going to share with you my super complicated, super secret hardwood floor cleaner. Actually it’s not complicated or secret, it’s really cheap and easy! All you need, to make this all-natural DIY hardwood floor cleaner, are these 4 items. Here’s what you need: Empty spray bottle Water White cleaning vinegar Lemon essential oil Start by filling the spray bottle 1/4 full with white vinegar, then add 3-6 drops of lemon essential oil (or more if you want it to smell more lemony). Fill the rest of the spray bottle up with water then lightly shake it to mix the… Read More

Master Bedroom Closet Organization

Ever since we moved into our house our master closet has been an organized mess. I say “organized mess” because when we moved in I put everything from our old closet into our new one, but never took the time to think about, and organize the new closet to function at it’s best. You can see in the before pictures that the baskets didn’t fit the shelves well and there was lots of wasted space. I also had my shoes placed in the cubbies that were too small for them so I ended up using more shelf space than I… Read More

How to Remove Grease from a Stove Top

Hi Ask Anna Readers! It’s Kim from A Real-Life Housewife. I have joined the team here as a contributor and will be answering one of your questions each month! Let’s start things off with this question about how to remove grease from a stove top: “How can I get built-up grease off the top of my stove where the control knobs are? It is black in color and grease shows on it sooo much. I’ve tried sooo many cleaners to no avail. Thanks.” If you’ve ever owned a black appliance, you can surely sympathize with this stumped reader. I know… Read More

How to Remove Wax from a Mirror

Did you entertain at your house this fall and winter? Did you light candles? If you did, you likely ran into the same problem I did: candle wax on a mirror (or glass). We have this beautiful framed mirror that leans on our mantel and I love the look of candles burning in front of it. But sometimes I am less than careful when extinguishing my candles and I get a little candle wax on my mirror. And then, like a good homemaker, I leave it there until…spring! I know, I am bad. I put off tackling this chore… Read More

Gluten Free Glazed Lemon Muffins

Yummy, yummy, yummy! A bright and cheerful morning treat. Perfect for the spring weather we’ve been having, here in California. These gluten free vegan glazed lemon muffins could almost pass as a cupcake. Almost. Let’s just call it a muffin so that we don’t feel too guilty for eating one for breakfast. As a mom, I always get bonus points when I bake something fun and tasty for my kids. Muffins are always a favorite, even though they tend to get tiny crumbs everywhere (always sweeping that kitchen floor). The lemon glaze makes them even more special and irresistible. These… Read More