Inspiration in the strangest places

I have such a love/hate relationship with cleaning.  I love cleanliness and I can honestly say that I feel better when my surroundings are clean and organized.  I don't hate cleaning, but I do hate clutter so cleaning is a necessary means to an end.  Clutter short circuits my brain, especially in the house I am living in right now because there is a beautiful open concept kitchen/living room - there's no way to get away from the mess!  And with three children - well, you can imagine that the mess leaves me in a constant state of torture. 

My kitchen has been in need of deep cleaning since canning season, and today I finally couldn't take it anymore.  There are a lot of great cleaning products and tools out there, but I think my absolute favorite is my steam cleaner.

I know, I'm always a little suspicious of something that got it's big start in the form of an infomercial, but these really work!  I got one for Christmas a few years ago - it's even my favorite color!  There are things that you can do with a steam cleaner that you just can't accomplish any other way.  And it's all done with water!  If you're concerned about chemical residues there is no better solution.  Today I started thinking I would just clean my sink, but then went on to the stove top, the microwave, countertops.  The most remarkable difference I noticed was when I took it to my old toaster.  It was really dirty and greasy looking, but the steam takes it right off.  You can even get floor attachments with many models.

Cleaning is a dirty (ha ha) job, so thank goodness for tools that can make it easier.