Blog - Graceful Order

How to Clean a Microwave

July 22, 2014 · by Maria · 5 Comments

Last month, we cleaned our wooden cutting boards, and we are here to tackle another forgotten kitchen workhorse. The kitchen is clean and picked up, but there is a little forgotten area in the kitchen that waits patiently amongst splatters of tomato sauce…the microwave. And it’s actually really easy to clean, without using any harmful chemicals. Here is my step-by-step suggestion on how to clean a microwave.

This is my microwave BEFORE cleaning. It really wasn’t that bad this time, but it could use a little cleaning and deodorizing.

There were splatters along the walls and under the turntable.

There are a couple of different ways to clean or deodorize the microwave. Sometimes the microwave doesn’t need a big cleaning, but it’s smelling a little “funky”. I hate heating up coffee in a microwave that smells like “food”. You know what I mean? Like I feel the flavors will jump into my cup-o-joe. Eww.

My favorite way to deodorize the microwave, is to place half a lemon on a plate with a tablespoon of water. Then microwave for 60 seconds. (In this case, I placed the lemon right on the turntable because I was going to wash it afterwards.)

Then the lemon will be super soft and the microwave will be steamy enough to wipe down and it will smell pretty darn good.

Don’t waste that squishy lemon! I cut it in half and throw in the garbage disposal to deodorize that as well.

If your microwave needs more than just deodorizing, a steam bath is in order. Place a couple of tablespoons of vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl and fill the bowl halfway with water.

Microwave this for 5 minutes and let stand for a couple of minutes. Don’t stand in front of the microwave while it’s heating up the water, just in case your microwave is super strong and 5 minutes is too much.

Then carefully remove the bowl and wipe down the walls of the microwave ~~with a super cute argyle-patterned sponge in a oblong shape~~.

Then remove the glass turntable and give it a good wash or place in the dishwasher.

Check out the AFTER! So clean and no nasty chemicals.

Other Options: If you don’t have vinegar, you can also put a halved lemon in the bowl of water before microwaving it, and if you have neither – a bowl of water alone will suffice. It’s basically the steam that will help to clean the microwave, the other additives are a plus. Also, don’t stay away from vinegar because of the smell, it will quickly dissipate once it dries.

Of course, the best way to keep up a clean microwave, is too quickly wipe up spills before they stick AND convince your family members to use a lid over the food.

Now that you have steam cleaned your microwave, don’t forget to wipe down the outside. There are so many ways to keep cleaning easy and natural and this is just one of them.

Do you already clean your microwave using one of these methods? Do you have another method that I didn’t mention? Share it with me…

Happy Cleaning!

Maria

Keep in mind that super-heated liquid can cause an explosion and all microwaves heat up at different rates and intensities. You can almost always prevent this from happening, by simply leaving a wooden spoon in the cup or bowl when you boil liquid in your microwave. I have never had an explosion, but this suggestion won’t hurt.

Adding Storage to Bathrooms

July 17, 2014 · by Maria · 1 Comment

My last post on my master bathroom’s before and after was kinda lengthy, so I left out the details of this new cabinet. I already have a small closet that holds a ton of stuff in my bathroom, but I really needed a bit more storage for my little towels and miscellaneous items that get “lost” in that other closet. Purchasing an over-the-toilet etagere (fancy schmancy word and yes, I would like a croque madame with my etagere) is the perfect way of adding storage to bathrooms.

I started building this puppy at night, because I am patient like that. Hence the bad lighting.

It was pretty easy to put together and I didn’t need an assistant. Although my toddler kept saying “mommy, I’m a great helper” the whole time. He even brought over his toy drill. 🙂

The last step was anchoring it to the wall.

I really love the fact that it has doors, because let’s face it, it won’t always look this perfect! I will eventually add more stuff. I haven’t decided what I will store here and what will stay in the closet.

I found these little baskets at Target, on clearance. I am putting new travel-sized items in this one. Not toothbrushes and stuff, because this is on top of a toilet, and because that is gross, and because…well. Ya know.

The one on top has empty cosmetic bags, brushes…not quite everyday stuff but it can still be handy on top of the etagere ( I will now have a mimosa with my croque madame with my etagere).

Here is the side view.

This is a little idea that made a big difference in our bathroom.

Au revoir, et a la prochaine! (It means, goodbye, until next time, in french. I know this to be true because I just looked it up. Merci Wikipedia!)

Maria

Updating Master Bathrooms

July 14, 2014 · by Maria · 7 Comments

We have big ideas for the master bath, the kitchen…and the list goes on. Our big ideas usually require some sort of demolition and re-building, so they also have a big price tag attached. I noticed that I wasn’t updating anything in the house because we weren’t quite ready for “the big idea”. After 10 years, I had grown tired of my yellow bathroom. There wasn’t anything wrong with the paint, except I wanted a change. A change that would not cost too much. Updating master bathrooms could be as simple as buying some paint. And that is what I did.

Here is the before picture. Here it was a little messy because I had already started to patch things up and move things around. I always forget to take a decent before picture, but this gives you an idea on the “before” color and look.

After looking at quite a few paint colors, I decided on one called Comfort Gray from Sherwin Williams. It was a “comforting” gray-blue. I also purchased a paint kit from there. I have textured walls and sometimes I prefer painting with a brush and small roller to get into all the crevices. I did use a large roller (not pictured) for the first coat.

Here is the “after” picture. I kept most of the accessories that matched. I changed the curtain rod, that was previously black, to this one from Target. It was under 5.oo at the time! I kept the little curtain.

The paint looks a little more green in this picture, but it was just the lighting. These vintage-looking enamel pitchers are from IKEA and the little bird canisters are from World Market.

I had these towels already, but they looked so much nicer now. These monogrammed towels are from Frontgate.

In the sink area, I added these green coral prints that I purchased on Etsy.

I added a shelf unit to go over the toilet which added a lot of storage. I found this print at Homegoods and I instantly loved it. It had a warm khaki background which could help to tie-in the remaining ivory items and tile, but was still airy enough to match the current look.

At the very top, I added a manzanita branch that used to reside in the family room. I am not certain that I will leave it here (hence the pushpins…look closely). It is right above the cabinet and print. I don’t know if I love it or hate it. What do you think?

Here is a picture from the opposite direction, where the shower and my husbands sink is. I promise that I cleaned the shower door (cuz I knew you were comin’) but I think the glare made it look streaky. On the very edge of the picture, you will see a dark piece which is my ironing board. I keep it in the bathroom.

This is what you see when you step into the bathroom from our bedroom. I also had to paint those columns because they were ivory and majorly clashing with everything. They got a coat of white as well. When I have a brush in my hand, no one and nothing is safe. mwahahaha!!!

Did I scare ya?

My maniacal laugh never works.

I gotta tell you, I did all this while my husband was out-of-town and he was impressed when he finally saw it. I didn’t even tell him that I was doing it and then when I went to pick him up at the airport, I told him. I couldn’t wait any longer. He laughed in disbelief. He knows that I will take on a paint project, but a whole bathroom? And paint cabinets? I stared at him with my best serious face and then he said, “Oh wow, that’s great. Can’t wait to see it.” I have had a good batting ratio as of late but my DIY record has some tarnishes. Then I went on to tell him that I used the same paint to paint over the ivory tile. This time he wasn’t sure if I was serious, so he said “You wouldn’t have done that because you know that you can’t just paint over tile”. Still, it was more of a question than a statement. Then I laughed because the man had been working non-stop for days and doesn’t deserve to think that I painted our bathroom tile with water-based paint. It wasn’t right.

So that’s all! Tell me, do you have big dreams for your master bathroom, but your budget doesn’t allow to start breaking walls? How about just a coat of paint, maybe some new towels and an accessory or two. It made a huge difference in my bathroom and now I am not in a hurry to make further changes.

Hope you enjoyed this before-and-after!

Maria

Painting Laminate Cabinets

July 10, 2014 · by Maria · 2 Comments

I have been updating my bathroom and I have already shared how I organize my sink area, how I organize under the sink, and lastly, the shower area. Well, the first thing I did was paint the walls, which I will go into detail later this week. Once I painted the walls, I realized that I loved the color but it clashed with my maple colored cabinets. I had never considered painting laminate cabinets because I assumed that the paint would peel right off. So I did a little research and I found out that you can in fact paint laminate cabinets.

I thought that I would try it out in my bathroom since it was just a few cabinets and if the project flopped, I would remove the doors and tell my husband that open shelving was the hottest thing in bathroom trends. But he is smart, and that would not have worked, so it was a good thing that my little project did work!

Some people suggested sanding the cabinets before painting. I didn’t do that but I did give them a good cleaning the day before to make sure that the paint would adhere. Then I purchased a small quart of Zinsser water-based primer and a small little tin of white paint. I found them both at Target. I also purchased a small paint kit at Sherwin Williams.

After a coat of primer, this is what it looked like.

After two coats of paint, this is what it looked like. I was starting to get scared because it was still streaky and not covering the color completely. Thankfully, the third coat did the trick!

This was the after. Also, behind is a sneak peek of the paint change. The top portion of the wall was still unpainted. Here you can see the small bathroom/linen closet that is next to my sink, which was already white. I love how fresh everything looks after painting the cabinets.

Then, I painted my husbands cabinet on the other side of the bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn’t be brave enough to do this by myself to a whole kitchen and also I don’t know how durable this will be. I use my kitchen cabinets way more than my bathroom cabinets. I will keep you updated on how well these do. For now, they are doing great and no sign of peeling.

I will share the full bathroom before and after in a few days.

Do you have laminate cabinets that you would like to paint? It is certainly cheaper than replacing them.

Until then,

Maria

Making Simple Wreaths

July 7, 2014 · by Maria · 2 Comments

As you already know, we are in the middle of a bathroom organization series. Last week we organized the shower area, shared ideas on organizing a small sink, organized UNDER the bathroom sink and later this week, I share my bathroom makeover. But first, I noticed something in my home that needed attention. My wreaths! Don’t you love how welcoming wreaths look in the entrance of a home? But aren’t you always surprised at how expensive they are? If you have double doors (like me) its double the cost! I switch them out throughout the year to vary the look and this obviously extends their life, as they are not exposed to the elements year round. However, after a couple of years, the one pictured below, had seen better days. It had lost leaves and color. I am not very crafty, but I knew that I could use the existing frame to make a simple wreath.

The wreath frames were still strong and I wasn’t about to throw them away; I brought them inside the house and took off all the old foliage.

I found a stem on clearance at Target for $4.98 Score!

I took the stem apart separated the blooms in half to make sure my wreaths had an even number of blooms.

I thought I would have to use a hot glue gun but since the stems fit into the crevices so tight, I didn’t need it. Also, since I didn’t have a lot of blooms, I went for the side bangs look. Hehe. Only one side of the wreath got flowers.

As a little finishing touch, I added a burlap bow.

Its a good idea to keep the frames of the wreaths so that you can re-use them. Maybe your leaves are intact but you just want a little change. I was able to do these two wreaths for under $7. Not too bad.

It takes very little to make the entrance of your home say…WELCOME.

(I just noticed that my key mat is backwards. OCD nightmare, right there. 🙂 )

Hope you have a great week!

Maria