GeekSugar

Website of the Day: How to Clean Stuff

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:00:19 PDT

If you use your gadgets half as much as me, you probably know how easy it is to get food in your keyboard, get finger smudges on your iPhone, or splash your laptop screen with tea or coffee. We've posted a few tips here and there for getting the goods off your gadgets, but for all your cleaning needs, you must head on over to How to Clean Stuff. This site not only tells you the tricks of the trade when it comes to getting your gadgets gleaming again, but you can find tips for things like stain removal on clothes or the best way to wash fruit. Helpful and handy indeed!

Do you have a favorite website you want to share with us? Submit your faves to our Website of the Day group! To learn how, just

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and “Regular Post.”
Give your story a “Title.”
Fill in the “Body” with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click “Next."
Choose the audience for your story to “Website of the Day” in the drop-down menu
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to “Technology and Gadgets.”
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click “I’m done” to submit content.

13 Health Gimmicks You Can Stop Wasting Money On

Business Insider — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:15:21 PDT

Consumers have a tendency of falling for the next big health gimmick. Save your money on health duds with these Business Insider tips.

No matter how many times we're told otherwise, Americans' obsession with get-healthy-quick schemes will likely never die. Too bad most of these fads aren't worth their weight in salt - or your hard-earned dollars. We've put together a list of some of the worst budget-sucking health trends that still persist today.

Coconut Water

Coconut water may be nature's version of Gatorade but some brands have already caught fire for over-hyping its nutrient content. Vita Coco agreed to settle a $10 million class action lawsuit over an independent study that showed the drinks didn't pack near as many electrolytes as advertisements implied. Some coconut waters are also loaded with added sugar, which will do nothing to help your waistline.

Alternative: Pick up your own young green coconuts on the cheap from an Asian produce market. Just crack them open with a cleaver and pop in a straw.

"All-Natural" Foods

30 percent of Americans bought more natural foods in 2011, according to a Rodale study. But what are we really paying more for? There's no clear cut regulation on what makes food "natural," which means just about any company can slap that label on its packages, add a fancy green theme and jack up the price.

Says Andrew Schrage of MoneyCrashers: "Before buying any food that is touted as being 'all natural,' take a look at the ingredient list before you check out. Keep in mind that butter and salt are indeed natural ingredients. So stocking up on natural foods may not achieve anything other than increasing your grocery bill."

Read on for more.

Meeting My Sperm Donor

The Good Men Project — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:50 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Ben Sommer, conceived through alternative insemination, is a young man now and tells the story of deciding to meet his donor.

I grew up in a middle-class home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with two loving parents, both of whom are women. My conception was perhaps the most organized and scientific miracle of the modern American family - my architecture, the dream of dozens of individuals conducting their work across thousands of miles.

Objectifying Ryan Gosling

I was conceived through alternative insemination. A donor submitted his sperm to the Sperm Bank of California in Oakland (TSBC). Later, it was sent to the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston. Since opening its doors in 1982, TSBC has helped families without the ability to conceive on their own to birth over 2,000 children. Two thirds of those have ended up, like me, being raised in a lesbian household. TSBC is also the first sperm bank to offer a donor-identity-release program, which allows children of alternative insemination access to their donors' information when they turn 18.

I am not as much an oddity as you might think. As of 2005, some 270,000 children in the United States had same sex-parents. We are a generation that is just now beginning to come of age and able to share our stories. This is mine.

Growing up in a lesbian household was much like growing up in any other family unit, I imagine: vacations to Cape Cod, parents working late and sometimes not, play dates with a diverse group of friends.

I never gave much thought to that mysterious figure across the country. I never questioned the fact that I didn't have a father. As far as I was concerned I didn't need one. Is having two moms really all that different than having a mom and a dad? Parents are parents, right? I didn't see a difference at the time. My parents didn't either - at least at first.

They decided to conceive through a donor, in part, to avoid the complications that a third parent would bring. Asking a close male friend to donate, like some couples have done, can create unforeseen consequences. In the past, there have been custody battles between the donor and the parents raising the child. This was the case with a friend of mine, whose parents arranged donation from a male family friend. With a semi-anonymous donor like the man my parents chose, it would be clear who my parents were. And it was.

That's not to say that it was smooth sailing. "When we first learned you were going to be a boy, we really panicked," my mother told me recently. "Who's going to teach him to throw a ball? We didn't have many male friends. There was even basic stuff, like who's going to teach him to pee standing up. That doesn't come naturally."

Read the rest of the story below.

Cleaning Schedule For Apartment Dwellers

Emily Co — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:00:54 PDT

Cleaning can become a time-consuming task if you leave it until the very last minute, but a little a day goes a long way, and soon you won't find yourself cringing about setting aside a few hours of your time on the weekend to put your apartment in order. I've seen a lot of checklists for people who live in houses, but not a lot for those who reside in apartments, so here's a quick schedule for those who live in small spaces:

Daily Tasks

All Rooms

Pick up after yourself and make sure you're not creating clutter or adding on to existing clutter.

The Kitchen

If you cook, wipe the grease off your stove. Clean any messes you made.
Wash dishes.

The Living Room

After eating, clean off any crumbs you find.

The Bedroom

Fold and hang your clothes or put dirty clothes in a hamper.

The Bathroom

Pick up any hair you see that drops to the floor or in the shower stall.

Tasks For Every Two to Three Days

All Rooms

Take out the trash. Take it out earlier if it's full or if there's something that smells bad.
Clear stuff off surfaces in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. Make sure you're not adding clutter to your entryway

The Bathroom

Wipe your bathroom mirrors.
Wipe bathroom surfaces.

Read on for more.

Healthy Dose Link Time: Pinterest Bans Thinspiration Boards

Michele Foley — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:04:59 PDT

Pinterest bans boards on anorexia, extreme dieting, and other forms of self-harm - Blisstree
Celebs (besides Oprah) practice transcendental meditation - HuffPost Healthy Living
Feeling gloomy? Try one of these 5 mood-boosting workouts - Real Simple
Dancing is rough. Maria Menounos cracks two ribs while rehearsing for DWTS - Shape
Does your personal trainer tell you these lies? - Fitness
How to walk your way to slim and strong - Health
Spring clean your body with these 7 yoga poses - Mind Body Green
Get the bad stuff out: detoxifying dandelion salad - Vegetarian Times

Busy Mom Alert: 5 Tips For Keeping Your Home Clean, When You Have No Time

Circle of Moms — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:07:53 PDT

We're excited to share this post from our friends at Circle of Moms! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and motherhood stories from our partners at Circle of Moms, including this post from Kim Westerman about cleaning tips for busy moms.

No one needs to tell you that being a mom is a full-time job. So, if you also work outside the home, how in the world do you keep your house clean? The easiest answer is to hire someone to do the dirty work. But for most of us, that's not possible, at least not on a regular basis. Here are some tricks of the trade from seasoned Circle of Moms members who like to run a tight ship.

Keep the Kids Occupied: Many kids love to "help" clean, and this can be fun for everyone if you have a lot of time. But if you're on a schedule and your kids are at home when you need to clean, make sure they're fully occupied with something more interesting than sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming. So says Brandi S., who also offers the excellent suggestion of breaking down each task into two or more parts. For example, clean the bathroom sinks, toilet, and tub and don't worry about the mirrors and the floor until later.
If you get lucky, you'll be able to do everything in one pass, but setting lower expectations makes it easier to go with the flow when you are inevitably interrupted. If you have children napping in the house, plan to do quiet cleaning when they're down, and save the noisy stuff for when they're awake.
Teach Your Family to Pitch In: If you're the main housekeeper, it's more than reasonable to ask that everyone else in your household do at least small things to make your life easier. These include gathering dirty laundry, cleaning off the table after meals and snacks, loading the dishwasher, picking up toys, books, and newspapers. Then, when you go to clean, you'll have clear access to the area.
Don't Aim for Perfection: Renae K. admits that she used to be a perfectionist when it came to cleaning her house. Not any longer. Now, when she doesn't have time to fully tackle a cleaning project, she goes for appearances rather than the deep clean. This gives her the satisfaction of feeling fairly organized and on top of things, but doesn't require the time commitment that a deep-cleaning would require - time that she rarely has.
Stick to a Schedule: Hayley M. had a breakthrough when she finally sat down with her husband and daughter and mapped out a schedule. Make a rudimentary chore chart and assign each task a time slot or day of the week. Once you get into a routine cleaning will get accomplished without your having to stress over it. Schedule a cleaning task just as you would a playdate or another activity.
Cook in Bulk: Cooking and cleaning are related work, and Shelley T. suggests cooking meals that will last two or three days. That way instead of spending time each day on cooking, you free up some time for daily cleaning. Or better yet, you create time to just relax with your family. Now, there's a novel concept!

More great reads from Circle of Moms:
What to expect when your baby starts teething
4 ways to help your toddler learn social skills
5 signs your preschooler may have a speech delay
10 signs your child may be lying

13 Ways to De-Stress During the Workday

Laura Marie Given — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:15:13 PDT

It's natural for work to leave you a little stressed, but if you're a frazzled mess from nine to five, it's important to step back and relax. Not sure how to loosen up? From doodling to redecorating, here are 13 easy ways to de-stress during the workday:

Finish the tough stuff first. Try to get your most complicated tasks out of the way early in the day so that they're not looming over you for hours. Think of it as a "best for last" technique and you'll start to look forward to your afternoons.
Make exercise a priority. Whether it's a quick walk around the block or a full-on gym session during your lunch hour, moving your body is crucial for your sanity. Aim to stretch every hour, too, in an effort to clear your head.
Savor your snack. Rather than mindlessly munching on whatever snacks are handy, bring your favorite treat from home and take the time to relish every bite. Make it a healthy bite to really rev up your mood and energy.
Connect with a friend. Socializing is one of the easiest ways to distract yourself from everyday anxieties, so call up a pal to chat for a few minutes. Try to avoid any work-related venting and stick to fun, tension-free topics instead.
Congregate at the water cooler. It's important to engage with your co-workers on a day-to-day basis. Not only will kitchen small talk free up your mind for a few minutes, but it will also help you build positive relationships around the office.
Take five to do something lighthearted. Were you the type who doodled during class? For five (and only five) quick minutes, draw, catch up on Instagram, or browse Pinterest to improve your attitude and recharge your batteries.

Read on for more de-stress tips

5 Things to Do With Leftover Paint

Guest Writer — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:22:38 PDT

We're excited to present a post from guest writer, eco lifestyle expert, and all-around awesome guy Danny Seo. Today, he's here to offer some smart tips on how to use up the leftover housepaint you may be hoarding!

Of all the homes I've renovated, redecorated, and organized, if there is one thing that I see hoarded over and over again are cans of old paint. Stashed away in the hall closet, covered in dust in the garage, or hidden behind boxes in the basement, old paint is something we feel we have no choice but to hoard because we really have absolutely no idea what to do with it. In most communities, it's actually illegal to toss cans of paint in the household trash. And those rare collection days where you can drop it off with your household hazardous trash? Oversleep or miss it and you could face months (if not another year) of holding onto gallons of leftover primer.

Here are my top 5 ideas on what to do with leftover paint:

Stop overbuying. If you go into a paint store and guess-timate how much paint you need, most of us overbuy on purpose because we'd rather be safe than sorry when tackling the weekend paint job. The trick is to buy as close as possible to the exact amount you need. To do that, use an online paint calculator at Lowes.com that calculates the measurements of the room and tells you exactly how much paint - both primer and regular paint - down to the quart you'll need.
Save touch-up paint. Leftover paint should be saved for touch-ups when you need to repair dings and scratches on the wall. Leaving paint in their existing cans can be a recipe for disaster, since mold can grow inside and paint can easily go bad. Instead, repurpose air tight food containers for paint. Pour leftover paint inside the container, seal it closed with a tight fitting lid, and mark the outside in Sharpie pen what room it corresponds with. If you still have leftover paint, try this next tip . . .
Let it dry out. Leave cans of leftover unwanted paint open to air dry out. This can take a few days to a few weeks depending on the humidity and temperature it is outside. Leave them somewhere where children or wild animals can't get into them, like on a shelf in the garage. Once they are dry, the paint should pop out in a hard disc that can be safely tossed into the trash. The paint can itself can be added to your curbside recycling bin.

Make chalkboard paint. If you have lots of random cans of latex paint in a variety of colors, mix them all together in a large, clean bucket to make one uniform color. Add a few tablespoons of powdered grout (from the tile section at the home improvement store) and mix well. Voilà! Instant chalkboard paint.
Try FreeCycle. The Craiglist for free stuff connects people with unwanted stuff with people who need it. This is a last resort, but sometimes posting a notice that you have a few gallons of good quality leftover paint could attract someone to come claim it and use it. Offer to throw in some paint brushes, rollers, and a leftover tray or two, and you might incentivize it enough for someone to click reply and get your old paint stash.

Source: Flickr Users LOLren and Ben Demey

Spring Clean Your Fitness With These Tips

Leta Shy — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:06:54 PST

It's almost time to Spring clean, which means dusting off, editing, and organizing every aspect of your life. What you wear and use during your workout is no different; here are three tips for Spring cleaning your fitness.

Inspect your gear: You may never give up that old college T-shirt, no matter how threadbare it gets, but there comes a time when you need to retire old workout gear. Go through all of your gear, from wicking headbands to running shoes, and get rid of clothes that aren't doing it for you. Stretched-out sports bras and pants, too-thin socks, or smelly shirts should be retired. Invest in a few new pieces for Spring to enhance your current collection, and be strategic about the old stuff: once you get a new pair of running shoes, save the old pair for rainy runs or around-town errands and make sure to donate anything that's still usable.

Clean your equipment: Whether you have a stellar home gym or just a few dumbbells and a yoga mat, chances are some of your equipment may be due for a clean. Luckily, a safe, effective, and great-smelling cleaner is just a few minutes of DIY away. This yoga mat cleaner, just a mixture of water and a few drops of tea tree and lavender or peppermint oils, is a safe, nontoxic way to kill germs on anything from your yoga mat to your dumbbells.

Organize well: Once you've cleaned and edited your workout wardrobe, it's time to organize all of your gear. Keep your workout clothes somewhere easily accessible: this will help save time when you're putting together your gym bag. Bonus if you can store them somewhere where you can see them - when you're greeted with cheery workout clothes every time you open your closet, you may be less tempted to skip a workout!

A Few of My Favorite Things: New Orleans and Beyond

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:07:26 PST

Get ready for your mouth to water. Food Orleans invites us to share some of her favorite iPhone food photos from New Orleans and beyond.

I've been cleaning out my iPhone photo roll and came across some great shots that made me swoon, laugh, and shake my head at how good this stuff was. This year I got to go to my first LSU game in Baton Rouge, and although I probably lost a small percentage of my hearing, I had a great time. And the jambalaya was great! We're also enjoying some shucking-good oysters these days. Come visit!

Creole Creamery: knock your flip-flops off good!

a fried-potato omelette from Camellia Grill (Riverbend). I think this should be on everyone's to-eat list.

For more, keep reading.