Half Pint Peeps

Parenting, Kids, and mom life. All about life with littles. Free ideas to help your child develop in life. Get tips and tricks for raising kids.

Cleaning TIps and Tricks

How to Clean Play Dough Out of Kids Clothing

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Play dough is a great tool. It gives your kids a different way to use their imaginations since they’ll be using their hands to make amazing things. The problem with play dough is that it can get stuck in your kids’ clothes. In most cases, you can toss the clothes in the wash and the machine will eliminate the stains. This is what to do if laundering them doesn’t quite work.

Kids might love playdough, but clothes don't! And it's hard for kids to really get into a sweet playdough project without getting some on their clothes. Let them have fun knowing it's not hard to remove it. You just need the tricks.... #halfpintpeepsblog #removeplaydough #playdoughhacks

Let it Dry

Don’t try to remove stuck play dough while it’s still soft. It’s important to let it dry completely. Then, use a stiff-bristled brush to remove as much of it as you can. A grout brush will work best, and you should be able to find a quality one at Hardware World, but a toothbrush may do the trick.

Once you’ve scrubbed off as much of the dried play dough as you can, soak the stained section in a cool bowl of water with a few drops of dish soap for around 30 minutes. This step causes the dough to release its grip on the clothing fibers.

Use a Stain Remover

Most play dough manufacturers make the product from a basic combination of flour, salt and water, which means that it’s probably the coloring in it that’s staining your children’s clothes. With the homemade version, the food coloring is the likely offender. Because of this, it’s a good idea to tackle the stain by applying a stain-remover to the clothing piece. Once applied, let it sit on the stain for about 30 minutes. Effective stain removers are available from Amazon, or you can pick one up at your favorite grocery store.

Toss it in the Wash

Launder the garment in the washing machine as you normally would. It should come out of the dryer stain-free. If it doesn’t, try soaking the clothing item in undiluted vinegar for 30 minutes or so, and then, toss it in the wash again. If you can still see the stain, form a paste using baking soda and vinegar. Use the toothbrush to apply the paste, and wash the item once more.

Suggestion # 1 is from The Creek Side House

Suggestion # 2 and # 3 came from Our Everyday Life

Suggestion # 4 is from The Balance

Cleaning Car Seats: Must-See Hacks

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Half-pint peeps need car seats for safety. And the bad thing about that is what happens to kids’ car seats–in spite of your best intentions! Whether you encounter a diaper blow out, spilled milk, cracker crumbs or spit-up, it’s all pretty far down on the list of things parents enjoy cleaning up. Since cleaning car seats is hard enough, today I want to tell you about some hacks to make it as easy as possible. That way, you can get it done and move onto the more fun parts of parenthood.

Have you ever used a car seat protector to keep your babies car seat clean? They are a game changer! Check out this list of baby car seat cleaning hacks to keep your babies car seat clean! #babycarseatcleaninghacks #carseatproctorbabycarseatcleaninghacks #babycarseatcleaninghacksminigarbagebasket #babycarseatcleaninghacksbabywipes #babycarseatcleaninghacksdeodorizing

Fast Ways To Make Your Kids Bedrooms SPOTLESS

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I’ve tried many ways to help my boys keep their rooms clean.  Some work for awhile, but, in the end, we wind up with foot-high piles of clothes and who knows what else on the floor.  That was all before I got serious about storage space.  Now, a few DIY projects and careful trips to the store later, those rooms are so well stocked with storage space now that it’s almost a talent to make a mess.  Here are fast ways to make your kids bedrooms spotless.

Why is it that most kids live in bedrooms that look like pig pens. Clothes all over the place, the bed not made and on and on. One might describe it looking like a bomb went off. Kids don't care, but my guess is the parents do. If you want to learn ways to make your kids bedrooms spotless, keep on reading. These time saving hacks will save you from many headaches. #cleaningtips #cleankidsbedroom

Fast Ways To Make Your Kids Bedrooms SPOTLESS

 1. Cube Shelf

Cube shelves are definitely an “in” thing right now, but for good reason.  You can find quality cube shelves for low prices (hello Target and IKEA!), it’s versatile, and it can changed up as often as you’d like.  The easy access shelves and storage boxes make for very easy clean up!  Source.

2. Crate Shelving

Use crate boxes to create shelving for books.  Simply cut the boxes in half, add some paint if you’d like, and mount them on the wall.  Keep them lower to the floor so little hands can reach the boxes for easy clean up.  Source.

3. Wall Mounted Crates

Aside from using crates to make bookshelves, you can also use them for other storage and display purposes. Source.

4. Toy Totes

Use tote bags to store toys on a wall or door.  I love this idea for quick clean-ups because the totes can come down off the wall and be right there near the mess.  Clean-up is as simple as tossing toys into the bag and hanging the bag on a hook on your way out.  Source.

5. Toy Storage Table 

Invest in or make a storage table for toys.  Having the storage bins or baskets right by all the fun action makes for very quick clean up.  Source. Trust me, this will totally help keep your kids bedrooms cleaner.

6. Fabric Baskets

Fabric baskets should become one of your organizational best friends if they aren’t already.  They both declutter and add some fun pops of style and color to any room.  They are so handy for holding small toys and other lose items.  Find yours at stores like Target and Kohl’s.  Vanilla Joy also shares a tutorial for how to make your own basket liner.

7. Shoe Organizer Storage

This is another idea I see around a lot of places but it makes sense considering how practical it is!  Use a show organizer to store stuffed animals and other toys.  I prefer to keep ours on the inside of the closet instead of on the door for more of a clean cut look.  Check out Mommo Design for this and other stuffed animal storage ideas.

8. Small Toy Bins 

I have three very creative and imaginative boys.  They are naturals at being Lego engineers.  Needless to say, we own a lot (!!!) of Legos in our home.  I have found that storage bins with drawers are the perfect way to keep track of all those tiny pieces.  Place the bins in cube shelving so you can also use some of the shelves to display the Lego creations.  Get this and more ideas from One Mile Home Style.

9. Storage Beds

All three of my boys have some kind of storage bed or loft bed and I don’t plan to change that.  Each bed brings such a unique style to my boys’ rooms and has made clean up and decor display super easy.  My favorite loft beds are from Pottery Barn (of course!), but vendors such as Wayfair have very similar options for half the cost or less.  Source.

10. Under the Bed Drawers

Purchase a bed with pull out drawers or invest in a rolling drawer to add under the bed you already own.  It’s no different than putting things under the bed to keep them off the floor except that your items aren’t showing for everyone to see.  Much more display-worthy!  Source.

11. Storage Cube

Convert cube shelving into a hidden storage cube.  I especially love how they used the cube to make a reading nook.  Can’t go wrong with making a special place to read with your children!!  Learn how to make your own storage cube from IKEA Hackers.

12. Closet Organizer

Re-purpose a hanging closet organizer for toy control instead of shoes and clothes.  Boxes fit so snuggly into the shelves that they’ll have no room to tip over and make messes of their own.  What an easy way to put games and puzzles away after you’re done playing with them! Source. I hope these help keep your kids bedrooms spotless!