If you are like me then you have probably tried several different types of silver polish.

Most of these types of products do work but they also can smell bad and be harmful to your hands.

Let's say you don't have anything to clean your silver with, or you are just looking for a simple cheap way to polish your silver. Try chalk! Here's a before and after shot...

 

About the same time Meredith was battling ants in her kitchen in Brentwood, I was dealing with my own ant problem in my kitchen in Franklin, TN -- just a hop skip & a jump away .

I believe these are sugar ants.  They're small and black (or dark brown).

As far as getting rid of the ants, I decided not to use any of the chemicals we had in the cabinet for insects & other pests.  (I guess all this talk of 'going green' is starting to have an impact on me!)  Instead, searched for a natural home remedy that would work -- hopefully using something that I already had on hand.

I found it... Bay leaves!

The Miele is probably the best vacuum cleaner that I have ever used.

In my business of cleaning homes for a living, I've used many different types of vacuums. But the Miele stands above the rest.

Here's why I choose the Miele vacuum cleaner over the Dyson, the Rainbow, the Oreck, and other vacuum cleaners...

Most of us have had to pack up and move at least once in our lives. And, as you know, this is not always the most fun experience. Plus, it can be downright expensive to move.

I recently moved myself, and I learned a few interesting things along the way -- some of them the hard way. So, if you're like me and you don't have the extra money to pay movers to come and pack up your stuff and move it for you, then you'll appreciate these tips.

Here are some ways that you can save money and ensure that your belongings arrive at your new home in one piece...

Trying to choose a good cleaner can be a hassle because the store shelves are full of so many different cleaners, and a lot of them basically do the same thing.

Personally, I clean about 200 homes in a year's time -- not including my own home. So I use a lot of cleaning products.

I have tried a variety of different cleaning products, but I usually stick to the ones that I think are the best. 

These household cleaners work the best, in my opinion:

If you're going to be traveling to (or living in) an area where there are black bears, staying safe becomes more a matter of common sense than anything else.

Here are some tips for avoiding your own black bear encounter, from someone who's been there, done that.

Yep, unfortunately, I've had my fair share of encounters with black bears!

My name is Charity Cummings, and I am currently self-employed cleaning homes for a living.

In my experience of cleaning and being self-employed, there are some ups and downs to this business.

In case anyone's interested in starting a cleaning business, I thought I'd share some of the things I learned along the way. Plus, some of the differences between working for a cleaning company vs being self-employed with your own cleaning service.