We’re always mentioning all the wonderful initiatives that B&Bs have instituted to go green and make the world a better place.  We have featured inns that do everything from grow their own food, use organic cleaning products to B&Bs that are completely off the grid.    This weekend, is the Annual Maine Solar Tour, which features more than 70 sites across the state that are successfully using solar power including homes, businesses, community centers and government installations.

The largest solar array in the state of Maine is located at the Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast.  Innkeeper Scott Cowger explained to the Portland Press Herald “It’ll be a long time before it pays for itself, but it’s a good investment and the right thing to do. This system will on the Earth much longer than I will be.”   It’s fantastic to see that this Maine Bed and Breakfast isn’t just participating in the Green Movement, in Maine they are leading it as well.

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You’ll find no better experts on cleaning tips to save time and money than innkeepers. We’ve convinced a few innkeepers to start us off with their tips and are asking for more so post your own tips and keep checking back to learn something new. Please let us know which tips and tricks have helped you make more time for doing what you enjoy, what works and what doesn’t. We always enjoy hearing your feedback.

White Vinegar Miracles

White vinegar is a miracle cleaner on glass shower doors, mirrors, vanities and chrome fixtures at the Red Dog Inn. Using vinegar cuts way down on fumes and saves money over other cleaning products. Remember, don’t use white vinegar on the tile grout as it will eventually make pits in the grout. On grout, spray Clorox Clean-up and let it sit a few minutes to kill germs and mildew.

Hydrogen Peroxide Stain Removal

Hydrogen peroxide is great for removing stains without removing the color on towels, sheets even furniture at the Blair Mountain Bed & Breakfast. This works wonderfully on blood, ink and red wine stains. Try letting the stain soak briefly, and then laundering as soon as possible.

Hair Removal

Nothing is more frustrating than cleaning a bathroom only to turn around and find hair that just got pushed around during cleaning. No matter how much you wipe and clean they are hard to get rid of. They stick to everything, including your rags, particularly your wet rags and then reappear just when you think you have it clean. The Prairie Creek Inn found an end to the frustration of dealing with hair by vacuuming the bathroom first, before cleaning it. This may seem “duh” but it will save you a lot of time and frustration. Don’t forget to wash and dry your rags after every use to get rid of the hairs and keep them smelling clean.

Tip Top Towels

Guests love fluffy, good smelling, soft and absorbent towels so here are some tips from The Turkish Towel Company to keep them that way.

1. Never use fabric softener on your towels. It coats the threads and makes them nonabsorbent, meaning you’ll have to replace them sooner. Instead, use 1 cup of white vinegar, once a month, in the rinse cycle to restore your towels to full absorbency.

2. While tumble drying will make your towels fluffy, do not overdo it as heat from the dryer can damage the integrity of the cotton. Wash towels in cold water and dry them on medium setting.

3. If you catch a towel and pull a loop, simply cut off the pulled loop with a pair of scissors. High quality towels are woven so a pulled loop will not cause the towel to unravel.

Please leave us a comment below, we’d love to hear your great time and money saving cleaning tips.

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BnBFinder President Mary White, was recently a guest on Chris Christensen’s extremely popular Amateur Travel Podcast. Mary and Chris spoke about Outer Banks Bed and Breakfasts, North Carolina Inns, Kitty Hawk and the lost colony of Roanoke.   Mary has been vacationing on the Outer Banks for many years, so this is an especially fun podcast to hear because it has some great insider tips and historical information. The Outer banks will appeal to lovers of both the beach and US history, and is a wonderful family vacation destination.

We’re big fans of Chris’ podcast here at BnBFinder.  Chris is a great host and his podcast is on its’ impressive 151st installment.  Every episode is built around the concept that people on the ground in a travel destination always give the best travel advice.   You can listen to Mary White talk about Outer Banks B&Bs by following the link below.   You can visit the Amateur Traveler Podcast to see a list of Outer Banks links, and listen to other episodes on travel to places from China to New Jersey.

This is an enhanced podcast with a slideshow of photos from The Outer Banks featuring some beautiful B&Bs and breathtaking North Carolina scenery.

Amateur Traveler Podcast: Episode 151 - The Outer Banks of North Carolina

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