Showing posts with label Cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleaning. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My Dirty Little Secret
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Survey - combs & brushes
One of my new year's resolutions may seem a bit odd to most; it's to be cleaner. I'm not dirty or unsanitary, mind you; but my eyesight has recently changed so that I really need my glasses almost all the time, revealing .... well, dirt in my home. Therefore, I will wear my glasses while I clean from now on. The subject of cleanliness in the home has my tiny mind a buzz with projects and goals and questions. One question I have for you is:
- How often do you personally clean your combs & brushes? Ideally, I would like to clean mine once a week, but I tend to forget.
- What method do you use? I've always used Lysol in hot water, followed by a cold rinse.
- How long has it been since you've cleaned your combs/brushes? Be honest! It's been about one month for me.....who knows how long for our daughter....lol
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Below is an article from the Baltimore Sun by Christy Zuccarini
DIY Dishwasher/Scouring Powder
If commercial dish detergents that contain phosphates do indeed end up being banned, it may be worth making your own natural cleaning product, especially considering that current eco-friendly brands like EcoVer and Seventh Generation are so costly.
I pulled the following recipe for natural dishwasher/scouring powder from The New Homemaker. The ingredients are simple and pretty affordable – according to the author you’ll end up saving around 14 cents a load (when compared to a brand like Cascade). On the subject of whether or this detergent cleans as well as commercial brands, opinions are varied. Though the recipe recommends using citrus essential oils, some folks swear by tea tree and peppermint oils. Either way, this may require a little experimentation but it seems worth a try.
In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture
Put all of it in the container, shake it up.
DIY Dishwasher/Scouring Powder
If commercial dish detergents that contain phosphates do indeed end up being banned, it may be worth making your own natural cleaning product, especially considering that current eco-friendly brands like EcoVer and Seventh Generation are so costly.
I pulled the following recipe for natural dishwasher/scouring powder from The New Homemaker. The ingredients are simple and pretty affordable – according to the author you’ll end up saving around 14 cents a load (when compared to a brand like Cascade). On the subject of whether or this detergent cleans as well as commercial brands, opinions are varied. Though the recipe recommends using citrus essential oils, some folks swear by tea tree and peppermint oils. Either way, this may require a little experimentation but it seems worth a try.
In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture
Put all of it in the container, shake it up.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Home Cleaners and Your Liver
When we are young, we generally are not very concerned about our livers. This is an odd statement to make, but my liver has been on my mind lately. As we age, our livers naturally shrivel and don't function as in our youth. And, as we age, we oftentimes find ourselves taking more prescription medications which can be quite taxing on our livers. Last week, I filled my sixth regular Rx and, for me, that was the wake up call for me. I began to ponder how many chemicals and toxins my body is exposed to daily. It's time for a change. Obviously, I can't just stop taking blood pressure medications without the possibility of severe consequences, but I can start making changes in my lifestyle that will one day enable me to stop taking most of my prescriptions. But, it's not just the chemicals I'm putting into my body; it's the ones that I inhale or my body absorbs. Cleaning and laundering supplies are obviously full of harmful chemicals, but so are make-up and nail polishes and lotions. What about our food supply? How much of it is tainted with pesticides or growth hormones or antibiotics? Even our water supply is tainted. Before we all panic and move to some primitive country, there are some small changes that we can start with that can help preserve our livers and maybe help out our pocketbooks.
This week I'm starting with cleaning supplies. There are many recipes on the Internet for making your own cleaners that are non-toxic, inexpensive, and effective. Here's the recipe I chose for my all purpose cleaner in a spray bottle:
one part vinegar
three parts water
10 - 15 drops of lavender
If you have a favorite, please share it with me.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday Tip
I love tips that make life easier; don't you? Keeping my kitchen floor clean has always been a problem for me; it just never seemed clean enough. Today, while browsing the internet for help, I came across a site that recommended using SoftScrub with bleach for kitchen floors. It worked beautifully! Dilute 1/4 cup of SoftScrub with bleach in one gallon of water and mop. Who knows what else I'll find it useful for! If you have a product that works on your kitchen floor, please let me know and I'll try it! :)
Monday, March 09, 2009
Wash Days
I am always looking for new ways to save time and/or money and be better organized; I seem to thrive on it. Recently, I grew so tired of emptying our laundry hamper in order to sort the clothes to see which load was most urgent, and I disposed of our 20 year old hamper. Instead, I took 3 medium laundry baskets and placed them neatly underneath the shirts hanging in our closet. We have a separate basket for whites, darks, and light colors. I can now see at a glance which load needs to be done first. So far, this system has worked great. :)
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Spring and Fall cleaning are never scheduled into my life, rather the urge comes upon me suddenly. In January, when all the Christmas decorations are put away, I usually feel like giving the house a good scrub down. This is a good time for me as there is no garden work to be done then. In August, just before school starts, the mood suddenly seizes me again. I feel as though it must be upon me now as I have already cleaned out the garage, scrubbed the kitchen cabinets, vacuumed the cold air return, caught up all the ironing, worked on a fall sewing project, and am now scrubbing woodwork and light fixtures. These are dirty and tiresome jobs, but I always feel a deep sense of 
satisfaction afterwards. I think this is largely because these are jobs that are not done everyday, and having them accomplished clears my mind. 
satisfaction afterwards. I think this is largely because these are jobs that are not done everyday, and having them accomplished clears my mind. 
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Bag-Teria - EWWW!
Bacteria on Purses
A study was performed on women's purses. A health team went to a local mall and took samples from the bottom of 50 women's purses. The purses were swabbed with cotton swabs along the entire bottom of the purses and placed into special containers. The swabs were then processed at a local laboratory. The Health Report also showed where women place their purses: public rest-rooms (on the floor beside the toilet), kitchen counters & kitchen tables, on tables & chairs in restaurants, etc. The results of the laboratory tests contained the following most serious result: 1 out of 4 purses — E COLI Other extremely serious bacteria also were listed, including Hepatitis. They recommended that women should DAILY wipe their purses (particularly the bottom) with a disinfectant wipe and to be extremely careful where you sit your purse. Most important, do NOT place your purse on a table (anywhere) where you will eat or on a kitchen counter and do not put it anywhere close to a toilet. Remember, when you flush a toilet, the spray goes a distance that is unrecognizable by the human eye. WASH YOUR HANDS as often as you can! Keep an antibacterial hand sanitizer cleaner (no water needed) in your purse and use it often! And as soon as you get home from shopping (or wherever you have been and used your purse), immediately wipe it all over with a disinfectant wipe. This is from me — MEN who do not wash their hands after relieving themselves should be ASHAMED! Not only that, they are seriously affecting your health and their own. My husband has told me many, many times (over 50% ratio) that he has seen men in public rest-rooms relieve themselves, zip up, and immediately leave the rest-room without washing their hands!! Women get on your men and be sure they are washing thoroughly after using the rest-room. My hubby also noted that everyone spends all this time washing their hands and then grabs the door handle to exit the rest-room. So DAH! All those other folks who did NOT wash their hands have their germs all over the door handle! And I have seen many women who do NOT wash their hands after using the rest-room. So, use that paper towel you dried your hands on to open the door and then dispose of it in the closest waste receptacle (women, please do not put it in your purse!). Repeating, this is a factual report aired today on Health News, Fox 5, Atlanta, GA. Please do your part for yourself and everyone else! As soon as I saw the report, I immediately cleaned my purse with my Clorox Antibacterial Wipe and then set it on a paper towel where I normally place it on a table in our den. And I asked my hubby to PLEASE scold me if he ever saw me putting my purse on the kitchen table or counter again!
Origins:
This e-mail describing a segment on the evening news about bacteria found on women's purses reached us in May 2006. It describes the news piece done on this topic by a Fox affiliate TV station in Cleveland on 3 May 2006 and re-broadcast by numerous Fox stations in the U.S. on 3 May 2006 (including Fox 5 in Atlanta, the station named in the e-mail). In that news story, swabs from 50 purses were sent to a lab for analysis. While a few of the samples did not show evidence of bacterial growth, most did, and nearly 1/4 of the handbags tested proved to have E. coli on them. (Escherichia coli is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. While most of its strains are harmless, one strain, O157:H7, produces a powerful toxin that results in severe illness in humans. E. coli gets into us through being swallowed; it rides in as part of a contaminated foodstuff, or through hand-to-mouth contact by people who have handled items laden with the bacteria, or through our swimming in water where the microbes are present. Such infections usually culminate in severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, with the illness resolving in 5 to 10 days without treatment. However, in about 2% to 7% of infections, usually in children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the pathogen causes hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious and life-threatening condition in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail.)
The few pocketbooks in the study that did not show evidence of bacterial contamination were not necessarily lacking in the sorts of nasties that make people ill. They could still have carried microbes like hepatitis and mononucleosis, which the clinical testing the samples underwent would have missed. A microbiologist who examined the samples taken from the 50 purses recommended women wash the outside of their handbags at least once a day with soap and water to help remove any lurking contaminations. Clorox wipes will also work to remove germs. None of this should come as startlingly new information to anyone, given where the typical purse carrier will unthinkingly place her handbag — the floors of public restrooms, at her feet in restaurants or on buses or subways, the floorboards of her car, the fold-out child's seat of shopping carts (where the diapered bottoms of little ones have likely been placed by the cart's previous users). Yet, while a great many folks do remember to wash their hands after being out in public and handling a variety of items, they tend not to think about sanitizing the handbags, briefcases, and backpacks they tote with them. Given how often such carry-alls get handled by their owners and how seldom they are washed with soap and water or wiped with an anti-bacterial solution, it's surprising more contagions aren't passed this way. Here are some things you can do to decrease the likelihood of spreading illness with your pocketbook:
Clean your purse or tote bag regularly. If your handbag is not the sort of item that can be tossed into the washing machine with any hope of its surviving the process, scrub its outside with a soaped-up wet facecloth or take an anti-bacterial spray or disposable wipe to it. Don't forget to tend to its handle or strap as well as to its sides.
Keep in mind that bacteria and viruses latch on far more readily in wet or damp environments than they do in dry ones (see our article about the supposed 5 second rule governing dropped food for more information about that conclusion) — if you set down your carry-all on a damp or wet surface, clean it once you're home, even if you only just washed it recently.
Don't set down your purse on any surface where food will be prepared or eaten. That means keep it off tables and kitchen or break room counters. If you are in the habit of eating at your desk, don't place your handbag there.
Remember that your purse comes into contact with most every surface your shoes tread on, and treat your handbag accordingly. If you wouldn't eat a hotdog after running your hand across the sole of your shoe, don't eat one after handling your purse. If you wouldn't place your sandals on the kitchen counter, don't drop your pocketbook there either.
All the advice just given about handbags applies to briefcases and backpacks too. Your briefcase should also get a soapy wipe-down on a regular basis, as should your backpack. Both should also be kept off all surfaces where food is likely to be prepared or eaten. While one might be tempted to regard the caution about bacteria-harboring handbags as being of interest to women only, members of the non-purse-slinging public (i.e., men) should also take it to heart with regard to their briefcases, as should high school and college students of both sexes in relation to their backpacks and book bags.
Barbara "common carriers" Mikkelson
A study was performed on women's purses. A health team went to a local mall and took samples from the bottom of 50 women's purses. The purses were swabbed with cotton swabs along the entire bottom of the purses and placed into special containers. The swabs were then processed at a local laboratory. The Health Report also showed where women place their purses: public rest-rooms (on the floor beside the toilet), kitchen counters & kitchen tables, on tables & chairs in restaurants, etc. The results of the laboratory tests contained the following most serious result: 1 out of 4 purses — E COLI Other extremely serious bacteria also were listed, including Hepatitis. They recommended that women should DAILY wipe their purses (particularly the bottom) with a disinfectant wipe and to be extremely careful where you sit your purse. Most important, do NOT place your purse on a table (anywhere) where you will eat or on a kitchen counter and do not put it anywhere close to a toilet. Remember, when you flush a toilet, the spray goes a distance that is unrecognizable by the human eye. WASH YOUR HANDS as often as you can! Keep an antibacterial hand sanitizer cleaner (no water needed) in your purse and use it often! And as soon as you get home from shopping (or wherever you have been and used your purse), immediately wipe it all over with a disinfectant wipe. This is from me — MEN who do not wash their hands after relieving themselves should be ASHAMED! Not only that, they are seriously affecting your health and their own. My husband has told me many, many times (over 50% ratio) that he has seen men in public rest-rooms relieve themselves, zip up, and immediately leave the rest-room without washing their hands!! Women get on your men and be sure they are washing thoroughly after using the rest-room. My hubby also noted that everyone spends all this time washing their hands and then grabs the door handle to exit the rest-room. So DAH! All those other folks who did NOT wash their hands have their germs all over the door handle! And I have seen many women who do NOT wash their hands after using the rest-room. So, use that paper towel you dried your hands on to open the door and then dispose of it in the closest waste receptacle (women, please do not put it in your purse!). Repeating, this is a factual report aired today on Health News, Fox 5, Atlanta, GA. Please do your part for yourself and everyone else! As soon as I saw the report, I immediately cleaned my purse with my Clorox Antibacterial Wipe and then set it on a paper towel where I normally place it on a table in our den. And I asked my hubby to PLEASE scold me if he ever saw me putting my purse on the kitchen table or counter again!
Origins:
This e-mail describing a segment on the evening news about bacteria found on women's purses reached us in May 2006. It describes the news piece done on this topic by a Fox affiliate TV station in Cleveland on 3 May 2006 and re-broadcast by numerous Fox stations in the U.S. on 3 May 2006 (including Fox 5 in Atlanta, the station named in the e-mail). In that news story, swabs from 50 purses were sent to a lab for analysis. While a few of the samples did not show evidence of bacterial growth, most did, and nearly 1/4 of the handbags tested proved to have E. coli on them. (Escherichia coli is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. While most of its strains are harmless, one strain, O157:H7, produces a powerful toxin that results in severe illness in humans. E. coli gets into us through being swallowed; it rides in as part of a contaminated foodstuff, or through hand-to-mouth contact by people who have handled items laden with the bacteria, or through our swimming in water where the microbes are present. Such infections usually culminate in severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, with the illness resolving in 5 to 10 days without treatment. However, in about 2% to 7% of infections, usually in children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the pathogen causes hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious and life-threatening condition in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail.)
The few pocketbooks in the study that did not show evidence of bacterial contamination were not necessarily lacking in the sorts of nasties that make people ill. They could still have carried microbes like hepatitis and mononucleosis, which the clinical testing the samples underwent would have missed. A microbiologist who examined the samples taken from the 50 purses recommended women wash the outside of their handbags at least once a day with soap and water to help remove any lurking contaminations. Clorox wipes will also work to remove germs. None of this should come as startlingly new information to anyone, given where the typical purse carrier will unthinkingly place her handbag — the floors of public restrooms, at her feet in restaurants or on buses or subways, the floorboards of her car, the fold-out child's seat of shopping carts (where the diapered bottoms of little ones have likely been placed by the cart's previous users). Yet, while a great many folks do remember to wash their hands after being out in public and handling a variety of items, they tend not to think about sanitizing the handbags, briefcases, and backpacks they tote with them. Given how often such carry-alls get handled by their owners and how seldom they are washed with soap and water or wiped with an anti-bacterial solution, it's surprising more contagions aren't passed this way. Here are some things you can do to decrease the likelihood of spreading illness with your pocketbook:
Clean your purse or tote bag regularly. If your handbag is not the sort of item that can be tossed into the washing machine with any hope of its surviving the process, scrub its outside with a soaped-up wet facecloth or take an anti-bacterial spray or disposable wipe to it. Don't forget to tend to its handle or strap as well as to its sides.
Keep in mind that bacteria and viruses latch on far more readily in wet or damp environments than they do in dry ones (see our article about the supposed 5 second rule governing dropped food for more information about that conclusion) — if you set down your carry-all on a damp or wet surface, clean it once you're home, even if you only just washed it recently.
Don't set down your purse on any surface where food will be prepared or eaten. That means keep it off tables and kitchen or break room counters. If you are in the habit of eating at your desk, don't place your handbag there.
Remember that your purse comes into contact with most every surface your shoes tread on, and treat your handbag accordingly. If you wouldn't eat a hotdog after running your hand across the sole of your shoe, don't eat one after handling your purse. If you wouldn't place your sandals on the kitchen counter, don't drop your pocketbook there either.
All the advice just given about handbags applies to briefcases and backpacks too. Your briefcase should also get a soapy wipe-down on a regular basis, as should your backpack. Both should also be kept off all surfaces where food is likely to be prepared or eaten. While one might be tempted to regard the caution about bacteria-harboring handbags as being of interest to women only, members of the non-purse-slinging public (i.e., men) should also take it to heart with regard to their briefcases, as should high school and college students of both sexes in relation to their backpacks and book bags.
Barbara "common carriers" Mikkelson
Friday, February 03, 2006
When the Husband's Away...
...the wife will clean. :) I know that seems strange, but I always want to clean, iron, or do gardening while my husband's away. Today I have mopped the floors, cleaned the bathroom, and am in the process of making a new kind of bread. I will still probably dust and vacuum after lunch. Tomorrow I plan on ironing with Mr. Darcy in the VCR. I would iron tonight and stay up late watching Pride & Prejudice, but we have a congregational meeting at church tonight, and dear hubby wants me to attend - blech. (mental note to self - work on attitude) It would be wonderful if I could wash the windows and dust the walls, but I do have energy limits. I just like to have everything fresh when the King comes home to his castle. :)
Thursday, February 02, 2006
The Clutter Fairy
Yesterday, the Clutter Fairy visited our daughter's desk. Oh, what joy! She did a marvelous job of filing away papers and putting up discs,etc. She also left a little note behind that even Mrs. Calla Lilly could benefit from. It read: "If it's not picked up, it's not finished." What have you left unfinished today?
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Clotheslines
This week I went in search of a new clothesline, as our old one had been cut to use to tie things down when we moved (The person did not realize that I actually used a clothesline, and I have been confined to using drying racks in the summer ever since.). I assumed I could just walk into my local hardware store and pick one up but not so. After a thorough search and help from store employees, it was finally determined that the store no longer carried clotheslines or clothespins. I did find a retractable line (not quite what I was looking for) at another store, but I am aghast! :) What will be the next to become unavailable of the necessities for my quest for a simpler life?
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