Caring For Your Hardwood Floors

Shortly after we moved into this house, we tore out the carpet in the downstairs and replaced it with hardwood floors. I love them, but taking care of them and keeping them clean is a bit different than the carpet I've always had. If you are lucky enough to live in a home with hardwood flooring, you know that proper cleaning is essential. You'll want to take the steps necessary to keep the wood looking its best. Here’s how to properly care for your Provenza old world flooring.

• Daily Dust 
  Don’t blanch at the idea of cleaning your floors daily – a simple, two-minute dusting is all you need. A soft-bristled broom or microfiber cloth will keep the wood free of debris that can build up and make more work for you should you put this task off. My daughter recently got me a robot vacuum, and while I don't run it every day, I do run it more often than I ever managed to run the dust mop, and it really makes a difference.
• Weekly Mop 
  A bucket of warm water and a bit of dish or castile soap is all you need to mop your hardwood floors. Avoid using vinegar, which can dull your floor’s shine throughout the years. An oil-based cleaner is also something to stay away from, as it can be very slippery and dangerous in high-traffic areas.
• Monthly Polish 
  A monthly or even bi-monthly polish is a great way to care for the finish that protects the hardwood. A special polish and flat-surface mop will help even out the floor and fill in tiny scratches and holes. Using area rugs and mats can also help protect the surface and avoid significant wear and tear.
• Bi-Yearly Refinishing 
  Depending on the kind of floors you have, it can also be a good idea to have your hardwood floors sanded and refinished every few years. This will strip the old finish and remove any deep gouges, and replace it with a new, shiny finish. You can also take this opportunity to have the wood stained if you’re looking to experiment with a new color or are remodeling a certain room.

If you commit to caring for your hardwood floors from the very beginning, you will be able to enjoy their classic beauty for many years.

How To Avoid Carpet Cleaning Conundrums

Have your kids been running through the house tracking mud and dirt across the carpet? Do you have pets that maybe did not have the cleanest paws when coming back from a trip outdoors? Have you simply just lived in your house for more than a year? Then it is probably time for you to get look into carpet cleaning College Station. But do not just call anyone to do the job. A few factors go into finding the company who can do the job right.

Why Not Clean Them Yourself?
You can rent carpet cleaning machines to do it yourself. This, however, means that you need to move the heavy, cumbersome machine around your house, moving furniture and trying to get the carpets cleaned and free from stains. They usually do not clean as effectively or dry as well as the professional machines.

Look for Companies With Licensed Technicians
Make sure the company you use has licensed technicians who know what they are doing. You also want to find companies that have the experience and trust needed to get your carpets cleaned right.

Decide Which Process You Want
Carpet cleaning is not all the same process. Wet carpet cleaning takes a significant time to dry. Dry treatments allow you to walk on your carpets immediately after treatment. Other treatments use “green” cleaning products. All will work, but you will want to research them to find what works best for your family.

Find Reviews
Ask your neighbors, family, and friends about who they use to clean their carpets. Also consider going further and looking on service review sites and the company’s site to see what other customers have said about their experience.

When it comes to carpet cleaning, do not just go with the cheapest service. Do your research and find the one that works best for your needs and your family.

Liars, Every One

I occasionally watch Family Feud in the afternoons. Sometimes (OK, a lot of the time) it's really hard to come up with the responses that are up there. And some of them have me practically yelling at the television screen. There was the time they asked single men what was the longest time they'd gone without cleaning the toilet. Remember, we're talking about single men. And the #1 answer was - any guesses? If you're like me, you're guessing a month, 6 months... But, no, the #1 answer was one week. I'm pretty sure they were all lying on that one.

There was a time - amazingly, back when my kids were very small - when I really did clean my bathrooms every single week. Thursdays, to be precise. Now, if I could just figure out how to get back to something that remotely resembles that.

Another Family Feud question was 'How long does it take to clean your house top to bottom?" I actually did clean this house top to bottom before we moved in. The house had been sitting empty for a few months, so it was mostly vacuuming up all the dead flies and spider webs in the corners, wiping down the bathrooms and kitchen, and vacuuming all the floors. There was no furniture (except for the table in the breakfast area), so that made things a bit easier, but it still took pretty much all day. So my response to the Family Feud question was 8 or 10 hours. Maybe? But the #1 answer was 3 hours. Yeah, right... What, do these people all live in tiny houses? Either that or they're lying. Lying.

Back when we lived in the apartment - before kids (all those years ago) - I could clean the entire place on my days off and still be able to get out to the pool when it opened at 10:00. But this house is a bit larger than that old apartment, and 3 hours wouldn't even come close to being enough time to clean the entire thing.

And then there's this chart I saw on facebook a couple weeks ago:

Yep, that looks entirely reasonable...  Does anybody actually do this? Probably those people who can clean their entire house top to bottom in 3 hours.

I do make the bed and do the dishes (mostly) every day, so there's that.
(also - *every day - there really is a difference)

Before and After

I always clean the house before we have company (or family) visit. Even though I know that it won't be long after they've arrived - especially if they're staying for a while - that it will be pretty much impossible to tell that I even tried cleaning the place up. But I just can't help myself. I have to clean first, and I know I'll have to do it all over again once they've left.

That's exactly what happened over Thanksgiving weekend. I had the house all cleaned up. It was actually looking pretty good. And then an extra dozen people dropped in for the weekend. Not that I'm complaining because they were all family, and it was awesome having them here.  -- They should come more often. --
But, wow - things just kind of exploded, and all the evidence of my cleaning disappeared. (Amazingly enough, it's exactly the same when it's just my kids here; it does not seem to be proportionate to the number of people in the house. Or else it's my kids and other people are perfectly neat. Hmmm... I'll have to think about that one.)

Anyway, if only I could restrain myself and just save the cleaning for after they leave...  Well, for everything except the bathrooms. Bathrooms must always be cleaned.

Anyone else?

You Waste Some; You Use Some

Right after I posted saying that I rarely throw away any of the food I buy, I ended up having to throw away a whole bunch of limes.  AND half of one of my home-grown butternut squashes.

That's almost as bad as having someone come into my garden and steal one.  Only this time it was completely my fault.  I just didn't get around to using it and expected it to wait around as long as I needed it to. 

Oh, well, I got to use half of it in a wonderful Butternut and Potato Bake.  I really need to update that recipe.  I usually end up stirring the canned tomatoes into the browned hamburger and cooking that for a bit while I cut up potatoes and squash, and then I add it all at once.  That probably doesn't make a huge difference, but the other night we were working in the garage - Jeffrey cleaning the cars and me cleaning out the freezer and refrigerator - so it ended up being in the oven at 400° for about 2 hours.  And it was so good.  The longer it cooks, the better it is.

The asparagus was pretty well done, too.  No, it wasn't in there the whole 2 hours; I just tossed it in at the end.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't know why I didn't just toss it on top of the squash and potato dish, but I used a separate baking dish.  The asparagus was kind of an after thought.  It was one of those things that was in my fridge and needed to be used.  So I used it before it went bad.  (WIN!)

Unlike those limes.  All I had to do was throw them in the freezer.  In the bag with those other two limes that are already in there.  I kept meaning to, but I just didn't get around to it.  So, yes, even with the best of intentions, things still do go to waste.

Should You Hire a Professional Cleaner?

You may have several surfaces that you need to have cleaned. Should you attempt to clean them yourself? Many people try to avoid the cost of hiring a cleaning company by trying to do the cleaning on their own. However, some jobs are just too big for the average person to handle. Also, some cleaning jobs involve the cleaning of biohazardous materials. Obviously, these items are incredibly dangerous and need to be cleaned up in a very specific way. Otherwise, the health of the people doing the cleaning could be put in jeopardy.
 
Here are some of the advantages of hiring a cleaning company.

1. The job will be done right the first time
   You run the risk of not doing the cleanup correctly if you attempt to do it yourself. This can create additional problems at your home or business that could have been prevented if you had simply called a professional cleaning company in the first place. The pros will take a look at the surface that needs to be cleaned. They will then determine what the substance is that needs to be removed. These two pieces of information will allow them to figure out exactly how they will go about cleaning it off. Different substances require different cleaning chemicals to completely remove them.
2. Many cleaners do not harm the environment
   You might be one of the many people who are concerned about possibly harming the environment with chemicals used in the cleaning process. If this is the case, there are now many professional cleaning companies that exclusively use cleaning products that will not harm the environment. This was not the case 10 years ago. However, the general public has recently expressed a desire to use cleaning products that are safe for the environment and the cleaning industry has responded. Do you need to hire an experienced concrete cleaner? You can get in contact with one by visiting http://actcleaners.com/.
3. You can avoid contact with dangerous substances
   You may find yourself in a situation where you have potentially harmful substances that need to be cleaned up. This requires much more than your average cleaning chemicals to do the job right. There is a special protocol that must be taken to ensure that all traces of the substances have been removed from the area. There are special cleaning solutions that need to be used to clean substances like feces and medical waste. A cleaning company will know what to do.

How to Remove That Sticky Residue

I saw something on Pinterest recently for a homemade 'Goo Gone' which is supposed to work well to remove the sticky residue from labels and price tags.  But when I had a label to remove recently, I couldn't remember what the recipe was, and realized I hadn't pinned it.  So, I reached under my sink and grabbed my handy can of Bar Keepers Friend®.  Guess what?  It worked wonderfully!

There was no scrubbing involved or trying to figure out if cold water would work better than hot.  I just sprinkled some on my sponge, added a little water, and wiped the gunk off.  It was awesome!

Of course, I've only tried this twice, once on plastic and once on glass, but I really need to remember this in the future.  That sticky, gunky residue is always such a pain.

Have you found anything that works for you?  If you have some of this stuff, give it a try.

What a Mess

In all the sorting, organizing, tossing, and packing, things are starting to look like a real disaster around here.  That doesn't sound a bit organized, does it?  It's just that there are piles of stuff here and piles of stuff there with everything being sorted out - what goes, what gets tossed, what gets donated, etc.  Along with all that boxes are starting to stack up and newspapers and packing materials are scattered everywhere.  It's quite a change from all that time I kept the house as close to perfect as possible just in case we'd have a showing.

I'm sure I'll need to clean everything up again before we leave.  And now I'm trying to figure out when exactly I'll have time for that.  Sometime after everything is packed up and out of the house I'll just have to do it.  I'm not sure exactly how much cleaning I need to do, but I'll have to at least sweep and vacuum and probably wipe down the bathrooms.  It would be a lot easier to just find somewhere I could Click Here and get someone to come in and clean the floors for me, but maybe that's what the buyers will do.  I just need to leave it decent.  I think.  I'm not really sure how much I'm supposed to do.

I remember doing the last-minute cleaning at our old house before I was ready to load the kids, the cat, the dog, and all the last-minute stuff into the car and head to Wisconsin.  I wanted to leave everything perfect.  And then that night we got to Wisconsin and got to the apartment we were going to be living in for the next several months - and it was a dark, dirty mess.  I'm sure the apartment complex was supposed to have someone clean before a new tenant moved in, but they didn't.  It was very frustrating going from my nice clean house to that.  I'd like to leave the house so that whoever comes in here won't feel like they have to clean before they can touch anything.  OK, even if I don't do any cleaning at all, it won't be that bad.  But I'll probably do it anyway.

At least one of the guys from the moving companies that came to give us an estimate added my vacuum cleaner to the inventory and included it in the list of items to be moved.  Nope, that's not gonna work...

I'll Probably Vacuum the Basement, Too

My house didn't really look bad, but I've been busy this week cleaning bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, clearing away clutter, etc.  I still have to wonder how that clutter accumulates so quickly! 

Good thing I've been working on it, because now the house looks really good - just in time for a showing.  Our real estate agent called today to tell me that someone wants to come look at the house tomorrow afternoon, and I didn't feel all panicked about it and that I'd have to rush around like a crazy person trying to get everything ready.  It's pretty much all done, except for making sure dishes are washed and put away and any extra stuff that can be cleared off the kitchen counters is cleared away.  (I really would like to be able to keep it perfect at all times, but I live here.)

I may or may not vacuum the basement and the stairs.  I just did the upstairs yesterday.  I think the basement looks pretty good, because we're not really using it right now.  If I had one of these Miele Vacuum cleaners (one of the canister style) I'd probably just do it.  It's not like it's that big of a deal to carry my vacuum cleaner down the stairs, but still...

We used to have a vacuum cleaner in the basement too, but Jeffrey has that at the apartment now.  It's not like we specifically bought a vacuum cleaner for the basement.  It was just one that we had before we bought the one I have now, and there was another one we had in between, but that one broke.  When I think about how many vacuum cleaners we've had over the years, I'm thinking I should have had one of these Miele cleaners.  They're designed and engineered for a lifetime of at least 20 years and Miele’s unique 12-stage AirClean™ filtration system retains over 99.9% of all fine particles from the air without releasing harmful particulates and allergens back into your home, which I think is even more important.

I'm bookmarking this webpage because next time I need a vacuum, I want to look at these.  They even offer free shipping on all purchases, and no tax outside of Virginia.

Tile in the Bathroom

I forgot that the tubs in these apartments have Bathroom tiles on the walls until I started cleaning the tub today.  I hadn't even thought of it when I was showering.  Yes, I'm very observant - why do you ask?

I really do like tile in the bathroom, though not necessarily these or the gorgeous shade of green the tub and the toilet are.  I just remembered as I was cleaning that it's important to take proper care of the grout between the tiles.  It's not too bad here, so the last tenants must have cleaned well, or else the apartment complex has learned the secret of cleaning grout really well.  I remember one semester in college it was my job to clean the showers in one of the bathrooms.  The grout in there was pretty bad, and I had no idea how to get it clean, not to mention that it was already that way before it became my job to clean it.  But do you think my RA cared?  No, she expected me to get it clean.

None of the products we had for cleaning the dorm did a thing, so my friend Jen ended up buying some bleach, and that took care of it.  Not that I want to use bleach as a regular cleaner, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  And the only reason I got to thinking about that was because I realized I hadn't given Jeffrey anything for cleaning the tile grout, because I hadn't even thought of it.  I'm making a list of things I need to send back with him while I'm here, so I ought to add something for that.

My friend Peggy has a really amazing bathroom and shower that is all tile.  She's got really nice tiles like some of the ones you can find on Glass Tile Store website.  They have all kinds of really nice tiles, and also some good information in grout care and cleaning, which could come in handy.  I will have to ask Peggy what she uses and how she keeps her nicely tiled bathroom and shower clean.  Not that I expect to clean this tub and these tiles again, but you never know - and we might just end up with a nicely tiled bathroom of our own when we get a new house.

A Little Bit of Cleaning

While Jeffrey is at work and I'm home alone in the apartment, I've managed to stay occupied.  I brought a book along to read, because I thought I could take some time just to sit and read it - but so far I haven't read more than a few pages.  I should probably blame that on finding out I have internet access and spending too much time on facebook, but I've also spent some time cleaning the apartment for my sweet husband.

Yes, I know he's a big boy and he can take care of himself, but I'm used to taking care of him.  So I've washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, made sure we had something for dinner - fajitas in the crockpot right now - cleaned the tub and sink in the bathroom, and swept and vacuumed the floors.  Honestly, all that didn't really take up too much time.  It really doesn't take too long to clean a little 1-bedroom apartment, and it wasn't really all that messy.  Jeffrey has done a good job of taking care of himself - not that I really want to have him getting too used to doing that.

Mainly I wanted to vacuum the carpet because there were salt crystals all over the place, mainly by the entry door.  Now that it's winter, that's probably going to be a regular thing.  The frustrating thing is that the carpet is nice and thick and new, and right up to the door - meaning that there is no way to put any kind of rug in front of the door to wipe your feet on.  Whatever is on your shoes when you walk in the door, in this case the salt from the sidewalks, gets tracked in onto the carpet.  You definitely don't want to step in any mud!

You'd think they'd put some kind of vinyl or tile in front of the doors to avoid having everything tracked in, but Jeffrey says they just put new carpet in whenever they rent an apartment out to a new tenant.  I don't know if that's more cost effective than if they would just Click Here and get the carpets cleaned between tenants, but that's what they do.  Still, wouldn't it be nice for the current tenants if they were able to put a throw rug in front of the door and keep the carpet cleaner while they're living there?

Should we suggest some kind of hard surface just inside the entry doors of the apartments?  After all, they have changed the kitchen and bathroom floors.  They used to be carpeted when we lived here before.

I Hope It's Something They Ate

Beth texted me today and asked me if I could watch Jason for a bit because she had something to do.  Of course I said yes, because I like hanging out with the little guy.

Then she showed up, and she wasn't feeling good.  She said the little guy she babysits has been sick, and now she's getting it.  But Jason hasn't really been around the other little guy - even though they spend the day in the same house - because they were on different schedules, sleeping and being up at different times.  So Jason was fine.

Except it wasn't but a few minutes after Beth had left that I heard Jason coughing in the other room.  I went to check on him and found him throwing up all over his computer.  Yeah, thankfully his computer caught most of it, along with his pants and his sweatshirt.  Poor sweet baby, he had no idea what was happening.

I got him to the bathroom, got his clothes off and got him all cleaned up.  After that, he seemed fine, but I called his mommy and told her she should probably come get him and take him home.  She, of course, was sick herself and couldn't really come get him.  So she called his daddy to come get him and take him home.

In the meantime, I kept a close eye on him and tried to keep him off the furniture and the carpet, trying to avoid needing to call a cleaning service like carpet cleaning calgary.  Of course, he's a busy toddler and keeping him still anywhere is not really possible, so when he threw up again, he did get some on the carpet - and on the shirt he was still wearing - and, there were no extra clothes in the diaper bag, so I was thinking I'd have to send him home wearing just a diaper and some socks, but there was still an outfit hanging in the closet from when he used to live here, so we put that on.  It didn't really fit him, but at least it was something.

Then once his daddy came to get him, I cleaned up the carpet, gathered all the clothes and blankets, and threw everything in the washer.  OH, and washed my hands and washed my hands and washed my hands.  With soap.  I really hope it's something they ate, because I do not want this.  And I hope that sweet precious baby boy feels better soon.  And his mommy too.

Pray They Love It

Somebody is coming to look at our house tomorrow.  Pray they love it and want to buy it.

I spent the day straightening up and cleaning around here so that everything looks great.  Not that it looks all that bad normally, and we've spent time getting all kinds of extra stuff cleared out.  Still, I live here, and I tend to stack my papers, books, and all the other stuff I'm supposed to be working on right next to me on the couch or on the floor where they're easily accessible.  Mail comes in and gets stacked on the table.  The kitchen gets cluttered and filled with dirty dishes from cooking.  Laundry gets hung to dry. Etc., etc...

Today I cleared out all of that- except for these movies here next to me that need to go downstairs with the rest of the movies.  I dusted the furniture, swept and vacuumed the floors, wiped down bathroom sinks, cleaned the kitchen sink, and just generally cleaned and straightened the whole house. 

Now that I've done all that, what I need you to do is pray that the people who come to look at it love it.  (I mean, why wouldn't they?)  Maybe they want a deck on their next house, and we've got a really nice one.  To go with our really nice move-in-ready house.

Clear the Clutter

Clutter, clutter, clutter - I really am sick of the clutter around here.  It doesn't help that Beth, Tim & Jason moved in with us with all their stuff.  But it's not all their fault - we have more than enough stuff of our own around here.  That's what happens when you live in the same place for 14 years - you collect a lot of stuff.

I keep looking around thinking that it would be nice if I could just clear some stuff out, not just for us living here, but what if - what if (when) - Jeffrey finds a new job and we have to move?  How in the world is this place supposed to look good enough to sell?  HOW?  Yeah, I'm stressing a bit.  And, yes, I do know that my house looks better on a bad day than some people's houses look on a good day, but still.  There's too much stuff.

I found this article in a magazine I was going through yesterday.  Maybe these tips will be helpful.  Here's what they had to say:

Before you can organize anything, you need to toss what you don't use, don't need or don't want.   Allow at least half a day per room.  Pile everything from the room in the middle of the floor.  Look at each item critically.  Is this something you would buy?  Is this something you would be happy with if someone gave it to you?  If either answer is no, well, it needs to go.  The strategy: Gather four trash bags and assign a category for each.

1.  The first bag:
   Use for items that are broken or missing their essential pieces.  Once you have a pile of throwaways, recycle what you can, and discard the rest in the trash.
2. The second bag:
   Designate for things that you don't want but someone else might be able to use.  Neatly fold or place in bag to be donated or sold at a garage sale.
3. The third bag:
   Collect things you haven't used in a long time but still want.  Try moving them to a different part of your home where they may be used more often.
4. The fourth bag:
   Store items you don't use now, but you might want one day.  These are things that have sentimental value or would be too expensive to replace.

So I guess I need to buy some big trash bags...  Or laundry baskets or tubs could work, too.

I am recycling a bunch of magazines.  That I should have read before.  That I can't just toss without first leafing through, just in case I find helpful articles like this.  Or recipes I might want to try someday.

Related articles

• Unclutter Your Home In 10 Easy Steps

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• De-clutter and Get Organised

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It Pays to Vacation at Home

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Clorox Company for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the cost of gas, many people are saving money by vacationing at home - Staycationing instead of vacationing.  It's a really good idea, because if you're like us, there are tons of things to do in your local area that you never do - because you just don't have the time or because you feel you can always go there.  At least that's my excuse...
 
This summer, not only can you save money on gas and hotel rooms and see some of your local sites - or just hang out in the backyard with the kids - you could even get paid to do it.  How, you ask?  By entering the It Pays to Vacation at Home sweepstakes from Dollar General and Clorox®.  20 lucky grand prize winners will be selected to receive a $500 "paycheck" and 100 lucky winners will win a $25 Dollar General gift card.
 
Simply visit dollargeneral.com to register.  Then, once you register, you can also play the “Wipe To Win”  game for the chance to win a $10 Dollar General gift card.  You take a virtual Clorox® Disinfecting Wipe and wipe the virtual fridge to find out if you won or not.  I played.  I didn't win - but I can try again tomorrow.  There will be 100 instant win prizes given away.

Be sure to enter the It Pays to Vacation at Home sweepstakes for your own chance at some of the prizes, and remember you can pick up all your favorite Clorox® cleaning products at Dollar General - Pine-Sol® Multi-Surface cleaners, Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, and Clorox® Liquid-Bleach, to name a few.  (Interesting - as I'm typing this, there's a commercial for Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes on tv.)  Just rember that, even if you are staying home,  you are not allowed to spend your entire vacation cleaning!!   That wouldn't be a vacation, would it?

This contest runs now through June 24, 2012.  Good luck!

All Natural Carpet Cleaning

We had company a month or so ago, and they commented on how good our carpet looked - for being 13 years old.  Part of the reason is that we take our shoes off at the door and do not wear them in the house.  I figure there's no sense in tracking dirt through the house if we don't need to, and it's healthier too because we're not tracking all the outside toxins into the house.  Also, we didn't have little kids with bottles and sippy cups running around the house, so we don't have a bunch of spots on the carpet from spills and such.  And what spills we had got cleaned up right away, unlike the carpet that was in Beth's room which she did not take care of and had to be removed - but that's another story.

I'm starting to see spots showing up on my living room carpet now - because we've got a little guy here, with bottles and sippy cups that leak or drip, and who occasionally spits up on the floor.  I try to clean up as best I can, but I'm not sure I can keep up with it.  I really, really need to get the carpet cleaned.  I keep saying I'm going to do it - need to put it on a list, I guess! - but so far I haven't gotten to it.  I'm beginning to wonder if I can just call someone like this Green Choice carpet cleaner I've been reading about.  They use all-natural and 100% organic cleaning products and methods, making them healthier and better for everybody.   See what they say:

Did you know that many traditional carpet cleaners in Manhattan use methods that emit harmful fumes and toxins into the atmosphere? These caustic chemical by-products are not only detrimental to the environment, but may pose a health risk to humans as well as animals, particularly in areas that are not well-ventilated. Our conscientious and eco-friendly approach to cleaning is safe for your entire household, including children and household pets.

With a little guy crawling around on the floor, I think avoiding those chemicals, toxins and fumes is really important, not to mention the way those things bother me.  Even if I end up cleaning the carpet myself, which I probably will, I want to find a natural cleaner to use in my carpet cleaning machine.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.

And if you live in the New York City area, be sure to check out Green Choice Carpet Cleaning.  Not only do they offer green cleaning alternatives, they strive to beat the competitor's prices- so choosing a healthier option does not mean paying a lot more!  There are some coupons and savings available on the website too, making it even more affordable.

They probably don't come to Wisconsin, do they?

How to Live with Your 'Adult' Children

OK, not really - I really do not know how this is supposed to work.  Beth and Tim moved in about a month ago, and we're all going to have to figure out how to make this work.  The good part?  We get to see Jason every day!  The bad part?  Beth is still Beth.  Oh yes, we love her - she's ours; I guess we're supposed to - but oh! is she hard to live with.

It hasn't been too bad so far, probably because I haven't said much - just let her do (or not do) what she wants to do.  Then today I went downstairs for a bit to look some stuff up and print some coupons.  When I came back up she was making scrambled eggs for breakfast, which is perfectly fine.  Except that she was using a too-small pan and had splashed egg out of the pan and onto the burner and underneath it.  I noticed and pointed it out, and that's when I got an earful about how she's been living on her own for the past two years and taking care of her own stuff, she's 21 years old and she's tired of being treated like she's 12! and of course she was going to clean it up how dare I assume she was just going to leave a mess....  Experience, I guess - the laundry that sits around and never gets quite finished and put away, the high chair that doesn't get wiped off, the crumbs under the high chair that never get swept up, the bed that doesn't get made - well, never mind about that; what's in her room is her problem, and I really don't care - the cat litter she never deals with unless specifically told it needs done, the half-full coffee cups that never seem to make it into the kitchen, the ... the list could go on and on.  How was I supposed to realize that this was the time that she would finally clean up after herself?

And so, she cleaned up - wiped up the burner.  Mostly.  Washed and put away the pan.  Of course she would have done that without me saying anything.  The cup that she scrambled the eggs in before pouring them into the skillet?  Still sitting on the counter, with the fork still in it - unrinsed.  Yeah.  I didn't need the pan washed.  I didn't need the cup washed, though it should have been rinsed so the egg didn't dry in the bottom and make it hard to wash.  I just didn't want the egg left on the burner to dry and harden and wait for me to clean up later.  Is that so wrong?  What part of her previous behavior was supposed to make me confident that she would indeed take care of it?

Later she left the room and left her computer open.  I just happened to glance at the screen - 'cause I'm nosy - and saw that she was looking at apartments online.  Maybe she'd rather move out than have me expect her to clean up after herself?  But then who's going to take care of things?  Oh  yeah, Tim!

Honestly, I really would like to believe and see that Beth is a fully responsible adult.  I don't want to have to point out the things that need to be done.  I want her to be responsible and take care of things - without being reminded or nagged.  But how long am I supposed to wait for her to step up and actually do it?

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Bursting at the Seams

I can't believe it's already Thursday.  How does the week go by so fast?

We've been keeping busy around here, and we have a houseful.  Not only did Beth, Tim and Jason move in last weekend with their two cats, but Cory is home on Spring Break this week.  I guess it's a good test of how we're all going to fit into one house.  Beth and Tim put some of their stuff and furniture in storage, but they still seemed to bring a lot of stuff with them.  When Beth moved out, it was just mainly her and her clothes, which all fit in her room.  She did have some toys and stuffed animals and other stuff she boxed up and stored downstairs - and that was part of the stuff she went through and got rid of all the extras she really didn't need to keep before she moved in.  The back storage room in the basement was looking better for a bit, but now it's all cluttered up again.  I think more stuff either has to go or needs to go into storage with the rest of Beth & Tim's stuff.

Before Beth & Tim moved in, we moved Cory downstairs.  So when he's here, he kinda has his own apartment.  Well, at least he has his own room and bathroom, and he can use the basement to watch TV, play video games, or whatever.  It's more like a living room down there now, because Beth brought some of her furniture, so that's all down there, along with the TV they got right after Thanksgiving.  It's nice that we have that extra living space so hopefully we won't end up on top of each other while they all live here.  Cory's at school most of the time, except for the weekends he comes home, and he'll be gone most of the summer - so Beth & Tim can hang out downstairs if they need to get away from us, or we need them to just go away for a while.

The cats are gradually getting used to each other.  The first couple days our cats just spent the whole time hiding out, but they've been coming out more often, and there's not quite as much hissing and growling.  I think Weasley will enjoy having somebody to play with, since Tillie never wants to have anything to do with him.  Tillie, of course, would rather be the only cat in the house - but she's already used to having Weasley around, even though she doesn't like having him around.  Maybe Weasley will leave her alone now that he's got somebody else to chase around the house.  I give them a few more days...  For now they're getting closer and sniffing noses, all the while keeping an eye on each other.  Beth's cats have pretty much decided they live here, and one of them usually ends up on the bed with us at some point in the night.  I'd rather wake up with my cat next to me, but Weasley is usually there, too - not too close, but he's not complaining too much - so we'll see.

Oh, and along with extra people in the house, I've been trying to get the house cleaned for the Spring Holy Days.  I've got the freezers and refrigerators done.  Now I just need to get the rest of the kitchen done, and hopefully get the living room done and stove and refrigerator moved out and cleaned around and behind this weekend.  Oh, and the toaster.  Gotta get that all done soon so I can start baking unleavened bread and thinking about food for Passover and the first Holy Day.  So, yeah, I guess I better get busy!

No wonder it's already Thursday.

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Shortcuts for People Who Hate Housework

I was cleaning out some magazines today and found this article full of cleaning tips.  I thought I'd share some of them, just in case you can use one or two to make your life easier.

• After using your blender, partly fill it with warm water, give it a squirt of dishwashing liquid and run it for a few seconds.  Rinse it out, then turn it over and allow it to dry on a towel.
• Clean the top of the refrigerator, then cover with plastic wrap you can pull off and throw away when dirty. (Moisten the surface slightly so the plastic wrap will stay put.)
• Line crisper drawers with paper towels so you don't have to clean the drawer - just toss the dirty paper towels and replace with clean ones every two weeks or so.
• Garbage night?  Clean out last week's leftover from the fridge before putting out the trash.
• Wipe your TV screen with a fabric softener sheet.  This will help cut down on static electricity, which attracts dust.  Swipe other vertical surfaces - computer screens, mirrors and hanging photo frames - while you're at it.
• Stop dirt in its tracks.  Put two shoe racks near the door - one for street shoes, the other for clean-soled tootsies to slip on indoors.  (Or just plain take off your shoes!)
• Spray nonstick spray on plastic storage container before filling with tomato-based sauces to avoid stains.
• Before working with messy foods, like dipping fish or chicken in bread crumbs or peeling potatoes, cover the countertop or sink with waxed paper or a ripped-open brown grocery bag to catch the mess.  When finished, wad up the paper and throw it away.
• Soak grimy pans in warm, soapy water while you eat.  After the meal, messy pots and pans will be much easier to clean.
• Clean the bathroom right after taking a shower, when the steam has loosened the dirt.  (Or if you don't have time to actually clean, at least wipe things down with a towel while everything is all steamy.)
• Fill your teakettle with equal parts vinegar and water.  Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let it stand overnight.  This will remove the lime deposits left behind by hard water.
• Clean stubborn residue from flower vases.  Mix 2 tablespoons of oxygen bleach with 1 gallon of warm water.  let the bubbles work while you sleep.  Rinse clean the next morning.
• To unclog drains, pour 1/2 cup each baking soda and salt down the drain.  follow with a cup of boiling water and let sit.  Flush with hot tap water the next day.

There were quite a few other tips, but I just shared a few.  Some of these I already do and others I am definitely going to try.  There were a couple tips for cleaning microwaves, which again had me wondering what people are doing with their microwaves.  How in the world do they supposedly get so dirty?  If yours gets dirty please share - and

• spray the inside with a plant mister, then turn on high for a few seconds.  Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then wipe with a clean cloth.  You can also nuke a few tablespoons of baking soda in a cup of water and then wipe up the mist with a paper towel.  For stubborn stains, scrub with a toothbrush.  

and there was at least one that seemed so obvious I couldn't imagine anyone really needed to be told, like:

• Before putting muffins or a cake into the oven, wipe off drips from the rim of the pan so they won't get baked on and require extra elbow grease to remove.  (really, people don't know this?)

And here's a bonus tip from me (actually I got this one from my mom):

• Line the tops of your kitchen cabinets with waxed paper.  It's just about exactly the right width and will protect the cabinet tops from accumulating all that greasy dust.  When it's time to clean, just remove the waxed paper and replace it with new - so much easier than trying to get that dust off!  You'll still have to clean all the stuff you put up there to look pretty, but at least that can be pulled down and cleaned off in a sink of hot soapy water, unlike those cabinet tops.

If you've got any tips to share, leave them in the comments.

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Cleaning Tips from the Pros

Good Morning America did a story the other day on 13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You, which I thought was really interesting - not because I have a housecleaner, but because they also shared some cleaning tips that I think will come in really handy.  I'm especially interested in trying the tip for cleaning mirrors, because no matter what I do, I always seem to have streaks on my mirrors.  They may not show up until the next day, but they're there!  And it bugs me!

Here are the cleaning tips you may not have heard before, but the pros say they work: (my comments in parentheses)

1. The best way to dust blinds: Close them, then wipe up and down with an old dryer sheet. It'll create an antistatic barrier that helps prevent dust from building up again. 
   (I really need to do this!  Mini-blinds are such a pain to dust that I usually just don't do it.)
2. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is your friend. It will cut your cleaning time in half for bathtubs, sinks, countertops, and dirty walls. 
   (I have one of these - got it free with a coupon - but I've never used it.  I hope I can still find it.)
3. To clean glass and mirrors, use coffee filters, not paper towels. They leave no streaks or lint — and they're cheap. 
   (Coffee filters!)
4. Vinegar and water is a great deodorizer for a musty bathroom. Spray your shower down as you're getting out. It really absorbs the odors, and the smell of vinegar goes away in an hour. 
   (I do this occasionally, though more for hard water than for odors.)
5. A wet pumice stone will clean a dirty oven faster than any spray-on product. 
   (I wonder if it's safe for a self-cleaning oven?)
6. Vacuuming bathroom mats is a nightmare. Toss them in the wash every week or two instead. 
   (Bath mat or the fuzzy bath rug?  I wash the bath mats, but shake the rug out the front door when I vacuum.)
7. To damp-mop wood floors, use plain water or a water-based floor cleaner like Bona. Don't use vinegar. The acid in it will pit your polyurethane finish, can void your warranty, and may reduce shine over time. 
   (Well, I don't have wood floors - yet - but I will keep this in mind.)
8. Seventh Generation dish liquid diluted with water is a great nontoxic all-purpose cleanser. Just put two squirts in a spray bottle and fill it with water. 
   (Is it better than Simple Green?  Or is that non-toxic?  Guess I should read the bottle.  I've been mixing up and using this cleaner recently, and I really like it.)
9. Our biggest secret weapon? A powdered product called Bar Keepers Friend®. We use it on everything. Its active ingredient is rhubarb powder, which really cuts through grit and grime. It cleans glass-top stoves, counters, toilets, porcelain and more. Your sink will never be shinier.
   (I have this!  I guess I should use it for more than scrubbing the occasional dirty pots and pans.)
10. To clean your microwave oven, microwave a cup of water with some baking soda in it until it's boiling. That eliminates odors and makes it super easy to wipe away all that stuck-on stuff. 
    (OK, odors maybe, from the occasional bag of burnt popcorn, but what stuck-on stuff?  What do you people do in your microwaves?)
11. Clean cobwebs with a yardstick covered by a tube sock. That also works for cleaning under stoves and refrigerators.
    (Cobwebs?  What cobwebs?  You mean I'm supposed to look up, too?  We actually have a Cobweb Duster for that exact job, and Jeffrey is the one who usually uses it - because I don't look up!)
12. Shine your bathroom tiles with lemon oil. It also helps prevent mold and mildew.
    (I have no comment for this one - but had to put something here so you didn't think I just forgot.) 
13. To eliminate that ring in your toilet, drop in a bubbling denture tablet, and leave it for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The stain will come off with just a few swishes of the brush.
    (I guess I need to buy denture tablets...  It seems like usually the ring/stain ends up right above the water line.  Do you think this will help with that?  How high does this stuff bubble?)

Anyway, there are a few tips on this list that I am definitely going to be trying soon.  How about you?  Which tips are you going to try?  Do you have any more helpful cleaning tips to add to this list?  Please do!

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