Ask Happy Homemaker!

by compound complex 337 Replies latest jw friends

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  compound complex

  Dear Happy Homemaker,

  I'm not totally green, but, as much as possible, I like to use basic, simple cleaning products. What do you suggest?

  Louis Vert

  Dear Louis,

  Not in any particular order:

  Baking Soda

  Ivory Soap

  Isopropyl Alcohol

  Water

  White Vinegar

  White Sand (for scouring)

  Dish Soap

  Quadruple (N)Aught Steel Wool (glass)

  Gasoline/Clean Motor Oil (to clean and nourish "old" wood)

  Sunshine (as a bleaching agent)

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Homemaker!
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  compound complex

  Where u can get sandblasting sand.

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  • To: "'aquatic'" < aquatic-plants at actwin_com >
  • Subject: Where u can get sandblasting sand.
  • From: "Coggeshall, John C." < jcogges at ssp_jsc.nasa.gov >
  • Date: Mon, 14 Aug 95 09:21:00 cdt
  • Encoding: 22 TEXT

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   > > Also, someone mentioned sandblasting gravel as a substrate. Where does > one acquire this stuff? Hardware stores just give me a blank look when I > ask. Same thing with laterite, vermiculite, etc. Fish stores have never > heard of any of it (I gotta try some better stores! =)). While I'm > looking for stuff, a source for SAEs and trumpet snails in the Seattle > area would be greatly appreciated. Based on noone above hearing about it .... I would start w/ your yellow pages under SandBlasting. Sandblasting sand comes in different sizes, and the common size is not the size you usually see in aquariums. I THINK it is grade #3 you want. Also "Rental" places will carry it. It costs about 3$ per 50 lb. bag. Although I have seen them in fish stores for up to 10$. TexBlast is a "national" brand. And comes from Texas (thank u very much) ...ooops and also Georgia. Anyways its hard to believe a "Seattle hi-quality fish store" wouldn't have sandblasting sand. John Coggeshall Houston,Texas 
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  compound complex

  Dear Happy Homemaker,

  I clean houses but don't work for a professional company so that I can be my own boss. I can take a job or leave it. There's one account I'd like to leave but the old gent's really nice and I don't want to leave him stranded. His flat is a rat's nest.

  The problem is that I can't do the proper cleaning I really care to do. All the furniture is stacked high with old newspapers, periodicals and you name it. I trail through narrow pathways whilst hoovering and am always jostling some clobber to the floor. What Old Gent needs is for the removers to come in and do their thing so that I can do mine. Start anew, as it were.

  Should I make bold or would that be mistaken kindness?

  Maggie Scott

  Dear Maggie,

  In general, it is most difficult to get old folks to mend their ways. Long-established patterns, viz, the compulsive hoarding of jumble and clobber that should be humped to the dustbin, cannot be successfully overturned. Why not, then, content yourself by working within these figurative and literal confines? Always be kind, even if you are mistaken.

  Hoover those restricted pathways as though there were no tomorrow.
  Use all attachments available to man and beast and suck each
  crevice free of dust, dirt, dander and microbe.

  Whatever surfaces might in the least be open: polish and shine them
  till they sparkle with a preternatural brilliance.

  Tidy all those unruly stacks of paper products and bundle them up
  with ribbon to afford what I perceive would be a much needed splash
  of colour in an otherwise dreary domicilescape.

  The bath and kitchen: board them shut and arrange for meals-on-wheels and
  alternative bath/relief facilities.

  Bottom line: You're not a miracle worker. Just do your best and be a cheery soul. That's likely more important to Old Gent than a perfectly ordered household.

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Housekeeper!
• 

  compound complex

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6CDSBqgzc

  Hope this helps!
• 

  compound complex

  Dear Happy Homemaker,

  I feel a little weird about writing to this column on the matter of cleaning house. To me it is a deeply subjective issue, bringing back memories of childhood. Both my grandmothers taught me gardening (still a passion, despite limitations brought on by old age). My maternal grandmother, to whom I was much closer, taught me to clean house. I fondly recall her canister vacuum - a FILTER QUEEN - and my fascination with all the tools. Uncle Bertie, a few years older than I, was still at home and used to chase his little scamp of a niece around the house with the giant KIRBY upright. What a honkin' piece of metal! Early heavy metal.

  I remember the lovely fragrances of both liquid IVORY dish soap and PLEDGE furniture polish, in the old brown and gold aerosal can. Perhaps it's the association of all this with my grandparent's loving companionship (their home was my refuge), plentiful, good food and the crackling hot summer days in the beautiful Almaden Valley that causes me to wax furniture and nostalgic simultaneously and happily today.

  I just wanted to share what you and your readers stirred up in my memory - a lot of dust, perhaps, but beautiful dust.

  Frances

  Dear Frances,

  Thank you for sharing your happy childhood memories with us. I infer that there was some turmoil in your early life. So true for many of us, I imagine. Isn't it ironic how the the setting of household matters in order - and sometimes the tasks that face us are mountainous - accrues benefits salutary to both our mental and physical equilibrium?

  As I scrub away at the sink, scour the sidewalks on hand and knee, or do the washing up of the dishes, I subconsciously wash away the dark stains upon my troubled soul ...

  Call me crazy!

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Homemaker!
• 

  compound complex

  How to Wash Dishes

  Washing dishes is one of the most dreaded kitchen chores, which means that many people tend to rush through it. "Doing the dishes" haphazardly can result in a poor cleaning job. Thoroughly cleaning all dishes is important for both sanitary and aesthetic reasons.

  [edit] Steps

  1. Run hot water in the sink with a squirt of washing-up liquid. If using a concentrated liquid, you will not need to squirt as much in. Use as high a temperature as you can comfortably tolerate, but don't scald yourself. The hotter the water, the better its sanitizing and grease-cutting properties. If possible, use dish gloves to protect your hands.
  2. If you use a washing up bowl in the sink, it is easier and quicker to replace the water if it gets too dirty. It is also more hygienic if you use the sink for other things too.
  3. Start with the cleanest things that need washing up, since they will dirty the water least. Particularly start with glasses, since they benefit most from hot, clean water.
  4. Make sure you scrape as much of the food and muck as possible into the bin, rather than get your brush/sponge and water clogged with it.
  5. Consider rinsing, or lightly washing, some things before putting them into the water. This is easiest if you have two sinks, or one sink with a washing up bowl, since you can tip the water away without mucking up your washing up water. For example, put a bit of hot water into a pan, swish it around with your brush and tip the water away.
  6. People use different washing utensils, but they all have their advantages and problems. Consider using a brush on a longish stick for washing things with quite thick or viscous muck to remove, as these are good at quickly pushing a lot of stuff off. They also tend to have a scraper above the brush, so you can turn them over and use this to remove some stubborn dirt. Cloths and sponges are good for getting grease off, and for tougher, thinner layers of dirt that need elbow grease to remove. Scourers, and the scourer side of some sponges, can be highly effective on baked-on stuff, but care should be taken in the choice of scourer, and the object being cleaned, since some surfaces can be damaged by most scourers.
  7. Generally, dip the thing to be cleaned in the water. Wipe it vigorously while in the water. Remove from the water and examine. If muck remains, rub with sponge, or other utensil, until removed. Dip in water again to wash dirt away. If clean, place to dry on drying rack, or dry with teatowel. An assistant is useful here.
  8. For most of your washing up, unless you have had to use a lot of washing up liquid or soap, there is little need to rinse. If your washing up is not excessively dirty, but tastes soapy if not rinsed, consider that you may be using more soap than necessary. Glasses can benefit from a hot rinse.
  9. If you use the hottest water you can stand, china and glass should dry by themselves very quickly, as they will be hot. Metal will also dry quickly, although the appearance of metal can be improved by drying with a linen teatowel. This prevents watermarks, and makes it shine.
  10. Care should be taken with wood. It should not be soaked if at all possible, and should be dried thoroughly before being put away. This will probably involve drying both with a teatowel, and air-drying in a rack. It is often worth turning wooden objects every so often as they dry, since they may be in contact with puddles of water.
  11. For trickier cleaning, it may be necessary to soap the sponge or brush directly in order to deliver more soap to certain areas. One method is to put a tablespoon or two of liquid dish soap in a small container, like a mug, and fill with hot water to make a soap solution. Dip the brush in the solution and use it to wash the dishes. Another method is just to put a tiny squirt directly on the brush or sponge.
  12. Some things, especially baked on food, benefit from soaking. This does not mean putting all the washing up in the sink and leaving it until you need to use the sink again. If only a few things need soaking, like pans or bowls, fill them with very hot water and a tiny bit of washing up liquid. If they're very bad, one can purchase stronger products to add, but care should be taken with these as they can be caustic. Wear rubber gloves and do not allow it near eyes. If the things to be soaked are not of the right sort to be filled, or are numerous, put them in the sink, ensuring all the dirty areas are covered with hot, soapy water. Leave to soak while you finish washing everything else, or for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes there are diminishing returns, so there's no point in soaking much longer. Attack the dirt with the brush first, as this will quickly get rid of the majority of the softened food. Then follow the usual techniques. These objects are more likely to require rinsing, and definitely will if you've used more aggressive chemicals than standard washing up liquid.
  13. When clean, there should be no visible matter and no "greasy" feel. Run a hand over the dish to ensure that it offers some resistance. If your fingers slide over the item it is too fluidly, there is probably some grease remaining, if so you should rewash the item.
  14. Tip water out of washing up bowl, or pull plug in sink. Remove food from plughole and place in bin. Rinse sink (and bowl if used), using a sponge or brush to help.
  15. Also rinse out brush, sponge or rag & allow to dry. It can be a good idea to sterilize your equipment every so often, either using boiling water or bleach. When a sponge or brush starts to smell unpleasant, and the smell is not removed by rinsing, throw it away.
• 

  ESTEE

  Dear HH,

  Speaking of dirt, I live with several very ugly stepsisters with very large feet. I sweep and sweep all day long, especially in front of the fireplace. There seems to be a lot of black soot everywhere and I can't keep up with all the work. I really need a holiday. Do you know a good fairy godmother?

  Cindy
• 

  compound complex

  Dear HH,

  Speaking of dirt, I live with several very ugly stepsisters with very large feet. I sweep and sweep all day long, especially in front of the fireplace. There seems to be a lot of black soot everywhere and I can't keep up with all the work. I really need a holiday. Do you know a good fairy godmother?

  Cindy

  Dear Cindy,

  Thank you for taking us all into the Not-So-Wonderful World of the Sisters Grime. Upon your closer inspection, I am certain that what you take for soot is actually hag dandruff. Then again, I am not recommending closer inspection.

  Despite our living in a society where both miracles and fairy godmothers have been outlawed, I shall tell you a secret: those sooty wenches who have insinuated themselves into your household have no hold over you unless you empower them to do so!

  Accordingly, there is reason for you to rejoice: I have taken the liberty of rifling through all marriage certificates held in the vault of the Black Forest Municipal Court House. EUREKA! Your wicked stepmother entered into a morganatic marriage with your noble papa and, as a result, can lay no legal claim to the entailed property. She may neither dupe you nor hold you captive to her caprices any longer ...

  Show the harpies to the moat!

  And Princess Cindy lived happily ever after ...

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Homemaker!
• 

  compound complex

  Dear Princess Cindy [pictured above]:

  Our dear Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and Prince of Hearts, has sworn personal allegiance to me and fealty to you and your fiefdom. He and his band of Merry Men will assist in supplying a swift kick to the collective derrieres of aforementioned interlopers should they refuse to acquiesce and concede defeat.

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Homemaker!
• 

  compound complex

  Dear Happy Homemaker,

  I'm already regretting the remodel my husband and I began 2 months ago. The entire house is torn apart, boxes are everywhere - I can't find a thing! We are always fighting because the project is way over budget, and all we have to close in a third of the exposed exterior is plastic sheeting. The girls are uneasy and cry a lot because Bill and I are always at each other's throats. We rarely ever disagreed about anything before.

  It started out all exciting and hopeful. Now it's a nightmare and we can't wake up. We can't go backward, but I don't see how to move forward.

  Is there any hope?

  Thanks, even if you don't have any answers.

  Maria

  Dear Maria,

  What a stressful circumstance! Even with the best of intentions and careful planning, remodels create stress AND distress. What matters more than anything else is that you and Bill work together to keep the family intact both physically and emotionally.

  Find a safe and quiet place to which all of you might retreat. It doesn't require your necessarily "getting away from it all" in a literal sense either. Since you appear to be short on funding, it wouldn't be wise to add to your financial woes by incurring needless expense on diversion.

  Create a peaceful haven within the chaos of your home-turned-upside-down. Find a nook or cranny that screens off the visual chaos of the remainder of the house. Nothing fancy: a comfy seating arrangement for you and hubby, adequate lighting for reading, simple and calming entertainment for the kiddies (they are kiddies - correct?), inexpensive drapings of textiles in tranquil and soothing colors.... They soften sharp and jarring geometric surfaces. Avoid the look and feel of hoopla.

  As to getting down to brass tacks. You must assess where you are financially and, consequently, what you are able or unable to do to complete your remodel. Some homeowners choose to finance their remodel; others pay as they go. Each course has its merits but also its drawbacks. Not to mention the unexpected. I believe that you have already encountered the unexpected.

  I will supply further information on professional direction upon request.

  Your family's happiness is key.

  Hope this helps!

  Happy Homemaker!