Tag Archives: home cleaning

Even More Unexpected Cleaning Tips

Many of the cleaning products available on the market today are just fine, but some of the ones you can make for yourself can be even better. At least when you make your own you can be sure of its contents, which can be either good or bad. Why make your own, you ask? Well, that’s a good question, and maybe the answer lies in the fact that by doing so you are demonstrating your creativity and control over the dust and dirt in your home that has taken over and will soon be running for office. Between elections, consider … Continue reading →

More Clever Cleanup Tools

It’s hard to think of cleaning the house as something that could ever actually be a product of your imagination, but sometimes it can be. Like any dysfunction worth its salt, an effective delusion depends on colorful characters and new and different surroundings and situations. Ponder the following heretofore unexpected and never in a million years considered cleanup tools. The Button Scraper: Upgrade your washcloths by sewing a large plastic or wooden button onto one corner of the cloth. Make sure you tell the coat or sweater you have taken it from that it will be right back. Buttons make … Continue reading →

Some Cleaning Tools Of The Trade

Tools and tricks are all around you even if you don’t have a single black hat hidden anywhere in your wardrobe. They come as the magician’s tricks come to him, via the art of improvisation. Decide that you and your weapons will be the victor at the Battle at the OK Dust Corral and not Burt Lancaster and whoever else was in that movie. Consider some of the following ideas, that is, if you are not too stuffed with turkey and its trimmings to even care. Dust Removers: Place a paper or plastic bag over the mop head and secure … Continue reading →

A Cleaning Credo: Should You Have One?

A cleaning philosophy is not so easy to come by as it usually evolves after years of time-consuming mistakes and many instances of waxy floor buildup. The ultimate question for any housekeeper (or philosopher for that matter) should be: “How can I make my life easier even though I have to clean?” The answer, my friends, is not blowing the wind; it lies just above the surface of your lint-free mind. Consider the following options. Conserve your energy. It’s like that old saying about not fixing something that isn’t broken. If it is already clean, then don’t clean it. Just … Continue reading →

More Time-Saving Cleanup Tips

Whether you believe in daylight saving’s time or not, all of us on planet Earth have to deal with the passage of time as it ticks and steals away. This is especially true when it comes to household chores, which are about as much fun as an unexpected root canal (and sometimes even more). Here are some thoughts about how to save some of this precious stuff called time that keeps slipping through our fingers and our lives. 1. Prevention is better than the cure. We are not talking here about smoking or other health hazard and disease related measures. … Continue reading →

Dust: What the H…l Is It Anyway?

Whether you believe in the Bible and its promise of ashes to ashes and dust to dust, or if you are just not that good a housekeeper, dust is still a problem. It is there and just like Edmund Hilary climbed Mt Everest for that very reason, dust is here to stay. It will not go away; no matter how many subtle (or not so subtle) hints you give it. At least an unwanted guest will leave, and as Groucho Marx once said, “never darken your towels again,” if kicked in the butt enough times. Even a feather duster won’t … Continue reading →

Cleaning Out the Refrigerator: A Culinary Nightmare

Watching a horror movie about a giant vegetable devouring everyone in your hometown except your in-laws is one way to spend a quiet evening. It’s quite another to become acquainted with the weird intruders that have invaded your home and nested very comfortably and rent-free in your refrigerator. They live a lush life among those of us of a culinary bent who cook a lot and have many leftovers. One of the problems with leftovers is that after a day or two I forget they are there. They are only brought to my attention if I am searching for something … Continue reading →