Daily Mini-Cleaning

Kitchen

When I first wake up, I sweep the kitchen floor. Then I wash my hands. I trust that my broom is clean, but whenever I expose myself to something that cleaned something, I feel like it's accepted part of the grime. This is perfect, though, because now with clean hands, I'm ready to put the dishes away. I feel like I reward myself with breakfast, but this forces me to go into the kitchen first before propping myself in front of the TV. The next thing you know hours go by on an empty stomach, and I'm starved. Knock two birds with one stone.

I thoroughly clean both sides of the sink after I wash the dishes.

As the dishes are soaking, I boil vinegar in a measuring cup in the microwave. Then I dunk my sponge in. I know that soaking the sponge before it gets grimy sounds self-defeating, as it'll get dirty and go unsanitized until the next day. Inevitably, someone will criticize the flaw in my plan. But those are the same people who put zero effort into cleaning their sponges. I'd rather put a little effort than no effort at all. I won't get around to cleaning my sponge after I do the dishes, so this works for me.

Bathroom

I clean the bathroom counters everyday with the method disinfecting wipes. It's simple and easy to do. Doing it everyday actually requires less work. And, surprisingly, you use less, so it's cheaper in the long run, too.

Bedroom

I make my bed every morning.

New Dishwashing Method

So I refined my dish washing technique, again. I use one tall glass to hold the flatware and small cutlery and fill that with glass. I use more than one glass if I need to. I set that aside. This is such a duh method, but I don't see too many people doing it, either. As far as my bowls and plates, I run over hot water over each layer. This is something I more or less do, but I want to be more diligent about it. I usually wash the dishes at the end of the day. Sometimes I wash a bowl or two halfway into the day, so I don't have to re-use anything. But I usually fill the big pots and pans with hot water and a little dish detergent until I'm ready to clean them. The dishes that are sitting on the rack dries by morning time and ready for use.

Disinfecting Your Dish Sponges

I’ve heard that you can disinfect your dish sponge by running it through the dishwasher. I’ve personally never tried it. It’s probably more sanitary than doing nothing, but because the sponge can absorb so much bacteria, I’m still hesitant. It’ll probably remove quite a bit, but what about the scum and buildup from the dishes? I like boiling vinegar in the microwave or on the stove and using that to disinfect sponges. But I don’t microwave the sponge, too. I’ve heard that it can start a fire. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but I’m not in the mood to find out. I figure by the time the vinegar’s boiling in the microwave, it’s hot enough to do its job. It’s recommended that if you don’t wash your sponge everyday, which, let’s face it, few of us do, it’s best to replace it every month. I’ve also heard the same story with a different timeline, suggesting replacement every three months. I don’t know which one is true, so I prefer to be safer than sorry. Sponges pick up the most amount of dirt when you’re degreasing the lasagna dish, degunking the pasta and tomato sauce, etc. Rather than increase bacteria buildup on your sponge, consider using a dish brush. They’re initially a pricier investment, but it outlasts a dish sponge, making it worth the purchase, and it removes grease and gunk far more effectively than a dish sponge. Just be sure to not use it on stainless steel cookware or other easily aggravated surfaces.

Streak Free Windows

There are a number of ways to wash your windows from dishwashing liquid and a squeegee to Windex to vinegar with paper towels or newspapers or microfiber cloths. The choices are abundant, and in another blog entry, I promise to list off all the possible methods, but at the moment, I want to share a trick that guarantees streak free windows. Whatever cleaning agent or wiper you use, you can obtain streak free windows by removing cleaning solvent in one direction on each side, vertical on the inside and horizontal on the outside or vice versa. This way if you see any streaks, you'll know which side of the window it's coming from and easily correct it. It does take a little more focus to clean the windows in one direction that most people just use circular motions which are ideal for heavy duty window cleaning, but for basic cleaning on an average window, the one direction method is more productive in the long run. To remove streaks by going over it on both sides and using twice as much cleaner is such a waste of time and energy. I prefer going horizontally on the outside because I find that I'm more precise going in this direction, and the outside is at a higher risk of developing streaks due to the sun exposure.

Blind Ambition

I prefer the look of curtains more than blinds, but blinds are easier to maintain and keep clean. They rarely flatter a decor theme, but they also don't clash, either. I also have them because most apartments come with blinds. I've always wondered how many people actually disinfect them, as cleaning them can be an odd task. Plus whether you clean them regularly or not, they have a somewhat clean look . . .until you clean them and you see how much black was on it. Most of us have been socially conditioned to clean using paper towels and disinfectant from a spray bottle or a cloth soaked in disinfectant. After reading The Modern Girl's Guide to Life, I learned of a simpler approach. Simply find a pair of oversized, worn out socks and spray them with all purpose disinfectant cleaner such as vinegar, 409, Windex or Pledge all purpose cleaner and slip them on your hands like a pair of gloves. Go over the slats of the blinds with your "gloved" hands. It's a fast and effective way to clean your blinds. And just let the washer clean the socks.

Simplifying the Cleaning Process of Cookware

I don't know about everyone else, but I find myself losing interest when it comes to washing cookware such as skillets with long handles and oversized stockpots or Dutch ovens because of its enormous size. It makes maneuvering and cleaning them more of a challenge, and after washing all the smaller dishes, I'm less than enthusiastic about tackling the generously sized remainders. You can always wash the large cookware first before you tire yourself with smaller dishes, as the larger cookware are usually greasier and more imperative to clean in a timely manner. But it's just not realistic considering how dishes pile up in most homes. People usually put their dirty dishes in the sink, so you have to clear the sink to make space for the cookware. And it's at that time that my energy starts to drain. I can't imagine that others feel differently. So I incorporate double duty and simplified methods. While my smaller dishes are soaking, I add a squirt of dish detergent and fill the cookware with water and bring to a boil. This effectively and efficiently separates the grease and food residues from the surfaces, and the hot water aids in the process. Because the cookware degreases at a faster speed than the smaller dishes, I usually give the cookware a quick scrubbing with a long handled scrubbing brush once the water comes to a boil. I obviously still have to soak it and give it an official cleaning under the sink, but this method manages to reduce my efforts. I would also suggest considering to change your kitchen faucet size if your current one sits lower, making larger dishes harder to clean. It's an unnecessary investment but a simple change like that can significantly improve your cleaning habits. And isn't that worth the investment? Look for a new faucet during a sale to save even more money.

There is a possible drawback to my soap and boil method. If you're not paying attention, the soap bubbles will increase and the heat may cause the water to boil over, creating a bigger mess to clean and self-defeating outcome. Moral of the story? Keep an eye on the stove and make sure to time it properly. It's not enough to pay attention. You also have to know when to turn the heat off, giving it enough time to cool off so that it doesn't boil over. If you don't have the time or patience to supervise the heating process, I would suggest against this method.

How to Use Vinegar

~Buy a gallon of the generic 5% white distilled vinegar and put it in a spray bottle. Use it to clean windows and mirrors the way you normally would.

~Clean your cutting board by spraying it liberally with vinegar and let it sit overnight. Simply wash off the vinegar the next day, if you'd like. But it's unnecessary.

~Shine and polish stainless steel sink fixtures by spraying vinegar directly on it or dampen gentle cloth with vinegar and wipe clean.

~Clean stainless steel cookware with vinegar to remove any hard water stains.

~To remove calcium buildup on your shower head, pour some vinegar into a ziplock baggie and tape it in place overnight.

~Some people use vinegar to remove toilet ring stains, but I find it ineffective once the stain sets in. (I live in a place with very hard water). It's suggested that you pour a cup of vinegar and let it sit overnight before tackling the mess. I still like to use it to disinfect my toilet. I pour a cup and scrub thoroughly.

~Use vinegar to clean bathroom counters.

~I like making my own disinfect wipes because wipes are a lot easier to use than a spray bottle and paper towels. I simply use an empty baby wipe container by filling it up with paper towels and pouring enough vinegar to dampen the paper towels. I use it to clean my counters. It's easy to use, assemble, and maintain.

~To clear a clogged drain, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain. A white bubbly reaction will take place. That's totally natural. Let it hang for a few minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain to finish it off.

~To remove calcium buildup on your shower head, fill a ziplock baggie with vinegar and tape it in place to your shower head. Leave it on overnight. It works wonders!