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Post by justplucky on May 22, 2010 0:27:01 GMT -5
- I get undressed each night right next to my hamper (which happens to have three sections for sorting). Clothes go immediately in and not on the bedroom floor to become a clutter magnet. - I keep garbage cans wherever garbage clutter tends to accumulate. If this means I have two garbage cans in the bathroom or three in the living room, so be it. - It's easier to keep the kitchen clean when the dishes go right into the dishwasher. I'm not always 100% successful at it, but it does make things 100x easier.
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on May 23, 2010 23:47:50 GMT -5
have a spray bottle of plain water -- if something is wrinkly -- and I notice before I go out -- just spray with water. the general weight of the fabric will more or less straighten it out.
this is not a perfect spick and span solution. it is a good-enough one.
also -- keep a cleaning sponge on the side of the bathroom sink. easy to wipe down frequently.
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Post by honeybunch on May 31, 2010 8:58:37 GMT -5
When I got really desperate about the bathroom some months back, I broke down and bought one of these: automaticshowercleaner.com/. I don't want to sound like an ad, but it's really gotten things under control for me. I just couldn't handle the swishing and swiping Flylady describes doing every day. This I can cope with--after my shower, I press a button, close the shower curtain, and I'm done. They tell you it works best if you start with clean tiles and tub. Ha! The tub was completely covered in scum, and there was a lot of nearly-black mildew on the tiles and grout. I had to keep washing the shower curtain liner with Clorox every few weeks because that would start to get mildewy at the bottom, too. It took awhile, but over the course of a few weeks it really did most of the work for me. I do some hand-cleaning once a month or so to get spots that are missed in the daily spritzes. It has prevented any new mildew spots appearing, and I only have to wash the shower liner every 8 weeks or so (due to iron in our water and soap scum). I like it a lot better than those daily shower sprays with a trigger-bottle--quicker, and I don't have to hold my breath to avoid breathing in the spray because everything goes on behind the closed shower curtain. I felt kind of silly buying the thing, but then when I visited my two SIL's, I saw they both had them. Their houses are always neat, so I figured I had actually stumbled upon something that would appeal to a natural "cleanie."
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2010 21:40:27 GMT -5
Dishes: I got rid of all my miscellaneous dishes, and bought two dinnerware sets (8 place settings). They are easy to load in the dishwasher, easy to stack, and they look so neat in the cabinets. Exception: I kept my favorite coffee mugs because they are bigger than the ones that came with the sets.
I did something similar with my food storage containers: I bought a set of Pyrex bowls with plastic covers, and got rid of all the miscellaneous plastic containers. Exception: I do keep a small assortment of glass jars. But I limit what I keep.
I run the dishwasher every two days, regardless of whether it is full.
I do 4 loads of laundry every Sunday, regardless of whether I have full loads.
I take out the trash every trash day, even if the trash bag is not full.
I use disposable latex gloves and paper towels to clean everything except dishes and floors. That way, everything just goes in the trash after cleaning.
For floors, I use old towels or rags on a swiffer-type mop, then throw away the towels after cleaning.
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Post by blossoming on Jun 1, 2010 22:29:17 GMT -5
if you are bending down to pick up one thing, pick up two things. if you are washing one dish, wash two. use plastic sivlerware and throw away very liberally. never ever leave food out overnight. the mess it creates, or will lead you to create later is just not worth it. it's better to throw out something good by accident than to wonder three or thirty three years later why you never threw it out in the first place.
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Post by mrsmess on Jun 2, 2010 2:17:53 GMT -5
Caringfriend my laundry method is identical to yours....no laundry ever sitting in baskets here either. 1. hang towels outside to dry after using, the sun and air makes them hygienic again and saves washing them. 2. Get a dishwasher...no dishes ever to wash. 3. Invest in an enjo mop.....so easy to use and quick.
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lotus*blossom
New Member
...emerging from the muck
Joined: April 2010
Posts: 78
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Post by lotus*blossom on Jun 22, 2010 4:24:21 GMT -5
kind of a shortcut~
When washing a gunky pot or pan or dish ~ like stew or so, under running hot water, I use a sheet of newspaper to wipe out the pot, before I use the sponge ~ it saves the sponge from being gunked-up, and you can just throw away the soggy, gunky piece of newspaper... I used to use a paper towel first, but thought that was a little wasteful, so I started using a (half) sheet of newspaper instead. I hate washing out gunky dish sponges.
Newspaper is also good to polish windows sparkling dry, after spritzing vinegar/water cleaner...
...newspaper also good to stuff in shoes and boots to help get moisture and stinkies out... ...especially if you wrap a piece of charcoal inside it. But still good without, too...
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Post by Peach on Jun 22, 2010 11:43:27 GMT -5
I wash everything together in washer. No sorting. Got rid of dryer to save on electric. Put a medium-sized freezer in that spot in utility room so I can purchase bread, milk, cereal, frozen foods in bulk and freeze it. Means less trips to grocery. (Also good for freezing bird seed to eliminate pantry moths.) I never iron. A few wrinkles are not a bother. Everything gets put on hangers and sorted right out of the washer to hang-dry. When dry, it's all ready to move into closet. Bed sheets are rarely folded. I just quickly roll them up and pop into linen drawer. I use light-weight perma-press curtains that are easy to wash and then hang back on rod still damp. Sponges are cut in half. Works just as well as a full-sized sponge and lasts twice as long. Rinse dishes, cups, utensils, pots immediately after use. Soak prior to washing so no scrubbing is needed. I also tossed the dishwasher and replaced it with a cabinet. (Now I wonder what possessed me to do that. ) I'm planning on tossing what's left of my wardrobe and replacing it with all black and purple clothing. Accessories will fill in other colors for variety. Less furniture means less visual clutter, less dusting and a more calming atmosphere. Since DH moved out, the formerly disaster of a FR now only has 1 couch and 2 bookcases with lots of windows and open space. FR floor is light oak laminate with no rugs. Whole room now cleans up in 5 minutes. --------------------------------------------------- At DBro/Mom's home, we use paper plates/bowls and plastic spoons. DBro buys prepackaged meals. Saves on prep time and no pots or dishes to wash later. Two or three times per week we do cook regular meals. Usually a fancy breakfast for all of us. Mom has few teeth. For variety and ease of chewing, we purchase Gerber Graduates meals (food for very young children) for her for dinner/supper. Since Mom is bedridden and partially incontinent, we use disposable bed pads to save on changing/washing sheets multi-times daily. Also use premoistioned disposable wipes for cleanup and washing. All of Mom's meds are kept handy in a rubber bin. A daily chart is used to record what's due and when last med given. That way we can easily switch caregiving duties and pick up where the other left off. All medical and cleaning supplies are kept in one closet. Ditto for linens and paper products. Soiled linens/clothing goes immediately into laundry room hamper. Anything disposable or trash goes immediately into trash bins lined with plastic bags in each room, bins are emptied daily and bags placed in garage. When trash day comes, everything is ready to be taken to the curb.
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Post by mellowyellow on Jun 22, 2010 15:56:58 GMT -5
Lotus, what a great idea about using newspaper for the pots. I put so much into recycling every week, and I always try to find other ways to use it. Thanks for that tip!
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Post by dieverdog on Jun 22, 2010 16:14:11 GMT -5
This is a great thread. I have found that if I make something as easy as possible for myself I am MUCH more likely to do it.. like cleaning. So I got a big bulk thing of paper towels and several bottles of cleaning solution and put them in most of my rooms I need to clean... when something does need cleaned there is a bottle and towels handy and I am so much more likely to take care of it.... so far it seems to be working! Before I might think, "oh I will get that later" or I might even go off in search of the cleaner or paper towels but then would often get sidetracked by something else on the way. This technique helps me a lot. Diever
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Post by Peach on Jun 22, 2010 18:33:32 GMT -5
I stopped all magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Saves $$, time and paper clutter. Less to carry out for recycling.
Now I get all news via TV or Internet. No extra $$ spent.
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lotus*blossom
New Member
...emerging from the muck
Joined: April 2010
Posts: 78
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Post by lotus*blossom on Jun 22, 2010 22:17:47 GMT -5
I no longer subscribe to the newspaper either, although I get the monthly community one, which goes out to all residents, without subscription. So I save that for cleaning, lining bottom of the bird cage, etc... I'm actually glad to get it, and it's not too much to deal with, like the daily newspaper subscription is! Peach, I don't have a dishwasher, either! My kitchen is so tiny, I really need the cabinet storage space! And funny about the clothing, I'm tossing out all mine and replacing with all grey! The transition will take a while, but that's the plan (for now, anyway!) Thanks for the thanks, mellowyellow! ~*~
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Post by raysshellya on Jun 22, 2010 22:55:05 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread, thank-you !
One shortcut I used a few times when the kids were small was, fill the tub with hot soapy water and dishes and let them soak. Then later that day/evening I would drain the water, refill and wash. I moved the clean to the back and dirty forward. When done I would rinse and lay out on a sheet/blanket or towels on the floor and let dry. And I always made sure they were put away before everyone was up and needed to use the bathroom. You can use clothes baskets to carry dirty/clean dishes back and forth.
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Post by def6 on Jun 24, 2010 16:53:52 GMT -5
I leave a magic eraser in the tub area so that I can work on soap scum in the nude when I am taking a shower.
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Post by eagle on Jun 25, 2010 15:34:38 GMT -5
I bring hangers with me to the laundry room (or keep them there, depending on if I am at home or elsewhere) and hang my clothes as they come out of the washer or dryer. No laundry basket needed. True there are times I do use a laundry basket, such as when I am carrying clothes outside for line drying. But I do not store laundry to be folded in a basket (ever) because they get wrinkled and I rarely iron.
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