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Make A Rustic Sawhorse Table For Under $40
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5 MUST-CLEANS
1. Frequently Used Drawers
Who can say how dust, drips and dirt work their way into drawers that are closed most of the time? We all know: Crumbs happen.
How to clean: Empty the contents of each drawer onto an old bath towel (so stuff won't roll and to blot things that need washing). Vacuum, then damp-wipe drawers. I favor lint-free microfiber cloths which are woven to attract dust and dirt. Wash or wipe as needed and replace contents.
Why: Everyone goes into kitchen drawers, especially when helping to put food out or away.
Use: Vacuum crevice wand or upholstery brush. Best are vacuum micro-attachments for cleaning electronics, which do double duty here.
Shopping info (left to right)
Unger Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 10-pack $20.60, Target
Ziotek 8-piece universal micro-vacuum kit, $8, Amazon
Miracle Cloths (multi-colors), 3-pack, $9.50, Solutions
Drugstore.com
2. Dishware, Glassware, Silverware
At holiday dinner tables, like restaurants, everyone looks at the place settings before the food arrives. Since every spot is visible, freshening "good" china or everyday tableware is essential. Yup, that means rewashing.
How: Do dishes-only dishwasher loads on warm, keeping same-size plates together for easy unloading. Glassware and stainless steel cutlery go together on the hottest cycle for sparkling results. Silver (sterling or silver-plate) does not go in the dishwasher.
Why: Dishes can be damaged by very hot water or heated drying, especially older sets or any with gold rims. Sterling or plate can be harmed by dishwasher detergent. Stainless steel and glassware benefit from hot water (even sani-cycle). Silver requires low-abrasive polishing (yes, tedious we know but it's once a year).
Use: The Society of American Silversmiths care notes for silver, and a silver polish kit.
Shopping info:
Twinkle Silver Polish Kit, 4.38 oz. $4, Drugstore
Amazon
During a recent visit with relatives, I hung out in the kitchen so it was hard not to notice sticky, gunky cabinet and refrigerator handles and the less-than-pristine sink faucet. I wiped those down (and kept quiet about it), as well as the pantry door which had an arc of dark smudges.
How: Use a lint-free cloth (I love my microfiber here) and hot sudsy water spiked with an antibacterial or disinfecting cleaner, twisting to clean around knobs, and handles -- and on pantry, laundry room, mud room, garage access and appliance doors. Doors need a wipe-down on each side. With a Flitz touch up, metal handles, knobs and nickel faucets will look new (don't polish anything metal-coated).
Why: These are high-traffic areas, germ magnets and at eye level, so smudges are noticeable.
Use: The National Institutes of Health Household Products Database for cleaning product specifics and safety information, and metal polish.
Shopping info:
Flitz Metal Polish, 1.76 oz., $6.53, Amazon
4. Table Linens, Dish Towels, Sponges
Textile expert and fabric guru Jamie Gibbs, of the Parsons School of Design, is blunt about towels. "Go to Costco or Wal-Mart and buy three new dish towels before guests come and put those out – don't use old ones." And, he says "sponges are breeding grounds for icky. Throw them out like you do a toothbrush, every six weeks." Tablecloths, runners and placemats harbor dust in closets and drawers so those need to be shaken out and aired for a day or two. Cloth napkins need re-washing and ironing since guests can smell them as they wipe their mouths.
How: Gibbs soaks stained linens overnight in hot water mixed with a scoop of OxiClean before washing. Iron flat and damp, he says, then fold. Don't iron-down folds on napkins.
Why: "Never press in creases on fine linens. Every time you fold and press in the crease you are breaking the fibers," Gibbs says.
Use: OxiClean, for soaking overnight. Vintage Textile Soak takes out stains on old linens, as does Forever New Fabric Care Wash
Shopping info:
OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, 3.7 lbs., $10, GreatCleaners
Vintage Textile Soak, 14 oz., $10, Star Spangled Sampler
Forever New Fabric Care Wash, 32 oz., $15, Amazon
Left to right: Amazon, Star Spangled Sampler, GreatCleaners
5. Refrigerator
My Mom's refrigerator had assigned parking spots for various foods. These days, nobody has time to keep that up.
How: Evaluate contents of door shelves and pitch anything 3 months old or nearly empty. Check covered dishes and dates on containers. Consult manufacturer's care guide on water temperature before cleaning glass shelves. Add 2 tablespoons white vinegar to warm or hot water. Empty everything to an old bath towel. Wipe down shelves, sides and doors. Clean then dry sticky containers.
Why: Old juice or moldy ricotta in fridges is gross and you don't want loved ones eating anything past its prime. Make space so things don't fall out when someone innocently rummages for a beer or soda.
Use: Replace Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to deodorize. Afterwards, it can be repurposed in pools, to freshen drains or even extinguish fires.
Shopping info:
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, 1-lb., $3.79, Ace Hardware
FIVE CHORES YOU CAN PUT OFF (for now)
1. Cleaning the Oven – Always a bore. And since it's bound to get heavy use during the holidays, it's pointless to do it before.
2. Vent Hood – This probably hasn't been cleaned for months (or ever) so save it for later, after all the cooking is finished.
3. Floors -- The usual routine should be enough.
4. Under the Sink – Just make a quick survey and move anything that could be mistakenly used (or shouldn't be) to another location.
5. Inside Cabinets – When we renovated the kitchen I couldn't believe the greasy film coating everything. Yuck. But deep-cleaning there can wait. Meanwhile, toss out old plastic containers and put new ones in front for sending leftovers home with friends and family.
Reader comments (Page 1 of 3)
How DARE you clean someone else's faucet and cabinets! Let me tell you something--I'm an absolute FANATIC about my house being clean and presentable, as well as sanitized, living with a bunch of cats. I once neglected to wipe the dust off the TV screen in my bedroom (MY bedroom, the one I shared with my husband!) and my visiting Monster-In-Law not only snooped my bedroom, but she left behind the evidence in a poorly executed attempt at cleaning the dust from my TV screen with wet toilet paper. Right. WET. TOILET. PAPER. Not to mention the fact that I was never fond of the old biddy in the first place, I was annoyed that she had the gaul to not only let herself into my *spotlessly clean and closed-door* room, "Just to have a look around" (at/for what???) but she 'cleaned' my TV screen as if I was the absolute WORST housekeeper on earth.
ReplyNothing is more embarrassing to a housekeeper to find that someone, a guest, felt your skills were not up to theirs, and thought they'd do you a favor and clean something in your house for you. I wasn't embarrassed, I was annoyed, because though I believe myself to be an excellent housekeeper (and have received compliments from guests to that effect), EVERYONE misses something from time to time. No need to make it blaringly obvious that you'd felt that the host's cleaning skills were not up to YOUR par, and clean it yourself. TACKY. Stay out of MY home!!
i don't think anyone has the right to come and snope in anyone's house. if you don't think it's clean enough for you STAY AWAY
ouch, a bit harsh but yea i agree, no one should ever take it upon themselves to clean someone elses house! boundry issues abound here. obbession as well. i understand not wanting to be in a dirty home, but if you take invites, sometimes you will be dissapointed either in how clean someones home is, how they let their kids run wild, how they dont care of their yard. its always going to be something, so take a chill.
Hurrah for you, Mia. I have a wonderful girlfriend who has a spotless house and when I go to visit her I'm always glad to get back to my clutter. My house is my house is my house and NO ONE needs to come in and clean ANYTHING or comment or how I decorate or whatever and NO ONE needs to tell me how I should put things anywhere other than where I want them. I've had stepchildren do this and it is none of their business and no one else's either. Stay away if you can't accept me for me (and I'm a fairly decent housekeeper, but have found over the years that other things are more important then "spotless".
Good for you....................I keep my house spotless and my drawers in the kitchen and everywhere else are organized as well as my pantry....If anyone comes to my house and has a remark or intimates that something is not up to their standard, well ts..........it's my home and if you don't like it don't come back!!
BOY, Are you touchy!! Try being an operating room nurse if you REALLY want criticisim(sp). I WELCOME someone giving me up dates on HOW I can keep my cancer riddn husband from dying form a kitchen germ!
Mia - Not only are you a superb housekeeper, but *funny* to boot! LOL!
Mia, I don't have a problem with someone cleaning my house. You seem like a good housekeeper. Want to come clean my kitchen? Bathroom? whatever. whenever. You can always come here.
AND DON"T YOU EVER CRITICISE!
Who do you think you are to criticise the author. If the place the author cleaned was OK, it would not have been mentioned.
Feel free to clean mine anytime. Faucets and refrigerator door handles are germy and difficult to keep up with. I know I clean quite well; no, not pristine, but satisfactory.
My faucets are difficult to keep up with.
I used to clean my dads. He was alone and his eyesight wasn't too good, plus his health was poor. He tried, but would miss things. I just did it as quietly as I could. I always told him he was doing a good job.
your house must look very sterile and very cold being that it seems you live and breath cleaning your house. You hate your Mother-in-law and it shows thru your words and you don't mention any friends dropping in. I have a clean messy houe with revolving door. Friends drop in and friends of my children drop in and feel at home. Get a life and get out in the world and enjoy yourself, because you come accross as a very bitter person. It's your way ot out.
Many years ago for the first time as young marrieds, we were able to have the family Thanksgiving at our house. My mother-in-law got up from the table to get something from the refrigerator. She said, "go ahead without me, I'm going to take this old dried up gravy out of here.:
My mother in law used to bring white gloves to our first apartment. She would go into our bedroom, pull apart the bedclothes to see if the hospital corners were tight enough (uh, once you pulled them apart, witch, they were no longer tight at all) and then use her white glove on the mattress frame to ensure that I was cleaning her little darling's sleeping are properly.
She used to go through my kitchen cabinets to make sure that every single dish and glass sparkled. She would rearrange my cupboards to show my how inefficient it was to put certain items in cupboards she disapproved of.
Yes, she checked toilet seats and floors for mishaps and sinks for toothpaste residue. I was quizzed about how frequently I changed sheets and towels and shown the "proper" way to put toilet paper on the roll.
I'd say I'm surprised she didn't count my birth control pills, but she probably did that, too.
God, I am so glad I divorced
You should never soak anything over 20 minutes. The dirt will go back in. My mother told me that. He rmother told her, and so on and so on. Every one knows that.
ReplyI agree. And even if you get busy and can't get back in time, you shouldn't soak anything longer than 4 hours. After that, it's just growing new, possibly deadly bacteria.
Mia, cleaning a faucet in a room that everyone else will see and walking into a closed off room that no one is supposed to be in and cleaning are very different. A lot of times people do not bother cleaning the rooms they don't expect people to go in and focus on the rooms they are invited into. Yes, it was wrong of your mother-in-law to go into uninvited room and clean. But I would like to think that my friends would feel comfortable enough in my home to do what the author did in a room where I have welcomed her openly. I wouldn't even mind if she told me about it. Your comments are rude and tacky and there is no need to tell her to stay out her home because I'm sure she'd NEVER go there anyway. And obviously your room wasn't spotlessly clean if your mother-in-law felt the need to wipe off the dust and you noticed. Everyone has differences of opinion but I would rather have a person come into my house who was willing to clean something without being asked than someone who eats my food and leaves me to clean up everything without even offering. Those are the people who care about you and don't require things in return for being nice to someone.
ReplyYou don't know how I keep house (BTW, just got done vacuuming, that's EVERY DAY) and clean my windows once a month (who likes smudges) you really are not in a position to determine how clean my bedroom was. My MONSTER-in-law was simply trying to prove a point. That I was not good enough for her son. The fact that I'd missed cleaning the TV screen, again, something that must be done very often since the screen attracts dust, I'd MISSED it. Usually I wipe the screen down every night before bed, when my husband clicks the TV on for a little while. So I missed it. Does that make me a bad housekeeper otherwise? I don't think so. Oh, and BTW, the monster did try to break us up, as I'd said, nothing I did was good enough for her youngest son. He hasn't spoken to her in over ten years. It's called meddling and overstepping one's bounds. I think if he married Mrs. Clean (which I have been teasingly called by some of my "Dirty enough to be happy/Clean enough to be healthy" type-housekeeper friends, I still wouldn't have been good enough. Please don't judge. Your friends may feel comfortable enough to wipe down a faucet or a cabinet knob, but then again, they aren't really GUESTS, it's a different sort of relationship. I pride myself on having a presentable house when I have company, and I'd be mortified if I found I'd missed something, only to have it cleaned by an invited guest. But that's just me...
ReplyYou really need to get a life!!!!
I have a life, thank you very much. You obviously don't since the only contribution you can make is telling someone else to get one. Do you make that suggestion on all the message boards? Troll...
Sounds more like issues with your Mother-in-law than house cleaning.