Listed Under: Clean Home


The Art of Seasoning Cast Iron Pots and Pans

Well, here it is winter and many of us are stuck inside more often than not. Why not take advantage of this indoor time and learn how to do, and then do the things you know you should, but never have. Take for example seasoning cast iron pots and pans. They are excellent kitchen tools, and in some cases are the best thing you can use to gat a certain recipe just right. So, since it is considered a kitchen staple, chances are you have one and you probably know you are supposed to be maintaining it, and priming it, but you simply have not.

Let’s review what the proper maintenance and seasoning is for these hard working pieces. First off, you should know that when you first get one of these you are meant to begin the seasoning process, but better late than never one would imagine. The way to do it is wash it in hot soapy water, roughly dry it with a damp cloth and then pop it into the oven at 300 degrees to get it completely dry. Then take it out, use a small amount of oil to coat it with a paper towel and return it to the oven for a full hour. Upon removal wipe away any residual oil and leave out to cool.

After you have done the above, never ever use soap on it again. Instead, if it has food pieces on it, remove them with hot water and a brush. Once it has dried do the re-seasoning again. It sounds like some serious additional work, but it will make it seriously non-stick, and keep it happy for years.

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The Season Signals the Time to do the Heavy Dusting

The changing of the seasons bring more than leaves falling and temperatures dropping, it signals cleaning rituals to be implemented. For centuries the transfer from one season to another has being the indicator for certain housekeeping activities to be actioned. No need for a mark on the calendar, it is in the air.

So what is it we are meant to be doing in our homes to maintain their cleanliness, expelling dust. Summer leads us to throw open windows, track in dirt, and enter and exit more frequently than any other time. It is also notoriously the season where most homeowners neglect chores, as they would prefer to be making the most of the good weather. Fun and games now need to be put on hold, and that buildup of dust needs to be ousted. Nooks and crannies deserve a good cleaning and a fresh start to the upcoming months of indoor living. Hit everything, and everywhere that dust accumulates, ceilings, baseboards, cabinet doors, vents, corners, walls, and shelves. This way you can settle in for a long winter and know you are in properly cleaned surroundings.

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Try to Remember the Feeling of Satisfaction After Cleaning the Rugs

Though we are all aware of the fact that you must remove all furniture and clean the rugs in a house from time to time, it appears as if quite a few of us are not doing so. It is no surprise that the act of collecting throw pillows, decorative blankets and picking up the whole couch and leaving it to rest elsewhere is not appealing. Not to mention the mere fact that locating a space big enough to move the sofa to will probably involve movement of other furniture and bits and bobs. Then there are coffee tables, picture frames, candles with holders, plants and pots, lamps, end tables, individual chairs and many other things laying on the rug in question, and that is just in the living room.

Once the rug has been unburdened of all of that weight, it needs to be taken outside and shaken, or beaten if you will to loosen up numerous months, or even several year’s worth of crumbs. Oh and then there may be sand, hair, gummie bears, broken crisps, paper clips, and a few unidentifiable objects mixed in there also. From prior experience I can vouch for the fact that it is very gratifying to see all of these things go away, and a little unsettling to know you lived with them below your feet for so long. It is one of those moments where you promise yourself it feels so good that you will be more consistent about cleaning the rugs. Then you drag it back inside, replace all of the furniture and knickknacks, and breathe a sigh of relief. And still, we forget this sense of satisfaction, and let this chore slip through the cracks again. That is until we find out that we wil be having a visit from the in-laws, or our own parents, and then the upheaval on many levels begins.

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Turning the Attention From Indoor Furniture to Outdoor Furniture

With all of the gorgeous weather we have been experiencing here as of late I have been prompted to evaluate the limited garden furniture we have set out, along with the non existent landscaping, and take the space from acceptable to outstanding. I have to admit that I have turned a blind eye to our outdoor space over the last few years. I am not proud of it, but it is what it is. Sure, when we first moved in we had really big ideas about what we would want to do with the space, in fact the three acres the house sat on was a major selling point in our decision to buy the place.

I actually had some nights before we had finalised the purchase where I dreamt of how we would host annual parties, and celebrate holidays with our friends and family on the land. In those dreams there was exquisite landscaping punctuated by a meandering pathway lined with benches, beautiful lanterns dangling from statuesque trees, and an overall feeling of serenity.

But, when we finally did move in our attention turned inward to the house itself when we learned that we had bitten off more than we might be able to chew with repairs. Therefore, building up a stunning garden to unwind, and entertain in became a goal for the distant future, as we dealt with dry rot, and mould. The jobs that we thought we could handle ourselves in regards to the structure’s repairs became things that we needed professional attention to correct. Our time and funds were sucked up by the ambition to restore the home to its former glory, and both started to dwindle. So, instead we set a goal of making it habitable first and foremost. This was then followed by furnishing the numerous rooms.

It is a story we have all heard before, and will hear many times again. The important part is that we made it through the hard times, and as a family are probably much stronger for it. Which is exactly why I think I am feeling such a strong inclination to begin real work on our garden. We have the house where we want it, and the aspiration of fashioning that place from my dreams is one I would like to make a reality. It will make all of our struggles worth it when we can celebrate graduations, birthdays, royal weddings, and so much more where we originally planned.

Now, I just hope that I can get the other members of our family to feel the same interest. To see what kind of motivation level I am dealing with, I have a plan to leave items like packets of seeds, photos of outdoor furniture, and sprigs of lavender on the bed pillows of my kids and husband when I make the beds. This I believe will be a nice way of starting a conversation about taking the project on.

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Get Rid of Your Unwanted CDs and Get Rewarded

Most of us have a collection of CDs that we no longer have any interest in listening to taking up valuable space in our lives. Though it might be a tad difficult to say goodbye to a few of those in the bunch, be brave and do it. It might help you to get motivated to know that you can get some money in return for your courage. You can either take those formally loved CDs to a used CD shop, or an online set up. However, if you actually put the effort in to bringing the CDs into a shop you will be much more likely to get a higher amount for them than if you go through eBay or Amazon. But, if you are feeling completely altruistic, there is always the option of donating the music to your local library or charity shop. No matter how you decide to go about it, get rid of the CDs you are never going to get around to playing. You are not fooling anybody by holding on to them.

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The Proper Way to Clean Your House Plants

It may not occur to you to clean your house plants. But, it is a very good idea to do so. Many people opt to buy their first plants through online classifieds in the US which can make them very cheap to replace once they lose their attractiveness after a few months indoors. It is easy when you have just started to decorate using indoor plants to see them as similar to flowers: only needing a short time of care in exchange for their beauty and needing to be renewed regularly. Yet after a few months all house plants, even the most robust, get dusty. You can regain the green luster simply by giving them a quick wash.

If they are small enough, place them in your sink and rinse them in warm water, and if they are large put them in the shower and do the same. Then once they have drained off well, bring them outside to enjoy a sunbath.

Then, once they have dried, you can use a damp cloth to wipe off any residue. Be sure to support the leaves with one of your hands so you do not put too much pressure on them during the wiping process. Please note that there are other techniques to use if your plants are fuzzy leaved, but that they too should be cleaned regularly.

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Instructions on How to Choose a Vacuum Cleaner

My daughter, who just bought her first home, was asking me whether she should buy an upright or cylinder vacuum. I of course had a very strong opinion, but thought it was best for her to refer to a vacuum cleaners guide, and come to her own conclusion. She was not eager to do any research and so I gave her the following info.

An upright vacuum can handle bigger jobs, such as larger wide open areas. As they stand up they can be easily stored on the floor of a closet, in the corner. They are usually easier to control and complete the job faster. The cost for one of these is commonly higher than the cylinder models.

Whereas a cylinder vacuum will often be lighter in weight, and will take up less storage space. They are best suited for cleaning between tight spaces, curtains, upholstery and stairs. The fact that they can be substantially less expensive is often a determining factor for those who have just purchased their first place.

In conclusion, I told her that I thought she should go with a Dyson vacuum cleaner, as that is what I have had for years. Based upon the size of her house she should probably go with an upright. Hope this little summary helps guide anybody else in the vacuum market for the first time.

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The Surprise Product That Will Get Your Dishwasher Really Clean

I just learned this nifty little trick, and just had to share it with all who will listen. I have had issues with stains occurring in my dishwasher, and have struggled to completely remove them from the machine. Luckily, I came across this helpful hint for cleaning the dishwasher, and let me be the first to admit I would have never ever have thought this would be my cleaning salvation.

The secret product is powdered lemonade, yep that is right. Just put a fourth of a cup of the powder drink into the detergent cup and run through a regular cycle. The citric acid helps to break down all the nasty stuff inside, but is not too strong as to damage anything. Therefore, you can use this pretty regularly, and be confident that all is well.

After all, the very thing we use to clean our utensils, plates, and glassware should be spic and span. Otherwise, how clean can we really be getting our kitchen supplies must be pondered.

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The Necessary Cheat Spot for an Otherwise Clean Home

Though we are here to promote a clean home, I think it is important to guide you with a few emergency suggestions with which you can fake a clean house. Now, not that I use this method, I still think this is one of the best cheats around for several reasons which become readily apparent the next time you are in need of a hiding spot for stuff. The cheat is to have stackable decorative boxes in strategic places in which to stuff, smoosh, and shove things that have been left out when you have an unexpected visitor or you simply run behind schedule.

On the market today there are so many beautiful boxes available that you will have no trouble whatsoever finding some that match your décor, and even enhance the look of your rooms. Or, if you are the crafty type, you can always buy basic hat boxes in varying sizes and decorate them yourself with ribbon, decoupage, or whatever strikes your fancy.

The thing I must stress is that you remove the hidden papers, magazines, doggie toys or whatever else you have crammed in them asap once the need for immediate concealment has passed. Otherwise, all I have done is aided and abetted you to create a secreted mess. And, in addition, the next time you need the emergency space it will be unavailable.

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When Your Rug Enjoys More of the Wine at Your Party Then You Do

Recently, I invited some close friends over for a wine tasting evening at my home. While there is nothing all that inventive about that, what did make it more original was that each person brought the wine they drink on a regular basis, not necessarily their all time favourite wine. This meant all the guests could simply grab a bottle they already had lying around at home.

Everything was off to a great start, until my rambunctious dog Toille knocked himself against the sampling table. While I understood it was not truly his fault, he was simply excited over all the company. I was concerned about the red wine that spilled on our carpet. Now, I bet you are already thinking since I have a dog inside the carpet cannot have been all that clean to begin with. To some extent this may be true, but still red wine is a more serious matter. Anyway, to cut to the chase the wine came out of the carpet just fine. Then arose the incredibly important question of whether some red wines stain worse than others? Perhaps this may sound a somewhat ridiculous question, a red wine stain is a red wine stain, but bear with me. The chemical makeup of red wine pigments may in fact mean they are more or less permanent than others. Food for thought, however, the consensus was not to try out a chemistry experiment on our rug with the precious wine that was left. But it would be a novel idea for a university student to look into.

After we got passed the sopping up, and treating stage of the carpet clean up, we all quickly bounced back. Because to our excitement, a white wine that was left unaffected by the accident ended up to be a real favourite with everyone. This was particularly nice because the gentleman who brought the bottle who is somewhat shy, and the success of his selection seemed to put him at ease.

All in all, the wine party was a success, and I would recommend it in a snap. Just consider putting any pets in another room, or outside for the duration.

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