Tag cleaning

Remove Your Shoes Please!

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Copyright: andsst

I grew up in a shoes-off household, which meant that as soon as anyone stepped into my home, they had to remove their shoes and leave them at the front door. Throughout my childhood, I noticed that none of my friends removed their shoes while in their homes, but then again, none of whom were Asian. In stark contrast, I noticed that the habit of removing shoes, sandals, and boots was always followed by my mom’s Asian friends, as well as by my relatives (also Asian) in Hawaii. I soon noticed that the floors in my friends’ homes didn’t feel nearly as clean on my bare feet as the ones in my own apartment, since they didn’t practice the same ritual my Japanese-American mother and I did. What I ended up doing in my friends’ homes was either keep my shoes on, or I would keep my socks on if I was wearing any when I visited them. To be honest, I always felt that it was so much cleaner to be in the habit of removing shoes once entering a residence, and this is something I continue to practice to this day. Since I am also the person who usually cleans the floors, rugs and carpets in my house, I have become a stickler for ensuring that no one enters in shoes which have traversed sidewalks, driveways, lawns which are teeming with all kinds of nasty gunk.

These days, I even go so far as to ask service technicians who enter my home to either remove their work boots, or to wear shoe covers, if they intend to conduct work inside the house. Before you accuse me of being extreme in my desire to keep my abode clean, keep in mind that back in July of 2021, a central air service technician tracked so much dirt and oil into my bedroom that it took me two sessions to remove all the stains from my bedroom carpet. Shortly after that, I ordered disposable shoe covers and have them right at the foyer for convenience.

Copyright: Elenathewise

Even with the shoes-off policy in my home, I still notice dust and dirt on my floors, and since I have pets, there is also the issue of shedding hair which accumulates. The last thing I want is to worry about when I clean the floors every week is chemicals, dog feces, and various microbes being introduced to my house via outdoor footwear. A study conducted by the University of Arizona discovered that 96% of soles of shoes were found to harbor fecal matter, which is picked up from the floors of public restrooms, as well as bird droppings and dog feces from asphalt, concrete, grass and soil. When you wear your shoes inside your house, you are spreading all of that bacteria, most notably E. coli, over all of your floors. Not only do you have to worry about germs, you also need to be aware of how many chemicals we track into our homes with our shoes, from gasoline which we pick up while pumping gas at a gas station, to carcinogenic chemicals which are used on lawns, and the list goes on.

Why not improve your indoor environment with a simple step and implement a no-shoes policy when you are inside your house? You’ll be rewarded with a cleaner home and will decrease your exposure to potentially harmful substances.

Chemical-Free Laundry

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NOTE: This is an UNPAID, UNBIASED review of the Magnetic Laundry System.

Back in July, one of my roommates sent me a link to a revolutionary magnetic laundry system which would eliminate the need for harsh detergents.

Magnetic Laundry System

Here is the description of the system which I have copied and pasted below:

About Magnetic Laundry System

These blue balls, patented technology, are proven to be a durable, healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to laundry detergent, completely eliminating your reliance on harsh chemical detergents forever.The truth is water is a powerful element and a universal solvent. Detergent simply enhances water’s already existing powerful cleaning potential. How? By changing the surface tension of the water. This helps water molecules become more spaced out and slippery to pull out the dirt trapped in dirty clothes.

Product Features

With multiple permanent magnets arranged in a unique configuration, the MLS generates a powerful magnetic field to do just that, to change the surface tension of the water, – just like detergent does, only without all the toxic chemicals.

No more wasting money on harsh chemical detergents many of which are made of synthetic, hazardous, petroleum based chemicals – which are linked to health problems: headaches, skin sensitivities, allergies, respiratory irritations, asthma and even cancer.

These chemicals don’t rinse out; they hang around as residue and get absorbed through your skin over time, build up in the body and can wreak havoc on your health.When they do rinse out they go on to polluting our water supply, aquatic life, and environment.Just imagine how much chemicals have ended up in your body, how much money you have spent on detergent, and how much energy you have wasted battling with skin sensitivities and allergies. Make the switch today!

Instructions

Simply put the MLS in your washer. You can leave the magnets in there and never think about them again. It is a reusable, onetime buy, with a 50 years manufacturer’s warranty.

Basically, detergents are designed to change the surface tension of the water which is inside the washing machine. Strong magnets do the exact same thing. Since this was a one-time purchase, and my curiosity got the best of me, I purchased the system. Weeks went by, and the company didn’t respond to my email inquiry regarding the whereabouts of the shipment. But I was excited about trying the system and kept my fingers crossed that I would receive the package, and that the concept would in fact work. It took almost six weeks to receive the order, but I definitely did get it.

I was in such a rush when it was time to do my next load of laundry, that I promptly forgot about the magnets and used detergent, so I resolved to use the magnets the next chance I got. I made sure I had a full load of laundry, consisting of towels and clothing, for the first go-round with the magnets. I filled the washer with water, loaded the clothes, and threw the magnets in. 27 minutes later, I opened the lid, and found that my laundry was completely clean. In an effort to keep my first load of laundry washed with the magnets completely chemical-free, I tossed several wool dryer balls, each enhanced with a drop of peppermint oil, into the dryer with the load. Though the dryer balls slowed the drying process, they were quite effective in reducing static cling and imparting a clean, natural scent to my laundry.

Since that time, I have used the magnet system a couple of times, and I am thrilled with the results. I certainly hope that the magnet system continues to work well, since I prefer to omit, or at least reduce, the use of chemicals while doing laundry. I’m still on the fence about heavily soiled and stinky laundry, but there are people using the magnet system who wash items like soiled diapers, and they say the results are great. I think if I have a very heavily soiled laundry load and there is extra time to experiment, I may use the magnets for one wash to see how well they clean. However, the clean freak in me is leaning towards using bleach and detergent to clean those loads.

Keeping Pace With A Crazy Schedule

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George Kontaxis shoot

The last few weeks have been NUTS. I am talking about day after day of so many shifts in my schedule and demands on my time, that I am torn in many different directions, and cannot focus on a darned thing. When this kind of chaos ensues, I begin to lose items, certain basic vocabulary terms escape me, and I feel like I am rushing by everything and everyone, like a bullet train zooming through a bustling cityscape.

For the life of me, I can’t find a gray tank top which I had recently purchased and put…somewhere. I honestly can’t remember where. This isn’t like me, because I am VERY organized, to the point of having all of my clothing organized by color, sleeve length, etc. So why can’t I find that gray top?

I literally run around in my bedroom, grabbing for clothes, rushing, trying to keep up with the stressful demands of being in so many places all the time. It’s starting to get old. Forget about having time to read a book, or watch a TV show, because by the time the dust settles from the crazy days I have been flying through, the notion of blissful sleep is so seductive that I don’t want to do anything else.

What keeps me from unraveling is the consistency I demand with my eating habits and my workouts. I am not joking about this. Despite the insane schedule I have been juggling lately, I still weight train six mornings each week. I attend lyra class one to two evenings during the week. My meals consist of clean foods like chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, green beans, asparagus, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, almonds, oats, and Greek yogurt. I have been drinking plenty of alkaline water. I have also been consistent about consuming MitoXcell every morning (I LOVE this supplement and intend to post more about it when I get a chance to breathe!), and I also take my regular supplements (like turmeric, CoQ10, folic acid, etc.) daily. My energy levels have been decent, and my mood has been generally great, with only a couple of stark exceptions.

There are two days next week which I have designated as clean up and organization days, and I desperately need them. During those days, I will perform the deep cleaning throughout most of the house which the housekeeper always neglects, I will reorganize cabinets and drawers, clean up the garage and patio, and find that gray top!

Murphy’s Law And My Kitchen Floor

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kitchen floor spill

My kitchen floor seems to have a curse on it which causes me to spill something on it within 24 hours of it being cleaned. I’m not kidding when I say that this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME, within a 24 hour window. It is truly uncanny how some liquid substance will always make its way onto the floor right after the scheduled biweekly housecleaning takes place. Never mind that spills rarely occur at any other time.

What’s weird is that I can move very carefully, thinking about how I don’t want to spill something, and yet, I will still manage to drop something wet onto the pristine floor. I will often see the imminent spill occurring a split second before it occurs. The accident plays out exactly as I see it beforehand, which upsets me even more since I get an advanced warning. Whether it is pre-workout formula, cooked egg, coffee, rice, or any other item which leaves a residue or is otherwise very difficult to clean, I can pretty much count on something dropping onto the floor that will mar the perfectly clean, smooth appearance of the floor.

The spills are always extensive enough that wiping them up with a paper towel isn’t enough. I have to break out cleaning solvents and clean a large section of the floor. Sometimes, I will spill something like uncooked rice or oats, or dry cat food, all over the floor in such a way that the substance will scatter beyond the main area, and nestle into the crevices. Fun stuff.

Maybe this is a sign that I should avoid the kitchen for the first 24 hours after it has been cleaned!

An Organized Person’s Approach To Decluttering

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Before After Closet 2

The images above are NOT from my house, but are great examples of a before and after organization transformation.

I often take my intense need for organization for granted and assume that other people are just like me. However, I know that this isn’t the case, and that many individuals tend to get literally and figuratively buried in their own stacks of paperwork, unfinished projects, and unused items which have sat in storage for far too long. One of the reasons why I am able to remain relatively organized on a consistent basis is because I go through every item I own several times a year and assess its value and function in my life. If it no longer serves a need, it goes to Goodwill, the trash, or a pile of items which will be part of a garage sale. I fail to see the point of hanging onto things I don’t need, because those items only collect dust and take up space. In addition, items of value which sit in storage are better utilized by being sold, because then the money can go towards paying bills or fattening up a vacation fund.

When I conduct my regular organizational purges, I move in a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion, starting in one corner of the room. I make sure to COMPLETELY sort everything in that area before I move onto the next portion of the room. I have discovered that this method is very effective for decluttering, especially for individuals who become easily overwhelmed with the task of cleaning and organizing a space. As an example, I may start at a storage cabinet. The exterior of the cabinet is cleaned, and any items which are on top of or around the cabinet are assessed. Once the area outside the cabinet is done, I will go through each shelf in the cabinet. Whenever I assess an item, I ask these questions:

1. Does this item belong where I found it?
2. If the item doesn’t belong where I found it, and I am going to keep it, where does it belong?
3. When was the last time I used this item?
4. Is this item damaged and in need of repair?
5. Will I have a need for this item in the future?
6. Does this item have sentimental value?
7. If I decide to get rid of the item, does it have enough value to put into a garage sale, or does it belong in a Goodwill pile or the trash?
8. Is this a collectible or specialty item which requires research and appraisal?

People who have hoarding tendencies have strong emotional attachments to objects, and will have a particularly difficult time answering these questions, especially numbers 5,6,7 and 8. In their minds, EVERYTHING has some sort of value which warrants a permanent spot in their home, even if it isn’t being used.

When I conduct these semi-annual purges, I have the following on hand:

trash bags
cleaning solution and paper towels
box designated for Goodwill/Salvation Army
box for items which need to be repaired or professionally cleaned
area for garage sale items
area for collectibles to sell

Once I get started, I am pretty ruthless about getting rid of things I don’t need. To be honest, I love making money back on items I bought which haven’t been used in a while, and I also get great joy out of donating things to Goodwill. Above all, I am very honest with myself about emotional attachments to inanimate objects. There are some items I will NEVER get rid of, like the little yellow musical stuffed dog that was in my crib, jewelry my mother gave me, my Pro Card watch, and all my trophies, but I am not going to develop anxiety about getting rid of a sweater I have had for 15 years which I haven’t worn for over 5 years!

If you are long overdue on spring cleaning, now is a good time to clear up the clutter. You’ll end up with a cleaner, more organized home, you will know where everything is, and you may make some decent money selling some of your belongings!