Ask The Helpful Housewife

Question & Answer Time Again!

As you all know, I answer all manner of questions via email regarding homemaking issues.  Lately, I've taken to simply replying directly back rather than post them here, as time seems to be a precious commodity!  However, this particular question deserves center stage.  More than once I've gotten this question, and when I received it this last time, I just knew it had to be answered out here!

Dear Helpful Housewife,

We have an ongoing friendly debate in my family.  I prefer our drinking glasses be stored in the cabinet bottom down and the others family members feel bottom up (with the lip of the glass on the actual cupboard floor) is best.  I feel there are for more germs that collect on the bottom of the cabinet and feel it is nothing less than licking the bottom of the cabinet if drinking from a cup stored top down.  What is your advice?

Sincerely,

Elizabeth M

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Dear Elizabeth,

I'm with you on the debate.  ICK!!!  Did you know that meal bugs/worms, dust mites, etc... actually thrive in your cabinets?  And let's face it, we don't exactly wash them out every week!   Just think, most of us let that go for years and years.  Soooooo.... all the microscopic "yuck" that's on those surfaces goes directly onto your rims when stored upside down.  And in that "yuck" is all kinds of imaginable, shall we say, droppings and germs.  I know, I'm so sorry to gross you out! 

In our house, glasses and mugs are stored in their proper upright position!

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife

Ahh, the things we have to think of in order to keep a tidy little household!

An Ailing Refrigerator Has It's Benefits...

Our refrigerator died.  On the hottest day of the century.  Of course.  Thankfully we have an old 1950's Westinghouse model in the garage we use for extra gallons of milk, the odd soda, and other miscellaneous items.  (With four little kids, you tend to buy milk 6 gallons at a time!).  So what do you do when your frig goes out?  In this order:

1.  Curse KitchenAid.  (I can't stress enough at how miserable these appliances are... after 2 dishwashers, a microwave, a stove/oven, 2 coffee makers, a toaster, and now the frig, I am completely avoiding this brand as if it were the bubonic plague!)

2.  Call KitchenAid to schedule a repair visit.

3.  Curse KitchenAid while emptying said refrigerator.

4.  Clean it til it sparkles!!!!!

I know it's a pain to have to go through dealing with a dead refrigerator, but on the upside, it's a great opportunity to clean it out!  No condensation building up because it's still cool inside, no stuff in the way...  it's great!  Now I have the wonderfully clean appliance you see above!  Take note, those of you in Housekeeping 101 -- this is a valuable tidbit to file away for future reference!

Your Questions Answered

I have a few questions that have been sent to me that, even though I've answered them, I haven't been good about posting the question and response here on the site as promise.  I am going to do that all right here and now!

1.  My children just chipped in (the two of them) and for mother's day, they bought me a beautiful, large, Dooney and Burke (is that correct - Burke?) pocketbook.  So you know how long I have had it. It is a mellow yellow with leather trim. Today, I tripped getting up to answer the phone, knocked in the little snack table I was doing bills on and spilled my coffee all over one side of the pocketbook.  It was my husband and I answered in tears and told him what happened.  He made suggestions, I thought of some, I have most cleaning products, but I am afraid to make it worse. For now I took plain, white paper towels, wet them and dabbed, dabbed, dabbed at the stains.  I do not know how it will look when dry - but I know a lot of spotting will still be there. PLEASE - what is the best way to clean it?  Best type pf product, etc.  Help! and Thank you!

Answer:

Before that coffee sets into your bag any more, get it down to the local cleaners and have it professionally drycleaned.  Have them use the same method that you would for a leather coat, etc.  When it comes back, rub in some high quality leather treatment that not only will condition the leather after the cleaning process, but will also help protect it somewhat against future boo-boos.

I hope this helps!

********

2.   I have a problem with my dishwasher leaving waterspots  on my glassware. Even jet dry doesn't help. Any suggestions?

Answer:

OK, I had the same problem until my dishwasher died and I had to replace it!  I honestly don't know what to tell you as far as getting rid of them.  I do know what causes them.  You likely have harder water, and it's the mineral deposits left behind after the water evaporates off during the drying cycle.  The only solution would be to install a water softener and run the water line to the softener and then to the dishwasher.  But any reputable plumber would tell you that's a total waste of money and resources, not to mention difficult!  To at least reduce the spots to as minimal as possible, be sure that your screen in the grinder of the dishwasher is clean.  Then run an empty wash/rinse/dry cycle with 1/2 cup of white vinegar poured into the bottom of the dishwasher before starting it.  This will help get rid of any particles that may be contributing to the spots, as well as clean your dishwasher.  It's a good idea to do that every so often anyway, just to keep it working at it's best.  Otherwise, simply skip the drying cycle all together, and as soon as the load is done, dry them by hand.  (I know, defeats the purpose, doesn't it?  BUT, this does save on your electric bill as well as being a good step toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle!)

I hope this helps a little bit....

Softer Laundry?

Subject: Laundry

I hang my clothes out to dry.  They get stiff.  Is there a cheaper way
to soften clothes?  I heard vinger?
Thanks

******************

You heard correctly!  Adding approximately 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle will help soften the clothes somewhat.  Another trick to try is using washing soda.  You can find it in the detergent aisle at any grocery store, and is usually with the specialty cleaners and stain removers.  Arm & Hammer is the most common brand available.  It is relatively inexpensive, and you don't use a lot so a box will last quite a while, requiring few purchases of it to restock.  If you prefer not to use the washing soda, you can always use regular, plain old baking soda. This you can buy in bulk in generic brands for practically pennies.   Not only will this soften the water and the clothes, it is a natural deodorizer as well.  Much friendlier to the enviroment and sensitive skin than other perfumed additives or the Febreze added to detergent nowadays. 

If you find this doesn't soften them enough to your liking, there are several fabric softeners on the market now that don't leave quite the residue on fabrics anymore and aren't heavily perfumed.  Seventh Generation and Ecover are the two more popular brands.  You can find them in any health foods store, food co-op, or online at sites such as www.gaiam.com. They are a bit pricier than the typical Downy or Bounce, BUT a little goes a long way, and they save you in the long run.  In fact, if anyone does use regular fabric softener, you can always cut the amount in half (or even by 2 thirds) and still get very soft clothes.  Softeners are expensive, and most people use way more than is needed.  This adds to the buildup of the chemical products on the clothing fibers as well as the drain to the budget from having to buy more all the time.

I hope this helps answer your question,

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife

Method Cleaning Products

A question for The Helpful Housewife:

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006

"Method cleaning products"

What do you think of these? I like the fragrance and the packaging, and they say they're environmentally safe-- what do you think?

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The Method cleaning products are wonderful!  (I'm partial to the pink grapefruit, myself!).  Here's why:

1. THEY WORK!
2. They smell wonderful, making cleaning more pleasant.
3. They are incredibly friendly to the environment.
4. There is a wide variety of fragrances and product types.  They are extremely affordable, and easy to find.  The biggest retailers are Linens & Things and Target, and there's one of each of those stores on every corner it seems.  You can also find them in some larger chain grocery stores as well.
5. They do come in pretty packages!

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife

A Beautiful Gift and an Explosion...

This GORGEOUS magnetic board came from Stacie, a lovely girl who took part in our first Housekeeping College session.  She and her husband have a woodworking business making items such as this and memo boards, ribbon boards, custom frames, chalk boards, and lots of other items.  She left it unfinished so that I could paint/stain it or even cover it in fabric to match my own decor.  It is truly beautiful!  I absolutely love it Stacie, and you really didn't have to send me anything.  (But I am SO glad you did!)  And just look at the handmade card she enclosed; is there no end to your talents?!  Thank you so much!!!!

As for the "explosion" part of this post, well, the KABOOM stuff arrived today as was promised.  Here is what the products look like that they want me to test:

I shall give you all my review and thoughts in a post here very soon...  Since today was the day to clean the bathrooms, I already had that done by the time the FedEx guy rang the bell.  When that task rolls around again in my schedule, I'll give them a try and then let you all know how it worked...

Question on Ironing King Size Sheets

How do you iron king size sheets?  Do you even iron them?  I love the feel and smell of crisply ironed sheets on my bed, but the sheer size of king size sheets makes it such a chore to iron them!

*******

I iron them very carefully, ha ha ha!  Actually, I simply fold the top sheet in half so that the top meets the bottom and then drape it over the ironing board with the fold to my left, and I make sure the narrower part of the board is also on that side.  Then I can keep the top/bottom edges lined up along the wider base of the board as I iron.  I iron it in small sections, spraying linen water as I go and then when I run the iron over it, the scent is infused into the fabric.  It does take me a while to iron them, but it's a great way to find the time to watch my favorite tv shows and I can usually get them done in an hour or less even with daydreamning into the tv...  As far as the fitted bottom sheet goes, when I do iron it (and yes, I do this quite often because I love the way it feels!), I simply fold it in half as the top sheet, tuck the corners into each other and then loop them over the end of the board.  From there I spray, iron, rotate, repeat, until it's ironed.  I hope this helps you out!

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife

Olive Oil Spill Question

Hi!

I wonder if you have any idea what I should do: I bought a litre bottle of
Australian extra virgin olive oil from Costco. I was unloading the stuff,
and forgot about the oil, which was on its side in the back seat of my car.
We were going on holiday, leaving at 2:30 am, and it was dark enough that
hubby didn't see the bottle when he clunked a heavy duffel bag in on top of
it.  Back from Spain, pick up the car at midnight, and I see under the
street lamp's light a horrible sight--the bottle, broken--obviously empty.
Obviously, a litre of olive oil has sunk over time into my back seat. And
obviously, it's not something that will evaporate!

I left it for a couple of weeks so I could ponder it, but now the only thing
I can come up with is putting a many-folded old towel over it and forgetting
about it!! Any better ideas? Thanks!!
*******

Oh my!  For now I do recommend (depending on the color of your upholstery) placing either newspaper, brown paper shopping bags, or even white tissue paper (lots of it) on top of the spill to soak it up.  Repeat until the paper doesn't take it when you let it sit for a while. 

Next, do you have a wet/dry vac or a portable carpet  scrubber?  If you do, or if you can borrow one from someone,  using very hot water and a little bit of the type of soap that is safe for the carpet cleaners, try to get it out the following way:

Using a soft brush, rub in a small amount of the soap right into the spot.  Then, turn on the machine and pour the very hot water directly onto the spot while suctioning it up at the same time.  This should pull the oil out of the upholstery.  It may take many repeated times doing this, as it is a heavy sort of soil, but it should work wonders. 

I will check to see if I can find any other methods for cleaning this sort of spot and report it back as soon as possible.  I hope this helps you!

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife

Club House

Yes I still am planning on starting up "Club House", I just have been incredibly crazy busy lately!  I have gotten so many emails from people who want to do this, so it only confirms that it is a great idea.  I still have lots of ideas in my head, and I really want this to be good.  I am having a hard time trying to make it compact enough for regular mailings and be affordable enough for overseas shipping...  any suggestions are welcome!  Drop me a line at The Helpful Housewife to offer up any suggestions you may have on what should be included.  Once I have more than 5 minutes to sit down and focus on it, I will put together a little informational email to all who have responded and see what you all think of it.  I do know that I am determined to include at least one tidbit from all areas of housekeeping:  cooking, cleaning, sewing, budgeting, and decor.  Not sure if I want it to be vintage/retro or be relevant to today's world, or a combination of both.  Perhaps a recipe, a pattern, a cleaning tip, coupons, and a decorating tip in each package?  Just tossing out ideas... let me know what you think!  Just wanted to let you all know I hadn't forgotten...

New Address

The new official email address for this site is:  thehelpfulhousewife@hotmail.com

All future emails and questions should be sent to this address.  Since typepad won't allow me to change the previous email link to this address, I simply removed that link from the sidebar and will be sure to include this email link in the closing portion of each post.  That way it is always accessible to click on it!  Be sure to add it to your address book!

A Question Already!!!

Here is an email I received just after posting today...

I have a question.  How do you do it?  You have 4 small kids, and I only have 3 and I feel I can't get anything done during the day unless I turn on the tv for them which I hate.  If I sort clothes, the 16 month old is right behind me unsorting them.  If I try to scrub a toilet, a 2 1/2 yo is swinging the yucky dripping wand around the bathroom.  How do you keep your kids occupied while you clean?  My house isn't a pigsty or anything, but I could do so much better.  Tell me, domestic goddess, how do you do it?

Well, first of all, I am definitely not a domestic goddess!  There are days where my house has gone to the dogs (or to the kids, rather!).  It's simply a matter of maintenance.  You try to keep everything from going below a certain standard.  If you do a really thorough housecleaning once a week, or even less often really, then you have a basis to start from and you simply maintain it by picking up after activites, swiping a cloth over a surface, etc.  It's easier to keep something clean than it is to start from square one.  But for me, the secret is that I have swings installed from the beams in my basement!  The kids are addicted to swinging and they could spend hours doing it.  But ususally they are underfoot and wanting to play.  So, I get them involved.  My 4 year old loves to clean.  She's at the age where it's big fun for her to be able to do the things that Mommy does.  I give her a damp cloth and let her go to town.  If anything, it at least gets the top layer of dust and leaves me with an easier job when I go behind her.  And one of the twins, Aelin, is perpetually putting things away.  She's been like this since birth.  She has to have things in their place or she gets unglued.  So she is great for picking up the clutter as I vacuum.  And Annika, my other twin?  Well, she likes to just run in circles and call it help!  Hey, she's occupied and it's not tearing apart anything I've done!  The baby still takes quite a few naps during the day, so he is usually asleep while I clean.  My secret is to just get them involved.  Or else wait till naptime!  And somedays I do just that.  I will do a speed clean during naptime if I haven't managed to get anything done in a day.  I work up a heck of a sweat, but it gets done somehow!  And I have to admit, there are times when I'm doing a yucky job, such as cleaning toilets, and I break out the Disney videos or a Blues Clues dvd.  I don't think kids need tv every waking moment, but a half hour here or there won't cause a learning disability. 

And if you've been able to create a system for yourself that helps you maintain a certain level of order in the house, then having days where you let things go won't mean the house has descended into condemnation.  That's what we're going to try to work toward here.  And I highly recommend the book "Home Comforts:  The Art & Science of Keeping House" by Cheryl Mendelsson.  I purchased it years ago when it first came out and it has been the one source I couldn't live without in helping me find my systems and my levels of acceptability here in our home.  Because sometimes you just need to say forget the dusting, I want to play with my kids!

Housekeeping College

I know that when I was in high school, there was only 1 period where Home-Ec was offered, and now you can't even find it in most curriculums.  I wasn't able to take that class as it was offered at the same time as Physics, and, well, back then I was much more interested in getting into the Navy's Nuclear Program than getting into an apron.  How foolish I was!  I never did join the Navy, and now I find that I didn't even like working with the engineers I once collaborated with on highway designs.  Nope, now I am in love with wearing aprons and all things domestic!  Go figure...

So, my personal mission this week is to try and find out if there is a movement to save the Home-Ec instruction in our schools.  And if there isn't?  I think I'm going to start one!  And I don't want it to be exclusive to girls.  Many men are waiting longer and longer to marry and settle down.  They need to know how to take care of home as well, and when they do have a family, a little knowledge would be a good thing in order to get them to pitch in when the baby's been up all night with fever and mom needs a rest. 

Back to my original thought, it seems that very few of us have ever been taught the right way to "keep house".  Since I felt that this site needed a more definite plan and a path to follow, that's what is going to be found here at The Helpful Housewife.  I'm going to continue to put the little tidbits out here that have been characteristic of the site all along.  But as a concurrent theme, I will start posting about the way to keep house properly.  Not a strict, this-is-the-only-way methodology, but a general guideline of hygenic standards and pleasant added touches.  I hope you enjoy this new format.  I'm going to try to post daily, Monday through Friday, with a longer post on Friday to carry throughout the weekend.  (Hey, even I need a break!  I'm a little tired out suddenly between the three sites, the kids, the farmers market, the aprons, the husband, the laundry....shall I go on?!)

And, as another new item, I want you to utilize the "email me" link on the page.  If you have any question about a housekeeping issue (cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening, pets, anything at all) please email me your question.  I will then post it with the answer on the site (no names mentioned unless you want it there!) so that all can benefit from it. 

Now, go get dinner started and freshen yourself up before hubby gets home!  Tomorrow will be the beginning of our new education!

Today Is The Day To Re-Stock

You've got a sparkly refrigerator and a spotless pantry.  Today you are going to go through them and make note of anything you need to restock and take yourself shopping!  Remember:  fresh is best, frozen next when it comes to produce.  Look for vibrant color and absence of blemishes.  Be sure to check expiration dates on all purchases.  Ask the butcher about the cuts of meat and choose those that look the brightest, firmest, and most marbled for meats.  The fishmonger can direct you to the freshest fish and recommend a new way to prepare it, too!  Steer clear of processed foods, but don't ignore aisles with the dried pastas.  Even though fresh pasta is wonderful, it's nice to keep a box of spaghettini or farfelle on hand for a quick pantry meal. 

While making your list, consult your cookbooks, recipe cards, and your weekly menu if you have one (I highly recommend it!).  This way you are sure to purchase all of the items you need.  But don't forget to take the list with you!

You may also want to check if you have any manufacturer or store coupons.  This may help you decide where to shop.  Many stores offer double coupons on Wednesday.  With the money you save grocery shopping, you can go get a manicure tomorrow!