Useful and Useless TidBits of Information

A Laundry Tip:

Folding and putting away laundry are the hardest part of the laundry cycle for me. So I've found that at the times when I have LOTS of laundry to do (almost always), it is less overwhelming if I do linens (towels, sheets) in every other load. Since linens are easier to fold and put away than the clothing of six different people, doing laundry this way gives me reason to procrastinate and grumble about only half of the laundry.

A Kitchen Tip:

Clear counters make the kitchen look cleaner, which makes them seem to collect less mess. I have found places for even my Kitchen Aid, toaster, bread machine, and crockpot in cupboards. When we had a smaller house, I kept a few of those items in the laundry room. This makes the slightly less convenient to pull out when needed, but I think that inconvenience is minimal compared to the time saved cleaning around the appliances. Try it and see what you think.

A Bathroom Tip:

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: If you clean your bathroom every day, you'll never have to clean it! I buy Clorox (or non-brand) wipes. Using just one wipe each day (two, sometimes), I start with the light switch and doorknob to the bathroom, then the sink faucet, I wipe the counter and the sink bowl, then the top of the toilet, then the seat cover, then the toilet seat, and finally - if the cloth is not too disgusting at this point (we do have boys) - I'll wipe the base of the toilet and the floor around it. I've mentioned each area because I want you to remember something I learned in nursing school (yep, I pursued nursing for three years - but, no, I'm not a nurse): go from clean to dirty, wiping from the cleanest area (the light switch) and ending at the dirtiest (under the toilet seat).

A Mopping Tip:

Tim thinks that one of my most endearing qualities is my ingenuity (resourcefulness). I think he only likes it because of the money saved, but as long as I'm endeared, who cares why! Yesterday, he caught me rubber-banding a rag towel around my flat mop head (the kind that is often used for dusting, and comes with a microfiber cloth that attaches to it with elastic). The extra cloths cost $5 each at the store, so I thought I may as well make my own. I walked around with a spray bottle of cleaner in my hand, sprayed the floor, then mopped it with my towel-rigged-mop. It worked like a charm, and the towel can then be washed in the laundry.

An Attitude Tip:

My housecleaning attitude has perked up somewhat ever since I realized that I really do have household servants like the woman in Proverbs 31. My servants are: the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, the breadmachine, the microwave, the stove, the hot water heater, the mixer, and all the other electronic items that make my life easier. Why, even the toilet is a modern-day servant! All that my servants require is constant management. They are quite lazy without management. Each day I have to hand my servants their workload, and I have to keep up with them to make sure they are doing it well. Some servants require less of me, like the Water Heater, who is such a reliable old gal. She doesn't require all that the Dishwasher does, bless her!

Do you have any household tips to share? If so, comment them below!

by Lori Seaborg