household

Sewing Bags for my Linen Closet

household, Projects

I had been storing my bedding/linens in large plastic bins with lids. These were all stacked-up doing a balancing act in a reset in the hall. All was fine until I actually needed something from one of these bins. As luck would have it, the something needed was usually in the bottom bin. So, all the bins had to be taken down from the stack. What a back breaking task! I’d had enough!

This is where it helps to have a handy husband. My husband made shelves and really good shelves at that. Built-ins fit for a queen. (I’m the queen in this fairy tale.) Next came my part. I was through with the bins. I decided to sew lined bags made of linen. These I custom made to the size of the shelves and to the size of the linens going inside them. Some have zippers and some have draw-strings. Some are rectangular, some are barrel shaped which fit large comforters well. All are labeled with the contents with hand embroidery.

A drawstring ‘barrel’ shaped bag for a comforter.

Ah, it feels good for the linen closet to be organized at last! And, if we have an earthquake, I don’t have to worry about the bins toppling down.

As always, Happy Organizing!

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Catching Hair Before it Goes Down the Drain

household

Drain hair catchers are important in keeping hair from clogging the pipes in the bathtub. But not all are of the same quality or work in the same manner. I have recently replaced our old plastic drain hair catcher with a newer version and what a difference it makes!

The old version was made of plastic and had grippers on it with the idea of catching the hair before going down the pipes. The problem with this style (for our household) was that it did not stay in place all of the time. Also, another factor was that it just looked gross. Imagine (if you dare) looking down to see a wad of hair collected at the drain. To top this off, if there was a big enough wad of hair in the catcher (meaning no one was brave enough to empty it) , water would start to build up in the tub, as the hair blocked the way for the water to go down. The whole thing, disgusting!

Bathroom Drain Hair Stopper™

But if one goes without a catcher of some sort, there is the price to pay of fishing something down the pipe to extrude the hair blockage. Again, a big gross! But no need to panic! There is a better option out there and I have recently added it to my tub.

So this version of the drain hair catcher, the TubShroom, works so much better. It actuallly fits down into the drain and collects the hair down there without anyone being able to see any hair balls. It collects in a circle around a mesh tube so that water still can go through. The top looks like any normal bathtub metal stopper only with holes in it for water can go down. This catcher will allow water to build up a bit in tub if one doesn’t collect the hair when needed. So one still has to empty the thing, but it is not as disgusting as it comes off in a perfect little circle.

Alternate image 1 for TubShroom Drain Hair Catcher in Chrome/Clear
TubShroom
Alternate image 6 for TubShroom Drain Hair Catcher in Chrome/Clear
TubShroom with hair caught on it

So, if finding oneself up to the ankles in water, I recommend giving the TubShroom a try. This is one of my favorite household products of late. As always, Happy Cleaning!

(Images of drain hair catchers are from bedbathandbeyond.com)

Desperate Times Call for Mending My Sheets

household

I purchased (ordered) new sheets a while back. They seemed fine, so I laundered them and made up the bed. That night, I could not get comfortable. I was hot.

I turned to my husband and asked if he too was hot. No, he was fine. Was it just me? After a few nights, I gave up and put the old sheets back on the bed. Everything was fine, until recently that is. A rather large hole had sprung up in the sheets. Oh (bleep)! Now what? I can not even shop for new ones with all the store closures, as of late, and I will not order sheets again. So back on the bed went the new sheets and again I was sweating and uncomfortable. Darn sheets!

So as the old expression goes…”Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures”. I got the old sheets out. No…even with the hole I had not thrown them out yet. I found some scrap fabric in my sewing cabinets and sewed a large patch on both front and back of the fitted sheet covering the hole. I will now say a little prayer that my mended sheets will get us through until the Corona Virus has run it’s course and I can buy a new pair of cooler sheets. I am off to make the bed… Sweet Dreams!

Patched sheet

Interesting fact

The expression ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ is believed to have originated with a saying coined by the ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates. In his work Amorphisms, he wrote: “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable.” —-https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/phrases/desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures/

Spring Cleaning…Let’s Start with the Bathrooms!

household

News of the Coronavirus is stressing me out! Will we have enough toilet paper? Will the stores be depleted of all the items on my list? Will one of us take ill? Let’s face it, all the news can really weigh on a person. It is not good for one’s health to be stressed. But how to stop thinking about everything!?! I tried some spring cleaning this morning and it did wonders!

I saw that toothpaste was supposed to be excellent for cleaning the grout in showers. Well, that seemed interesting to me, so I gave it a try. I must say that the toothpaste was a good idea. I liked that it was thick and clung to the brush and was easy to use. It also smelled minty fresh.

I also read once that dryer sheets were an effective way to clean glass shower doors. Yes, indeed this works as well. One can also use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on shower doors, however, they are more expensive and will crumble after a while. To use the dryer sheets, just get them wet, wad them up, and give the glass a scrub. They take the soap scum off with little effort.

As I was really stressing this morning, I went crazy and did two bathrooms from top to bottom. I cleaned the showers, the windows, the sinks, the toilets, the light fixtures, mopped the floors, sponged down the walls, and washed the curtains and rugs. I felt 100% better and my bathrooms are sparkling.

As this was so rewarding, I have decided to not only clean the bathrooms, but to start spring cleaning the entire house. I will do this procedure room by room. After all, if we have to stay home, it might as well be clean. Happy cleaning!

Getting My Closet Organized on a Budget

household

I was REALLY wishing I had a different closet organizer. When we bought this house over seventeen years ago, I just moved my things into the closet as it was. But one persons needs for an organizer are not necessarily anothers.

So recently I looked into the price of a new closet organizer. Wow! They do not come cheap. So I decided to see what I could do on my own. Upon more careful inspection, I decided I could make due and be happy with a few minor adjustments. I removed the shelves that could be adjusted and the clothes rods as well. Unfortunately, some of the shelves were permanent and were not going anywhere. Next, I decided to reorganize what I could to give my clothes the maximum hanging length. Then all the clothes went back into the closet. This time, tops on one side and bottoms and dresses on the other. But what to do with the shoes!

Alternate image 2 for SALT™ 3-Tier Wood Shoe Rack
Image from Bedbathandbeyond.com
SALT 3-tier wood shoe rack

I had my shoes in boxes. However, in order to get to the shoes on the bottom, I had to take everything on top off and then stack them up again. What a pain! I headed to the store… I found a very simple wooded shoe rack that was wide and tall enough to fit my boxes and cheap enough for my budget (Only $15, plus I had a coupon!). I brought it home and assembled it. I also sanded it, as it was a bit rough. It fit perfectly for my space and the boxes are now easy to pull out when I need a pair of shoes.

I saved a lot of money by redoing what I had and adding the shoe rack. Is it perfect? No, it is not perfect, but it is organized, does the job, and I am a little happier every time I open my closet doors. Happy organizing!

Keeping Cleaning Schedule Charts

household

It is very easy to get busy and neglect certain chores or forget when the last cleaning was done. To solve this issue and hopefully get the home back in tip top shape, I have posted a few cleaning charts. Here is what I’ve come up with…

My new HE washing machine needs to have a tub cycle run about once a month to prevent any mold, etc.. from forming. So, I have made a simple chart using Excel that I fill in the date each month when I have completed the tub cycle. The chart is tacked (using poster putty) to the inside door of my cabinet above the machine.

My vaccum cleaner is supposed to have the filters cleaned monthly. I know for a fact that it is not a good thing to let the filters go uncleaned. Again, I made an Excel chart for this and posted it on the wall in the closet where the vaccum is stored.

I saw in one of Martha Stewart’s books where she pins a chart on her mattress to tell when to rotate and/or flip the mattress. Great idea! I am not going to remember when I do this. So I made an Excel chart showing the dates the mattress needing looking after and pinned it to the mattress.

Yesterday, I cleaned the exhaust fan above the kitchen stove. Yuck! I think this needs to be done a little more frequently in order to prevent such a big cleaning job. Looks like another chart needs to be made!

I have also implemented this chart to help my son tackle his room chores. I made a chart that he needs to fill-in weekly for the cleaning of his room, his windows, and his bedding. This is tacked to the back of his door. I am not so sure he is as excited about this chart as I am though.

Cleaning schedule charts are a great way to keep oneself accountable for maintenance on household appliances and for routine cleaning. Charts can be made for anything needed to be maintained or cleaned around the house. Happy Cleaning!