You want a floor so clean you could eat off it, yet you can't remember the last time you had the time to do some deep down real cleaning. In fact, sometimes you don't have time at all ... so when I saw this headline on iVillage: 10 things you can quit cleaning right now, I had to stop and read it. After all (as you can probably tell), I love having a clean house, but I wouldn't mind being able to cut a few things out of my routine either.
Many of the solutions are devoted to disposing of items instead of cleaning them, so after reading it I was slightly disappointed (and who washes their soccer balls anyway?) I used to be a big fan of tossing versus washing, and I'm still very tempted by the idea, but then again I feel guilty about creating more waste. Take a look at these 10 ideas (from the article) and tell me what you think.
- Sneakers: Just buy dark-colored ones and wear them until they fall apart.
- Grill grate: When you're done grilling, leave the grill going. Close the cover over the grate and let any residue cook off for 15 minutes. Throw that wire brush away.
- Soccer balls: Everybody expects them to be marred and mud splotched. Think of it as a badge of honor.
- Shower curtain liner: They're cheap. Throw your mildewed liner out and buy a new one every six months.
- Pillow: A washed pillow takes hours to dry. Throw it out and buy a new one every six to eight months.
- Stove drip pans: Use your grungy ones for everyday cooking, and keep a shiny new set to use when guests come.
- Ventilation ducts: Despite the advertising, regular professional duct cleaning is unnecessary.
- Fireplace walls: Everybody expects a fireplace to have blackened walls. And you'll breathe even easier if you give up fires altogether.
- Waxing the car: The newer finishes are so tough that cars don't need it anymore.
- Making the bed: Give it up -- doctor's orders. This one I have to disagree with ... there's nothing better than crawling into a bed that's made ... especially after a very hard day.
Source
The One Thing That'll Make Sunny Weather Even Better
Condiment: Five Faves: Apt2b.com's Mat Herman
Reader comments (Page 5 of 8)
I have back problems and can no longer maintain my home as I once faithfully did. Clean, well if it doesn't affect my health it can wait, I clean when my relatives come over who think cleanliness is next to godlyness, notice the little g on god. I don't believe that one at all. I know my God never said that. I clean when my adult kids come, even though they could care less, mothers just do these things, even in pain, you think we'd learn after childbirth to quit the pain over our kids all the time, lol that's supposed to be funny. My house is clutter free since the kids have left home, clutter is the biggest cause of slow cleaning. Anyway, I wish I could still clean like I once did. But taking small tasks, one a day is the best that some of us can do due painful difficulties. I'd love to be able to afford a maid, but no can do. That's my two cents worth, not much.
ReplyOh last, throwing pillows and shower curtains out, give me a break, wash the suckers, it's easy and doesn't take a whole love of time, muscle or brain power. As far as keeping your vehicle out of the elements, no can do here. We've been living in semi country zone and we've had no garage for 23 years. I have a barn though, horses before cars and all the stuff that hangs out in barns.
I have back problems and can no longer maintain my home as I once faithfully did. Clean, well if it doesn't affect my health it can wait, I clean when my relatives come over who think cleanliness is next to godlyness, notice the little g on god. I don't believe that one at all. I know my God never said that. I clean when my adult kids come, even though they could care less, mothers just do these things, even in pain, you think we'd learn after childbirth to quit the pain over our kids all the time, lol that's supposed to be funny. My house is clutter free since the kids have left home, clutter is the biggest cause of slow cleaning. Anyway, I wish I could still clean like I once did. But taking small tasks, one a day is the best that some of us can do due painful difficulties. I'd love to be able to afford a maid, but no can do. That's my two cents worth, not much.
ReplyOh last, throwing pillows and shower curtains out, give me a break, wash the suckers, it's easy and doesn't take a whole love of time, muscle or brain power. As far as keeping your vehicle out of the elements, no can do here. We've been living in semi country zone and we've had no garage for 23 years. I have a barn though, horses before cars and all the stuff that hangs out in barns.
I have back problems and can no longer maintain my home as I once faithfully did. Clean, well if it doesn't affect my health it can wait, I clean when my relatives come over who think cleanliness is next to godlyness, notice the little g on god. I don't believe that one at all. I know my God never said that. I clean when my adult kids come, even though they could care less, mothers just do these things, even in pain, you think we'd learn after childbirth to quit the pain over our kids all the time, lol that's supposed to be funny. My house is clutter free since the kids have left home, clutter is the biggest cause of slow cleaning. Anyway, I wish I could still clean like I once did. But taking small tasks, one a day is the best that some of us can do due painful difficulties. I'd love to be able to afford a maid, but no can do. That's my two cents worth, not much.
ReplyOh last, throwing pillows and shower curtains out, give me a break, wash the suckers, it's easy and doesn't take a whole love of time, muscle or brain power. As far as keeping your vehicle out of the elements, no can do here. We've been living in semi country zone and we've had no garage for 23 years. I have a barn though, horses before cars and all the stuff that hangs out in barns.
1. Sneakers. How hard is it to put them in the washer or take 409 after them? It doesn't take THAT much time!
Reply2. agree. We do this.
3. soccer balls? good grief....
4. shower curtains. a bit of shower spray or lysol after each shower, and I don't worry about it.. it stays nice for a very, very long time!
Or.. when cleaning the tub, use the same thing on the curtain and rinse it off with a cup!
5.Pillow covers are great
6. Not really concerned what the guests think...
7. You can clean yourself.. depends on your air quality in your home
8. Fireplace is fine without cleaning it! I like the warmth of a fire!
9. Wax is fine.. depends on the car... and the age!
10. Make the bed! Sure, I want my cats all over the sheets and such! UGH. Presentation... I don't like it when I see an unmade bed...
Making the bed ranks right up there with ironing your underwear. Why waste your time? The only time we make beds in our house is whenever "real" company is expected. If you spend 3 minutes every day for 50 years making one (1) bed, that's 912 hours or broken down to 16 hours of "awake time" per day, that makes it right at two months of your life wasted.
ReplyCan Opener Illness. Sorry, don't know where else to post this, and feel it is very important: Can your can opener make you sick? Look at your can opener cutter/wheels -- how dirty are they? Most are filthy and harbor germs. Manual can openers should be put in the dishwasher; the wheels/cutter on an electric one should be cleaned somehow.
ReplyBefore making up you bed in the morning, spray the sheets with lysol
Replyit will kill mites and sheets smell nice.
I love #10! Not making up my bed as seriously helped my asthma. But as for throwing things away instead of cleaning them. . how tragic! I'm quite willing to wait for a pillow to dry. Anyway I have more than one. I'd much rather clean something once and and awhile. There's enough stuff in landfills. Why add to it when you don't have to?
ReplyMaybe the orginal article was meant to be a joke and we are all just taking it too seriously?
There are items on this list that are so environmentally irresponsible. You don't need to throw things away simply because you'd rather just get a new one than do upkeep on what you already have. Throwing away shower curtain liners and pillows, leaving your grill going.. damaging and depleting the earth just so you don't have to throw in five or ten minutes' worth of elbow grease. How lazy.
ReplyAlot of these tips just lead to waste. Good way to perpetuate the idea that Americans are lazy and wasteful. Keep cleaning what you have until you can't use it anymore. End the insanity!
ReplyI cringe at the thought of Americans STILL being taught to just toss instead of reuse. This author SHOULD feel guilty about adding more waste to the landfills, especially those plastic shower curtain liners. It takes me less time to clean it than to drive to the store and get a new one, anyway. I've never thought about throwing it in the wash... I wouldn't run a whole load just for that, but I might throw it in with the bleached pet-towel load next time.
ReplyThat's interesting to know about #10 and the mites, though. I rarely get around to making the bed, so now I can lose the stress over that one.
I frequently get night sweats so I put a hand towel on my pillow. It absorbs the wet. I rotate front and back, side and side. After four nights, I toss it in the laundry and grab a clean hand towel.
ReplyMy pillow cost $25. It adjusts to my head and neck which is necessary because my car was hit by tailgaters several times, leaving me with whiplash!
PLEASE don't tail gate, Folks! It's dangerous and what's the point of being on someone's bumper at a red light??
#6 is dumb. Who's going to go through the trouble of having two sets of drip pans? Who wants to take up space in the kitchen storing an extra set anyway? It would make much more sense if you just cover your drip pans in foil. That way when guests come over, you can just throw away the foil. Simple.
ReplyI can't believe that this article is promoting throwing all those things away instead of cleaning them. We need to stop throwing so much things away. Get with the program.
ReplyWhy am I lazy if I don't make my bed? Even when I did do it regularly, I didn't allow visitors in my bedroom. My bedroom is my private domain. What it looks like is no one's business. People come to see me, not wander through my house. How rude!
ReplyI know running a dryer is not evironmently sound either. But when you have bad allergies and asthma, you cannot hang your clothes outside. Pollen and dust are attracted to wet clothes. Also, some communities do not allow outdoor clotheslines. Or hanging clothes on the balcony railing (that looks ghetto, anyway. Don't hate on me about saying ghetto - you know it's true!)
Don't make up the bed each morning...turn it down and smoothe everything out...Let it air out all day and jump back in at night.
ReplyBlinds can be cleaned quickly with Scrubbing Bubbles, and hosed off, and let them dry.
Reply#2 Grills soaked in detergent in the bathtub overnight is excellant way to remove grease. It works wonders for oven grates in self cleaning ovens, too.
#7 I agree heater ducts don't need cleaning, haven't cleaned our in 40 years. No problems!
#4 I clean our showwer curtain liner, with Tilex mildrew remover. Spray it on , in a few hours with your next shower it will be sparkling clean. Saves our landfills, and it it germ free, ready to serve anoth 6 months.
I'm with the reuse crowd. You can disinfect pillows by putting them in the dryer for about an hour, no more than two at a time. No washing necessary. If pillows get too nasty, wash them and donate them to your local vet or the SPCA. They make excellent pet bedding. You can do the same with blankets and towels.
ReplyWe recycle everything that is accepted by the recycle company. And I don't know why anyone would throw away a shower curtain liner unless it was torn - they are easy to wash and just rehang to dry. Perhaps that is hard to do in moist climates - I live in a desert so don't worry about mold or mildew.
Okay guys, this is just silly. I mean really how many of us clean any more than we have to anyway? When I see that something is dirty beyond my comfort level, I clean it. Other than that, I really don't worry too much. I toss my shower liner into the wash when it looks scummy, I hang our pillows on the line periodically, I wash the sheets & because I am busy & a bit lazy I fold the bedding over the end of the bed every morning. That way I can also see all the little gifts the cats tuck into my sheet during the day, fuzz balls & knitting needles, & whatever ever else they find around my less than perfectly clean but very happy home. Lets face it this lists are just to fill up space.
ReplyTake your stove drip pans and grill grates and put them in a large garbage bag, put in some ammonia, tie the bag up and let sit overnight. They will be clean as new ! My shower curtains I just put in the wash with a little bleach when they need it, its less time and trouble than going and buying a new one.
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