TweetThe house described in this article is fictional – I hope. This is the Hygiene House of Horror where the folk who live in it have some foul habits that seem to suggest that they want to catch a case of Delhi-belly or show off how strong their immune systems. Don your rubber gloves and a mask, and let’s go and have a look.
Kitchen first, as this is where most hygiene horrors happen.
For a start off, this kitchen isn’t just where people eat: the cat is fed in this room, and the kitty litter tray is sitting underneath the kitchen bench. That’s what you can smell. How anyone can bear to have cat faeces with their risk of toxoplasmosis (especially nasty for pregnant women) in the kitchen beats me. And leftover catfood always attracts flies.
Don’t feed the cats in the kitchen and keep litter trays outdoors. And what is that cat doing sitting on the table or roaming along the kitchen bench? Licking the plates clean?
Don’t let animals onto your food preparing/eating surfaces or to eat from your plates (exceptions are made in fairy tales for talking frogs). Sometimes cats will jump up and try, but this should be discouraged with shouting and water pistols.
This kitchen doesn’t stop with animal horrors. The rubbish bin is overflowing, again attracting flies and vermin. And an open rubbish bin reeks, especially with organic rubbish inside. Organic rubbish should be composted, and given its own special bin. Neither the compost bin nor the rubbish bin should be allowed to overflow, and compost bins should be scrubbed out regularly to prevent mould.
Now, I know the kitchen sink is just the right size and height for a baby bath, and has a nice wide space beside it that’s safe to put a baby on for changing and dressing before and after, but think what’s on that baby’s skin… and what’s in the nappy. And you’re going to wash your dishes and the cutlery that you put in your mouth in that sink, or at the very least, you’ll wash vegetables in it. Need I say more?
Hold your nose and open the fridge. Try not to be sick. In spite of the low temperatures, some of the items in this fridge are getting slimy with orangey-grey mould. Some things that are well past their expiry date have been pushed to the back. And the meat is right up the top of the fridge. Every package is open – cat food, pate, butter… Raw meat should go down the bottom in case it drips on food to be eaten raw, items should be kept in airtight containers so they don’t spread smells and so they don’t dry out. And you are not being thrifty keeping old food that has gone off. Throw those leftovers or half-eaten bananas out and do not wait for your domestic cleaning lady to come and clean the fridge for you. Start with this tisk right away.
Now for the bathroom… Not so bad if the toilet isn’t located in the same room as the toothbrushes. But if you have it all in one room, then keep the toothbrushes under cover, and the toothpaste too. Every time you flush the loo, a fine spray of what’s in the toilet bowl flies out. Anything that is going to go near your face should be as far away from the toilet as possible and preferably in a container. These toothbrushes are sitting in a cup filled with nameless grey sludge that has gradually accumulated, and this cup is on the vanity unit right beside where the spare toilet paper rolls are stored within arm’s reach of the loo itself. People put these in their mouths? If you use a toothbrush holder, clean it out. Yes, you rinse your toothbrush, but little bits of saliva always manage to escape, and saliva contains a lot of bacteria.
Remove that fuzzy cloth mat from around the toilet. Yes, it’s nice for feet on cold mornings, but for some reason, males in particular can’t seem to help getting urine somewhere other than the toilet (some in larger amounts than others, especially younger ones) and some females aren’t completely tidy, either. Besides, remember that fine spray coming out of the toilet when it flushes. Get rid of that mat, as it just gets filthy. The same goes for that knitted toilet seat cover, even if your grandmother made it for you.
One quick peek into the bedroom before we bolt for a breath of fresh, clean air. Is that a dog sleeping on the bed? Pets should not be encouraged to sleep on the bed. You have probably seen what your dog rolls in and where it puts its paws and nose. Do you really want that on your pillow? Cats should also be deterred, but cats, being stubborn and independent, are harder to deter from somewhere soft and warm like a bed.
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TweetWhile it may not feel like it at the moment, spring will come again. But when it comes, will you be ready to take advantage of the sunnier weather? Is your picnic hamper clean and ready for action. Will you have a nice surprise come springtime or will you find something not fit to put food in.
Of course, if you don’t clean a picnic hamper properly before you put it away, what may greet you come the first picnic-worthy day of spring may be a horrible mess. This especially applies if you have one of those plastic insulated hampers that keep food chilled (the sort the Australians call Eskies) and also, to some extent, to the old-fashioned wicker hamper lined with cloth.
The horrible mess is likely to be mould and mildew, and there is nothing for it but to swab it out with neat vinegar and expose it to strong sunshine, or even to get a new wicker picnic hamper if it’s gone too far and the mildew has got into the wood. Bad luck – remember to clean the new one out before you put it away.
To clean out a wicker picnic hamper, you have two main jobs. The first is to clean out any smears, while the second is to clean out any crumbs. Wicker hampers don’t have quite as many problems with mould and mildew, as the wicker provides preventative ventilation, but it can happen if you give bacteria and mould spores something to grow on. The first step is to turn the hamper upside-down and give it a good shake to get the worst of the crumbs out. If you have a cloth lining inside the hamper, see if it comes out. If it does, you’re in luck. Just give it a quick spin in the washing machine on the gentle cycle or else handwash it. If it doesn’t, your first step is to use the vacuum cleaner to suck out the loose crumbs that linger in the seams. You can do this task when doing your weekly domestic cleaning.
Next, deal with the smears. Use a sponge dipped in warm soapy water to get rid of jam, etc. However, if some idiot spilled sardines on the inside, you may need to use a scrubbing brush and more soap. Sprinkle baking soda inside the hamper to absorb smells, then brush or vacuum this out when it’s dried. Use the sponge and scrubbing brush method for cleaning smears out of a wicker picnic basket with no lining (crumbs won’t be much of a problem).
To clean the plastic insulated type of picnic basket, the easiest way is to half fill it with warm water and a little of whatever you use to wash the dishes with. Then just wash the inside out with a dishbrush, then rinse as normal. It’s after this part that the real fun begins. It’s a nice, airtight, insulated container, and if you shut the lid and tuck it away with the slightest bit of moisture in, you will be faced with hideous orange slime next time you open it. Or brown slime. Or grey slime. So it’s vital to dry it out thoroughly before storing it.
Storing this type of plastic picnic hamper also has to be done properly. It’s best not to store it with the lid fully closed just in case you haven’t got all of the moisture out. Wedge a bit of newspaper under the lid to raise it slightly. This will prevent dust and dirt falling in but will provide ventilation. Alternatively, store it upside-down with the lid off. If you store it right way up with the lid off, then you may have to dust it out before the next picnic – but a damp rag will fix that without any trouble.
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TweetNobody starts out by meaning to create a cluttered home. Whether we’re starting afresh after the end of tenancy cleaning and a carpet cleaning, a New Year’s resolution or a move, we all have visions of clear spaces, tidy shelves and floors and order. But we all know what happens before long if we’re not careful: chaos, clutter, mess and all sorts of oddments piled in the most peculiar places (example from this writer’s house: jelly beans collecting in the laundry).
How does this happen? According to British decluttering expert Sue Kay, ten bad habits prevent us from reaching our mental goals of order. Break these bad habits and you will see a dramatic reduction – or even elimination – of clutter in your home.
Habit 1: Procrastination. You know how this goes. “I’ll just pop this on the kitchen bench for now and deal with it later.” “I’ll find a home for that eventually, but in the meantime, I’ll put it on the bedside cabinet.” “You can give that a temporary home behind the sofa until we find a better place for it.” “Put it in the spare room to be fixed when I get around to it”. In a perfect world, we would always be able to put things away straight away and fix things as soon as they break. In the world that we do have, assigning some time to mending, sorting and dealing with temporary arrangements is a better way to stop the “just for now” piles building up.
Habit 2: Neck or Nothing. One of the big obstacles that often gets in the way of people having a decluttering session (or even calling in an expert) is a fear that minimalism is the goal and that the expert will leave you with a set of possessions that would make a monk’s lifestyle look lavish. This is not the case.
You do not have to reduce your worldly goods to subsistence level. While you may have to get rid of the out-of-focus photos, you don’t have to get rid of the old daguerreotype of your great-great-grandparents. While you may have to offload ancient magazines and the books your children grew out of years ago and hate the sight of, you don’t have to get rid of your favourite copy of Lord of the Rings. It’s not all or nothing. It’s about getting rid of inessentials.
Habit 3: Everything is equally valuable. While this principle is true of people in society, it isn’t true of the things cramming your storage space. While one person’s trash is another person’s treasure (and I therefore won’t presume to tell you what items of yours are to be treasured), sometimes trash is just trash. Prioritise your possessions. Keep what’s valuable, but get rid of the things that you honestly are never going to do anything with.
Habit 4: Getting distracted. You’re sorting the books, the junk mail or the old magazines. Something catches your eye. Next thing you know, you’ve spent half an hour reading that ancient magazine and have made no progress. Or you’re going through your clothes and you stop to try on half a dozen outfits and spend ages seeing how all your accessories go with it. In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis had the senior devil Screwtape recommending this sort of behaviour as an excellent form of tempting humans into wasting their time and energy so they do neither what they ought to do nor what they want to do. To fight this temptation, set yourself a time limit to achieve a reasonable goal, and/or enlist a friend to help you or to whom you can be accountable.
Habit 5: Self-sabotage. If someone has been pressuring you to declutter, you’re in a bad mood or you don’t really want to get rid of things (possibly because of Habit 2), some people sabotage the efforts they do make. They throw out something that really is valuable which they later regret – and use this experience as a reason for never touching the clutter again. Or they set themselves impossibly hard goals. They call themselves names. All this will create a bad association with decluttering. Instead, set yourself reasonable goals, be honest and give yourself little rewards (but not by buying more unnecessary stuff) for achieving these goals. Suitable rewards can include temporary things such as a nice bunch of flowers, dancing in the space you’ve managed to clear, having a moment of nostalgia reading old love letters or just sitting back for five minutes listening to music and contemplating the view out of the window once you’ve cleared all the junk off the windowsill.
Habit 6: Multi-tasking. This is an asset in all other aspects of life, but don’t try to declutter and talk on the phone/deal with kid’s homework/vacuum the lounge. It is better to do a little bit of concentrated decluttering lasting ten minutes than an hour of trying to declutter and other things simultaneously. Rather than testing and chucking out dead biros and stationery while talking on the phone, do this while you’re waiting for an anti-virus program to finish running (the operative word there was “talking” on the phone. If you’re on hold, however, this might be an excellent time to delete old emails or test biros while you doodle).
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TweetReading through the advice that Mrs Beeton gives in her classic Book of Household Management to the housemaid makes you very, very grateful for modern conveniences such as vacuum cleaners and electricity. Thank goodness we no longer have to do carpet cleaning by strewing them with dry tea-leaves then sweeping with a soft broom, or have to go through the process of lugging carpets outside and shaking them.
However, Mrs B’s method of washing carpets would come in handy. The carpet will have to be taken up and got somewhere it can drip-dry, but a mixture of washing soda, yellow soap and boiling water can should be sponged over the carpet, then rinsed with hot water. Treat the carpet bit by bit rather than all at once, then leave to dry. But most people nowadays will want to skip the last step suggested by Mrs B to “improve” the colours of the carpet afterwards by rubbing it with a mixture of ox-gall and water (didn’t this smell ghastly?). Ox-gall was also used to clean carpet that were nailed down, at a concentration of one pint of gall to three gallons of warm water – but we can skip this one!
The recipe for furniture polish, however, looks promising. This is made up of equal amounts of linseed oil, turpentine (presumably the natural type), vinegary and “spirits of wine” (ethanol – but you could probably substitute vodka). Or else you could just use a mixture of vinegar and oil – how easy and eco-friendly is that?
Other useful tips for “housemaids” include:
* To get marks out of mahogany (and, presumably, other fine woods) that have been made by putting something hot on the polish “may be removed by rubbing in oils and afterwards pouring a little spirits of wine on the spot and rubbing it dry with a soft cloth.”
* To clean very dirty wallpaper, wipe it lightly with very stale bread. This assumes that you have very stale bread handy – which might not be the case with modern bread with all the this-and-that added to make it keep fresher longer.
* To clean marble, “take two parts of [washing] soda, one of pumice stone and one of finely-powdered chalk”. This should be mixed into a paste using water then rubbed over the dirty marble. If you dreamed you dwelt in marble halls, you’d better dream of a housemaid who knows how to do this one.
The list of a housemaid’s duties is an exhausting one. In winter, the first thing the poor girl had to do was to open the shutters downstairs, pick up the hearthrugs, sweep “the breakfast room”, remove the ashes from the fire, blacken and polish the grate, light the fires downstairs, dust and polish everything in that “breakfast room” then go upstairs with hot water for My Lady and light the fire in her bedroom. Then she had to lay the table for breakfast – the master and mistress’s breakfast, of course. Mrs Beeton does not specify when the maid gets to eat*. In summer, the housemaid merely had to open the windows, sweep and dust everything in that “breakfast room” (including the picture frames), rearrange all the knick-knacks. While My Lady is getting ready, the maid had to then sweep and dust the drawing room and even the hall, doorstep and corridors.
And that was just before breakfast. Three more pages of instructions regarding daily and weekly duties follow that lot. No wonder they all left to be Rosy the Riveters or land girls when they had the chance!
*At least not in this section. In the introduction, we find out that the maid and other servants get to eat an hour before “the family”.
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TweetHands can take a real battering throughout the day, and often, the sensitive skin on hands can end up chafed, chapped, itchy and dry. Let’s not even start with what happens to fingernails! What can you do to care for your hands and have them looking neat, tidy and well groomed naturally?
One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One real advantage of using natural domestic cleaning products is that they are much, much gentler on the skin. Many commercial cleaning products leave the skin weeping and cracking, even if you’re strict about rinsing off as soon as possible. Wearing rubber gloves is the first line of defence if you have to use a harsh chemical cleaning product. Better still, making your own natural cleaning products will go a long way towards clearing up dry skin. However, even soap, which is a natural product, can dry the skin, so rubber gloves are still a must when using soap-based products. They’re also a must if you have to deal with natural substances of the more unpleasant kind, such as vomit or faeces.
Hand care begins with removing dirt. Many jobs and hobbies, such as gardening, can leave the hands absolutely filthy, and just plain soap and warm water won’t do the job. Scrubbing brushes can work wonders for dirt under the fingernails, but these are often too harsh for the more delicate skin areas on your hands.
Instead, try one of these methods:
Pumice/sand soap: Grate a bar of plain white soap and melt it in a double boiler or in a microwave on Low. Add a little water if needed. Once the soap is liquid, add about half a cup of ground pumice stone or fine sand and stir in well. Pour the liquid into a mould – an old tin or pottle will work nicely – and put it in a cool, dark place to solidify and dry. The sand or pumice will gently abrade dirt out from the skin. More luxurious variants can be made by adding ground almonds, cornmeal or corn grits to the soap instead of the sand or pumice.
Lemon: Lemon juice is a mild skin bleach, so this method also helps fade spots on the hands, as well as cleaning them. Turn lemon rinds (once you have squeezed most of the juice out for another purpose) inside out and dip them into coarse sugar or salt. Use these to scrub problem areas.
Avocado skins: Once you have scooped out the pulp of an avocado for a salad or guacamole, save the skins. The inside of the skin is abrasive and contains many of the oils from the avocado. Use them to scrub at hands (and faces!) for a bit of moisturizing as well as scrubbing.
Drying hands properly after washing is also important for preventing chapping. However, if you still have a problem with dry skin, sue a rich hand cream or moisturizer to soothe the skin and replace some of the oils that have been removed by scrubbing. One old trick used by some farmers is to keep a pot of hand cream (pure lanolin is popular) alongside the pumice soap and scrubbing brush beside the basin where workers come in to clean their hands. If you can’t get pure lanolin – or even if you can – try making your own hand cream:
Rich hand cream:
* 200 ml boiling water
* herbal teabag – preferably chamomile
* 50 ml avocado or olive oil
* 50 ml almond, sunflower or grapeseed oil
* 10 ml jojoba oil
* 30 g beeswax
* 10 ml glycerine
* 20 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)
Use the boiling water and the teabag to make a strong cup of herbal tea – 15 minutes is about the right length of time to leave it to steep, but remember to cover the cup it’s steeping in so the steam is trapped in. Leave it to cool. While it’s cooling, combine the oils in a double boiler and add the beeswax in. Once the beeswax has melted, begin to stir in the herbal tea, bit by bit. You will need to stir hard so it emulsifies properly. Lastly, add in the glycerine and essential oil. Place the mixture in a wide mouthed screw-top jar and keep it where you wash your hands. Use liberally after washing hands or whenever you need it.
Beautiful nails also make hands look well groomed. However, nail polish and acetone-based nail polish remover are terrible on the skin and are far from natural. Nail polish on the fingers chips and needs redoing all too often. It’s much better to just have neat, well-filed nails that are trim and clean. This starts with having no dirt under the nail:
Before doing a dirty job, dig your fingernails into a bar of soap. Some soap will stick under the nails, and this will block the dirt from getting in but will wash away very easily. Deeply ingrained dirt can be removed with regular scrubbing and also with a little lemon juice – squish plenty of juicy lemon pith and pulp (the pulp that’s left on the outside/top of a lemon squeezer is perfect) and leave it to do its work for 10 or so minutes before rinsing out.
Don’t cut cuticles – they are there to protect the matrix of the nail from infection. Just push them back gently. Soften them first with a little olive oil or sunflower oil – dipping the tips of your fingers into warm (not hot) oil works wonders.
For something a little fancier, try a fake French polish that needs no varnish and is much easier than the “real” sort. Use a white dressmaking pencil to colour in the tip of the nail from underneath. This whitens the tips. Then stroke a bit of natural beeswax over the top of the nail all over and buff well with a chamois cloth or any other soft cloth to bring up a subtle sheen. The beauty of this is that it doesn’t chip or crack.
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TweetNatural fibres have been with humankind for a long time. Unlike synthetic fibres, they “breathe” more, come from renewable resources and when they finally wear out, they are biodegradable. However, not all natural fibres are created equal. Different fibres/fabrics have different care requirements and have different uses.
Cotton: This comes from a plant source, and it is possible these days to find fabric made from organically grown cotton. Cotton can be tough (denim) or delicate (lace) oand has a huge range of uses. Cotton can handle hot washes and hot irons – it requires hot ironing to be wrinkle-free. Cotton is cool and light to wear, making it excellent for summer wear but unsuitable for winter warmth. It is very absorbent, which makes it good for towels. It is very easy to dye. The disadvantages of cotton are that it is prone to mildew if is damp, shrinks if untreated and can take up stains very easily. Thick cotton fabrics (e.g. denim and towelling) can take a long time to dry on a line or a clothes-horse in cooler weather. Cotton is flammable and is anything but flame resistant.
Linen: This also comes from a plant source. Linen tends to be quite crisp and has a very distinctive texture. It is strong, cool and absorbent. Traditionally, linen was used for undergarments and for sheets. It can handle a hot iron, but it will soften from the usual crispness if washed traditionally. Like cotton, linen is prone to mildew and has a tendency to shrink or stretch. Linen does not take dye well, which also means that it does not stain as readily.
Silk: This taken from the cocoons of the silk moth. Very delicate with a natural lustre to it, it requires gentle handling. Silk should be dry-cleaned or else handwashed in cool-warm water with hand soap. It should not be wrung or scrubbed. It can be ironed on cool. While it is fiddly to take care of, it has the advantage of being very light and easy to wear – it is traditionally used for underwear and good clothes, as well as handkerchiefs and scarves – although you can get very luxurious silk sheets if you want to be extravagant. Silk is moth-proof. Surprisingly, silk is quite strong for its weight and is also warm to wear.
Wool: Wool is spun from the hairs of various long-haired animals. Sheep of various breeds are used for wool, with merino being the finest of this type. Goat hair is also used; this is known as cashmere (Kashmir), angora; pashmina or mohair. Llama and alpaca wool is also used. More outlandish animals that are used for wool include rabbits (from angora rabbits), camels, yaks and even some breeds of dog. Wool is something of a “wonder fibre” as it has a huge range uses, ranging from tough carpets to fine scarves and wraps. Wool is very warm and absorbent, making it the fibre of choice for hikers and the like, as it “stays warm when it’s wet”. Wool is flame resistant. The downside of wool is that it needs a bit of care with washing – handwashing is best, as wool can stretch or shrink unpredictably if machine washed on a regular cycle or on hot (some garments handle the “gentle” or “wool” cycle in washing machines without any bother, though). For washing wool carpets professional carpet cleaning is the best solution. Wool does not like being ironed, but then, it is fairly wrinkle-resistant. Wool also needs a bit of protecting from moths, as moths love wool.
Fur: Real fur comes from all sorts of mammals. Opinion is divided as to the ethics of fur. Yes, some animals are farmed and killed for their fur, but they are usually killed humanely. Real fur is more environmentally friendly than synthetics as real fur comes from a renewable resource, does not use fossil fuels and is biodegradable. In some countries, the fur-bearing animals are noxious pests that harm the environment and the fur is a by-product of managing and controlling pests. Real fur is very warm and looks glamorous. It should be handwashed (use hand soap and dry flat; do not wring or spin) or drycleaned. It does not need ironing. Fur needs to be protected from moths.
Leather. This is the hairless skin of animals – cattle, pigs, ostriches, alligators, snakes, goats, sheep and more. If the hair is left on, it is usually called “hide”. It is very tough and hard-wearing, and can even be wind and slightly water proof (with the right treatment and finish) but still “breathes”. It is fire-resistant and fairly stain-resistant. It is usually too harsh for underwear (with the exception of special fetish-style items) of but is used for all sorts of outerwear, upholstery, protective gear and accessories. It can be hand-washed if necessary, but it is best to just spot-clean leather by sponging the dirt off. If leather does get wet, it should be dried flat, then wrung and crushed to restore the suppleness afterwards. Leather does not like seawater – soak it in milk to remove salt, then rinse well in fresh water. Leather should be polished regularly to keep it supple.
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TweetIf you do a lot of housework, you will get housemaid’s knee.
This is false, at least mostly. Housemaid’s knee is caused by a cut or abrasion on the knee becoming infected after repeated pressure or knocking, leading to the knee swelling up and growing hot. This can happen if you spend a lot of time on your knees without protection, but scrubbing floors on your hands and knees is not the only way of getting housemaid’s knee – this writer knew a keen cricketer who got housemaid’s knee after an innings of intensive fielding, followed by shoving the aggrieved knee into hot sweaty pads for a long innings of batting. If you do spend a lot of time on your knees scrubbing floors, get one of those foam pads sold in garden shops to protect your knees, or even fold up an old towel.
Washing soda and baking soda are equivalent
False. This is like saying that carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are the same. While both baking soda and washing soda are used widely for natural domestic cleaning products and break down grease, they are not the same. Washing soda is poisonous, while baking soda is edible. Washing soda works well added to cleaning products containing soap, while baking soda is often used on its own as a scouring paste for cleaning bathrooms and the insides of fridges and ovens. Baking soda also absorbs smells better than washing soda does.
Sponges and cleaning rags are breeding grounds for bacteria
True. They are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria, as they contain food and moisture, and usually sit around at room temperature, giving the bacteria the other things they need to breed (time and the right temperature). However, don’t shun the humble sponge or dishcloth for your house cleaning jobs. Just toss them into the laundry when you’ve finished using them – a daily change is the bare minimum. If you really want to be sure that you sterilise a sponge thoroughly, pour boiling water over it.
You can clean nearly everything with vinegar
Mostly true. However, never use vinegar on anything made of marble, sandstone, bone or pearl. Vinegar, being acid, will attack these carbonated alkaline substances and break them down. But vinegar can be used for a host of other cleaning jobs, including killing mould, cleaning glass, cleaning leather (when mixed with linseed oil) and as a general disinfectant.
Everything that has “Dry Clean Only” on the label should be dry cleaned.
False. Some garments with this label can be washed at home using ordinary soap and water. This is especially true for items made from silk, wool and leather.hese are natural fibres that were worn, used and cleaned for centuries before drycleaning was even thought of. Wash them by hand and be gentle – just use the same sort of soap you use for your hands, warm water and don’t scrub them vigorously.
Ammonia is one of the really bad chemicals used for cleaning.
False. While ammonia does give off horrible fumes that give you bad headaches and can damage your skin, it is not as bad for the environment as other commercial cleaning products, as it breaks down very readily when it gets into the environment. So it’s not as bad as, say, chlorine, which not only gives off the fumes and attacks skin but also takes an age to break down if it reacts with certain things in the sewage (it does, however, get broken down by UV light). If you have to use ammonia, make sure you wear rubber gloves and use it in a ventilated area. And never mix an ammonia-based product with a chlorine-based one unless you want to kill yourself horribly. Better still, use a natural alternative for your household cleaning tasks.
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TweetThe Hygiene Hypothesis is adhered to by many medical professionals as a way of explaining the high incidence of immune/allergy related ailments in the hyper-clean Western world. In brief, the Hygiene Hypothesis is as follows. Children these days in the developed, urban world have fewer older siblings (to bring home germs from the outside world), have less contact with animals and the outdoors than they did in the past or in rural areas, and live in a home that is kept scrupulously and meticulously germ-free with the help of modern disinfectants. Their immune systems are not exposed to many bacteria and as a result, they tend to over-react to otherwise innocuous substances, causing asthma, allergies and eczema (whether this is because the cells involved in immune response are “spoiling for a fight” and take it out on the nearest handy target, or whether the cells are more like nervous new recruits taking fright at shadows is a matter for debate).
According to proponents of the Hygiene Hypothesis, the best way to avoid the likelihood of these immune related disorders is to cut down on the amount of disinfectant used in the home, and to allow children to play in the dirt every now and then, and to play with animals (some go so far as suggesting that even Type 1 diabetes may be attributable to the Hygiene Hypothesis, but this is debateable – children can, unfortunately, get Type 1 diabetes even if they have plenty of exposure to animals and the outdoors, etc.).
This is yet another reason why we should switch to using natural home cleaning products. Natural cleaning products are all you need to remove dirt and the worst of the germs. Removing the majority of the germs is still very important for a household with young children, as infantile diarrhoea is extremely debilitating and can be dangerous, and meningitis is definitely dangerous. So don’t let the Hygiene Hypothesis turn you into a slob. But the hospital-grade disinfectants you find in some proprietary cleaners are simply over the top. They’re not necessary to maintain a healthy home. You do not live in a hospital where sick people – both those with reduced immune function and those with bacterial diseases – are confined, and you do not have to perform major surgery.
Common sense is still required and some things should be kept as germ-free as possible. Anything used for food preparation or storage should be cleaned properly and thoroughly. Hands should be washed before eating or handling food, and after using the toilet, doing a dirty job or playing with animals. Tea towels and dishcloths should be changed regularly. And extra care should be taken in households that have small children, elderly people or invalids.
If you need a natural cleaner that is more heavy duty than just soap, baking soda and water (soap is a mild disinfectant, incidentally), try one or more of the following:
Vinegar: vinegar kills bacteria, which is why it is used for bottling and for pickling. The more concentrated it is, the more bacteria it can kill.
Salt: salt also kills bacteria and is used to preserve food.
Mix it into a paste that is abrasive as well as disinfectant (you can use salt as a substitute for toothpaste, but make sure you rinse well and have a big drink of water afterwards if you try cleaning your teeth with salt).
Essential oils: Essential oils of thyme, oregano, lavender and/or pine are stronger disinfectant and anti-bacterials than some hospital-grade disinfectants. However, you won’t be using them concentrated in large quantities unless you have more money than you know what to do with. Add up to 20 drops to any other natural cleaning product for a bit of antiseptic boost.
Boiling water: Immersion in boiling water for 10 minutes kills all bacteria. Keep this for items that can handle the higher temperatures, such as metal, oven-proof glassware, china and cloth made of cotton/linen without any elastic. Don’t be a juggins and try to get the things out of the boiling water with your hands – use tongs and allow the items to dry thoroughly.
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TweetThe golden rule for all stains, no matter what they come from, is to get onto them quickly. A stain that has the chance to dry on will quite possibly “set” and be next to impossible to get out. Whether that prompt action is soaking it or washing it, just do it – as soon as possible. When washing clothes or other items with stains, biological washing powder and warm water is by far the best method. However, if you have sensitive skin, you may find that biological washing powder is hard on your hands. Cold water washes are also much cheaper and consume less energy. Cold water washes and “normal” washing powder do a reasonable job, but really dirty things will need a heavy-duty wash or a soak. Warm water and toilet soap worked to a lather also works as a soaking treatment.
Apple juice: not too much of a problem, really. Wash as normal. I’ve never known this to stain. The same goes for most other natural fruit juices. If you have spilled it on the carpet, a professional carpet cleaning will be a good solution.
Avocado: the pulp is not too bad when it comes to staining and it should just wash out with warm soapy water. The sap in the stone is another story and is very hard to shift – it’s something of a natural dye.
Moral: avoid the problem in the first place and don’t cut the stone open. If you do, keep it away from clothes.
Ballpoint pen: Not as much of a stain as it first appears when it leaks all over your pocket after you’ve carried it in there – this writer tried decorating denim jeans with ballpoint pen during university student days. It washed out in the regular wash, much to my disappointment. Really stubborn ballpoint stains can be helped on their way by methylated spirits.
Beetroot: very dramatic when it first goes on, but washes out surprisingly easily in just the normal washing load. This writer once tried dyeing tea towels in beetroot juice – it doesn’t work!
Bitumen: use kerosene to dissolve the smears and scrape off as much as you can. Spot-soaking the item with kerosene for a reasonable period before washing also helps.
Blood: Use cold water and soap – hot water will set the stain (the same goes for other protein-based stains). Soak overnight if the stain is extensive or large, then wash in cold water.
Candle wax: Use a paper towel to blot up as much as possible before it hardens. If you find hardened candle wax, scrape off as much as you can with your fingernails or a razor blade. A little bit will still be left. Cover the spot, top and bottom, with paper towels, tissue paper or even toilet paper. Then iron the spot with a cool iron. This will melt the wax and it will soak into the paper (you may need to wipe the iron clean afterwards with fresh paper towels). The remaining greasy residue, if any, can be washed out in hot or warm soapy water.
Dandelion juice: Regular washing removes this.
Egg yolk: As this is a protein, treat this in the same way as blood, using cold water and soaking if necessary.
Felt tip pen: The child’s sort of felt tip pen is water based (thankfully) and will wash out in the regular wash. Permanent markers can be shifted with hairspray rubbed on hard after soaking, then washed. Other alcohol-based products (including body spray, rubbing alcohol and meths) are also possibilities to remove permanent marker.
Grass stains: Methylated spirits soaked onto the grass stain works well, followed by drying in the sun – the sunlight bleaches the grassy stain.
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TweetAcetate: A synthetic fabric. It doesn’t like biological washing powder, vinegar or pre-wash stain removers. It also doesn’t like soaking, rubbing, ironing, rubbing, wringing, twisting or spinning. This is a definite “dry clean only” fabric. It looks a bit like silk.
Acrylic: A synthetic fabric that’s quite washable, although some prefer to be hand washed only (check the label). A cold wash is best. Don’t bleach. Avoid ironing it when it is wet or damp and only use a cool iron. It looks a bit like wool and is often mixed with wool.
Angora: A natural fabric made from goat hair. Hand wash gently in warm water using hand soap. Dry flat and do not twist, wring or rub – this will make it stretch or turn to felt. Avoid ironing it.
Broderie anglaise: This is usually made from cotton, but can be made from polycotton. It can be machine washed (if the garment it is attached to allows this) but put it in a pillowcase or lingerie bag to stop the holes getting hooked on things.
Calico: This is a type of light cotton weave with a particular print (usually floral – think Laura Ashley). As it is cotton, it can handle hot washes, tumble drying and hot irons. It will probably need ironing, too.
Cheesecloth (muslin): Very fine cotton. For some reason, muslin/cheesecloth garments usually run colour. Wash items separately, preferably by hand, although you can use warmer water. It can be ironed, preferably when damp. Don’t wring it.
Chiffon: Very light see-through fabric made from synthetics or (luxury of luxuries) silk. Hand wash the synthetic chiffons; dry clean the silks. Alternatively, just spot-treat any dirty marks.
Corduroy: Usually made from cotton or a cotton blend and is quite hard wearing. It is a bit more delicate to wash and should be turned inside out to protect the distinctive pile. If you have to iron it, iron it damp and turn it inside out.
Cotton: A natural fibre that’s very tough. It can handle the hottest washes and the hottest irons. It can shrink when new, so be careful with this. If buying cotton for dressmaking, preshrink the fabric by washing it before cutting out the pieces and sewing the garment.
Down: These are soft feathers usually used to stuff things. Wash in cold water using a delicate cycle. Tumble dry on low or dry in the sun– it will take ages. Fluff it up periodically to move the feathers around and stop them clumping. If you dry clean it, air it well afterwards, as the down will trap the toxic fumes – not what you want to breathe in while you sleep.
Fur: Real fur should either be brushed or (if really dirty) dry cleaned. You can spot-clean marks with shampoo or hand soap and cold water, stroking in the direction of the fur.
Lace: Can be made from cotton, linen or synthetics. It is best to use a delicate cycle on the washing machine or handwash it. If washing lace in the washing machine, put it in a pillow case or a lingerie bag to stop it snagging on zips, buttons and hooks, which can tear the lace.
Leather: Tough as old boots – literally. You can hand or machine wash it, but it will go hard after drying. It is better to spot clean leather. Salt water ruins leather, so soak a leather item in milk if this happens. Then rinse. To soften leather after it has dried hard, work it to and fro in your hands – roll it and unroll it a few times to soften it.
Nylon: A synthetic fabric. It prefers to be washed in cold water, but can handle being machine washed on regular. It dries quickly and doesn’t usually need ironing.
Satin: This is a finish rather than a fabric type. It is made from silk or from synthetic fabrics. Silk satin should be hand washed, but synthetic silks can cope with the delicate cycle in your washing machine. If you iron it, use a cool iron and iron it on the dull side to protect the shiny finish.
Velvet: Can be made from synthetics, cotton or silk. Wash inside out, using the delicate cycle. Hand wash or spot-treat silk velvet. To fluff the pile back up again after drying, hold the item over a steaming kettle (be careful not to get burnt).
Wool: A natural fibre from all sorts of animals. Hand wash and dry flat. Don’t wring it or spin it. If for carpet a professional carpet cleaning is fine.
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