Notepad Corner

Most homemakers will surely agree when I say that washing clothes and ironing are the most exhausting and back breaking house chores. Since I still do not have a house helper, I keep on finding ways on how to make my house chores light and easier, yet not compromising the cleanliness and quality of work done. I did mentioned in my previous post about Tornado Mop 360°:, my new cleaning buddy in mopping the floor. It really has helped me a lot, especially in cleaning the hard to reach areas. Lately, I saved hard to buy a Samsung 3D wobble technology washing machine to make my laundry less of a chore. As I am suffering from trigger finger (flexor tendinitis) squeezing and wringing out clothes from my conventional twin tub washing machine makes my fingers ache more.  

It has been a while since my having a house helper. Doing the house chores alone eats up most of my time during the day. At first, it was real chaos, just merely thinking of the things that needed to be done for the day made me feel tired and exhausted already. The setting up of a house chores work plan, and scheduling activities on a time table allowed me time to work on my online tasks.   Aside from my work plan I also maximized the use of electronic aids and gadgets like an electric air pot to provide us instant hot water for coffee in the morning, the use of a microwave for cooking and reheating leftover foods, the washing machine to launder clothes and more. I also taught my two boys to do easy chores such as making up their own beds upon waking up in the morning and assigned them other duties like setting up the table, washing the dishes and during weekends sweeping the backyard and cleaning up the windows.

Clogged drains are typically easy to fix, as we can unclog it physically, chemically or a combination of both.   However, it usually depends on the nature and extent of the problem so before calling on an experience plumber in parramatta , here are some tips that you may try to uncork that clog. The kitchen sink is most often clogged with fats, grease and oils, unplug or remove the strainer, as grease accumulate around the strainer in the sink. Remove and wash away anything that has collected around it. You may also use liquid sosa or liquid lye, just pour it straight then wait for 10 minutes before flushing it with tap water.   Better yet pour in the chemical at night before going to sleep when nobody will use the kitchen sink anymore. Flush it with water the next morning.

The use of the smart storage solution will take control clutter inside your house.   We can organize things in an inexpensive way by recycling and using available things we can find in our household to put everything in place. The use of bookshelves to organize books  photo credits: bookshelves.com 

The washing machine is one of the important appliances that a home must-have. It is my partner in taking care of the family clothes and linens all year round.   It helps clothes washing easier in less time   saving me time to finish my other daily house chores. It is just right to give the washer a good occasional cleaning to maintain its good running condition.   A clean and well maintained washing machine will churn out clean clothes.   Here’s how to keep a washing machine in top form:

It has been raining for two weeks now, and washing clothes during this wet season is one of my dilemmas as clothes laundered take longer time to dry up. I do the laundry only twice a week.  Setting up a laundry day during the week will help us save on water and energy.  I find it very important to have not only one but three hampers, one for the whites and underwears, another for the colored ones and the third one for wet clothes that need immediate washing.

photo from the web A weekend is a great time to do family bonding, families usually go for a day out or just simply stay at home enjoying a good movie or other family activities.  Munching on popcorns with the whole family while watching movies give a relaxed feeling. However, the good mood will simply vanish when a mouse out of the blue appears creeping near a corner, or a cockroach will suddenly fly while having a fine dinner.  We simply cannot get rid of those house pests in an instant. It’s about time to do a general house cleaning. To de-clutter and sanitize the entire house will use up a lot of time. If you are a working Mom, it will take forever before you get to finish the job. Getting a professional assistance with Maid Service Rockville MD can help you manage your time to do some other important chores. It would be practical to avail an efficient, fast, flexible, and excellent cleaning service rather than doing it yourself all alone. To eradicate house pests

Dusting is one of my regular house chores. I usually dust on a daily basis, however when I stopped availing the services of a househelp, I do it on a bi-weekly or sometimes on a weekly basis as it consumes time and I have other everyday jobs to attend to. Dingy furnitures and dirty electronics such as electric fans and air conditioning unit filters trigger allergy and breathing problems. So in order for me not to get tired of taking off the grime every now and then I opt to keep our windows closed. As I am all alone during the day, keeping the windows closed will also keep me safe. I only open it when it is raining as there is less dirt to come in when outside grounds are wet. I also put on entrance mats at each door entrance to lessen the filth coming in from the shoes or slippers. I also use slipcovers on our upholstery, so I just have to shake it out instead of vacuuming the entire sofa. My best dusting buddies are the microfiber cloth and static duster. A microfiber cloth is my

It is recommended to best work on windows on a cloudy day in early mornings or late afternoon as direct sun makes window cleaner dry too quickly leaving streaks behind. Just pull back the blinds or curtains, open the windows and inspect its sill, frames, and tracks for dirt and cobwebs. Sweep out debris using a big paint brush or a small sweeper Run a vacuum over the screens so you don’t need to take them down. Using a sprayer, spray glass cleaner or a solution of your favorite cleaning agent until it is heavily misted but not drippy.   Wipe with a lint-free cloth until dry.   I use old cotton shirts to wipe it dry as it best absorbs dirt. Windows of different types need different styles of cleaning.   For jalousie windows, clean each frame with the use of a damp micro fiber cloth washed every now and then from a basin with a cleaning solution.   For big window frames, spray it with glass cleaner then use a squeegee to dry. Simple procedures, with quick and easy methods. By the

I do a weekly inside cleaning of our vehicles before my husband takes it to the car wash station near us. I first grab an empty box, working my way from front to rear, (looking also under the seats) tossing trash into the empty box.  Remove and shake out the floor mats, then I go over the seats and the floor with a handheld vacuum, before I slip the mats back in. Clean the dashboard, doorjambs, arm rests and steering wheel with a damp micro fiber cloth. Lastly, I check on important documents like the vehicle’s registration and manuals in the glove compartment, store coins in an empty pill bottle and keep it in the cup holder for toll fees. I inspect the toolbox if it is complete with the emergency car tools and supplies in the trunk.   I also make sure that the passenger side compartment contains flashlight, spare batteries, baby wipes, alcohol and paracetamol for emergency use.   A jacket and an umbrella is always inside the vehicle too.

Are you also annoyed and troublesome seeing mildews on your clothes, leather bags and belts, shoes, and clothes?  This fungus can stain paper, cloth, leather and could even bring more harm to our health. Mildews accumulate due to dust and moisture from high humidity.  They grew more in darkness and damp places with stagnant air inside the house. In the first five years of my housekeeping and homemaking, I always encounter this problem yet I do not know really how to get rid of them. They keep on coming back after a few weeks. Just as always my mom is ever ready to help and rescue As experienced, molds grow rapidly during wet weather, as much as possible we must try to control the dampness inside our homes.  Here are tips on how I get rid of them Dust regularly. Air circulation and movement is very important to removing moisture. I had exhaust fans installed which I think helped a lot.   I have learned that cool air holds less moisture than warm air, so I agreed in installing air

The most private part of the house is the bedroom.  It is also the quietest room where one can enjoy serenity and calm atmosphere. Just like any part of my house, I like it also clean and tidy.  I call it my chamber  . I usually do a general cleaning on a weekly basis, cleaning the electric fans, cleaning the air-conditioning unit’s filter and changing of bed sheets or bed covers, pillow cases and comforters.  It is best recommended to change bed sheets, comforters and pillow cases every 7 days, however during rainy season; I sometimes do it every two weeks.   There is a very real psychology to gaining organizational skills that one gets as they earn their life experience degree. Here is the procedure on how I do general cleaning on our bedrooms:  Before I take out the bed covers, I remove first the cobwebs on the ceilings using a long broomstick.  Usually it will take a month or more before I could see webs again.   Take out the bed sheets and pillow cases. After ta

How often do you clean your Bathroom/Comfort room?  Based on hygienic purposes, it is best recommended to clean it daily.  It is the part of the house where bacteria and germs accumulates fast. I personally clean our bathroom on a daily basis, cleaning it before I take a bath. It may seem so tiring to do it everyday but I was used to it.  I want my bathroom and kitchen to be the cleanest part of the house and this is how I clean it:  Remove the shower curtain first, wash, then hang to dry. I get tired of cleaning it everyday so I removed it and just put it on again if we have visitors to come over (lol). Open windows and the door, then slip on rubber gloves before you grab your favorite tile spray cleaner or in my case I use a mixture of detergent soap and Domex cleaning agent (bleach can be an alternative) in a small pail. Other cleaning materials I use are:  big scrubber sponge, cleaning brush, toilet brush, a microfiber cloth and floor mop. I start with the hard to reac

The Refrigerator, defrosting Unplug. Dump lingering leftovers and spoiled food.  Check on labels and expiry dates of bottled spreads like the peanut butter, jam, etc. Transfer the rest of the food into a cooler. Surround the base with a thick layer of old newspapers or a big rag.  To make the defrosting much quicker, unplug the refrigerator, 2 hours prior to cleaning it. Attend to the condenser coils at the back of the refrigerator.   These collect dusts and needs cleaning every couple of months.   Snap off the grate, then use a coil cleaning brush or your vacuum’s crevice tool. Once defrosted, sponge the walls with a solution of baking soda and water. Rinse with a microfiber fiber dipped in water.    Wipe the door seal and gasket. Then wipe the outer surfaces and handle. I place a small piece of charcoal to help absorb odors. Plug and fill. I do refrigerator defrosting weekly. Counters and Cabinets Counters and Cabinets are also cleaned weekly in our household. I just use a

Five cities in Metro Manila will demonstrate how the country can save lives, time, and money, as they join the first-ever “Philippine Spring Cleaning Day (PSCD).” In its goal to push for cleaning and sanitation as one of the most effective ways to lower the country's disease burden, representatives from the Department of Health (DoH), UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP), Reckitt Benckiser, Lysol, and several local government units are calling for better sanitation through the institution of the first Philippine Spring Cleaning Day. On May 11, there will be a simultaneous cleanup across five cities, namely Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Manila, and Pasay.

The family starts to grow after a year or two of marriage.  The home begins to be much livelier and happier with kids around, but at the same time house chores becomes much difficult to manage.  We need to be systematic in keeping everything in place to keep things organized. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it.  I posted a copy of cleaning schedule in the dirty kitchen.  A list of chores done on a daily basis, weekly and monthly, plus reminders on saving tips.  I emphasized to my househelp to keep on reading it until she memorizes it, so I won’t be always reminding her. Create purpose-driven home zones.  For instance, the bedroom is just a bedroom. No work table, no computer, except for a tv and and a dvd player. Edit your closet.  I am sick and tired of seeing disarrayed clothes and other stuffs in my children’s closet. So, in order for them to keep it tidy, I make room for their favorite clothes and new purchases.  I put away old clothes to be given to donations.  In this ca

It is a fact that our habits leads clutter in our homes.   Let me cite you examples of these habits that we need to break in order for us to have a de-cluttered home. Any of these sound familiar? HABIT Being afraid to let go of items. We always thought of “I might need this someday” or “My kids might want this Someday” until it will came the time that we forgot all about it. How to Deal :   In many cases, you can repurchase the item, if it’s truly needed. HABIT Not stepping up to tasks.   Family members walk right by something left out on the counter or in one corner of the house, but unless someone takes the initiative to make sure it gets cleared, it’s unlikely to happen. How to Deal :   Assign clear responsibilities, communicate with your kids and other members of the family and give consequences when they’re not accomplished. HABIT Procrastination.   Delaying decisions about where to put things, or waiting to put them in proper places – this is the cause of all clutter! How