Read Online Notoriously Neat by SUZANNE PRICE - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: SUZANNE PRICE
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for the simple reason that most of us rinse dishes under a running tap, wasting a whole lot of water. A water and energy-efficient machine will pay for itself over time, since conserving water means lower water and sewer bills.
You can further cut your energy costs by turning off your dishwasher early in the drying cycle. The heat generated once the cycle begins is enough to dry your dishes without electricity. You should consult your manufacturer’s operating manual for information on how to stop the drying cycle, but simply opening and closing the door will interrupt it for most modern machines.
2. There isn’t an alternative cleaning concoction I like more than this homemade nonabrasive cleaner: Add a small amount of baking soda to some dish-washing liquid (just enough so that when you mix it in with a fork, the liquid takes on the consistency of a rich hair conditioner). Dab it on the inside of the oven door and then rub with a small, circular motion. You’ll quickly see all the old baked-on splatter lift right off. Next, rinse with cold water and towel dry. Your oven door will sparkle and you won’t be breathing in the strong toxins associated with most commercial oven cleaners.
Use this same cleaner for tubs, showers, stainless steel sinks, and even pots and pans. It costs pennies to make. Also, it’s one less container taking up cabinet space and winding up in your nonrecyclable trash when it’s empty. Finally, it might save you a trip to the store, since most of us keep dish-washing liquid and baking soda as household staples.
3. Before you put away the baking soda, toss a half cup down the sink and tub drains. Follow that with one cup white vinegar and flush thoroughly with hot water. Repeat about every two weeks and you’ll never have a clogged drain again (well, unless you dump rags and hair down it).
4. To freshen up your sink’s food-waste disposal unit, quarter a lemon, drop the sections down the drain, and then hit the switch, flushing as usual. You can do this while implementing the previous tip or anytime in between. It will eliminate most bad smells from the drain without using chemical deodorizers.
5. Want your house to smell clean besides looking it? Simple. Open the window for a half hour every morning when the weather’s nice. No plug-in you can buy is as wonderfully invigorating as fresh air—and it’s free!
For extradelightful freshness, treat your room to a vase of flowers from the yard. When choosing your bouquet, don’t forget that carnations are pretty but have virtually no fragrance. I always suggest adding a few sprigs of freesia, eucalyptus, or lily of the valley if you have them in your garden.
Chapter 7
As I went downstairs to Chloe’s at a quarter to eight the next morning, I found the baking smells in the hall a merciful contrast to the horrid stinkiness of Drecksel’s bologna quiche.
They also came as an immediate—if all-too-brief—comfort. After a night when I’d felt my world tilt 180 degrees off its axis, the delicious aroma from Chloe’s oven helped reorient it toward normalcy and balance. In fact, I felt better just knowing she was back from her mysterious late-night excursion. After lying awake in bed till around two a.m., I’d finally gotten some spotty rest, drifting in and out of sleep for the next few hours.
One of the times I dozed off must have been right around when Chloe got home—either that or she’d been really quiet, because I hadn’t heard her come in. Whatever the case, I’d grown mighty uneasy after watching her slip off into the darkness with the silver-haired Lexus driver . . . and could no more stop worrying about her all night than wipe the image of Dr. Pilsner’s dead body from my mind.
Standing in the hall now, I still didn’t know what to make of her nocturnal outing. But at least she was safely home and ready to start the day with our standard routine—coffee klatching over a tray of her homemade breakfast goodies.
I opened
You can further cut your energy costs by turning off your dishwasher early in the drying cycle. The heat generated once the cycle begins is enough to dry your dishes without electricity. You should consult your manufacturer’s operating manual for information on how to stop the drying cycle, but simply opening and closing the door will interrupt it for most modern machines.
2. There isn’t an alternative cleaning concoction I like more than this homemade nonabrasive cleaner: Add a small amount of baking soda to some dish-washing liquid (just enough so that when you mix it in with a fork, the liquid takes on the consistency of a rich hair conditioner). Dab it on the inside of the oven door and then rub with a small, circular motion. You’ll quickly see all the old baked-on splatter lift right off. Next, rinse with cold water and towel dry. Your oven door will sparkle and you won’t be breathing in the strong toxins associated with most commercial oven cleaners.
Use this same cleaner for tubs, showers, stainless steel sinks, and even pots and pans. It costs pennies to make. Also, it’s one less container taking up cabinet space and winding up in your nonrecyclable trash when it’s empty. Finally, it might save you a trip to the store, since most of us keep dish-washing liquid and baking soda as household staples.
3. Before you put away the baking soda, toss a half cup down the sink and tub drains. Follow that with one cup white vinegar and flush thoroughly with hot water. Repeat about every two weeks and you’ll never have a clogged drain again (well, unless you dump rags and hair down it).
4. To freshen up your sink’s food-waste disposal unit, quarter a lemon, drop the sections down the drain, and then hit the switch, flushing as usual. You can do this while implementing the previous tip or anytime in between. It will eliminate most bad smells from the drain without using chemical deodorizers.
5. Want your house to smell clean besides looking it? Simple. Open the window for a half hour every morning when the weather’s nice. No plug-in you can buy is as wonderfully invigorating as fresh air—and it’s free!
For extradelightful freshness, treat your room to a vase of flowers from the yard. When choosing your bouquet, don’t forget that carnations are pretty but have virtually no fragrance. I always suggest adding a few sprigs of freesia, eucalyptus, or lily of the valley if you have them in your garden.
Chapter 7
As I went downstairs to Chloe’s at a quarter to eight the next morning, I found the baking smells in the hall a merciful contrast to the horrid stinkiness of Drecksel’s bologna quiche.
They also came as an immediate—if all-too-brief—comfort. After a night when I’d felt my world tilt 180 degrees off its axis, the delicious aroma from Chloe’s oven helped reorient it toward normalcy and balance. In fact, I felt better just knowing she was back from her mysterious late-night excursion. After lying awake in bed till around two a.m., I’d finally gotten some spotty rest, drifting in and out of sleep for the next few hours.
One of the times I dozed off must have been right around when Chloe got home—either that or she’d been really quiet, because I hadn’t heard her come in. Whatever the case, I’d grown mighty uneasy after watching her slip off into the darkness with the silver-haired Lexus driver . . . and could no more stop worrying about her all night than wipe the image of Dr. Pilsner’s dead body from my mind.
Standing in the hall now, I still didn’t know what to make of her nocturnal outing. But at least she was safely home and ready to start the day with our standard routine—coffee klatching over a tray of her homemade breakfast goodies.
I opened
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