Homemaking: The Lazy Edition
December 17, 2014
Domesticity is cozy.Ā
What’s not to like? Hot dinners, clean kitchen, fresh laundry. Also here’s my semi-regular to indoor plumbing: Ye gods I love indoor plumbing.
Still, I’m old, tired, and lazy and I’m not ashamed to organize my life along those lines. Saving cash is always a bonus but I mostly want to avoid expending energy.
* Funny About Money’s baking soda trick has saved my kitchen-clumsy butt countless times. Seriously, I’m a wreck in the kitchen. There’s always something going wrong: cutting myself, burning myself, scorching pots and pans. I heal but I had to get rid of the evidence and baking soda+boiling water does the trick.
* I finally bought some new sink protectors to replace the really old (ahem, gross) ones we had. Stainless steel, elevated, they look lovely! I waited 3 weeks to buy to save a whole $3 – hah. Of course that’s miniscule but that’s $3 more for that long list of other things we need.Ā I whole-frugal-heartedly love the new things that I don’t have to clean every week.
* Crockpot+Dutch oven love: I’ve gotten incredibly lazy with the kitchen antics. I love one pot meals like chicken+potato+vegetable in the Dutch oven. More for the ease than the taste but PiC professes his love for them so I just keep making ’em!
* No shoes inside rule: This cuts down on the tracked in dirt saving us carpet wear and tear and, more importantly, cuts down the amount of sweeping or vacuuming needed.
* Wrapping stuff and recycled paper: I save all tissue paper and paper stuffed in shipped packages if it’s in decent shape and use that wrap gifts and packages. Saves having to go buy wrapping stuff, saves money (we all know that paper’ll just get torn up and tossed), gives the rescued paper new life for at least one more round. Win win win! Mostly I love the minimal effort of storing the paper we get.
* Contemplating whether I can completely eliminate shower/tub scrubbing with the Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner. The Automatic cleaner doo-dad doesn’t seem to have great reviews over time, so I’m considering the foam spray?Ā Has anyone used this? My goal is to avoid any scrubbing at all.
*Cleaning the microwave with the power of lemons. I’m trying this tomorrow!
but it was way too big. 
that we needed.
We also use that butcher paper that comes in packages as wrapping paper. I always get “my favorite things” stuck in my head when I use it. Though I don’t usually tie it up with string, just tape.
I use the scrubbing bubbles for a lot of bathroom clean-up. It depends on what kind of scrubbing is needed as to whether or not you need to scrub with it. With soap-scum it just needs a wipe. With something that’s hardened on, you either need to scrub or to let it soak (even in water) to soften before it can just be wiped off.
… I have been earwormed.
Good to know – I figure if we add it to the routine, we’ll use more but scrub less. Works for me.
I love that the hubs and I both grew up in Asian households – we are militant about having no shoes in the house! My non-Asian friends think this is a super weird and awkward custom. I think their floors in their houses are filthy.
A lot of our friends adhere to the same rule, thankfully, though it does confuse the odd visitor. I’ve even had Asian guests who walked right in in their street shoes and I was aghast. MY RUGS. OUR CARPETS.
Yeah, no shoes is the only practical way to operate in any place with true winter climate, otherwise snow just gets everywhere. I never realized this was a weird thing. I can see how it would be tempting living in a place like SoCal to wear shoes around the house, but I really don’t get it how this is the norm. What is the point of shoes in the house? What possible benefit is there?
I really wish shower technology had advanced more quickly. I just feel like we all should have self cleaning showers by now.
It’s even MORE silly to wear shoes in the house when you have real winter, I think, though I confess I’ve never lived in real winter before. Snow in the house? *shudder* I just hate having to do the cleaning if there was a clear preventative.
You know, this makes me wonder if self cleaning ovens actually self clean. Because self cleaning showers should absolutely be a thing.
Well, apparently self-cleaning ovens really don’t work. Or at least you shouldn’t try to run the self clean cycle. http://funny-about-money.com/2012/07/12/congrats-on-your-new-self-cleaning-oven-oh-btw-dont-use-the-self-clean-cycle/
I could get behind self-cleaning showers and tubs! It took me at least two hours to clean out the jetted tub that came with the rental house. I don’t think you’d want the details on how foul those jets were. I had to remove all the jets (using a special tool that was hacked for us by a very nice Home Depot employee), soak them in bleach water, fill the tub with bleach water and run it, scrub the jet areas and jets with a small brush, run a rinse cycle, and then re-assemble the jets.
Yes, I have never in my life had the nerve to run the self cleaning oven, no matter how new or old the oven!
And ewww. Once upon a time we had a jetted tub that we never had any desire to use and yeah … it was definitely a chore but I’m sure yours was far worse D:
Ok, I also save tissue paper for later gifting – to the dismay of my hubby [I am sorry-nah- to say I am a paper horder].
We use the spray and leave on shower cleaners. Hubby sprays each time he showers and I just use a sponge and wipe the water off after I shower. Some of the spray and leave on shower sprays are slippery, so be careful. As I am fat and in my 60’s and it is a small shower lifting my legs to shave is an adventure and the slippery ones I’ve bought make shaving even more adventurous and you certainly do not want that now!! They do work and you don’t need to use the spray every time.
My mother-in-law uses a squeegy to wipe the water and soap off her shower. Good luck finding what works for you
I have a rug near the door for our wet or muddy shoes or snowy boots, but company doesn’t have to take off their shoes/boots unless muddy. I did notice that #1 son’s 1st wife and family are Chinese and take off their shoes. I grew up not taking shoes off and mostly lived in New England with wood floors, so very few people took off their shoes except for mud. With winter snows – we just mopped up.
Heh I’m lucky that PiC just nods understandingly and lets people know I’m a paper hoarder so they can enable me.
I will definitely be careful with the sprays – I already have trouble with the slipperiness caused by overly soapy soap!
I know many people aren’t accustomed to taking their shoes off but I forget when that’s not observed by people we’re closer to since it’s the norm among many of our compatriots around here. Plus, I do everything I can to minimize housework š
Do you and PiC want to visit Minnesota? Do you think PiC can teach an old dog that skill? I mean it took me 30 odd years to get him to understand I hate housework and don’t mind clutter – I would clean for your visit, of course.
I minimize housework by not doing it LOL. Although I have to say even I was bothered when our vacuum died and it took 3 months for the new one we ordered to get here.
Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a happy pregnancy.
Hah, we can always try but I won’t vouch for our success rates on that score š
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
Feel free to come and try anytime!!
I don’t have any cleaning tips, unfortunately. I just tend to stick to a basic arsenal of products and try to tackle the grime before it builds up too much.
In this damp weather I find myself burning a lot of scented candles because the furniture starts smelling like damp/wet dog pretty quickly. I’d love to find a better air freshener option ’cause decent scented candles are pretty expensive.
I have a ton of that packing paper left over from my move, but it is all scrunched up so I don’t think it worth saving for gifts. Or do you just use it even when it is all wrinkled? Is that a “look?”
Ironically, we have a friend who always gifts us fancy scented candles … and I rarely burn candles. Regift??? š
If it’s too wrinkled, you could just use it for mailing packages. I’m a huge fan of wrapping packages for mailing (except the USPS priority stuff) in brown paper š
Otherwise I EXTRA scrunch it for texture and tie it up with strings and ribbons. It looks more intentional I guess? (Or not and I just look like a jerk but don’t know it). I considered stamping designs on it but haven’t made the effort to try.
You can iron some wrapping paper with a dry iron. Many papers do really well, some not so much, but it gives you some paper you didn’t have before and some look nice like a crushed velvet texture.
Thanks for the link!
The blue anti-water-spot stuff you put in the dishwasher works miraculously to clean a really dirty shower. Rub on with a wet sponge (use rubber gloves; open the window, if any; turn on the fan) and rub it around on the glass or tile, and presto-changeo! Rinse well.
There used to be a product that you sprayed on the shower door and tiles after showering that was supposed to prevent soap & hard water build-up. Can’t remember what it was called — I used it in the old house, but I never use the shower here because of the ludicrous difficulty of taking care of the travertine shower surround. As I recall, some brands worked better than others. It was a clear liquid that came in a spray bottle.
Where did you find the stainless-steel sink protectors? Do they come in different sizes?
They do come in different sizes and I know this because I foolishly ordered this one (Large)
but it was way too big.
It was this one (Small)
that we needed.