Bar Keepers Friend vs. Brasso

I've been quite busy these days trying to get a lot of small, time consuming jobs out of the way.

Some of you remember I spent days last weekend and early in the week looking for 2 items: Brasso and neutral coloured shoe polish. I never did find the shoe polish.  I'm not in a rush now so next time I'm at Wal-Mart I'll look for it there. I don't get there very often. I did find Brasso on Tuesday at the Safeway Grocery Store.

I was looking for Brasso to clean the rust off of a bathroom light fixture. Before I tried Brasso though I tried something called Bar Keeper's Friend that I had on hand.

I found Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) did a better job and didn't burn my fingers like Brasso did (I didn't wear rubber gloves). See the before and after pics below (click on the photos for a better look).

Before

After

This fixture has been rusted for years already and I intended to replace it. Then I had the bright idea to try something to remove rust.  I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

I don't actually like using BKF much because it is very clumpy and hard to make into a paste especially since the fixture is up on the wall it make it a bit tricky.  But after 2 applications and a bit of a scrubbing I am pleased with the result. I will do it once more before I replace the globes (you only see 3 light bulbs because using 4 makes it too bright in the bathroom.

Let me know if you have any experience and success with home made or store bought products for rust removal and cleaning of metals.

Tuesday 4 - House & Home

Hello and welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 hosted by Annie who writes a blog called Cottage by the Sea.

Today's these is home secrets for keeping house and person clean. Maybe we will learn a few tips from one another.

1.   What household tool or appliance do you rely on a lot?

Like most western households these days I have many household appliances. I use most of them on a regular basis but I rely on the washer and dryer and the vacuum cleaner the most. During heat waves I also rely on several fans because I have no air conditioning.

2.   Which laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dish detergent work best for you?

I've always used Palmolive for hand washing dishes because it was the sole dish detergent featured in television commercials back in the day. I still use it but now I also use Dawn.  Sometimes I also use Ivory.  I  interchange between these 3 with Dawn being the primary dish detergent I use.  I  also use several kinds of liquid laundry detergent: Purex, Arm & Hammer and  Freshex (1st and 3rd one are free of dyes and perfumes). To be honest, I have not researched to see how environmentally friendly any of these products but in a quick search I see there are concerns about both Palmolive and Dawn.  I'll need to investigate further but slowly I am moving toward using fewer chemically based products. When I had a front loading washing machine I made my own powdered laundry soap but now that I now I own a front loading HE washer, I buy liquid soap for such machines.  I don't use fabric softener but I do use fabric dryer sheets. I sometimes use wool dryer balls instead of fabric sheets and plain white vinegar in the rinse cycle to deodorize towels and linens.

3.   What soap do you like to use?   Where do you have soap in your home... bathroom, kitchen, shower?

I use liquid  castille soap which I use only for body soap in the shower, not for household cleaning.  Castille soap is made of plant oils — coconut, hemp, sunflower seed, jojoba and olive. I used to buy Dr. Bronner's brand but it is quite expensive. Now I buy exclusively at a place called Soap Dispensary where they sell oils, soaps and many products in whatever amount you want and they dispense everything into recyclable containers which you pay for on deposit. You get your deposit back when you take the container back for cleaning and reuse by another. I also use bar soap from time to time, primarily soap made with Shea Butter, Goat's milk or Olive Oil. I also use Ivory bar soap from time to time. I keep liquid hand soap in the bathroom, castille liquid soap in the shower, dish detergent in the kitchen and laundry detergent in the laundry closet.

4.   What is the secret to a clean home in your opinion?

The secret to a clean home is not to leave things undone each day. Everything needs to be picked up and put away or folded and put away or washed (like dishes). The other thing is to take care of "hot spots", places that accumulate clutter. For me it's my desk and dining table, for others it may be the kitchen counter and so on. A few minutes each day, or a set time each week, to tackle such things will go a long way to keep everything tidy.  Regular decluttering will also help. As I've aged I've faced various health challenges and taken on possessions of loved ones who passed on.  Now I have a huge job to get things to a cleaner, tidier state and in better working order. I've been working away for a long time already to get things in better order.  Slowly I'm getting there but it is a challenge.

Washing dishes is my least favourite chore but I like a clean sink.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Have a great week ahead.

Wednesday - Hump Day

Hi everyone, It's been another busy day. After a very slow start and being behind on everything I managed to end the day with a satisfactory amount of work accomplished.

After dinner the dishes were done and sink shined.

I ran some vinegar through the coffee maker. It's been clogging a lot.

I washed the inside of the stove's glass door. Cleaning of the oven will happen in spring.

Roast pork tenderloin was the star of Wednesday's dinner.

I always love a medley of roast veggies tossed in oil and herbs.

I finally made some spicy, roasted chick peas.

It's Anti-Procrastination Day in Fly Lady Land. I didn't actually plan the tasks I completed today because I was feeling very sore from a bit of exercise I did this week. I'm so out of shape because all I have been doing for awhile is walking. I just added some strength training back to my regime. I hope I can sustain it for awhile. I've also added this 'pink' drink to my daily intake. Does anyone know what it's called? I started a few days ago primarily to help balance my blood sugar. It seems to be working. Of course for most people low carb eating works too but my low carb eating is not consistent so I need other strategies.

All in all, it's been a busy week so far and I've decided to take the day off from cooking tomorrow. There is enough left over chili from yesterday to feed us.  There is also sandwich and salad fixings ready for use if need be. 

Last but not least, I'm on the last one third of the book, Arctic Man recommended by Red at the blog Hiawatha House. At first I wasn't 'feeling' the book but I'm really enjoying it now.  It is fascinating insight into early 'white' contact with Eskimo people, now called Inuit.  I'm also enjoying learning about the early economy of Canada's far north, the activity of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the mode and manner of travel between very remote and distant, not to mention cold, places I will likely never get to see. The simple map provided at the beginning of the book was very useful and I made good use of it. I think I almost wore the book out flipping back and forth to the beginning. I wish everyone could read this book especially those that are enamored of the writer Farley Mowatt. Ernie Lyall, the writer of  Arctic Man wrote this book in part because he wanted to set the record straight about a number of incorrect statements made by Farley Mowatt in his writings about the north country. I'm glad he did because his writings are also an important contribution to Canada's history.

The Weekend

I don't know where the weekend went. I thought I would have a lot of time to do things because I precooked meals on Thursday for the weekend and did a lot of housework as well. There are some household  jobs I dislike and I tackled 3 of them this weekend. I guess I must be in spring cleaning mode.

The range hood, filter and back of the stove were cleaned. I see I missed a few spots.

The vacuum canister was emptied and washed.

Sunday I also tackled cleaning part of the refrigerator. I dealt with spoiled items in one refrigerator crisper and rearranged things. I need to do another session perhaps later this week to bring everything up to par. The refrigerator is one thing I really don't look after too well. It's because I tend to overbuy and then don't make time to clean things out before hand. I also like a bargain so when I go grocery shopping I over buy. I'm trying to stop these bad habits by doing more meal planning and am having limited success. Eventually I may hit on the right balance.

Friday I stayed up far too late.  I was pleased with myself for getting so much done and decided to take advantage of that by staying up to watch television and read. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy myself because I was too tired.  My fatigue bled into Saturday and I did nothing except read a book. Thankfully today was back to a more or less normal.  I was able to do my daily Bible reading, lots of dishes, cleaned out a good part of the refrigerator, did a load of laundry and made some chicken-rice stew for Monday's meals. I also finished reading one of the books on my stack.  Soon the library will be letting me know that another 2 books are ready and after that I'll probably slow down in the reading department.  The days are getting lighter and brighter as long as it isn't raining.  I'm hoping to tackle some long awaited projects when the weather warms up and the light in the day starts earlier. I'm like a turtle when it comes to household or crafting projects but I enjoy the process.

One of the things I did on Friday was wait for my meat delivery. The ranch that delivered the meat is located almost 3 hours north of me and they delivered right to my front door. It's my first delivery from them and I was only able to get ground beef because that was all they had left besides ground pork.  I am pleased with the process so I'll see whether I'm able to order different cuts next time. It will really depend on cost, timing and room in the freezer. My freezer space is limited and it would need to be emptied to get one of their 'packages'. That makes it very tricky right now so we shall see how it goes.

For the first package of ground beef I made some roasted veggies, ground beef patties and salad. It's also the first time I've used rainbow carrots. Altogether it was a satisfying meal and the beef patty was filling so I only had one. The other one was saved for the next day lunch/snack.

I do have a sweet tooth so I made these blueberry muffins with a mix of unbleached flour and spelt flour. They are dark from spelt four but also because I accidentally dumped a lot of cinnamon in the batter. No worries though. The cinnamon spice is well past it's prime and the taste is quite weak. The muffins were just right.

If you have done the FlyLady system before and want to try it again I thought I'd provide a summary chart for you.  This might save you having to go look for it. Click on it to enlarge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Friday Has Come and Gone

 Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all doing well and keeping happily occupied as we move on toward Christmas.

I'm keeping busy but not feverishly so. This year I have been thankful for being made to slow down and get a lot of 'old tasks' done. I have enough to keep all my waking hours occupied.

It was raining very, very heavily earlier in the day.  When it stopped I took a few photos to share.

First up is this little beauty.

On Thursday night I made ham and bean soup with the leftover ham I roasted on Sunday or Monday. I made Métis style bannock bread to go with it. It was not the best bannock I've made but it was tasty nonetheless.  If you would be interested in making it, there is a recipe or two on line.

The box from Amazon was delivered on Tuesday and contains the shelves I have yet to put together. I haven't done it yet because I've been painting one of the walls in my entry way and touching up some of the bedroom doors and bathroom areas. I have more to do along those lines. The main priority is to get the entry way properly painted and move a small armoire from the living room to the wall area so I can rearrange the seating in the living room.

Well I better go and eat my dinner while it is fresh. Tonight I've made steamed rice, salmon and a few cut up veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes sprinkled with lemon juice.

One last look at the sky before I go.  I zoomed in on the mountains. You can see all the fresh snow.

Enjoy your Friday. 

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

A Bit of This & That: Books, People, Paintings, Sky

I started the week tired so have been taking a bit of a break from heavy duty
 house cleaning while still trying to make a bit of progress.

I was very happy that I was able to recycle (by giving away) several household items (tablecloth,  oven mitts, scatter rug, dish rack and drying mats). It takes a lot of work to make sure items are clean, photograph them, post them on line and then respond to inquiries as well as arrange pick up times but it is so much better than throwing away items which are still in good enough condition to be used by someone else.

I also cleaned the cabinet under the Master Bathroom sink and installed a shelving unit. It makes a big difference and now I can have things nicely stored away.

I finished reading two books and am working on the 3rd one picked up recently at the local library. There is already a waiting list for the two books in the few days since I borrowed them. Whenever I see a waiting list for a book I try to hurry up and read it because I cannot renew a book for which there is a wait list.  If I finish a book quickly I also like to return them to the library quickly so that others may enjoy them.  Of course while at the library I  picked up 3 more books (2 books with tips for household cleaning and/or frugality and one novel).

It's been raining a lot here and I haven't managed to get to the planting of my gardens. However I can see the perennials coming up in my patio garden with all the rain we've been having. I still have to plant the bare spots and I'm hoping for better weather soon though Tuesday was a spectacular day.

On that day, or rather, that evening, a friend and I went to see the exhibition from French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 - 1959.  While in the line up to get into the museum I started chatting with the woman ahead of us. Instead of being a local resident, she was a visitor from Mexico City who was in Vancouver for a conference.  She was squeezing in some sightseeing whereever she could and it was her last night in the city.  I helped her out with some of her questions and then I invited her for coffee afterward which she readily accepted.  It was nice to sit and chat and be hospitable to a stranger.  Hopefully she will have a nice thought about Canada or Vancouver in years to come. This verse of scripture always comes to mind when I chat with a stranger

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

It isn't the reason I entertain strangers however. I just enjoy meeting people and showing them kindness or helpfulness. I think most people, including me, enjoy being on the receiving end of this kind of hospitality.

Now here are a few paintings (and one sculpture) that caught my eye at the exhibition. I did ask first if it was okay to take photos and the answer was 'yes' but no flash photography.

Carpet Merchant of Cairo, c. 1869 Artist Jean-Léon Gérôme

Madame Boursier and Her Daughter  c.1873 Artist Berthe Morisot

Young Women of Sparta, 1868-70 Artist Jean-Baptist-Camille Corot

Woman of African Descent, 1868, Artist Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

I end this post with a photo of the night sky on my walk to the bus station after coffee.

To cap the night I grabbed a quick bite to eat and stopped at the dollar store to see if I could find a small item I need.

I didn't find what I was looking for but I was satisfied with my day.

~~~~~

Joining with 

Skywatch Friday

and 

Friday Foto Friends

The Last Major Hurdles

I do realize that the kind of blog post you are about to read may not be too exciting or thrilling to a lot of people.  But writing about it helps me to stay on track and accountable for the big decluttering project I am working on.  It is a tedious job with few immediate rewards so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for reading and giving me a platform to share my goals, challenges, successes....all of which are leading me to a simpler life and more time and resources for the Missions of Hope.
 
I have had a busy start to the New Year in an effort to get started on the right foot.  This past week I decided to take a little break from the decluttering project and have been busy doing other things like: catching up with friends, going to the movie, exercising, going to Sunday services and making notes of all the upcoming activities there that I would like to participate in during January/February, listening to past sermons on line, reading, organizing my medical appointments and paperwork, scheduling my upcoming commitments (including those that help me reach my goals in 2011) and following up on a number of things I've promised to do.

Then also this past week my mom had a major fall which you can read about here.  Last night she was admitted to hospital due to cellulitis infection.  Cellulitis is the bane of many senior citizens, especially those that are less mobile. She was heavily sedated all day due to pain but her nurse says she is doing much better now. We are not yet sure how long she will be in hospital but my brother and nephew will be attending to visit her and help her with her various needs while I attend to my own medical needs.

Now I'm back to the next big step in the decluttering process, the subject of this blog post which I've called,  "The Last Major Hurdles".  The hurdles are the table top, the dresser top in the bedroom and the big boxes in the bedroom, some of which are pictured below. Once I clean these surfaces and fully unpack the boxes I will have the hardest parts of my decluttering project behind me. I still will have a lot to do but the worst of it will have been done. Yippee!!!

The dining room table in the photo below is covered with clutter and tablecloths so you can't see but it is an antique table from Spain. I love it and it is special because my mom gave me the money to buy it as a birthday present many years ago.  Though my mother paid for it she never liked my choice of table and I am now going to get rid of it.  When I told her that some months ago, she said "Oh good!"  I would probably keep it were it not for the fact that the chairs need reinforcing every year due to their age and often they are not reinforced so they pose a possible danger to someone.  Otherwise, I love the table. Partly because of it's heavy and ornately carved legs.  I also love it because the table top has leaves inserted under it and you can pull them out when you have a sewing project or you have a dinner party.  This adds about 5 more surface feet which really helps when you want to cut fabrics or set out food and dinnerware which I do for buffet style dinners when entertaining.

Clutter on the tabletop. empty coin wrappers in the bag and important papers in a  wooden box on the floor. The table area is nice and clean from time to time but I'm afraid it acts as an expensive catch all most of the time.  Once I clean the the table I will find a new home for it. In fact, I've already ordered a new, small round table for the dining table.  I think it will work much better in this space.

Don't you agree that these are beautiful and solid looking table legs?

Two big unpacked boxes remain from the move in we did just over a year ago post-fire. I've had a quick peek inside and put a lot of the items to sort on the top of the dresser which is adjacent to the boxes. Things look rather messy in the master bedroom at the moment but it is surface mess until everything is dealt with.

Update:  I stayed up late and cleared the table.  A small bag of garbage was thrown out and bills and paperwork added to other like documents which are to be sorted and dealt with later. First pass through the paper is getting rid of anything no longer needed.  It feels good to see the table again.  Next it will need to be polished before I see who might want to give it a good home.

Clutter free once again!

Cleaning and Decluttering Continues

Well this is about day 5, though not consecutive days, of my major decluttering and cleaning project. Today I didn't feel much like decluttering in my bedroom or living area so I tackled some much needed cleaning in the kitchen.

I gave everything on the counters a good wipe down. I also hopped on my mini-ladder and wiped down the upper kitchen cabinets which always seem to collect a lot of grease and grime despite being wiped down almost every other day. I find this aspect of kitchen cleaning quite frustrating and would love to know what others do to keep their kitchen cabinets, stove tops and appliances grime free. Normally I use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to clean the grime but today I used Orange Lysol.

My galley kitchen is very small. Combined with very narrow kitchen cabinets, I have little room for all the basic things one needs in a kitchen. A lot of things need to be stored on the countertops and it is a constant challenge to keep it clean as well as have enough room for food preparation.

I added the multi-coloured batik cloth to the tray under my coffee pot. It was a gift from a cousin but I had no where to use it until the thought struck me today to put it under the coffee tray.  My calendar looks empty but that is because I haven't added my appointments - yet! LOL

I can now look at fresh fruit, napkins and a pitcher instead of a hodge podge of non kitchen items sitting on the pass through to the dining room.

Believe it or not, wiping down the kitchen took me 5 and half steady hours and it really wasn't that dirty. I did a little re-organizing, collected some kitchen containers for recycling and vacuumed and washed the kitchen floor. Though there is still a bit more cleaning to be done in the kitchen, such as cleaning out the main food cabinet and washing on top of and behind the refrigerator, I am satisfied with the day's work.