My computer died a few weeks ago, and although I have a new computer, many things have happened in the eight years since I last bought one. To wit - I have no word processing program, unless I spend an outrageous sum further enriching Bill Gates. I already spent the whole morning trying to get a free program, and I'm so frustrated by it I'm ready to join the Borg. What's really bad is that I need to spend several hours a day tapping away at a keyboard, and having nowhere to put my tappings, I'm getting even more irritable than usual.
So I'm starting a new section of Dogpatch, direly typed directly onto the OS software program, and I know I will probably be sorry, so I'm going to make these posts short. I mean relatively short. Everything is relative.
CLEANING WHEN YOU'RE POOR
General housecleaning:
Basically, don't do it, except around - you know - the kitchen and the bathroom (although you really don't have to be obsessive here, because you're poor!). The rest of the place can go to hell. Paper towels are too expensive, and cloths have to be laundered, which is also expensive (I'm not sure how the two compare,though). Cleaning liquids are equally out of reach - go find an industrial cleaning supply store and buy a gallon of Sparkle instead of Windex. Do not keep buying those spray bottles of anything! Buying cellulose sponges is like burning dollar bills. Chlorox and worn-out socks might do as well. If you must dust, rip up an old sheet and invest in a big bottle of Endust. Endust is worth the money.
Vacuuming:
I love vacuum cleaners. I think they are one of the great inventions of all time. But the vacuum bags are obscenely expensive, and they fill up way too fast. You have to get used to picking up dust bunnies by hand. Really, it isn't that bad. I've almost started to enjoy it. It's like hunting and foraging, sort of instinctive. Then you can use the vacuum cleaner on the leftovers, although I would advise first sweeping them up. Leave the vacuum cleaner for the rugs. That's the only place they earn their keep.
Summary:
Cleanliness being next to godliness is some weird medieval concept. And who wants to be godly, anyway?
Next installment : Cleaning II - personal hygiene
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just phyllis for now
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Comments
only on beach days did that method fail......
loved this....
We use it at home all the time . . .
owl - I tried Open Office this morning. I installed it and then spent hours trying to get it to work. I'm usually pretty good at this sort of thing, but I failed so dismally I finally uninstalled the whole thing. I might try again, though, because when it comes to free vs. $130, the choice is kind of obvious.
Open Office doesn’t seem to work well on some browsers. Try switching to another browser then downloading Open Office again.
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Jeff - I like lysol spray, too. It makes my house smell less like a hovel. I'm afraid my personal hygiene tips work better if you live alone, but you'll have to judge for yourself.
I'm also notoriously cheap when it comes to cleaning supplies. I ain't falling for the foams and gels and fancy scents. I have a bagless vacuum now, but when I had a bag, I'd dump it out and reuse it. If you rip it trying to empty it, duct tape it back up. You can get three uses out of it. (Given that advice you might not want to hear my views on personal hygiene and the things you can re-use -- I KID!!)
As for cleaning, have you thought of rubbing alcohol for non-sensitive surfaces (tile, linoleum, plastic, mirrors, etc)? That's what I use and it saves me a lot of money. You also may want to see if it's worth investing in this new product I've seen around - the same principal as a Swiffer, in that it has a removable cloth thing that attracts dust - only this removable one is re-usable and washable. I don't know if it's expensive, but it could definitely be worth the investment. If you have the time, you may want to look online at "ecological cleaning" or "cleaning like grandma" or "cleaning in Victorian times" or something of that nature - a lot of what these people used is non-chemical and also very cheap - for example, lemon juice or soap and water.
Good luck to you - though it may not seem that way, you and I are in the same boat in a sense.
Alysa - but I don't want to be godly! Seriously, a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water is a tried and true museum safe cleaning formula for impervious surfaces, so you're doing it right. Of course, another "safe" museum cleaning material for less impervious surfaces is spit, which I never tried, but some conservators swear by. Lemon juice cheap? Maybe in France. Try vinegar. But really, the most efficient method is to just ignore it all.
Old t-shirts make the best rags. Dampen them just a touch to save on endust. When I was a kid we always dampened the broom before sweeping. It catches the dust. And I mean just barely dampen it. Don't make it all wet.
You can empty your vacuum bag and re-use it. Do it outside where you can bang on it a bit to clear the paper. I hear it has some filtering function. Be careful so you don't break it but if you do, packing tape. (No help there, I have a roll I bought at a store that's been out of business for more than 10 years - paid .99. It was over 12" diameter at the time, I use it constantly, it just won't die.)
Don't waste your money on glass cleaner. Water, vinegar, a drop of dish soap - google it.
My kids gave me a swiffer once - yes, it was a hint, how do you think I knew about the first thing? Anyway, I have a bunch of those micro fiber cleaning cloths I found at a .99 store once and I just use them on the swiffer instead of the disposable one. When they get too full of crud I vacuum them a few times before I wash them.
If you keep having problems with OO, seriously, google docs is just as good.
Now I read through the other comments and I see most of what I've said has already been said by others. Oh well ... it all bears repeating!
Just Thinking - I dunno. If we must have white clothing etc., Chlorox can't be evil. It smells like it, though.
nerd cred - I am quite enthused about these hints regarding the reuse of vacuum bags. You've reinforced my determination to do it. God bless duct tape.