Cartoon by Lambert-Allen
I’m not a neat freak but I do like a certain degree of order and cleanliness in my surroundings. As both my wife and I are slowing down, it has become incumbent on me to help with the housework. Well, I haven’t gotten old without learning some tricks along the way. and fortunately for you, I’m willing to share these points with others. Especially paying subscribers to Medium.
When I talk about cleaning tips, I’m not limiting them to just house cleaning tips. I’ll share cleaning tips in other aspects of life. Here we go.
1: Make sure the situation really necessitates some type of cleaning action.
We want a nice environment, but we aren’t going all Felix Unger here.
2: At mealtime, make your dog your cleaning ally.
When eating some messy foods don’t get all pretentious and use a finger bowl. Use your best friend, your dog. Not only will he lick your fingers clean, but it will also be a bonding experience for you and your buddy.
3: Don’t waste money on paper towels.
So, are your fingers still moist from your dog licking messy stuff off them? Not to worry. Your dog has fur, doesn’t he? Pet your dog. Once again, your hands get dry and your best friend gets shown affection. A dog is like a washcloth on legs. It’s another win-win.
4: Keeping your car free from food and food wrappers is easy with the right motivation.
Not eating junk food is a challenge for me. When I do eat something while I’m out and about I don’t like to leave evidence. Sometimes forgotten food wrappers can be a browser history of your eating habits. I find it best to erase evidence before somebody else gets in the car.
5: Letting dishes stack up can create an unpleasant and unsightly mess, sometimes prevention can make things easier.
Does that elaborate green bean casserole really merit the mess it makes? Another option, two words: paper plates. Or one word: dishwasher. Or an optional word, dog.
No, I’m not saying use a dog as your dishwasher. But you might let your dog do the prewash before putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
6: Rotate old food out of your refrigerator.
If you are no longer sure of what an item in your fridge is, it’s best to get rid of it. If you have to do forensic studies on leftovers, just move on from it.
7: Get rid of clutter.
So what is clutter? Stuff your spouse has that you don’t like. See the issue with decluttering?
8: Use alcohol when cleaning fingerprints.
Alcohol makes any cleaning job easier. It’s also good to use on furniture. Alcohol-based products also help dissolve fingerprints.
9: Include checking smoke detector batteries and carbon monoxide batteries in cleaning projects.
And while you’re at it, have your pacemaker batteries checked.
10: Declutter your medicine cabinet by getting rid of unused medicines.
And no, don’t worry about the street value before you do it.