Why Crumbs are Okay on Floors

From Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard

"Interesting people create interesting houses. By being ourselves, we can break through the limitations imposed by place and circumstance. It is the expression of well-lived lives that creates beautiful spirit and charm in a house, not the beautiful furnishings. I've seen the homeliest houses transformed into havens of affection and joy by fascinating, high-spirited people. . . Perfectionism, in the final analysis, halts the creative process. It is the enemy of spontaneity and serendipity, surely two of the most glorious gifts of life. In my experience working all over the United States, I've found there is too much emphasis on nit-picking neatness, on creating rooms that are nothing more than still lifes. But where is the living taking place? Living well is an earthy business. We may celebrate the daily moments of life when we throw an extra log on a roaring fire, light a scented candle, open a window, move a chair over to the light . . . prepare a snack, read the paper, or write a letter with a fountain pen; but the soot, the scratches, the crumbs, the ring on the table, the mess on the floor, the ink on the chintz, the wrinkles, the work - these are all part of the romance of everyday living. Perfection, on the other hand, chills the mystery and leaves us frozen in space. Perfectionists miss it all. . . bed can be a beautiful still life - when not in use - but pillow cases do get wrinkled and, yes, ripped. My old pine writing desk has several ink stains on the surface, some from my own pens. without these, my desk wouldn't have a soul. It is, in fact, in the untidiness and the clutter or our cozy messes that we make our presence felt - and that, after all, is what homes are all about."

Posted in Housekeeping on January 11, 2006 | Comments (1)

Making Life Beautiful

A baby’s freshly washed and powdered skin. A vase of beautiful wildflowers on the kitchen table. An afghan draped over a rocking chair. Magazines neatly arranged in a basket instead of in a heap on the floor. Hopping into bed when the clean sheets are still warm. Who is most often responsible for these little touches we all appreciate so much? Women!

One of the greatest responsibilities and pleasures we have as women is the chance to add beauty to every area of our lives and the lives of our families.

What is beauty? The Merriam-Webster dictionary says it is “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit� and this is a most appropriate definition in the present case. We are called to be keepers at home – managers of the home sphere, but also makers and preservers of the home “feel� – the ones who have the supreme privilege of creating an atmosphere that gives pleasure to the senses and exalts the mind. Home “making� surely takes on a different definition when we look at it this way. We’re talking about far more than making sure there’s no crumbs on the floor or spiders under the beds. Making life beautiful involves every aspect of every day. What an awesome thing we are entrusted to do!

Ugliness surrounds us, especially in the current time. Our world is filled with shopping plazas fronted with asphalt and automobiles, construction sites, urban sprawl, traffic jams, smog, rage, melancholia, and laptops. These things, not to mention the stressful daily schedules of so many people, can lead to depression and anxiety. I believe one of the tools God has given us to counteract the ugliness and sin and chaos of the world is peaceful homes filled with beauty. Small fragments of life and pleasantness can go a long way towards giving life and joy to the people in our homes – including us! Unfortunately, many people are too busy to think about this, leaving their minds and hearts to suffer the consequences. As women at home, however, we have time and energy to focus on making life more beautiful, and the more women we have in our home, the more beautiful it can become!

Go through each room in your home and examine every area in them to determine where small pieces of life could be added. Are there pictures on the wall? Does the room smell nice? Are the colors pleasing? Where could a vase of fresh flowers go? Could you wrap a swag of dried flowers from the ceiling lamp? Could a pretty rug be put on the floor? Is the room warm? Does it feel cozy?

Whenever you serve a meal, take care that it is aesthetically pleasing. Do you have a combination of crunchy and soft foods? Is the color spectrum accurately represented? (Don’t ever serve spaghetti with red peppers, red apples, red jello, and strawberry dessert!) Do your napkins match the plates and tablecloth? Are the glasses full of spots? Are you serving out of ugly baking dishes because you’re too lazy to wash two pans? Don’t always save your prettiest arrangements for company; family is special too!

What small things could you think of that would please those you live with? Recently I started putting a small vase of wildflowers in the refrigerator. It makes me smile every time I open the door! Flowers do wonders in bathrooms as well. How about a good-smelling sachet in the sock drawer? A pretty holder for pens? Candles on the fireplace mantel – and lit, too? I think one of the best compliments anyone could give a homemaker is to tell her that her house smells nice! How about making fresh bread once in awhile, if only just for the smell? Steep some cinnamon tea in apple cider to make the whole house smell of fallen leaves. Is there a warm rug to stand on when you get out of bed? Does the house look cheerful and welcoming from the front door? Things should be straightened up, dusted, and alluring. The atmosphere should also be stimulating and enriching. Play some peaceful classical music in the evenings and energetic Tchaikovsky in the mornings. Don’t argue with each other all day; don’t blare raucous noise of the television set. And we should also look nice, wearing clean clothes with fixed hair.

I’ve heard it said that one of the jobs of a woman is to make home a place where people want to be – the husband, the children, and the woman! Take time and care to make your home a place where the little things are thought of and tended to. Jesus often went out of His way to visit the homes of those He served, eating with Matthew the tax collector, Zaccheus, Mary and Martha, and others. I’m sure His presence made their homes blessed. Is His presence in our homes? Do they reflect His glory and the beauty of holiness? Let’s not neglect the great opportunity we have as homemakers to bring loveliness into every room and nook and cranny. There are enough troubles and woes in the outside world; the least we can do is create an atmosphere of peace and pleasantness within our four walls, making them places that give pleasure to the senses and exalt the mind and spirit. What a wonderful job!

Posted in Housekeeping on November 19, 2005 | Comments (0)

Take Our Dishwashing Quiz!

Dishwashing is something that takes place in every home every day (well, at least almost every day). Even with such a menial chore, there is always more technique to learn! Take this quiz and find out if you are a dishwashing expert.

Information taken from Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson (New York: Scribner, 1999)

  1. Why should you do dishes immediately after soiling them or immediately after a meal?
    1. Because that’s the way Grandma did them.
    2. The sooner you do them, the easier they are to get clean.
    3. Food-laden dishes grow bacteria
    4. Work before play.
    5. Accidents happen more easily when the dishes are left half done - leftover food spills and drips, dishes get knocked over and broken
  2. True or false: When cleaning up after a meal, you should wash whatever dishes are piled next to the sink first, then what was removed from the table, then the heavily soiled pots and pans.
  3. True or false: If you do not have a double sink, it is okay to rinse with the faucet running right into your wash water.
  4. What should the temperature of your wash water be?
    1. About the temperature you take a bath in
    2. A little hotter than bath water
    3. Temperature doesn’t matter. The soap will kill the germs.
    4. Hot enough so you are uncomfortable if you hold your hand in the water for too long.
  5. Why is it recommended that you use rubber gloves when washing dishes?
    1. The dishes are less likely to slip out of your hands
    2. They will keep your hands from getting all “wrinkly� in the water.
    3. You can use hotter water when you are wearing gloves.
    4. So you can pretend you are a Victorian lady while you wash the dishes.
  6. What should you do if two glasses get stuck one inside the other?
    1. Call the police
    2. Pull really, really hard
    3. Call everyone over to see who is the strongest
    4. Fill the inside glass with cold water (to make it contract) and stand the outer one in warm water for a couple of moments (to make it expand) then gently pull them apart.
  7. Which is more sanitary, washing dishes by hand or using the dishwasher?
    1. The dishwasher is better because it doesn’t involve hands, which everyone knows are dirty
    2. Washing by hand, because it’s more old-fashioned
    3. They are both equally sanitary if you use only fresh, hot, sudsy water for washing and rinse the dishes thoroughly with very hot water.
  8. Why should you use hot water to rinse the dishes?
    1. It works better
    2. Hot water kills microorganisms
    3. Hot water prevents spotting
    4. Hot dishes will dry faster
  9. True or false: When you run out of room in the dish rack, you can set glasses upside down flat on a dishtowel laid on the counter.
  10. When should you switch to a clean towel to dry dishes?
    1. When yours becomes too wet to dry with
    2. When someone takes yours
    3. When you get tired of looking at the design
    4. Whenever you start drying
    5. When yours becomes soiled
  11. True or false: Once dishes have air dried in a dish rack, it doesn’t matter how long you leave them there.
  12. True or false: As soon as you wash the last dish, it is acceptable to pull the plug and dash out of the kitchen so you can do something else before the evening is over.
  13. Which are appropriate activities for which to use the kitchen sink?
    1. Chores connected with food and things that touch food
    2. Washing your hands before beginning to cook
    3. Cutting and arranging flowers
    4. Washing your dog’s dish
    5. Hand-washing laundry
    6. Washing your hands while preparing food
  14. Is it acceptable to wash the countertops with the same dishcloth you use for washing the dishes?
  15. What is the goal of the after-meal cleanup?
    1. To get all the women in the kitchen so the men can have a chance to visit without them at the table.
    2. To return the kitchen to order
    3. To provide a means of punishment for any children who misbehaved during the day.
    4. To get rid of all traces of cooking and eating.

Answers:


  1. (b), (c), and (e), although a case could be made for d).
  2. False: After the meal, dishes should be washed in this order: glasses; silver or flatware; plates, bowls, cups and saucers; serving dishes; mixing dishes and bowls; pots, pans, skillets, casseroles; cooking utensils. Before serving the meal, fill hard to clean dishes used in the preparation of the meal with plain hot water, or if they are greasy, with sudsy hot water so they can soak until you finish eating. This will make clean up easier. When stacking dirty dishes in preparation for washing, stack “like with like� in the order that they will be washed.
  3. False: Rinse dishes in the second half of your double sink or in a plastic dish pan, separate from your washing water. If you are rinsing in the second half of a double sink, line it with a rubber mat or towel to protect delicate glass and china.
  4. (b) and (d)
    The water you use should be hotter than bath water. It should be a bit uncomfortable to leave your hands in it for a sustained period.
  5. (c)
  6. (d)
  7. (c)
  8. all of them
  9. False: Set items properly in the draining rack so that water does not pool in them. If you are draining on a towel laid on the counter, set bowls, cups, and glasses so that they tilt slightly. You can do this by making a slight fold in the towel or by setting something relatively flat at its edge, such as a clean plastic cutting board. If you set them down flat, moisture is trapped under them; they do not dry, and they provide an environment in which bacteria can grow.
  10. (a), (d), (e) When hand-drying dishes, always begin with a perfectly clean, fresh towel – not one that you previously used and hung to dry or one that you have dried your hands on. If you are drying a large number of dishes, you may go through half a dozen or more towels. Used and damp towels are home to many bacteria. Using bacteria-laden towels to wipe dry your dishes spreads bacteria all over them.
  11. False: Air dried dishes should be put away as soon as they are dry. The dish rack is not a storage spot. It is unsightly and exposes the washed things to splashes, dust, sneezes and breaks.
  12. False: When the dishes are completed, wash the sink and adjacent countertops with an appropriate cleaner, then rinse and wipe them dry. Empty the sink drain basket of any food particles, and then clean it and the drain. The drain should be sanitized once or twice a week The FDA recommends that you make a sanitizing solution of one teaspoon of regular chlorine bleach in one quart of water and pour it down the drain.
  13. (a) and (f) The kitchen sink should be almost entirely reserved for chores connected with foods and things that touch food. Do NOT fill the dog’s dish there. Do not empty a flower vase or cut and arrange flowers there. Do not wash your hands there before beginning to cook, although it is acceptable to wash hands that get floury or sticky during cooking in the kitchen since you are only washing off food particles. If you need to hand wash some laundry, do it in the laundry tub or a portable plastic tub and empty it in the toilet when done.
  14. No. Have different types of cloths, rags, and towels and use them only for their intended purposes. Dishcloths are used for dishes, sinks, counters, and tabletops. Rags are used to wash the floors and clean up spills. Hand towels are used for drying hands. Dish towels are used for drying dishes. When handling meat, use only paper towels to dry your hands. You should launder your dishtowels separately from the rags you use for dirty jobs such as floor washing. After every kitchen cleanup, remove the soiled linens and cloths and replace them with fresh ones.
  15. (b) and (d)

Posted in Housekeeping on April 4, 2005 | Comments (0)

What Do You Know About Dust?

What do you know about the presence of dust in your home? Take our very first Lily Press housekeeping quiz to discover more about these silent intruders in your house!

Information taken from Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson (New York: Scribner, 1999)

  1. True or false: Undisturbed dust under furniture hurts no one.
  2. Which of these will cause dust to be airborne?
    1. walking
    2. dancing
    3. dropping shoes on the floor
    4. making the bed
    5. pillow fights
    6. a and b
    7. a, b, and c
    8. a, b, c, d, and e
  3. When cleaning a room, which should be done first?
    1. vacuuming
    2. dusting
    3. tidying up
  4. Which is the most effective way of dusting furniture and knick-knacks?
    1. a feather duster
    2. a slightly damp rag
    3. closing your eyes
  5. What is the main component of house dust?
    1. the makings of a man (like Adam, made from dust)
    2. dust mites
    3. particles of lint from clothing
    4. crushed up potato chips left over from a superbowl party
  6. What do dust mites eat?
    1. human skin scales
    2. animal skin
    3. organic material
    4. pizza
  7. What do dust mites prefer in order to live most comfortably?
    1. mints on the pillow and a warm shower
    2. darkness, warmth and humidity
    3. cooler temperatures
    4. bright light
  8. What percentage of the weight of a six-year-old pillow is composed of dust mites, dust-mite excreta, dead dust mites, and skin?
    1. .5%
    2. 3%
    3. 5%
    4. 10%
  9. True or false: If you wake up sniffly, it is a good sign your bed is full of dust.
  10. The best way to rid your bed and pillows of dust and allergens is:
    1. use allergen-proof pillow, mattress and box spring covers
    2. wash all bedding in hot water
    3. dry clean all bedding
    4. sun all bedding thoroughly
    5. throw away all bedding once every 2 years
    6. a, b, or d

Answers:


  1. FALSE. Dust is inevitably disturbed and hence hurts everyone. Besides being unpleasant to look at, dust causes problems in computers and CD players, promotes unpleasant odors, and is an irritant to the eyes, nose, and lungs. All house dust contains allergens and is believed to be a major contributor to the alarming rise of asthma and other allergic diseases in recent years. The asthma rate has increased about 75% from 1980 to 1994. There is substantial reason to believe that tight houses and increased levels of dust are significant factors in producing these disturbing statistics.
  2. (h) a, b, c, d, and e – Anything that causes a breeze will stir up dust.
  3. (c) tidying up. Begin by tidying up the room, putting away anything that is out of place. A room should then be cleaned from top to bottom. The basic idea here is to avoid soiling what you have just cleaned when you move on to the next area of the room. There is an old saying of “floors first�, but this bit of housekeeping wisdom is a throwback to a time before vacuum cleaners. Women had to sweep their carpets clean, which sent all kinds of dust into the air which then settled on the furniture. Of course, dusting would have had to be done last. Not so now. Do the dusting and then lastly vacuum away any dirt that has settled on the floor.
  4. (b) a slightly damp rag. Put just enough water on the rag to make dust adhere to the cloth. You do not want too much or the furniture may get damp and be damaged. Remember you are not trying to dissolve dirt on the surface, just remove dust. A spray-type dusting aid may also be used, but a small amount of water is just as effective. Do not use feather dusters. They don’t remove dust very well and send too much of it into the air.
  5. (b) dust mites. They are actually tiny bugs!
  6. a, b, and c
  7. (b) darkness, warmth, and humidity – the conditions unfortunately found in most homes!
  8. (d) The appalling answer is 10%!
  9. True.
  10. (f) a, b, or d. Allergen-proof covers prevent mites and allergens
    from passing through so you don’t breathe them in when you lay your
    head on your pillow or mattress. Washing will remove dust and
    allergens left by mites (including bits of deceased mites), but only
    heat will kill the dust mites themselves. Sheets, pillowcases,
    blankets, and mattress covers should be washed in hot water – over
    130 degrees. Sunlight will also kill dust mites, and airing and
    sunning furnishings and all bedding is a good idea. It also kills
    microorganisms and keeps things smelling fresh. Three to four hours
    of sunning and airing is effective.

Posted in Housekeeping on February 17, 2005 | Comments (0)