Going Green, I Mean Really Green
Without Prejudice
I have gone so green I might as well be Irish. Mara said that to me once, many moons ago, when was dating Nifty Nev. she said I might as well have painted myself green. I played The Chieftains and Mary Black and A Woman's Heart interminably then. That was when we lived with Frank from Supagas. A funny imp, endlessly in love and endlessly affable.
No, my green now is one of health and thrift and probably comes from my Scottishness, more than anything. I love watching Aggie on How Clean Is Your House ? I write down the tips as I watch and adapt them as necessary. No more than now at Christmas where everything Must be clean and shiny and I hear my Grandmother, an Edinburgh house wife, urging me on. An Edinburgh housewife was judged on the cleanliness of her front step and was always the first task of the day.
That and making the porridge, I guess.
I make all my own cleaners. No more chemicals in this house. Simple things, soap, salt, vinegar, lemon juice. It's so much cheaper and better for your health. At a pinch I might use some ammonia
or bleach, but rarely and never ever mix the two. I found out that mistake can have almost fatal results. Triggering an asthma attack in one old dear friend. Don't risk it.
Buy yourself good scourers, a nylon one and a stainless steel one. Don't ever think you can scour a shower with a spray. When I was a cleaner at The Sheraton Mirage we scoured everything with them
. And we used shampoo or any other liquid soap to get invisible soap scum of the spa baths and shower stalls. A scourer, soap and elbow grease will dissolve the scum that is made up of skin cells, heat, moisture and body fats.
We used to steam up the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the hot water, while we made the beds. That loosens the dirt, so it comes off easier. Then we would scour, rinse and dry with the used towels, then a pillow case turned inside out. ( No lint ). Mirrors and glass were the same, quicker and cheaper to scour with soap and dry. Most of the dirt in a bathroom comes from moisture and heat, so ventilate wel. Keep a window open slightly at all times, even in winter and you will save yourself a lot of work and money.
You can use a mix of salt and lemon juice to scour your hand basin and polish with a lint free cloth. If you have mould in your shower you sadly have to use bleach mixed with water, spray scour with a toilet brush for the grout. If mould is trapped in the silicone there is nothing for it but to strip it out and resell. A tedious job, we used to get the maintenance guys to do it at The Sheraton.
Use a good tin of bees wax for polishing or shoe dobbin. It adds a lustre and doesn't go up your nose like sprays will. My Mother used lavendola and Bon Ami powder to scour with. I know as it was my job to scour all surfaces in the bathroom every Saturday. Those pink and grey tiny square tiles were a nightmare
I have gone so green I might as well be Irish. Mara said that to me once, many moons ago, when was dating Nifty Nev. she said I might as well have painted myself green. I played The Chieftains and Mary Black and A Woman's Heart interminably then. That was when we lived with Frank from Supagas. A funny imp, endlessly in love and endlessly affable.
No, my green now is one of health and thrift and probably comes from my Scottishness, more than anything. I love watching Aggie on How Clean Is Your House ? I write down the tips as I watch and adapt them as necessary. No more than now at Christmas where everything Must be clean and shiny and I hear my Grandmother, an Edinburgh house wife, urging me on. An Edinburgh housewife was judged on the cleanliness of her front step and was always the first task of the day.
That and making the porridge, I guess.
I make all my own cleaners. No more chemicals in this house. Simple things, soap, salt, vinegar, lemon juice. It's so much cheaper and better for your health. At a pinch I might use some ammonia
or bleach, but rarely and never ever mix the two. I found out that mistake can have almost fatal results. Triggering an asthma attack in one old dear friend. Don't risk it.
Buy yourself good scourers, a nylon one and a stainless steel one. Don't ever think you can scour a shower with a spray. When I was a cleaner at The Sheraton Mirage we scoured everything with them
. And we used shampoo or any other liquid soap to get invisible soap scum of the spa baths and shower stalls. A scourer, soap and elbow grease will dissolve the scum that is made up of skin cells, heat, moisture and body fats.
We used to steam up the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the hot water, while we made the beds. That loosens the dirt, so it comes off easier. Then we would scour, rinse and dry with the used towels, then a pillow case turned inside out. ( No lint ). Mirrors and glass were the same, quicker and cheaper to scour with soap and dry. Most of the dirt in a bathroom comes from moisture and heat, so ventilate wel. Keep a window open slightly at all times, even in winter and you will save yourself a lot of work and money.
You can use a mix of salt and lemon juice to scour your hand basin and polish with a lint free cloth. If you have mould in your shower you sadly have to use bleach mixed with water, spray scour with a toilet brush for the grout. If mould is trapped in the silicone there is nothing for it but to strip it out and resell. A tedious job, we used to get the maintenance guys to do it at The Sheraton.
Use a good tin of bees wax for polishing or shoe dobbin. It adds a lustre and doesn't go up your nose like sprays will. My Mother used lavendola and Bon Ami powder to scour with. I know as it was my job to scour all surfaces in the bathroom every Saturday. Those pink and grey tiny square tiles were a nightmare
