The most satisfying thing to clean- The Washing Machine!

The Washing Machine. I mean wow, how lame to consider cleaning a cleaning machine an enjoyable Sunday pass-time, but it was. And I have some pictures to prove it. Since we bought this newer washer from a yard-sale a few months back, I've yet to really clean it other than run a bleach cycle through. In an effort to keep spring cleaning momentum going, I decided cleaning the washing machine before my husband needed to wash his uniforms before work tomorrow would be the perfect time.... for some reason. I have a bottle of CLR I got to desperately attempt to clean our shower door's orange hard water stains. It helped very little. I read on their website about using it for washing machines, too. The chemical smell is very strong with it & the instructions weren't that great- so I Googled for other options... and found many other sites using all-natural cleaning methods like lemon juice, baking soda, and white vinegar.

Right up my alley! I used Anna's technique found here.

I filled the washer to the largest setting with hot water & dumped in (eyeballed it) 2 cups of white vinegar. I let it agitate for a bit & then turned the machine off so I could do some detail work. I used some q-tips, toothpicks, and a old t-shirt rag. I used my trusty half & half white vinegar & filtered water in a spray bottle to clean the exterior of the machine and to soak some tough spots. Tough spots like the hinges, the bleach dispenser (which carefully wiped with only water bcz you don't want that mixing with vinegar, is my understanding), and the outer tub's... crevice? Not sure what you'd call it- but there was a lip that just seemed to collect water & lint nastiness. Good thing I have small hands, though I still couldn't get out all the goop. After the tun did the spin cycle, I stopped it again to get in there with a toothbrush, sponge & baking soda, to help scour the agitator and tub of any remaining residue- which there really wasn't much left in there. Then I reset it to a new cycle so it would fill twice to rinse out anything left in there.

And bonus- came across Anna's part 2, cleaning the fabric softener dispenser. This is were things got interesting disgusting.

(note: pictures 1 & 2 will make you want to gag)

Added ick factor: all of that can't be just ours- the previous owners

must not of known about the secret cleaning area, either.

But here's the after pic!

Yay for a clean fabric-softener-dispenser! Needless to say, I am going to stop using the blue crap.

I barely used it anyway, plenty of sites have talked about the benefits of using vinegar in it's place

(and no it won't smell once the laundry is done). Added plus- the washing machine will get

that clean kick from vinegar being in the tub anyway!

I detailed the dryer, too. the seal on the door had a lot of dust particles stuck in there, smoothly ran

a toothpick in that & it cleared right up. Wiped down the (what I assume is from Bounce dryer sheets) residue with my trusty spray. Tackled the dryer vent, which we keep clean anyway... but still have some dried

on lint to peel off. Now- the only thing I have yet to do is the dryer vent system.... though I don't have the great tool, yet- will be getting one from Menards or Amazon soon, soon. The Lint Eater Jr. was recommended

from an article on About.com. Lots of instructional pictures, and I love pictures.

Which I would have taken more in my quest today....

Springtime

We have been enjoying extremely nice, unseasonably warm weather the past few weeks here. I looked at a picture from last year in April & there was snow on the ground! Glad we can wear t-shirts & flip flops. The grass is started to green up & there are birds & dakrats (as there are known here) all over!

Unfortunately, or should I say- a learned lesson for next time- the square foot garden I built last summer is just out of the sun's reach. I planned the spot for last year well, however did not anticipate the sun being so low in the sky during most of the day in early spring, when I especially need it to warm the soil in the bed. Oops- if anything, I can use that for mostly summer plants that we must wait to plant for a few months, and by then the sun will be higher in the sky & they will have little/no shade. Which will be great for tomatoes, bell peppers (which Nick wants to try a hand at), flowers (especially marigolds), winter squash (tho this is vining & will need something to climb), basil, maybe eggplant, corn & beans.

There are a lot of opportunities. There is also a lot of planning and possible disappointments. I learned last year of one particular bug to watch out for- the cabbage worm- which matures into a white little butterfly. White cute, it will attack the leaves of broccoli & cauliflower plants. Not sure just yet what to try for controlling this... possibly a type of netting that is very small I can lay other a bamboo-stake tripod.... I don't want to use any chemical insecticides.

2 weekends ago I started some cat grass seed, soaked them, followed the instructions for planting & it took off! I took some pieces off & gave them to the dog & cats, they enjoyed it! Now it's tall enough they can munch away on the grass right from it's container- and no one has threw up from it- yay! It's in the kitchen window... which the sill is just a bit too small for that container, and for the container I plant the celery 'cut end' in.

I will have to post some pictures & also a chart/spreadsheet/something to track germinating/planting seeds & transplants to the yard. Also you must consider companion planting, what does best next to what. Some combos are healthy for both, others are no so great. More to come!

my house is a wreck 95% of the time

Um- I'd like a maid service to clean my house for my birthday gift this year- there is too much fur, everywhere. And I can't stand cleaning floors. And dh has yet to do his 1 chore of cleaning our shower. Being that I don't wear my glasses or contacts in our shower, I really don't see how bad it is, which isn't that bad- but the bottom of the door frame catches the VERY hard water & I can't figure out how to get those orange deposits off it. It's nasty. If maid service could do something about the clutter- that'd be helpful too- expect then I probably wouldn't find anything again. MY kitchen is a catch all. What about laundry?... doing it, folding, putting it away. Where do I start? Our basement floor is one big laundry pile, not sorted, not in baskets, just a pile of random materials on cement, that we step on going to the machine to wash the necessities- socks, undies, uniforms, and sheets and towels. But not pants:

source

Everything else is just- other clothes... we don't go out, so we don't hardly wear these "other" clothes, or it's too cold to anyway. As just as I hate to admit it, we are both hoarders. He says he "collects" things, movies, games, pre-order gaming crap, posters, figurines, xboxs. I, keep stuff to sort & get rid of. I can't stand useful/non-broken things being thrown away in the garbage. It's the new American way, the I <3 Organizers way, the individual packaged way, the "just toss it out if you haven't used it in 6 months!" So wasteful to the planet, and people in need who could use that whatever. So i have a stash of tp rolls, packing peanuts and bubble-wrap, an old emptied, cleaned spinning spice rack, cleaned 2 liter bottles & gallon water bottles. All these things that can up-cycled into something useful. So my house is a wreck. Also, I have clothes I don't want to part with bcz I may fit into them again, whether they are too big or too small now.

On a side note, I don't think I'll be having kids.

Ughh.