Rock the Votive (with Guest Blogger Lea)

Out of the blue this week, I got an email from my childhood friend, Lea (who you might remember from this post or this post), with a pretty great blog post that she just whipped up 'cause she felt like it. I have been busybusybusy (so what else is new?) and this little unexpected surprise arrived in the nick of time. Plus, we're only a couple weeks away from Valentine's Day, and who couldn't use a little cheap, romantic candlelight in their lives? So bust out those gross, burnt, waxy, old glass votive candle holders you were going to throw away (or pick some used ones up for next-to-nothing at a thrift shop- they look great mixed and matched en masse), and give them a new lease on light (see what I did there?) PLUS: check in tomorrow to see a few unexpected uses Lea has found for her votives (including one brilliant craft project I wish I'd thought of).  It'll be all the candle you can handle.  Thanks, Lea!

 Every year, before the holidays, starting from when I was a child, I have made it my job to clean all of the votive candle holders in the house and get them looking fresh and new and ready for the season. I've always liked this job because it's a big mess/project/production and I get to experiment with different ways to remove candle wax. And when I was finished I loved the atmosphere that candles brought to the house.

I tried many different approaches: Melting off the wax in hot water on the stove (what a mess...), putting the candle holders in the freezer and then picking off the wax (works OK for big pieces of wax but does not leave a clean look), scraping the wax off with a butter knife or fingernails (ouch!) or razor blades, or using hot water from the faucet to soften the wax. All of these approaches were difficult, time consuming, and always left me with a terrible waxy mess to clean up afterward.

 I was married a little over a year ago and I wanted to have a candlelit dinner as part of the celebration. Lil (a.k.a A Charmed Wife)'s mom had 50+ glass votives left over from Lil's brother's wedding that she said I could have. I was up for the challenge of cleaning them, but I knew I needed a better method.

What I came up with put all of my previous years of work to shame! It is very simple and effective (at least for glass votives) and best of all... it leaves no mess! Here's what you do.

Step 1: Put the oven on VERY low (100 to 150 degrees F) because you don't want an oven fire, and place all of your votives on an old baking sheet. (note: I did once cause an oven fire in my mother's oven when I was trying to make new candles from old ones and beeswax crayons... The oven was on WAY to high but luckily there was a fire extinguisher nearby... what a mess... sorry mom, you were so patient with me, I love you).

Step 2: Once they are warm and you can see some melted wax, remove only one of the votives from the oven with an old oven mitt or pot-holder (take care not to burn yourself) and pour the melted wax into an open paper bag that you have already set in the trash. 

Step 3: Next use paper towels or cut up old t-shirts or paper napkins (I hold on to unused takeout napkins and keep them in a drawer -just like my mother does- so I can use them for dirty jobs such as this) to wipe away the left over wax and any soot or dirt and !VOILA! you are done!

4) Repeat for all of your votives, throwing away your wiper into your paper bag when it gets to much wax on it. If any wax got on your baking sheet you can also just wipe it of:) Don't forget to turn off the oven, something I always need to remind myself to do, or else my husband reminds me with a worried look in his eye.

5) After this process, your votives will be very clean and ready for new candles. If you want them extra sparkly or if you want to repurpose them (check in tomorrow for some novel ideas), just wash them like dishes.  I hope this gives you a motive for cleaning your votives!

Rubber Match

In case you have been in a coma, or had your arm stuck in between two boulders since September (welcome back, by the way!), or something, you probably have noticed that this has been a pretty crumby winter in New York City, weather-wise. It's been really snowy and cold and slushy and mucky and generally awful. Which usually I don't mind, because it gives me a good excuse not to wear heels when I leave the house (almost never), and to instead wear my black rubber Hunter wellington boots.  I happen to love these boots because, whenever I put them on, they make me feel like the lady of an English manor going out to oversee the grooming of my horses, even when I'm really just going to CVS to buy toilet paper.
However, lately, my charming ladylike rubber boots have started to look a little worse for wear, what with the mud caked on them, and the water spots, and the rubber "blooming" some weird white powder at the seams. I still feel like I'm in an English manor when I wear them, but now I'm more like the disheveled old squatter who mucks out the rabbit cages.
So, I started to wonder about cleaning my boots. What, pray tell, I asked myself, shall I use to spiff up my wellies? (obviously, I was speaking in a British accent when I said this).

AND THEN inspiration hit me like a ton of rabbit pellets in the face- what else is made out of rubber and gets mucky and muddy and needs to be cleaned? That's right- tires! I hopped right out and bought some Mothers Tire Shine (That's just what they had at my store- I am sure other brands, like Armorall, would work just as well). Spray the polish onto a clean soft rag and rub it into the boots. Let them sit for 10 minutes, and then use a dry part of the towel to buff them to a bright shine. You'll be back to feeling like your royal self again, in no time, your ladyship.

Sweater Weather

I grew up in California, and, in case you were wondering, what the Beach Boys and Katy Perry have told you is true about us California girls.  I was tan and wore flip-flops, shorts and bikinis all year. There was nary a boot, turtleneck, or scarf to be found within 100 miles of my closet. So, needless to say, when I moved to Boston for college, I was more than a little out to lunch and wildly unprepared for winter. Suffice it to say, I brought twelve sarongs with me, and zero coats.
The first day it really got cold that fall, I had to wear all of my clothes at once in order to keep from freezing on my way to the dining hall. Over the course of that year, I picked up a thing or two in the classroom, but what I mostly acquired was a collection of sweaters, which the intervening years of my east-coast residence have only served to multiply. And, strangely, I have come to love sweaters. The problem with sweaters, though, is, unlike sarongs, you can't just throw them in the laundry. And, if you, um, glow like I do when the radiator kicks on, dry cleaning can get rather pricey. Luckily, after years of trial and error, I discovered a method for washing my wool and cashmere sweaters at home, which leaves them cleaner, fresher, and softer than dry cleaning.  Which is good, because I now pretty much wear a daily uniform of jeans and cute sweater from October until May. The rest of the time, I'm back in shorts and flip-flops. After all, you can take the girl out of California...

 Step 1: Fill your sink with hot or warm (you heard me!) water and a squirt of Dawn, or another gentle dishwashing liquid, and carefully place your sweater in it. Contrary to popular belief, hot water is not damaging to wool, but regular laundry detergent (even Woolite) and agitation ARE. So avoid the urge to swish or agitate the water once you have put the sweater in, and just let it soak until spots are dissolved. 

 Step 2: If your washing machine has a Delicates setting for "Rinse" and "Spin", you can move your sweater into the washer and use those two cycles to, well, rinse and spin it. If your washer doesn't do that, gently drain the soapy water in your sink, and refill the sink with warm water a few times until the sweater is rinsed. Then, carefully transfer the sweater to a dry towel and roll the towel until the sweater is just damp.

Step 3: Transfer the sweater to a dry towel, and lay it out flat, in the shape the sweater will be worn. Allow sweater to dry completely before folding and putting it away.  See- no sweat!

In The Fold

Those of you who have read every post I've written since I started blogging 2+ years ago (Hi Mom!) may have wondered to yourselves why I have gone this long without ever doing a post on one of housekeeping's greatest mysteries and challenges- how to fold a fitted sheet. Well, the truth is that nobody's good at everything, and this is a skill I can honestly say I don't have. In the past, even when I have tried my hardest at neatly folding, my fitted sheets typically come out looking like some giant's used hankie. But that may be because I was doing it wrong! Check out this video my friend, Irene, alerted me to, via kottke.org. This lady takes the sheet and turns it into a perfect, flat rectangle, like some kind of sweet, nurturing magician, set to gentle guitar chords.  I could seriously watch this video all day. And maybe after I watch it a few more times, I'll actually go into my linen closet and attempt it. Or maybe I'll just have a cup of tea.



For those who prefer written instruction, here are the basic steps she takes (although, to use an idiom I think I just made up, "no one ever learned to walk by reading a book!").

Note: Your sheet will end up with much fewer wrinkles if you do this when it's still warm out of the dryer.

1. Take the fitted sheet, inside-out and place one hand in each of two of the pockets, along one of the long sides. Bring your hands together, and transfer the pocket on one hand on top of the other, so that both pockets are over one hand.

2. Using your free hand, follow the edge of the sheet down to the next loose pocket. Bring that up and tuck it inside the two pockets that are already folded together. Repeat with the fourth pocket so that all of them are nested together.

3. Still holding the sheet by it's corners, straighten any folds and the edges, so that the sheet forms a rough rectangle. Lie the sheet down on a flat surface and smooth further.

4. Fold the sheet in thirds width-wise, and then in thirds again lengthwise. If it turns out badly, just watch the nice lady do it again.

I Like To Move It, Move It

To answer your question ("Where ARE you?"), I'm back in California this week. The purpose of this trip is multi-fold: I'm visiting my parents before the holidays (as we will be spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas with JM's family this year), I attended a family milestone birthday party, I'm checking up on my baby brother-in-law who recently moved to L.A., and I'm running a half-marathon on Saturday. Here's the thing: Whenever I'm out here, I am struck by how active my days are. And without my even trying (half-marathon aside, of course)! It seems like all the fun things I do- swimming in the pool, going to the beach, playing croquet, volleyball or Frisbee (if you can, in fact, call my efforts "playing Frisbee"- I might be the only person in the universe incapable of putting spin on a Frisbee), hiking, yoga, chasing after my friend's baby- are all inherently active and athletic pursuits. In fact, the only thing I do that isn't exercise is sun-bathing, and even then, I break a serious sweat. It's like the exercise just happens without my even thinking about it.
Which, now that I think about it, is probably why my parents, who are senior citizens, actually look more like seniors in college (okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea). It seems like instead of allocating an hour at the gym every day, you can achieve similar, or better, health results just by keeping moving all the time. So my new motto for life (I have a few of them), is "Just Keep Moving".
Here are just a few healthy habits for things you can do in your real life to keep your body in shape, without setting foot in a gym. Admittedly, these aren't as much fun as beach volleyball, but they sure beat the treadmill.


-Walk It: Instead of taking the car, walk your errands (or even better, run them). Carry your laundry to the cleaners and pick up your dinner as take-out, instead of having it delivered. Take the stairs instead of the elevator (or better yet, move into a 5th-floor walk-up, like us). If you have to drive, park on the far side of the parking lot and walk across, like my dad does.

-Bike It: Put the new bike lanes in New York City to use, and bike to work and around the city. Just please wear a helmet- if the pedaling doesn't get your heart pounding, near accidents with taxis certainly will. It's just like Spinning class, but without that hamster-on-a-wheel feeling.

-Carry It: Instead of getting a cart at the grocery store, grab a basket. You'll work your biceps carrying it around, and you'll be less likely to buy junk you don't need. And while you're at it, bring your own bags to the store and carry your groceries home yourself (this is especially good exercise if you live in a walk-up, see?)

-Build It: Earlier this week, I assembled my parents' new grill. At one point, I was in a crunch position for about ten minutes attaching two parts, and I realized that even that is pretty decent exercise. So next time you make a run to Ikea, load the car and assemble it yourself. And since you'll have to deal with sorting out all those screws and washers and deciphering those directions, this one will be a good exercise for your brain, too.

-Fix It: Anyone who has ever tried to move a toilet, or held a 50-lb lighting fixture while someone else screwed it in to the ceiling, knows that DIY is as good for your bod as it is for your house. And it's so rewarding!

-Clean It: Next time you have to clean your place, put on your workout gear and some pump-up tunes (I recommend Sean Paul), and treat it like it's exercise. It'll be a better workout than a jazzercise tape, and you'll get so much more done.

-Grow It: If you have the space (and green thumb) for it, start a garden. Shoveling, weeding, mowing, hoeing, mulching and watering are all great exercise, and you'll have pretty flowers or tasty veggies to show for it (in addition to your rock-hard abs).

Here's hoping this moves you!

Selling Power

Earlier this week, I dropped my phone, shattering the display glass (prompting my ever-so-tactful husband to sigh and say, "maybe you just shouldn't own fragile things"). After I shot him a steely glare of fury, I decided that instead of paying someone to repair the phone, I would do it myself (in my typical, frugal, DIY way) using a kit I got off the Internet, and instructions via Youtube. I have a good sense of the mechanical, and better-than-average fix-it skills, and the nerds in the video made the repair process look like a breeze, so I really thought I had it in the bag.  But as I was trying to pry the little fragments of broken glass off the phone, I heard an ominous crunch from inside the phone, which portended what I already knew to be true- I had made a bad situation much, much worse.  All of this is to say that I had an unexpected major expense this week in the form of a new cell phone.

In order to offset the cost, and for a fun little goal for myself, I decided I should try to recoup my loss by selling stuff from around the house. Drawing inspiration and advice from my friend Rachel, who has sold more stuff than Ron Popeil, I got out my digital camera, and set to work. Here are the best ways to sell your stuff- even the junk you think is worthless- to easily get some quick cash. Remember, one girl's trash is another girl's brand new iPhone 4. Or something like that.

EBay: I have long been an eBay buyer, but I recently took my first foray into selling. Almost anything you want to sell, you can find a buyer for on eBay. I mostly have sold clothes- anything brand name in good condition will fetch you at least a few bucks- just take flattering photos of the article on a hanger against a white background. Be honest about any flaws, and start the bidding low. I suggest listing a bunch of things all at once- people who like one of your items might check out the others, and you'll save yourself a bunch of trips to the post office when you ship them.


Craig's List: If you live in a fairly metropolitan area, you should list your items on your local Craig's List. I have used Craig's List to sell old furniture and household goods. Again, nice pictures that show the item in a flattering light are a must. Check to see what the going rate is for similar items, and undercut it by a few dollars, and feel free to haggle with buyers. The benefit of this selling method is that the buyer will pick up the item from you (no shipping!), but to be safe, you should meet them at a well-lit, crowded spot, like the coffee shop on your corner. If you are selling something large like a piece of furniture and must let the buyer in your home, make sure there is someone else there at the time- the world is full of freaky people, and one of them might show up at your door under the guise of buying your old boombox.


Gazelle.com: If you have old computers, cell phones, iPods, video games, PDAs or other electronics lying around, Gazelle.com wants to buy them from you. They will even send you secure prepaid packaging in which to return it to them, so you don't even have to worry about postage. I sold them an old laptop that was totally dead and a Palm Pilot that I had in the 90s, and they actually gave me money for them. Ironically, they even bought the cell phone I trashed. 


Second Spin: You know how all of your music is on your computer now? But you still have stacks and stacks of old CDs lying around taking up space, don't you? Second Spin will buy your used CDs and DVDs for a decent price. So you can clear out those drawers or shelves of all those ugly plastic cases (and put money there instead).


At Last Resort:  If you have stuff you can't sell, but is still redeemable (i.e. a whole bag of gently-worn Old Navy tank tops), there's still one thing you can do- give it away. Take it to a non-profit thrift shop (try Housing Works in NYC, or the Salvation Army nationwide) and get a receipt so you can deduct the donation from your taxes. It won't technically make you money, but it might save you a bit come April. Plus, it might actually help someone else out, too.

If you have never tried selling things, you'll be amazed at how fun, and oddly addictive, it is. Give it a try- I foresee your closets getting less cramped, and your wallets getting more so.

Pumping Iron

When we were in college, my husband, JM, had the distinction of being the only guy I ever met who had an ironing board set up permanently in his dorm room. Which is probably one of the reasons I married him- I thought, "this is a man who will make my life ship-shape" (little did I know).  However, now that we're in the real world, and JM is Mr. Suit-and-Tie Businessman, he of course has no time for ironing, and he goes through at least one pressed button-down shirt per day. Which leaves me slaving over a hot telephone while I call the dry cleaners to come make a pick up. Seriously- if I ironed his shirts, I would spend my whole life ironing his shirts. However, while the dry cleaners charge a very reasonable $1.50/shirt for men, they categorize my button-down shirts as "blouses" and charge a whopping $6.50 (and they say the gender gap has been bridged!) Luckily, before he put away childish things (and by that I mean his iron), JM did teach me the proper way to iron a shirt- it's not totally instinctual, and there are a few tricks to it.  But if you do things in the right order, the whole process is quicker and easier, and your shirt ends up looking better.  Even if you aren't much of a "blouse"-wearer yourself, this is a skill everyone should have in their back pocket, just in case. Alternatively, if you know a good lawyer, we could get a civil action law suit going and sue the dry cleaners of America for sexual discrimination. But this seems easier.

Step 1: Set up your ironing board so it is about waist-high in a spot where you have plenty of elbow room and the floor is clean (just in case a sleeve drags on the ground). Plug in your iron and set it to the appropriate heat for your shirt's fabric. Spritz the whole shirt with a light mist of fresh, clean water. Lay the shirt over the pointy end of the ironing board. Iron the back of the collar of the shirt, starting at the points and moving toward the center. Flip the shirt over and repeat with the front of the collar.

Step 2: Pull the shirt up so the yoke of the shirt (the flat part on the back between the shoulders) is flat on the ironing board- it may help to put the pointy end of the ironing board into one of the sleeves. Iron until smooth.

Step 3. Lay one of the shirt cuffs flat on the ironing board, first ironing the inside of the cuff, then the outside (reverse this for french-cuffed shirts).

Step 4. Then carefully lay that arm of the shirt flat on the board folding the sleeve at the seam, and, ideally, the crease from the previous ironing. Iron the back of the sleeve first, then the front. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the other sleeve.

Step 5. Now you can iron the body of the shirt. Starting with one of the front pieces flat on the board, carefully iron it flat from the bottom hem all the way up to the shoulder seam (taking care around the buttons, pockets, buttonholes).

Step 6. Carefully rotate the shirt so that one half of the shirtback is on the ironing board. Press this, taking care around the armpits and any back pleats. Continue to rotate and press the shirt, until you come to the other front panel. Repeat step 5.

Step 7. Gently hang the shirt on a hanger, buttoning only the top button or second from the top to hold it in the hanger (so you don't wrinkle the shirt unnecessarily in the process of buttoning and unbuttoning).
See? So easy even a silly woman can do it.








top image credit: vintageposterprints.com

You Win! Mrs. Meyer's Giveaway Results!

 And now the moment we've all been waiting for: the announcement of the winners of this weekend's Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day cleaning products giveaway! Thank you all for your entries- Although I try to always look on the bright side of life, like the Monty Python fellas,  I think it's cathartic to complain every once in a while. Hopefully the winners of these products will have a little less to complain about in the future (at least they can't say "I never win anything" anymore. Even if all they've won is awesome free cleaning products). In case you are one of those people who is curious about how things work, or you just don't trust me, I selected the winners using a random number generator, not based on my own agreement or disagreement about the hideousness of the commenter's hated chore. I promise, unlike several entrants' bathtubs, these results aren't dirty.

So without further ado, here's who cleaned up:

2nd Prize, of a bottle of Mrs. Meyer's All-Purpose Cleaner in your choice of scent goes to  Entry #29, Karen who hates dusting.

1st Prize, of a smorgasbord of Mrs. Meyer's products, in your choice of scent, goes to entry #41, Kristin, who hates cleaning the kitchen floors. 

Hopefully these prizes will make cleaning house a little nicer.

Congratulations, peeps! Email me at lily@acharmedwife.com to claim your goodies, you lucky ducklings!

A Clean Day Giveaway!

As I have documented many times on this blog, I am on an unceasing crusade to find good, non-toxic cleaning products that don't suck, and won't slowly poison me. Or quickly poison me, for that matter. So when I discovered the line of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day cleaning products, it was as if a light shined down from the sky and a choir of angels heralded them. These cleansers are made from simple, clean, earth-friendly ingredients, smell heavenly, and actually work.  And even the packaging is cute! I love these products so much, in fact, I wrote the manufacturers a fan letter - only the second one I have ever written in my life (fun fact: The first went to Ann M. Martin, the author of the Baby-Sitters Club books circa 1989). Unlike Ms. Martin, Mrs. Meyer didn't write back and send me stickers and an autograph for my "Autograph Book", but I like their products enough to forgive them that. I know this post reads like an ad, but Mrs. Meyer's is in no way paying or compensating me for this (yet- I'm still hoping for that autograph)- I'm just creepily obsessed with them.

In fact, I like their products so much that I want you to discover them, too. Hence: a giveaway! Just leave a comment on this post by midnight on Monday night (May 31), telling me your least favorite household chore (mine: matching socks) and I will randomly select two winners!

The First Prize will be a bounty/bevy/smorgasbord of  Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products in your choice of scent (choose from Lemon Verbena, Lavender or Geranium- my fave), including the dish soap, hand soap, counter top spray- which I use every day- and whatever else I decide to pick out for you depending on how nice I'm feeling that day.

The Second Prize will be a bottle of the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day All-Purpose Cleaner (which may leave you wondering why any of the other products are necessary) in your choice of scent.

So leave a comment and you just might... clean up.

A Shoe-In?

I am sorry to admit that I have always been one of those people who rolls my eyes and whispers something snarky like, "Do they think we're in Japan?" when someone asks me to remove my shoes before walking into their home. Usually my shoes are carefully chosen to compliment my outfit, and, since I started running, my bare feet don't always look their recently-pedicured best (let's just say I'm currently down a toenail), so taking off my shoes can be sort of embarrassing and unpleasant.  Both JM and I grew up in houses with a shoe-on policy, and I actually blush a little bit at the mere thought of asking guests to take off their shoes.

But, as is frequently the case with "unshakable" beliefs, I am beginning to suspect that I might be wrong on this one. Now that I'm fixing up and cleaning my own home, I see the dirt we track in first-hand when I sweep and mop, and I'm beginning to notice the wear-and-tear that shoes are having on the wood floors we had pristinely refinished just two years ago. Here are just a few of the (very) compelling reasons to suck it up and remove your shoes in the house (no matter how cute they are).

Ladies and Germs: To some extent, if you live in a crowded city, you have to be willfully ignorant about how surrounded you are with filth. Just to touch the support bar in the subway, or to ride the bus during flu season requires a certain amount of blind (stupid) faith. But when you walk on streets where people spit, and dogs pee and poop everyday, you are literally walking that bacteria into your home. I would like my apartment to be a haven from, not an extension of, the dirty world outside.

Chemical Brothers: In addition, due to the constant construction that takes place in the city, we frequently walk through chemicals and particles (think asbestos) without even knowing it. Then that stuff gets stuck in your shoe treads, and you shave a few days off your lifespan when you breathe in (okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but you get the picture).

Ready to Wear: Even if you live in the countryside where there are no germs, and no chemical materials floating around, and only good healthy dirt everywhere, even the cleanest dirt is still dirty. Ultimately, no matter how much you sweep, vacuum and mop, dirty shoes will ruin your carpets and scuff your floors.

Pollen Counts: During the spring, I get nasty, terrible allergies. I find that the more often I vacuum, sweep, and dust the house, the better (well, less bad) they get. I'm pretty sure the same principle would apply were I to just not bring the particles into the house in the first place.

So what is a reformed podophobic to do? Here's my plan. I'll start this process for JM and me- we don't have much space in our entryway, but on the landing outside our apartment door, I'm going to create a little shoe station (after an Ikea shopping spree, natch). I'll set up a shelving unit with baskets full of cute slippers, socks, and shoe covers (for workmen or other people who won't take their shoes off)- as an added bonus I'll be able to use the baskets to store wire hangers and old newspapers until recycling day. I'm going to cover the area with a cute rug and a add a cute stool for sitting while you swap your shoes. I'm going to keep disinfectant wipes by the door so that even Skipper gets her paws cleaned before she steps over the threshold.  And if a guest shows up and walks into the house still shod, I will say... absolutely nothing. I'll just do a better job of mopping the next day.  Now, I've just got to figure out how to deal with the dog hair. Saran Wrap?

1. EO organic sanitizing wipes, $22 from drugstore.com; 2. Woven cotton rug (2x3), $28, from Dash & Albert; 3. Woven grass slippers, $9, from Pearl River; 4. "Branas" basket, $13, from Ikea; 5. Industrial shoe covers, $25 for a huge box from Amazon.com; 6. "Expedit" shelving unit, $69, from Ikea; 7. "Nils" stool, $39, from Ikea.

What is your household shoe policy- "No Shoes, No Service" or "Shoo, Shoes"?

photo credit: Martha Stewart

Wrinkle Treatment (with Guest Blogger Amber)

You don't have to tell me how lucky I am. I have a handsome and charming husband, a sweet dog, an apartment to call my own, great readers, and the best family and friends anyone could ask for. Case in point, yesterday my friend Amber just emailed me a blog post she had written for me, out of the blue, unsolicited (I didn't even have to guilt trip and blatantly hint, like I usually do). She said, "I have a blog idea for you.  I do it all of the time, and I kind of thought everyone did until I saw XX and XX do it all wrong" {names withheld  to protect the innocent}. You might remember Amber as the hottie with the genius bikini tricks from a couple months ago. Apparently, the huge fame she garnered from appearing on the blog went to her head, and she has come back for more (or maybe she wants something from me... Amber, do I owe you now?) At any rate, far be it from me to look a gift-horse in the mouth, and, as a bonus, Amber is a veritable font of good, practical ideas, including these about minimizing the wrinkles in your laundry. I don't know why I didn't think of them myself, but I tried these techniques on my laundry last night and they really, really work. I wish I could take back all the hours I've spent ironing unnecessarily. Wait, Amber, why didn't you tell me these sooner? Okay, fine, I forgive you. I guess we're even, now.

Let's Straighten Things Out A Bit

If you are anything like me, who washes all my clothes on cold-delicate so I only have to do one load, is not about to start polishing silver or ironing sheets anytime soon (although these tips will make ironing easier), and only read this blog for entertainment and the occasional mascara recommendation, then these tips are for you.  And they'll make life easier for everyone else, too.

In order to cut down on the amount of time I spend ironing my clothes, and on the number of things I actually have to iron, I fluff (shake vigorously) each item  of my wet clothes before I put them into the dryer, instead of just transferring them all in one wet wad.  This straightens out all of the twisting and turning that happens in the washer that can leave big wrinkles and folds in your clothes (and sometimes prevent your clothes for drying completely).  This is especially helpful with jeans and other clothing items made from thick heavy fabric- it seriously makes all of the difference.

Then, after the dryer cycle ends, I take the warm clothes out immediately (okay, or soonish) and shake each item out again (the same way you would shake out a beach towel before you lay it down on the sand).  After shaking each item, I lay them flat over the dryer door, the top of the laundry hamper, the bed, or the back of a chair while they cool.  This helps prevent creasing from leaving the clothes in a pile in the hamper for too long, or from folding your clothes while they are still warm from the dryer.  It also helps eliminate that pointy shoulder thing that happens to our shirts from hanging them up on hangers.  You don't have to have clothes hanging all over your house for this to work, one pile of flat clothes on top of each other will do the trick.

After all of my clothes are totally dry and cool, I eventually do put them away (usually).  It may sound like a lot of extra work on top of all of the laundry you already have to do, but it really only takes a few extra minutes to shake out your clothes, and it is sure to save you a heck of a lot of time ironing everything out later.  It takes about as long to shake out your clothes as it does to read today's blog post, so no excuses.  Editor's Note: Writer is in no way insinuating that you should be shaking your laundry instead of reading this blog.  Besides, I know most of you are reading this at your desks at your offices, anyway, so what would you be doing with this time instead- work? Pshaw. 

 "Wait, so you shake it before and after the dryer?"

photo credit: Real Simple (just the top photo, not the ones of Amber and me. But that would be weird, right?)

Screen Queen

 You know how sometimes, when you are cleaning your dryer lint screen and it's hard to get the lint to come off the screen? So you end up rubbing your fingers all over it, trying to get it to come off? Well, here is the solution: After each screen cleaning, save a pinch of the lint. Then next time, rub the saved lint on the screen, and it will pull the new load's lint right off like a magnet. This also prevents your finger oils from getting all over the screen, which will eventually cause it to get clogged up and require replacement.

 Right about now you are probably thinking, Is this tip worthy of a whole blog post? But sometimes it's the little daily frustrations that seem insignificant and not worth blogging about which are the ones that stack up and clump together and eventually clog the screen of your mental sanity. So consider your screens cleaned- both actually and metaphorically.  You're welcome.

 (And yes, that is my veiny, fat, red hand in this picture- nice, right?)

Virtual Cleanliness: How To Clean Out Your Inbox and Voicemail

A tidy and organized life doesn't just mean shiny, clean floors, dust-free lampshades, and every object in it's place (although that's an excellent start). It also means that you have all your information sorted and put away, too.  And it helps if your conscience is clear of unanswered emails and voicemails, as well.  While my apartment is starting to feel quite clean and fresh from all the spring cleaning I've been doing (if I do say so myself), sadly my email inbox is a jammed, disorganized mess, and the answering machine on our landline (yes, we live in the 1990s), has been flashing "FULL" for a week. So if you've tried to call or email me lately, please accept my humble apology- I'm working on it.

Here are my strategies for managing the "digital clutter" that makes its way into our lives, and keeping on top of all that virtual mail of the e- and voice- varieties. Now, I just need to employ them myself...

1. Separate Email Accounts: I have one email address that is for personal email, one that is for the blog, and one that I give out for reservations, online purchases, and anything else that I expect to generate spam or ads. That way, I can prioritize, and the most important emails don't get lost in a sea of spam.
2. Archive, Don't Sort: Don't bother sorting emails into folders, simply create an Archive folder. Once you have read and responded to the email, or dealt with it, either delete or archive the email. This way, you can just keep things you actively need to deal with in your inbox, and you won't waste time unnecessarily sorting emails into folders. And you will be able to search for the email just as easily in the archive as you would in your inbox.
3. List As You Listen: Get a paper and pen as you listen to voicemails, and write down the info for the one's that require active attention, and then immediately delete them. Be honest- you are far more likely to deal with it if you have the info in front of you than if you save the message to your voicemail, where it just sits making you feel guilty every time you look at your phone. Then return the calls one by one.
4. To Maintain: Try to answer the phone when it rings, even if you don't feel like it (just don't do it in a restaurant or  when you're with a friend)- don't put off til later what you can deal with right now. Also, don't always have your email open- it will destroy your productivity.  Check your email at regular intervals- like every two hours, and only when you have time to answer them immediately. 

Right, now I've just got to go archive the 1254 emails that have come in while I was writing this.

Fired Up: How To Clean A Grill

Sorry for the delay in my posts, folks.  JM and I had friends in town from London this weekend attending a wedding, and didn't get around to posting (or finishing my Spring Cleaning, for that matter). So Spring Cleaning Week extends into this week, and we aren't going to quit until every last speck of dust and dirt is eradicated (or until I feel like writing about something else- whichever comes first). 

I am aware that "manning" the barbecue grill is typically the domain of, well, men, but, then, so are taking out the garbage and walking the dog, both of which are my jobs (JM, meanwhile, is a master organizer and silver polisher). And, as I have mentioned before, I relish any opportunity to combine my great loves of cooking and being in the sun. Thankfully, the weather has turned lovely, and as soon as that happens my thoughts turn to the sweet smell of hot dogs and buttery burgers. But before that can happen, I have to tackle one of the most undesirable tasks of all: cleaning the grill.
If I were a more organized person, I might think to clean the grill at the end of barbecue season, so that it is fresh and clean when I unveil it in the Spring. But that would force me to admit, each October, that the last warm weekends are over and that I won't be grilling again until April. By the time I am willing to concede that it's no longer grill season, the whole apparatus is buried in snow, and it is way too cold to stand out on the patio scrubbing a grate.  So, our grill usually festers in it's own gross juices all winter, which is fine, because even grease freezes at a certain temperature. But then, when the sun starts shining again, and the rancid meat juice starts to thaw, well, then I find myself in a bit of a pickle.  Luckily,  I have discovered a cleaning method that really works and is totally non-toxic, while exposing the unfortunate cleaner to as little charred fish skin and congealed animal fat as possible. You'll be ready to officially welcome Spring in no time and with very little elbow grease.  Then, all that's left is sweeping up all the outdoor spaces and wiping down the patio furniture.  But I'm pretty sure that's man's work, isn't it?

How To Clean A Barbecue Grill:

What You Need:
Aluminum Foil
A scouring brush
A gentle dishwashing soap
Baking soda
A Sponge
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Step 1: If you have a gas grill, lay a layer of aluminum foil over your grill and turn it on. Close it and let it "cook" for 30 minutes or so. Turn it off, carefully remove the foil, let cool, then use a wadded up piece of foil to scrub at the grates, thoroughly covering every surface. Like the "self-clean" option on your oven, everything gross caked in the grill will have turned to ash and will scrub right off. If you have a charcoal grill, skip this step.

Step 2: Wait a few hours until the grill is completely cooled off (I suggest watching a few old episodes of Law & Order to pass the time). Remove the grate, and use a scrub brush and warm soapy water to scrub the grates totally clean.  Set aside and allow to dry. In the meantime, remove whatever componants are under your grate and scrub them clean, as well (sprinkle on baking soda to help with any tough bits), disposing of any charred cakey bits and ash.  Remove any catcher things that are attached under the grill and clean them out using the same method. 

Step 3: Replace all of the components inside the grill. Then, using the same soapy water and baking soda (Bar Keeper's Friend works great, too), scrub the dust and dirt from the outside of the grill using the sponge. Finish up by cleaning all the plastic parts and knobs with the Magic Eraser. It'll look like new.

Step 4: Make mine medium-rare, please.

Light Up Your Life: How To Clean A Chandelier

In my first rental apartment in New York, all the lighting fixtures were hideous eighties-era flourescents that gave off light that made everyone look green and made a disturbing buzzing sound when they were turned on (which was almost always, since we lived in what was essentially the basement). My roommates and I just lived with it for a while, but when we renewed the lease and decided to stay another year, I knew the ugly lighting had to go.  After some serious eBay trolling with my mom, I won an auction for a gorgeous sparkly six-bulb crystal chandelier for some insanely low price, and awaited it's arrival with bated breath. The first time JM, then in the Navy, got a weekend off and came to visit, I made him help me unpack and hang this thing, and all it's drippy, shiny jewelry in my teeny little bedroom. Once it was up, we took a step back to admire our work, and JM smiled wryly and said, "Razzle dazzle!" He was right, of course, it was way too much chandelier for my little room (this thing would have fit right in at Versailles) but I loved it immediately. And when we moved, we lovingly packed it up and hung it in our new bedroom. Which is all the say that chandeliers aren't just for Daddy Warbucks and wedding banquet halls- sometimes they are at their best in the most unexpected places- hanging over a tub in a bathroom, or from a tree over a picnic table, say.

But the problem with chandeliers is that they are magnets for dust and extremely daunting to clean when they get dirty (more like "ruzzle duzzle"). You can ignore it for a while, but during Spring Cleaning everything gets a bath. So here is the method I have developed in my many years as a chandelierophile for dusting and washing that crystal monster. It'll put the "shine" back in "chandelier".

1. Spread a soft blanket or towel on the area under the fixture. This will prevent your floor or furniture from getting nicked if you accidentally drop a crystal, and makes it more likely the crystal itself will survive the fall.

2. Pull out the diagram of how the crystals hang if one came with your fixture. If you don't have one, take a few digital photos of the chandelier to use as a guide later.

3.Carefully remove the crystals from the fixture. All chandeliers are different, but there are usually long swags of crystals hung between the arms, and then straight drops (called pendeloques) hanging from each bulb. Don't twist or turn the chandelier to reach the drops- instead, leave the fixture hanging as it is and move around it- twisting can compromise the connection to the ceiling and cause it to fall.

4. Soak the crystals in a mixture of warm water and gentle dish soap (I use Palmolive). Meanwhile, standing on a ladder if it helps, clean the base of the chandelier with a 1:1 mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle, gently wiping off any dust with a clean, non-linty rag (like an old soft t-shirt). Be very careful near any electrical wiring (getting it wet might create a short) and the lightbulbs (as they may be hot).

5. Use a clean, dry, non-linting rag to dry each crystal. Using the photographs as a guide, hang the crystals back on the fixture. Bask in the sparkly dazzling glow of your chandelier, and be glad that's done until next year.


photo credit: Curbed NY

The Big Chill: How To Clean Your Fridge

About most things I write on this blog, you may have noticed, I am consciously quite fastidious and organized. Especially about things in my kitchen. But it might surprise you (unless you actually know me) that it's all a facade. That's right, I'm outing myself- even though I act all tidy and organized, I'm a closet slob. Literally. (My closets are sometimes really slobby). For years, when I lived at home with my too-forgiving parents, or in cinder-block dorm rooms and tiny, cramped, rental apartments with roommates, I just didn't care enough to keep things organized and tidy- my clothes and papers were strewn about my room and you could usually find me by following the trail of discarded shoes on the floor (my dad once left me a note that said, "Dear Lil, Please close us! Love, Your Drawers).
But love does funny things to a girl. Once JM and I bought our place, and started building our life together, suddenly I felt driven to make a change and to try very hard to make our home as nice as it can possibly be.  Every day is still an internal battle between the angel and devil on my shoulders to overcome my own innate disorganization- every fiber of my being wants to dump that jacket on the ground rather than carefully hanging it in the closet - but most of the time, the angel makes me reach for the hanger anyway, because my desire to keep my home and my things looking as good as possible, and to provide a lovely place for our little family to live, wins out. (But sometimes I still drop it on the floor. Nobody's perfect).
And nowhere is my own lingering internal messypants more evident than in my fridge. I finally have a new, amply-sized, cold-all-over, stainless-steel, big-kid fridge, but I'm still working out how everything should fit in it. Let's just call it a work in progress. With the emphasis on the progress.

How To Clean Your Fridge

1. Take all the food out, throwing out anything that is moldy, spoiled, expired, or old. Also throw out that mustard bottle with 1/8-inch layer of yellow at the bottom- seriously, it's gone. Make a list of things to replace.
2. Take out all the removable parts of the fridge, like the shelves and the drawers. If your fridge has a drip-tray underneath, pull that out, too. Use a sponge, and warm water mixed with a mild non-toxic dishwashing soap to scrub them clean. (Just be careful not to take a cold glass shelf and expose it to very hot water- the temperature change might cause it to crack.) Also, don't use any ammonia or bleach-based cleaning products in your fridge- you don't want that stuff in with the food you eat, trust me. When everything's all clean, wipe dry with a clean towel.
 3. Wash out the inside of the fridge and the door with the same very mild soapy water solution, and wipe dry. If there is a residual foody smelliness, wipe the whole thing down with a solution of baking soda and warm water.
4. Put all the shelves and drawers back in. Make sure you place them so that one shelf is tall enough for your milk carton and other tall items. Every fridge is different, but here are a few rules of thumb for grocery placement.
     a) Veggies go in the crisper drawer. Usually the temperature is calibrated to be ideal for veggies.  I put mine in Ziplock bags to keep them fresher, but still make it easy to see what's in there.
     b) Don't put meat, milk, or eggs in the door- it is almost always significantly warmer than the rest of the fridge, so save that space for condiments, wine and juices.
     c) Keep fresh meat wrapped in a plastic bag on a shelf where it will be kept cold, and cannot drip on anything below it.
     d)Keep like with like- all cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products should be kept together. All fruits should be together. And lining up all the beer and canned sodas in tidy rows will give you that super-organized tv commercial look.
5. As you put things back in the fridge, make sure you wipe off each item with a damp rag, to make sure there is nothing sticky or gross is going back into your gorgeous, sparkly-clean fridge.  Oh, and put a box of baking soda in there to keep it smelling just as clean.
6. Think you're done? Sorry.  Repeat with the freezer.

 Pretty cool.


Photo credit: avc-recycle.blogspot.com/

A Clean Slate

I know I'm a little late with the Spring Cleaning post, but, to be honest I've been putting it off. I try to keep up with our apartment cleaning on a day-to-day level, but there are some tasks, like cleaning the chandelier, or dusting under the furniture, that I am not just itching to do. But then, last night, JM and I got caught up watching Hoarders until 1:30 am, and, seeing those poor people stuck in their own unbelievable messes,  I decided there was no time like the present- that is one slope I do not want to test for slippery-ness, thank you very much.  Not that I suspect you are reading this with your computer perched atop a monstrous heap of rotting garbage, either, but we all have the tasks we put off. And that's what Spring Cleaning is for. So this week on the blog is officially Cleaning Week- each day I'll give you my best ideas for cleaning around the house.  Hopefully that will actually make me do the things I write about, and we'll all be inspired to move forward together.  But, if you aren't game to get on the clean house bandwagon, feel free to print out this week's posts and add them to the pile of paperwork that is spilling off your desk.  See- something for everyone!

 Today's Tip: One Thing At A Time.  
 This is a good attitude for tacking anything difficult or unappealing in life, and particularly Spring Cleaning.  If you are lucky enough to share your home with a brood of kids and extended family members, you can knock out Spring Cleaning in an afternoon- just set a date, pump some tunes, and get everyone in on the action- many hands make light work (and those teeny little hands are particularly good for dusting the hard-to-reach spots).  But, more likely, if you are still reading, the brunt of the housecleaning falls to little ol' you. If this is the case, fear not the dust bunny- you can do this. Just break the tasks into easy-to-manage pieces and you'll find yourself living in the sparkling clean and organized home of your dreams. Okay, fine, the sparkling clean and organized home you already have.

1. Get Organized. In Your Head. Before you can get anything done, you need to figure out what needs doing.  Grab a clipboard and a pen and make a list of every little task that needs doing at your place.  Be thorough- go from room to room (and outside, too) and make a note of every single thing that needs to get done- from big jobs like cleaning the oven to little tasks like emptying the bathroom trash can- and write 'em all down. Your list will probably be dauntingly long, but that will just make it feel all the better when you accomplish everything on it.

2. Get Started. No time like the present... or tonight when you get home from work.  You don't have to take on a whole room- just choose a few things from your list and get going. Be smart, though, and work from top to bottom (don't sweep and mop the floors before you dust the ceiling fan, or you'll just have to do it again). If you are feeling ambitious, take on a bathroom, a closet or your pantry or kitchen cabinets. Focus on purging things you don't use or need (think "What Would A Hoarder Do?" and do the opposite), and on organizing the things that you keep in a way where you can find and access them easily (otherwise, you might as well not have them).

3.  Get Creative. You can be a little creative when it comes to attacking your tasks.  For instance, you may find it more efficient to grab the Windex and paper towels and clean every window, mirror and glass picture frame in the house in one fell swoop, rather than focusing on doing things room by room. And don't forget to clean the things you don't often think about- your air conditioner filter, the tops of doors, the garbage can lid. It might help to stand on a chair, or sit on the floor in order to get a better view on what needs cleaning.

4. Get Inspired. Turn on the radio or your iPod. It makes the cleaning go so much faster and, if you let yourself dance and sing a little while you work, even a little fun.  I find Motown (..."the way you swept me off my feet, you know you could have been a broom"...) and Reggae particularly helpful for mood-elevation.

5. Get Finished. Once you've accomplished each task, cross it off your list. You'll be amazed at how quickly you are able to work through them. Once you've done enough, and start feeling lazy, call it a day. Just make sure you pick up where you left off tomorrow night. For now, sit back and admire your work. And if you need extra motivation, Hoarders airs on A&E on Mondays at 10. Seriously.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart

Soda Damn Good: 7 Unexpected Uses for Baking Soda

In this topsy-turvy world, one thing you can count on is that there will always be scores of new cleaning and beauty products released to the market each year.  And most of those are overpriced and so full of chemicals and additives that they are secretly poisoning you and the environment while they do their job (which is fine if they actually work - I mean, I'll do just about anything for very white sheets). But, meanwhile, little did you know that there is a completely non-toxic, inexpensive cleaning and beauty product that has been in the market for years, and that you probably already have in your pantry: Baking Soda.  Your grandparents knew that there isn't much this miracle powder can't do around the house (but somehow they forget to pass that info on to you). Here's just a sampling of what it's good for- it's versatility will blow your mind. Oh, and it's good for baking stuff, too.


7 Unexpected Uses for Baking Soda

1. Smell You Later: For some scientific reason I don't entirely understand, baking soda absorbs odors. I explored it's incredible ability to de-stinkify my husband's boat shoes in a post last summer, and it also works to keep your fridge and freezer from smelling too foody (just open the lid of a box and place it on the shelf), can make your pet smell more bearable (just sprinkle it directly on them and brush it through their fur). Or use it to deoderize your garbage can, gym bag, or laundry hamper (just sprinkle directly in there, and wipe out a few hours later), or throw a layer down onto your rugs (then vacuum it up) to make them fresher. Basically, if something stinks, the answer is baking soda.

2. Don't Get Burned: When you accidentally overcook something, and it leaves a burnt-on crusty residue on your pans, you can either spend hours developing carpel tunnel syndrome scouring it off by hand, or you can leave the job to your new friend, baking soda. Simply sprinkle baking soda on the pan, fill it with water, put it on the stove and bring to a boil. The gunk will come right off. This method also works for the rack on your grill (no need to boil, just soak overnight). How does it work? I don't know! Stop questioning the baking soda!

3. Silver Metal: Baking soda works as a gentle silver polish, too. Just mix six tablespoons of baking soda with two tablespoons of water to form a paste. Rub the paste onto the silver with a soft rag, and then rinse. Oooh, shiny!

4. I Feel Pretty: If your hair feels weighed-down with product or artificial color, add a few tablespoons of baking soda to your shampoo to revitalize it. You can also pat some under your arms as a deodorant, use it as toothpaste, use it as a facial scrub, add it to your bathwater to soften your skin, or mix it with water and use it as a mouthwash.  Who knew one product could look so good?

5. The Best Medicine: Would you believe me if I told you baking soda can also work medicinally to cure what ails you? Well, it can. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with water and drink it to relieve heartburn or indigestion, or make a paste with water and rub it on burns and bug bites to take out the sting or the itch. It will also dry out rashes from diapers or poison oak or ivy.

6. You're Fired. I know what you're thinking- "What else can baking soda do for me?" Don't worry, I'm going to tell you. You can use baking soda to put out small fires from grease, ashes, or candles. Just dump the powder on the flames to extinguish them (using water or trying to smother the fire with a towel might spread the flames).

7. Arrest Pests: Despite how awesome it is, not everyone likes baking soda. Sprinkle it on your window sills or near door jams to repel ants and other bugs. Sprinkle it around your garden plants to repel rabbits and other animals from eating them. Amazing!

Don't-Bleed-Your-Wallet-Dry Cleaning

There's a reason the expression "taken to the cleaners" means ripped off. And that reason is that dry cleaning, while a necessary part of life if you want to look presentable, can be insanely expensive. Sometimes I literally find myself thinking, I bought this sweater at H&M for $19. Am I really about to spend $10 to get it cleaned? Because I'm cheap like that. It's a fierce battle, but usually my cheapness trumps my laziness, and I end up washing the darn thing myself. And while, for your sanity, certain garments are best left to the professionals (like suits, anything with heavy beading or embellishments or a ton of pleats) there are ways to limit the amount of dough you have to shell out, and take some shortcuts at home.* Plus, dry cleaning chemicals are toxic (do you really want them all over your clothes?) and harmful to the environment, so limiting your dry cleaning habit is good for your bank account, your health and the planet. Here are the techniques I employ at home to keep my wallet from getting cleaned out.

1. Read the Labels: If the label says "dry clean" that means you can definitely wash it at home. If it says "dry clean only" there's still a chance that you can clean it yourself. A general rule is that wool, acrylic, cashmere, cotton and polyester can be easily washed at home. Silk and rayon require a little more care, but can sometimes be hand-washed.

2. Use Your Dryer: If the clothes are unstained and just kind of maloderous (due to last night's trip to a cigar bar, or your sprint for the bus), you can use one of the at-home dry cleaning kits at work in your dryer: Dryel or FreshCare. Read the instructions, but they are generally safe with most fabrics, and will leave your clothes unwrinkled, and smelling fresher than if you spray them with Febreze.

3. Handwash Your Sweaters: Here's a secret- hand-washing actually will make your wool and cashmere sweaters softer. Just fill a deep sink or bathtub with room temperature water (not hot!), and add your sweater to it. Put in a small amount of soap (Woolite is nice, but you can also use a gentle shampoo), and gently spot treat just using your hands and by rubbing the fabric against itself. After the sweater has soaked for a while and is clean, rinse them with cool water and lay them flat on a clean towel, then roll the towel to dry. Allow the sweater to lay flat until dry. To save time, do several sweaters at once.

4. Silky tops: Use the same method as with sweaters to wash your silk items, but after you rinse them, pat them dry with a towel and hang on a padded hanger to dry.

*I also take personal umbrage that our dry cleaning establishment will wash and press my husband's shirts for $1.50 each, while my button-up collared shirts are categorized as "blouses" and cost $6. If I were less lazy, I would start a boycott based on the sexism inherent in that, but then I'd be stuck washing and pressing all JM's shirts myself. And they deliver for free, so I'll give them a pass.

photo credit: Nanopedia.case.edu - a site dedicated to the idea of using nanotechnology to create self-cleaning fabrics. So hopefully this whole post will soon be moot.

The "Right Now" Rule

I'm a world-class procrastinator. For instance, I've been meaning to write this post all day, but instead I have found a million other things to do: Responding to emails, walking the dog, playing Facebook Scrabble, folding laundry and watching "The Age of Innocence" on HBO, all of which took precedence. I've been known to go a full year between haircuts, and sometimes I don't make the bed until right before we're going to get back into it. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I'm... well, okay, sometimes I'm kind of lazy.
However, when it comes to house cleaning, I've discovered that sometimes the truly lazy thing to do is to tackle things right away. No, I'm not trying to be intentionally ironic here (like some creepy hipster with a lumberjack mustache) - bear with me and I'll explain. In the process of trying to minimize the actual amount of time I spend performing tedious housecleaning tasks, I've discovered that the sooner you tackle a mess after it is made, the faster and easier it is to clean up. For example, it only takes a second to rinse the bowl and spoon after you finish your oatmeal in the morning, but if you leave them in the sink all day instead, you will be scraping that gunk off for days. Or when you spill a little cake batter on the cabinet, you can either grab a paper towel and wipe it off easily now, or spend valuable TV-watching hours scouring it with a scrunge later, once it has hardened and adhered itself to the paint. The same goes for pasta sauce on your favorite blouse, mud on your galoshes, or red wine on the slipcovers - I call it the "Right Now" Rule. As tempting as it can be to leave a mess for later, I always remind myself of all the time and effort I will save by getting my patooti off the couch and dealing with it immediately. The long-term laziness in me can usually beat out the short-term. (The only acceptable exception to this rule is when you have guests - nothing kills a party like having the hostess down on her knees scrubbing cocktail sauce out of the rug - it can wait, just this once). Once you get in this good habit, you'll find yourself with a cleaner house, less frustration, and plenty of extra time on your hands that you can blissfully and guiltlessly waste. Scrabble, anyone?

P.S. Happy birthday to my wonderful big brother!
photo credit: Country Living