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Nobody wants to get sick, but it’s usually pretty inevitable – especially for me, who has an immune system like a doily. But rather than just assume that at some point I’ll be buried under a mountain of tissues and crying into my soup three days in a row, I like to get a bit of a head start when it comes to keeping germs on the outside, where they belong.
I thought I would share some of the things we do to keep on top of it, starting with my favourite room in the house!
This is how we party in the kitchen:
CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO NOTBEINGSICKNESS
I like to keep the kitchen in reasonable shape and I do that with the help of this dish brush situation. I like that the head is replaceable, and that it’s made with all-natural recycled bristles, and a biodegradable bamboo handle. It also apparently can keep up pretty well with my daily kitchen assaults (unlike some other sorts of dish brushes I’ve tried that are beautiful but crumple like paper when faced with a cast iron frying pan).
I have a motley collection of tea towels that appear to do the job (and have just been given some proper grandma Irish linen from a lovely friend), and I bought a bunch of these dishcloths after seeing them on Jodi’s blog. They work like a charm, are affordable, and are 100% organic cotton. SCORE!
I usually just spray the benches with a concoction I make of vinegar, water, a squidge of dish soap and eucalyptus oil, but if I’m feeling fancy, I buy something that smells pretty. This multi-purpose spray and wipe is really good, and has the added bonus of being excellent on CRAYON-COVERED WALLS. Thank goodness. The method ones are also pleasantly scented.
Floors are taken care of with super-hot water, bulk Costco vinegar (bless you, Costco!), and a dash of eucalyptus oil (I get this organic one).
These biodegradable bin bags for takin’ out the trash are also pretty rad, and good for the environment too. Win/win.
And for food storage/leftovers, I use Ball Mason jars (seriously, my collection is epic): these The 440ml (pint size) ones for juices, smoothies, small leftovers and all my preserving stuff, the larger 950ml (quart size) for larger leftovers, soups, storage (popcorn, nuts, lentils, that sort of thing, and the half-gallon/2L situation for flours, sugar, breadcrumbs, etc. I also have the little jam jars for bits of leftover sauce, fruit, and to feed the kids custard and yogurt in – they think it’s a party. Oh, and there was that time I couldn’t get any of my regular ones and instead bought a box of the 340ml quilted ones and ran out of them within a day. Cannot speak highly enough about them! I love the seals, they keep everything fresh, and I’m not using plastic containers or cling wrap.
Do you have a cleaning thingo you just love?
You’re making me feel like a bit of a slovenly house keeper now, you are an uber hausfrau Stacey. The bamboo brushes sound good.
Don’t look at my bathroom.
I was just staring at my mason jar collection bemoaning how teeny it is! I want lots more.
Vinegar is my fave, cleans everything except my concrete benches, even bunny pee!
It helps that I even like the smell, haha
my enjo bathroom cleaning mitt. I truly dislike cleaning in general, but I do get excited using it!
I have one, but I keep wanting to use some kind of cleaner with it – I can’t do just the water thing!
I think you can use some sort of cleaner with it. They sell it don’t they?
probably, but i thought their jive was to help people to clean with only water and without chemicals. Who knows!
Ha ha like a dolly, you’re a crack up. Just on the verge of sickness now, can’t swallow, although strangely enough chocolate seems to slide down well right now! I love those Dettol wipes that you can use on food surfaces as no nasties, well some nasties but not too many, okay they’re bad but I like them.
I’ve never used them! Do they smell like Dettol? Because I love that smell…
PS sorry to hear you’re going under! I feel a bit weird this morning too… wondering if it’s because I’ve been travelling in winter. I came home from LA with the WORST respiratory infection once, damn planes. Worked for most of the morning in bed because delicate.
I fly over the weekend so probably got some Germans (as the kids call germs) then. Get well soon. And no they don’t smell like that, some other nice smell like lemon or fresh breeze ease x
hahah those germans…
Bi carb soda! It is like magic that stuff for cleaning pots and baking dishes and stove tops and the bath which is of course not in the kitchen but still thought I’d mention it. Oh and for cleaning the fridge just sprinkle it here there and everywhere and wipe and voila clean! Also great in the fridge to remove any smells that shouldn’t be there, put a cup with a few tablespoons of bi carb in the fridge and it magically soaks up the bad smells.
ha yes, I’m onto the bicarb! I buy that in bulk from Costco too. I use it everywhere. And so does my two-year-old 🙁
🙂 my five year old makes ‘potions’ with it. He likes the fizzing sound. I’m thinking of looking up a volcano recipe for him.
Mine spills it all over the bathroom floor and in all the drawers, which I only find weeks later.
I’m ashamed to say I’m the Queen of Chemicals. I’m a big fan of those anti bacterial wipes, I used to work at McDonalds and so I was brainwashed to clean as I go. I totally need to get on the Mason Jar train…
Ha I’m a bathroom chemical girl! I seem to survive in the kitchen without them… so far. Lemme get back to you when I’ve got botulism!