[Spice]

Asalamualaikum,
Seeing as how a lot of the islamicans are married, and living on thier own, I thought it would be ccol if we could all share tips and tricks of the art of housekeeping.
I myself am not married, nor am I living on my own, but mother has gone to the Pakland for a little over 2 months and has left me with a house and 5 boys to take care of
Alhamdulilah though. I'm loving every moment of being 'mommy'.

Today I cleaned the microwave using a tip I saw somewhere on the net. This works like a charm in removing any odor and food stain.
Clean out the crumbs from the microwave. Fill a bowl with about 2 cups of water, add a couple of tsps of lemon juice, and set it up for as long as your microwave takse to boil that much water. When the water comes to a boil, leave the bowl inside, and let the steam penetrate the interior of the microwave. This will help tremendously in loosening the food particles, and then you can wipe the interior clean with a damp cloth. The steam helps loosen the food particles, and the lemon adds a nice scent. Ta-da!

[zakk]

House Cleaning Tips for New Mothers or
30 Minutes to a Cleaner House
You're getting company in 30 minutes. Your house is a mess.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first session of Housekeeping Tips for New Mothers. If you're a Martha Stewart type of housekeeper, this column is NOT for you. However, for the rest of you, this is your chance to learn 15 Secret Shortcuts to Good Housekeeping that your mother never told you.


SECRET TIP 1: DOOR LOCKS
If a room clearly can't be whipped into shape in 30 days, much less 30 minutes, employ the Locked Door Method of cleaning. Tell anyone who tries to go in the room that you accidentally locked the door and can't find the key. Of course, the locksmith can't possibly come until tomorrow. CAUTION: It is not advisable to use this tip for the bathroom.
Time: 2 seconds


SECRET TIP 2: DUCT TAPE
No home should be without an ample supply. Not only is it handy for plumbing repairs, but it's a great way to hem drapes, tablecloths, clothes, just about anything. No muss, no fuss.
Time: 2-3 minutes


SECRET TIP 3: OVENS
If you think ovens are just for baking, think again. Ovens represent at least 9 cubic feet of hidden storage space, which means they're a great place to shove dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or just about anything you want to get out of sight when company's coming.
Time: 2 minutes


SECRET TIP 4: CLOTHES DRYERS
Like Secret Tip 3, except bigger. CAUTION: Avoid hiding flammable objects here.
Time: 2.5 minutes


SECRET TIP 5: WASHING MACHINES & FREEZERS
Like Secret Tip 4, except even bigger.
Time: 3 minutes


SECRET TIP 6: DUST RUFFLES
No bed should be without one. Devotees of Martha Stewart believe dust ruffles exist to keep dust out from under a bed or to help coordinate the colorful look of a bedroom. The rest of us know a dust ruffle's highest and best use is to hide whatever you've managed to shove under the bed. (Refer to Secret Tips 3, 4, 5.)
Time: 4 minutes



SECRET TIP 7: DUSTING
The 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House method says: Never dust under what you can dust around.
Time: 3 minutes


SECRET TIP 8: DISHES
Don't use them. Use plastic or paper plates and you won't have to.
Time: 1 minute


SECRET TIP 9: CLOTHES WASHING (EEWWW)
This secret tip is brought to you by an inventive teenager. When this teen's mother went on a housekeeping strike for a month, the teen discovered you can extend the life of your underwear by two ...if you turn it wrong side out and, yes, rerun it. CAUTION: This tip is recommended only for teens and those who don't care if they get in a car wreck.
Time: 3 seconds


SECRET TIP 10: IRONING
If an article of clothing doesn't require a full press and your hair does, a curling iron is the answer. In between curling your hair, use the hot wand to iron minor wrinkles out of your clothes. Yes, it really does work, or so I'm told, by other disciples of the 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House philosophy.
Time: 5 minutes (including curling your hair)


SECRET TIP 11: VACUUMING
Stick to the middle of the room, which is the only place people look. Don't bother vacuuming under furniture. It takes way too long and no one looks there anyway.
Time: 5 minutes, entire house; 2 minutes, living room only


SECRET TIP 12: LIGHTING
The key here is low, low, and lower. It's not only romantic, but bad lighting can hide a multitude of dirt.
Time: 10 seconds


SECRET TIP 13: BED MAKING
Get an old-fashioned waterbed. No one can tell if those things are made up or not, saving you, oh, hundreds of seconds over the course of a lifetime.
Time: 0


SECRET TIP 14: SHOWERS, TOILETS, AND SINKS
Forget one and two. Concentrate on three.
Time: 1 minute


SECRET TIP 15:
If you already knew at least 10 of these tips, don't even think about inviting a Martha Stewart type to your home.

[Spice]

If I implemented just 1 of those tips, I would never hear the end of it from mother, if she discovered it. There is this proverb in Punjabi about...damn, its too gross, it has to do with boogers. I'd rather not say. But it has to do with putting dirty things from one place to another instead of cleaning them. Get the drift?
My mom likes to use it often .

[Rain]

i have the workload divided between myself and my two younger sisters. One of them is responsible for the clothes (seperating whites, putting them in the wash and the dryer and THEN sorting them out), the other will vacuum, close the blinds in the house at night , and make sure everything is neat and tidy. They take it in turns to alternate between the two sets of tasks. My responsibility is to cook good food for them (and sometimes I will help them clear up the kitchen...) But I also always take over from where they left off, as in, clean the bathroom, finish the ironing, vacuum the spare bedroom (because i know they won't have done it) etc, etc.

Ohh and they never do anything right, so if I asked to clean the kitchen, it'll be hastily wiping down units and the table and running back upstairs, so I will go back and user Mr. Muscle and re-do it all and then mop the kitchen floor and not allow anyone to step into it until i'm sure it's sparkling and clean.

[iSHi]

I woke up to hearing the mother and brother saying how I'll never get married becuase I burn eggs and and don't clean. I think this thread will be my new home.

[ChotooMotoo]

I use a lot of ziplock bags. FOr instance, buy green bell peppers, cut them up into small pieces, and put them into ziplock bags for later use. I do the same with chicken, get a big tray of chicken, thaw it all out, skin it, and put single dinner portions in ziplock bags so that when you need to use it, you just take the bag out and cook it up. You can also do it with onions, but don't chop the onions in a food processor, chop them by hand.

Cleaning the toilet: put the cleaner in right before you go for a shower, then you get out of the shower and most of the work is done, it just takes a few swipes and the toilet is clean

Pressure cookers are wonderful time savers.

[Revert]

How old are the boys?

I have a great tip..delegate the simple tasks to the boys...

[sumiyia]

Originally Posted by ChotooMotoo

I use a lot of ziplock bags. FOr instance, buy green bell peppers, cut them up into small pieces, and put them into ziplock bags for later use. I do the same with chicken, get a big tray of chicken, thaw it all out, skin it, and put single dinner portions in ziplock bags so that when you need to use it, you just take the bag out and cook it up. You can also do it with onions, but don't chop the onions in a food processor, chop them by hand.

i heart ziplock bags.. i do the same

[Rain]

spice, get your brothers to do some chores.

[displaced]

if your whites look dingy, buy bluing from the grocery store. just make sure you dilute in in cold water before adding it to the wash or your whites will be streaked with blue.

[shadha]

Revert: I have a great tip..delegate the simple tasks to the boys...

Exactly.

Water & Vinegar make a great cleaning solution- it's great for the environment and it's cheap. The strong vinegar smell goes away once it dries.

Recycle old newpapers by rolling a few up into a 'log' shape and use them as fire starters.


shadha-

[Revert]

I hate these cultures where Men are seen as femine for doing house chores. The Prophet(saws) did them..what makes you so special?!

[Revert]

Originally Posted by shadha

Revert: I have a great tip..delegate the simple tasks to the boys...


Recycle old newpapers by rolling a few up into a 'log' shape and use them as fire starters.


shadha-

or you could make a millwall brick and go around brapping people round the noggin.

[ChotooMotoo]

Originally Posted by Revert

I hate these cultures where Men are seen as femine for doing house chores. The Prophet(saws) did them..what makes you so special?!

my husband helps me with housework. he does the laundry, takes out the trash, vacuums, and even helps with the dishes sometimes. He realizes that being in school full time, I can't do everything by myself. That's why Mr. ChotooMotoo is

[shadha]

Revert: I hate these cultures where Men are seen as femine for doing house chores. The Prophet(saws) did them..what makes you so special?!

I hate when these brothers preach the Sunnah, everything from their beards, clothing, multiple wives, this and that. Yet they all get Sunnah-amnesia when it comes to them getting their asses up to do house chores.


shadha-