after a year and a half - help me CLEAN my house!!!!

lamplighter ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 1:58 pm

im really embarassed to admit but my house is not CLEAN. I wash my dishes and they're still dirty, I'm always cleaning but once it dries or whatever I noticed that im not really doing anythign.
to my credit...I la456 who hates housework and is not neat by nature ahs had a tidy organized apt for a year and half. tidy but clean?????
whats wrong wiht the way im doing my dishes, scrubbing my fridge, bathtub etc.
please advise me I'm really down about this, my husband is fusterated (he is supportive and helps), I hate redoing everyhtign all the time.
and yes I do soak my dishes, ive tried 7 types of sponges, 4 types of dishwashing liqued and now im just finished.......................
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

u might hink im ridiculous but its really serious, if I cna't do this now, how will I manage in the future????

I HONESTLY FEEL INADEQUATE AND DISABLED, IM SUCH A CAPABLE PERSON, Y CAN'T I CLEAN THINGS???? Crying

p.s. NO, I CANNOT AFFORD CLEANING HELP, AND EVEN IF I DID I WOULD SAVE MY DISHES 4 HER?

greenfire ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 2:13 pm

well ... I stopped cleaning when my baby was born ... I think that's 13 years now ... so ... I am NO help ... good luck though ... let me know how it goes ... I'll be watching ...

happymom

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 2:26 pm

maybe u dont have good dishes? that is wierd.... either way, can u get a dishwasher? and also, do u really try your best? besides for scrubbing the fridge, you have to wipe things before u put them back in, and whenever u see something spill a little u should wipe it with a wet rag... that will help keep the fridge looking clean. also, wipe the outside and handles at least once a week.

same with everythign else in your house. if u wipe down everything with 409 at least once a week they should keep clean.....

do u wash ure dishes right away? cuz it could be that u are leaving them for a long time, and thats why they arent getting clean?

whatever the case is, you are not disabled and you can do it! just keep trying! goodluck....

southernbubby

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 2:31 pm

Soaking dishes may make them more greasy. Does your sink have a sprayer hose? Personally, I found that it made a tremendous difference to use a dishwasher.
If buying a dishwasher is not an option, either spray or rinse the dishes as soon as you finish using them and then use copious amounts foam type dish detergent with a round brush. Towel dry them instead of air drying.

↑ lamplighter ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 3:05 pm

we have a dishwasher - its me... I cannot afford a mechanical one.
I checked online and apparently its better to soak before cleaning and to not use a towel to dry them bc it spreads germs...
go figure!

mimivan ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 3:12 pm

Are you using enough soap? and a really good soap? I clean things with economica (Clorox) very diluted, but that might be too strong for some (ie. the surface of the fridge, the floor etc..) One hint someone gave me--if you rinse your plates and glasses and silverware with cold water, they will gleam. Wink

I also have had this problem, and I find that putting kavanah into cleaning helps. I get so preoccupied with just getting it done, but it doesn't take any more time to concentrate while doing it. Someone wrote in the Chassidishe thread about praying while ironing. A Jewish woman's cleaning is like a kind of prayer...so scrub with kavanah (and I am saying this because it is precisely what I need to work on! )

TzenaRena ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 3:37 pm

Every type of utensil comes with a warning on the label not to use steel wool, because it will ruin the finish. So, here's my secret: I break the rules!

I use abrasive steel wool (fine) to scrub my dishes, glasses, cutlery, and pots. Fine china, well maybe the trim will wear or fade after a while, but that can happen in the dwasher too. Only the finest china gets spared my steel wool treatment. same for crystal.

I don't care if my pots aren't as shiny as a mirror, at least they are clean! When I use other kinds of scrubbies, like plastic mesh on Shabbos, I know it's not getting clean, just clean enough till after Shabbos, when it will get washed properly.

gryp ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 3:58 pm

soak dishes beforehand, you won't need the steel wool. Wink

soap and sponge works fine.
I do use steel wool and Ajax to clean almost everything around my house.

la456- are you scrubbing when you clean? or are you just lightly going over the surfaces?

↑ chocolate moose ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 4:07 pm

A portable dishwasher is aboaut $200. It's not that expensive, if you think about it. I sure spent a lot more than that on paper plates over the years . .

↑ TzenaRena

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:09 pm

GR wrote:

soak dishes beforehand, you won't need the steel wool. Wink

soap and sponge works fine

I do both. but OP is saying that soaking doesn't help her.

Tefila

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:40 pm

la soak dishes in hot sudsy water leave for a little while clean something else with an all purpose cleaning spray , then come back to dishes rinse the water soak again but wash as the others are soaking, then rinse well and air dry. That should work and hey if anyone complains well the sink is all theirs Twisted Evil

shoy18

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:42 pm

what works best, is washing the dishes when they are freshly dirty, nothing hard and gunky if it hasn't dried on yet, obviously Im not talking about shabbos.. But during the week don't leave the dishes in the sink to get hard wash them right away, same goes for pots, put cooked food in serving dishes and wash the pots right away

purplegirl

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:45 pm

I find that the best, cheapest and most effective way to clean nearly anything is with... baking soda. That's right, folks - keep a box near the sink, dump some onto whatever you're cleaning, add a little bit of moisture to make it paste-like but not liquidy, and scrub with a mostly dry sponge or even your fingers. Because soda is gritty, it really gets off most things - try it on your counters, tiles - I don't use steel wool on pots and baked-on pans - I use lotsa baking soda! It's healthy too.

bashinda

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:47 pm

I had this same problem. somehow I'd wash something and then I'd find dried food on a fork embarrassed

the solution is maybe not soaking but to immediately get all gunk off the dishes and have it rinsed. I'm not always that perfect at this but I do it with my food processor and I see the difference.

Also if you get water on the floor then the next thing you know is your floor looks dirty especially if your floor has a propensity for looking dirty like at my last place.

↑ mimivan

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 5:57 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

LA, is your apt old? It might be clean but not look clean.

That's exactly my problem too.. Crying

I can scrub and scrub the counters and they still look dingy... badly need renovation...

SouthernShalom ↓

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 6:29 pm

If your counters are formica and a light color try rubbing on a diluted bleach solution and letting it sit. Test a small area for fading. If there are stains you can put it on them full strength. I used to have old dingy counters and the fading from repeated bleachings actually made them look better. You can do this with your sink too. Not stainless. Just put in the stopper pour in about a half cup of bleach and then fill to the brim with really hot water. By the time the water is cool enough to remove the stopper the sink will be sparkling.

As for dishes if you arent drying them afterwards they may just have water spots. If you use a fresh kitchen towel at each drying there should be no problem with germs.

↑ lamplighter

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 7:25 pm

hmm ive heard of this baking soda idea. I'll have to try it. it is an old apt but I am not seeing things my pots, glasses and silverware all come out wiht spots or with some grease.
I think I'm scrubbing a lot maybe not enough. what is ur "proccess" for washing dishes?
anyone wanna coem give me lessons? Smile

↑ gryp

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 7:49 pm

Quote:

Also if you get water on the floor then the next thing you know is your floor looks dirty especially if your floor has a propensity for looking dirty like at my last place.

Here, too. You should see what steel wool does to my floor. Smile

It practically shaves off a layer leaving it brighter.

↑ greenfire

Wed, Jul 04 2007, 7:53 pm

buy palmolive dish soap ...
scrungies the ones for teflon pots

eat on a plate

then put soap on the scrungie
turn the water on and wet the plate and the scrungie ... scrub and rinse all the while making sure there is nothing left like soap or food ...

for next plate add a little more soap ... and repeat process ...

for forks ... make sure to get in between rungs so that dirt doesn't dry and embed itself ...

I hope it helps ...