AUGUST Cleaning Tips

Summer will end soon. It seems like only yesterday we were preparing the garden for spring, and now we’re thinking about how to make the most of this final summer month. I hate to be a drag, but it’s time to give your house the once-over before autumn starts. That means paying attention to those tasks that everybody seems to ignore -- cleaning the driveway and the gutters. It’s not all chores, though. We still have some time for that last summer picnic!

Driveway Dilemmas

Driveways take quite a beating, but we never seem to pay much attention to them -- until they’re covered with oil spills and weeds. Put off caring for your driveway, and like most jobs, it will become more difficult and time-consuming when you finally do get around to it. So sweep your driveway regularly -- say, once a month in the summer -- and wash it thoroughly once a year. You’ll be glad you did.

• Give your driveway a good sweep. Use a stiff push broom or long-handle brush, and make short brisk strokes to direct debris away from the center of the driveway.

• Wash concrete driveways with a simple solution of water and washing soda. Dissolve 1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda™ in a bucket of warm water and apply to the driveway with a long-handle brush or stiff push broom. Scrub well, then rinse with clean water.

• Oven cleaner works well for those really tough stains. Spray it on, let sit for a few hours, and then rinse well. Just make sure to keep the kids and pets a good distance away.

• For old marks and blotches, apply a heavy layer of a good laundry stain remover and allows it to sit for five minutes before sprinkling with powdered laundry detergent. Apply a small amount of water to get a good lather going, then scrub with a stiff broom and rinse well.

• Kitty Litter™ is good at absorbing oil. Just make sure to grind it into the stain with your feet.

• Patio blocks can be cleaned with washing soda or laundry stain remover. Don’t use the over cleaner method, though. It can remove color and damage blocks.

• Kill weeds that grow through in driveways and patios by saturating them with 1 gallon of warm water to which you have added ¼ cup of salt.
• Prevent weeds from growing through the cracks by sprinkling salt directly into the crevices. That’s all there is to it -- just let nature do the rest.

 

Get Your Mind into the Gutter!

Gutters are designed to carry rainwater and melting snow off your roof and away from your house. They are not storage paces for leaves, Frisbees™, and tennis balls. Keep them clean.

• Check your gutters to see if they’re in good working order by spraying a hose directly into the trough. If the water runs though the trough and out the spout, you’re in good shape. If, however, the water flows over the sides, it’s time to give those gutters a good cleaning.

• Use a ladder to clean gutters. Never approach them from the roof. That’s asking for trouble. If the ground beneath your ladder is soft, sit the legs of the ladder into a couple of small cans, such as those from tuna fish. The cans will help distribute the weight, and the ladder won’t slope or sink into the ground at uneven levels.

• Once you’re confident that the ladder is secure, climb to the heigh of the gutters and, wearing rubber gloves, scoop out the debris that’s collected there. Hang a couple of shopping bags onto your ladder, just toss it to the ground and start filling the next. (Just don’t forget to shout, “Look out below!”)

• Once you’ve removed the debris, flush the spout with water to make sure it flows freely. Usually, a forceful stream of water directed down the spout will be strong enough to push out anything that’s blocking it. If that doesn’t work, try inserting the hose up the spout. That should loosen the debris. One final blast of water from thee top down should then be enough go dislodge whatever is blocking it.

• You can avoid a lot of this hassle next year by placing a screen or netting over the gutters, which will prevent leaves and other debris from settling.

Time for a Picnic

A sunny day, a brightly colored checkered tablecloth, something good to eat . . . sounds like heaven to me! There’s nothing quite like a picnic to round off an afternoon of outdoor fun, but insects and food poisoning can ruin the day. Read on to find out how to ward off those uninvited guests, as well as for advice on how to relieve that burn from the last of the summer sun. Oh, and let’s not forget how to care for and clean that barbeque grill!

 

DON’T BUG ME

• Insects are attracted to intense colors -- bright and dark. Bear this in mind when selecting tablecloths and paper plates, as well as your clothes for the day. This is not the time to be bold!

• Citronella candles are great standbys. No picnic should be without them.

• Insects love grapes, melon, and sweet fruit drinks, as well as strongly scented foods, such as tuna, strong cheeses, and meats. Think about this as you prepare your picnic.

• Choose a picnic site that’s away from rivers, lakes, and streams. Insects tend to gather around water.

Flies ruining your picnic? Keep them away by wiping the table with some undiluted white vinegar or laying some citrus peels on the tablecloth.

• Odors can broadcast mealtimes to insects, so keep foods sealed in plastic containers until you’re ready to eat.

• Make sure to cover serving plates so insects can’t touch down on your meal -- even for a moment. Domed food covers are great, as are pieces of inexpensive nylon netting. Don’t have either? Try turning a large bowl upside down over platters.

• Don’t let a bug surprise you in your soda or juice. Cover the glass with a piece of aluminum foil and then push a straw through it.

• Ants can’t make it through water, so the best way to deter them is by sitting the legs of your picnic table in tin cans filled with water. Disposable pie tins or old Frisbees™ work well for tables with thicker legs.

• Entice insects away from your picnic by giving them a picnic of your own. Put a pie plate filled with water and sugar several yards away from your eating area. The bugs will rush to their meal, leaving you alone to enjoy yours! (Don’t forget to pick up the pie plate before you leave.)

Cuts and scrapes may come with outdoor fun, but the ouch that comes with bandage removal doesn’t have to. Just rub some baby oil around the bandage before pulling it off.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Picnics may be the ultimate in casual eating, but that doesn’t mean you should be casual about the way you prepare and store the food. Bacteria thrive in hot weather, that’s why it’s easy to become sick from food poisoning. So take a few precautions and have a lovely , stress-free day.

• Keep hot foods hot and colds foods cold. That means making sure you have one cooler set aside for cold foods, and one for hot.

A tear or hole in a picnic cooler can be repaired with candle wax. Gently warm the bottom of a candle over a flame, then rub it on the tear until the seam can no longer be noticed. A wax scar will form, and that should prevent further splitting.

• Insulate foods by wrapping them in layers of newspaper or brown paper grocery bags.Large blocks of ice keep food colder and last longer than their small counterparts, so use your imagination when choosing containers for ice. Milk cartons, for example, do a great job! Rinse out the carton (no need to use soap), fill it with water about two inches from the top, then pop it into the freezer until you’re ready to go. Don’t cut the top off, and don’t tear it open, either. Resealing the spout once you’re ready to go will ensure that this ice block stays cold a long time.

• Add mayonnaise to foods when you’re ready to eat them, not before. It’s not the mayonnaise that’s the problem; it’s usually the foods you mix with it carry bacteria. Mayonnaise deteriorates quickly in warm conditions, and can act as a host for bacteria-growing food.

 

I hate it when that happens . . .

Ketchup too slow for your liking? If you have the old style katchup GLASS BOTTLES, tap firmly on the side of the bottle, and the ketchup will come right out.

• Ketchup and mustard deteriorate in hot weather, so leave the big bottles at home. Now’s the time to use up all those extra packets of ketchup and mustard as fast-food restaurants.

• Don’t eat picnic leftovers or food left out for more than two hours.

• If it smells or looks bad, throw it out. Don’t take chances.

 

THE GRILL DRILL

Never use gasoline or kerosene to start a fire. These substances are extremely flammable and very difficult to control -- and they’re not safe to use around food, either.

• Don’t try to revive a smoldering fire with a squirt of charcoal lighter fluid. The fire could flare up and you could be engulfed in flames.

• Dispose of ashes with care. Douse them with water, stirring them with a metal fork, then douse with yet more water. You can also dispose of ashes by dumping them into a metal can. Wait a least 24 hours before putting in with other garabge.

• Clean the exterior of gas and charcoal grills with crème waterless hand cleaner. Dip a paper towel into the cleaner, work it into the outside of the grill, and watch the dirt, grease and barbeque sauce come right off! Buff with a clean paper towel and the grill will sparkle like new -- with the added benefit of a nice protective coating.

• The easiest way clean a grill rack? Lay the cool rack upside down on the grass and leave it overnight. The dew will work to soften any burned-on food and the next morning you can simply wipe it off!

 

Grilling at the beach? Clean the grill rack by rubbing with sand!

• Place a layer of sand in the bottom of a charcoal grill to prevent the charcoal from burning through the bottom.

• Remove burned-on foods with black coffee. Just pour the coffee over a hot grill rack and wipe with aluminum foil.

 

The Hot News on Sunburn

Ouch! You forgot the sunscreen and now the damage has been done. It happens to the best of us. Sunburns hurt. Bad. But there are some steps you can take to cool the heat and soothe the pain. Read on.

• A cool bath helps. Shake in some baking soda, or about ½ cup of salt. Soak for about 30 minutes or so, then apply aloe gel to still-damp skin to keep the temperature down. (Works on mosquito bites and chickenpox, too!)

• A thin layer of any cooling gel (Aloe) is soothing to hot itchy skin and is especially good on delicate facial areas. Yes, I am serious.

• Make up compresses of 1 part milk to 3 parts water, then lay on burned areas for soothing relief. The protein in the milk will draw out the heat.

• Moist tea bags can offer much-needed relief to eyelids that are burned and swollen. Lay the cold bags over closed eyes, then relax for 30 minutes or so.

• Heavy lotions can trap heat rather than soothe it, so try gels instead, particularly those containing aloe.

• Your grandmother may remember this old-fashioned remedy: Whip 1 egg white with 1 teaspoon of castor oil, then apply to affected areas. Let dry. Rinse off with cool water.

• Spraying on a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and tepid water will cool the burn on contact.

• Vitamin E is a wonderful moisturizer for burned skin.

The Cat’s Meow

Don’t you hate it when pet food gets dry and sticks to the bowl? There is a solution, though: Give the bowl a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray before dishing out the food. No more stuck-on food. No more difficult cleaning jobs.

A little bit of oil in the food will also help with that bowl cleanup. And it’s also good for their coat!

A lot of people like to use small vacuums to clean up scatterings of cat litter (apparently not all kitties are as fastidious as others), but not many of them know that a used dryer-fabric sheet makes a great addition to the filter. Easy to clean and fresh smelling too!