DECEMBER Cleaning Tips

It's Holiday Season!

Winter holidays come once a year, which is a good thing if you’re the one who has to do all the work. Try to make your holiday as stress-free as possible by planning ahead and enlisting what help you can. Don’t be a holiday hero. Involve even the youngest members of your family, and don’t decline those offers of help. Make lists. Plan ahead and try not to abandon your family’s routine. The closer you follow yours -- regular mealtimes and bedtimes, for example -- the more you’ll be able to enjoy the excitement of the holidays without the chaos. So go ahead and deck those halls . . . just don’t forget to dust them first.

Holiday Hints - TEN TIME SAVERS

1. Tell your children that Santa only comes to a clean house. Don’t laugh -- it worked on me for years!
2. Take the time to clean your house before you bring in the tree and all the decorations. Sure, you’ll probably need a quick vacuum once you have the tree in place, but it’s easier to clean a house when you don’t have to maneuver all those holiday adornments around. Trust me on this one.
3. Make lists and stick to them. It’s amazing how much time and effort you’ll save.
4. Never say no to those offers of “Can I bring something” or “Can I help?”
5. Shop early in the morning or later at night when stores aren’t as crowded. Make use of the Internet whenever possible.
6. Consider these quick gifts: a gift card, a wine club membership or nice bottle of wine, a framed photo of a special time, or maybe a book.
7. Use gift bags instead of wrapping paper.
8. Make your own frozen dinners by preparing extra portions when you’re cooking a big meal. Great for dinner when you’re rushed, and great for the kids when you’re on your way out to a party.
9. Get your holiday clothes cleaned and ready in advance. Hang the clothes and accessories together and you will have time for a leisurely bath, too!
10. Remove the word “perfection” from your vocabulary.

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR

• Enlist the whole family in a quick cleanup. Small children can dust, older ones can vacuum, your spouse can do the dishes, and you can tidy up and put things away. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in thirty short minutes.
• Involve children in sending Holiday cards. Older ones can address the envelopes, and little ones can lick the stamps!
• Let your children bake some Holiday cookies. They’re easy to prepare and require little supervision -- just make sure to keep small hands away from the oven. You can make things easier by giving cookie cutters a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray to prevent dough from clinging. And for those stubborn cookies that won’t come away from the baking sheet? Slide a length of dental floss under each cookie and they’ll glide right off.
• Children love to make pictures with artificial snow, but it can be difficult to wash off. Prevent snow from sticking by preparing the surface with a light misting of nonstick cooking spray. If you forget this step you can still remove it easily: Just rub with a little bit of white, non-gel toothpaste.
• Let the kids wrap some gifts. The outcome may not be just as you’d like, but the kids will have fun and they’ll be proud of their accomplishment.

O’ CHRISTMAS TREE

• Know the height of your living room before you select your tree. Make sure to allow for the stand (about a foot) and the treetop. Size does matter!
• Older trees are dry and will drop needles when shaken, so make sure to shake the tree before you buy it. Choose one that has study, flexible needles and a strong, fresh scent.
• The first thing to do when you bring your tree home is to cut off a small diagonal section at the base of the trunk. Trees need a lot of water, and this small act will help them to absorb it.
• Pine tree needles will last longer if spritzed first with fabric sizing or spray starch. Just make sure to do this before you put the lights on.
• Put a plastic tablecloth under the base of your tree to help protect your carpet from spills.
• If you do have a spill from your Christmas tree, clean it up as soon as possible or you’ll have mold on the carpet. Slide the tree carefully to one side, and blot up all of the water by standing on some heavy towels placed on the carpet. Absorb all you can. Clean the area with your favorite carpet cleaner, and let a fan blow across the area until it is thoroughly dry, at least 24 hours.

TIP - Nourish your Christmas tree with a mixture of 1 quart of water, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of liquid bleach. If you want a simpler solution, try 2 ounces of Listerine® or 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.

• Add water to the reservoir of a Christmas tree with a turkey baster, and you’ll keep spills to a minimum.
• Make sure to water your tree daily.
• Rub a little petroleum jelly on the trunk of your artificial tree before inserting the branches. They’ll be easier to remove in the new year.
• Put lights on your tree before adding any other decorations. And when choosing your lights, remember that white bulbs give off more light than colored ones.
• Ran out of hooks and hangers? Use paper clips, bobby pins, twist ties, pipe cleaners or dental floss. These makeshift hooks work well, but they’re not very attractive, so try putting these ornaments deeper in the tree, when you’re less likely to see the fastener.

TIP - Protect your door by securing a piece of weather stripping under your wreath.

AT THE TABLE

• Finding your good napkins wrinkled from storage can be frustrating. Don’t despair. Just throw them in the dryer, along with a damp towel. After 10 minutes or so the creases will relax and you won’t have to iron them.
• Don’t throw away those empty rolls of wrapping paper. If you make a slit down the side of the roll and slid it over a coat hanger, you can use it to hang tablecloths without worrying about creases.

TIP - Put a few layers of foil in the basket before you add the napkin and rolls. Your bread and buns will stay warmer, longer. Just about everybody likes warm buns!

• Clean your dining table the natural way, with tea! Make a pot of tea. Sit down, have a cup yourself, and wait until the tea is cool to the touch. Pour the liquid into a small container, saturate a clean, lint-free cloth, and wring it out till barely damp. Then wipe the table and leaves in the direction of the wood grain. Buff dry with a soft, dry cloth.

The Cat’s Meow

Christmas may be an exciting time for people, but it can be a little nerve-racking for those of us with four legs. Here are a few things to watch out for:

• Holiday plants such as holly, poinsettia and mistletoe can be toxic. Please keep them away from all animals -- and from small children, too.
• Cats love to play with tinsel, but they also like to eat it. This can wreak havoc on their intestinal tract. Please keep the tinsel and other stringy decorations out of reach. If you want to put tinsel on the tree, avoid the lower branches.
• Cats like to eat rich foods, but they’re not good for them can make them sick, especially chocolate. If you can’t resist the cat's soulful faces staring up at you while you’re eating dinner, give them some carrots and a small piece of turkey without gravy. Of course, it’s best not to feed animals from the table at all!
• Bear in mind they may not be the party animal you think. If you’re having lots of company, please put all animals in a room, with my food, water and litter box. Better include a chew toy for the dog -- you know how they get . . .

More Tips...

• Remove white marks from your table with a little bit of mayonnaise. Just make sure it’s regular mayonnaise -- low-fat won’t do the trick. Mix the mayonnaise with table salt or cigarette ash. Massage the mixture into the mark for about 45 minutes! It’s a long time, but it’s the massaging that gently buffs the mark away. Allow the mixture to sit for several house, preferably overnight. Linseed oil and rottenstone (both available in hardware stores) work well, too.
• Use wax sticks or crayons to cover scratches. Make sure you get these from the hardware or furniture store (your child’s crayons won’t work here), and take care to match the shade of the stick to the table. Once you’ve applied the crayon according to the manufacturer’s instructions, heat the area with a blow-dryer and buff firmly with an old rag for an almost invisible repair.

IT’S A WRAP

• Keep the rolls of wrapping paper handy by standing them up in a wastebasket or in a small, clean garbage can.
• Empty wrapping paper rolls can also be used as kindling. Slide small twigs, dried leaves and broken bits of pinecones in the tubes to make the foundation of a wonderful, crackling fire.

TIP - Be creative when wrapping packages. Fabric, wallpaper, maps, tee shirts and sheet music all make great gift coverings.

• Run out of wrapping paper? Recycle some old gift wrap by spraying the back with spray starch. Press with a warm iron and you’re ready to go!
• Keep the end of the tape from disappearing by folding it over a paper clip. You’ll never have to pick at bits of tape again.
• Don’t burn foil wrapping or magazines in a fireplace -- they emit noxious, dangerous gases.
• Recycled Christmas cards make great gift tags.

That Oh-So Common Cold

Christmas mat be a time of giving, but nobody wants a cold! Here are some things to minimize your changes of getting this seasonal nuisance. If you do get a cold, look here for some comforting remedies . . . and some solutions for the stains those remedies can cause on your soft flannel sheets!

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION

• Contrary to the old wives’ tale, you can’t catch a cold from being out in the cold weather. Colds are caused by viruses. Avoid the virus, avoid the cold.

TIP - Help prevent colds by washing your hands for as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” . . . twice! That’s the amount of time you’ll need to wash your hands properly.

• Wash your hands frequently and wash them well. Use water that is comfortably hot. Always use soap.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Use tissues instead of handkerchiefs, it at all possible. Tissues are more easily disposed of, along with their germs!
• Don’t leave tissues in an open trash can. Dispose of them in a plastic bag kept just for that purpose. You don’t want anyone else picking up your germs!
• Try not to share things with someone who is ill. That includes towels, glasses and cooking utensils.

TIP - Be particularly vigilant about sharing cell phones. Use a soft cloth dipped in Listerine® Mouthwash or rubbing alcohol to swab down any mobile device, door handles and computer keyboards. Alcohol wipes work well, too.

• Continue to share kisses -- there’s nothing like a little love when you’re sick. Just confine it to the cheeks.

COLD CARE

• Keep your feet warm. Believe it or not, cold feet can cause your nostrils to become cold and dry, and that can aggravate your cold.
• Wash bedding and pajamas in the hottest possible water.
• The fragrance of fabric softener can irritate delicate noses, so soften flannel sheets and cotton towels with ¼ cup of white vinegar when you have a cold.

TIP - Make sure to check the date on those cold medicines before you take them.

• Rubbing some Vicks Vapor Rub® on the outside of your throat and chest will soothe that congestion, no matter how old are you.
• Put a dare of wintergreen oil in a basin of hot water, lower your face to the water (no closer than twelve inches, though), and put a towel over your head to create a tent. Breathe deeply for some much-needed relief.

TIP - Prone to cold sores? Dab on some Pepto Bismol® when you feel that first tingle, and chances are the sore won’t make an appearance!

HUMIDIFIER HEAVEN

Moist air is heaven to dry throats and nasal passages, but if you don’t keep your humidifier clean and free from mold, you may find your cold aggravated by airborne pollutants.

Remove mineral deposits from detachable parts, such as the plastic rotor tube and locking ring, by submerging them in a part of hot white vinegar. Bring a pot vinegar to boil, remove it from the stove, and then immerse the tube and ring in the vinegar for about five minutes. Rinse well in clear water and make sure that all parts are dry before returning them to the unit.

Clean a humidifier by swishing around a solution of 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water in the container that holds the water, allowing it to soak for a few minutes, if necessary. Scrub any mineral deposits with a brush and then rinse. Make sure the humidifier is cool and empty before you start.

WHAT TO DO FOR THOSE COLD MEDICATION STAINS

Rubs, liniments, ear drops and ointments are oil-based stains, so you should treat these as soon as you can. Rubbing the stain with a good waterless hand cleaner such as Crème Waterless Hand Cleaner™ is your best bet. Apply directly to the stain, and rub it in well with your thumb and forefinger. Wait 10 minutes, then apply a good stain remove before laundering in the hottest possible water.

TIP - Baby wipes are great for removing stains caused by medicated ointments. Rub the stained fabric firmly with the baby wipe, then pretreat and launder as usual.

Cough syrups and other red-based stains can be removed quite effectively with (insert here). Apply liberally, as directed on the container, then launder as usual. Alternatively, soak the stained area in 1 cup of warm water and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Fabric stained from hot toddies and medicated drinks should be flushed under cool, running water as soon as possible. Be sure to direct the water to the wrong side of the fabric. Next. Make a paste with 20 Mule Team® Borax and cool water. Use about 2 parts borax to 1 part water, adding more water as needed to create a paste-like consistency. Apply to the fabric, then have a cup of tea and watch your favorite sitcom. Once 30 minutes have passed, it’s time to loosen the mixture by applying more cool water. Work the loosened mixture between your thumb and forefinger, then launder as usual in the hottest possible water for the fabric type.

TIP - Americans suffer from more than one billions colds a year. That’s nothing to sneeze at!

Let’s Dish!

Mom made these cookies every year for as long as I can remember. When I got old enough I got to “help” -- I loved the decorating part best and I admit to sneaking a bite of the dough, not a healthy thing to do.

The Queens' Mother’s Christmas Cookies recipe:

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon lemon extract or grated rind

2 eggs

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Using a mixer, cream together the shortening, sugar, nutmeg and lemon extract until well blended and light in color. Beat in the eggs and add the dry ingredients a little at a time, beating between additions.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or so, and then bake in one of the following ways:

Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in flour.

Decorate the cookies by placing a raisin or nut in the center. Sprinkle with granulated sugar -- colored granulated sugar is nice for Christmas.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over-bake. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

ENJOY and Happy Holidays!