Cleaning: Garbage Disposal

Whenever I need to juice or zest from lemons, limes or oranges, I take the leftovers - including juiced/zested fruit and cut them into little pieces maybe the size of a quarter. I  store them in a freezer storage bag (ziplock) in the freezer. Run the garbage disposal with a couple pieces of the frozen citrus fruit in it and it not only helps clean the blades, but it make the kitchen smell good.

Another thing I do with the garbage disposal to help clean it is pour some baking soda down it, let it sit for a bit and then add some vinegar that I boiled in the microwave.  You will hear it fizz.  Be careful after pulling the vinegar out of the microwave as the smell is extremely strong so don't put your face over it and breath in. After the fizzing dies down, I run hot water while the disposal is turned on.  It suppose to help clean as well as be good for keeping drain clear.

House Cleaning Supplies

We had a question recently on the FetLife group about what do you keep in your cleaning kit?

There are lots of different ways to store cleaning supplies...in a caddy, pail, or plastic basket. You can keep supplies specific to the room you are cleaning right in the room - like toilet brush, toilet bowl cleaner and such right in the bathroom.  Or you can have one kit that everything goes into and you cart from room too room.

I kind of do both which might sound silly, but it works for me. In the end that is all that matters, if it works good for you.

This is my basic cleaning supplies:

• 3 Vinegar solutions in spray bottles - 1) straight vinegar, 2) mixture of vinegar, distilled water, essential oils and dish soap which is my all-purpose spray, and 3) dawn dish soap, vinegar and distilled water I use in my bathroom on hard water stains in the shower so often it stays just in the bathroom.
• 1 spray bottle of peroxide
• 1 spray bottle of alcohol
• 1 shaker of baking soda
• microfiber clothes, rags, scrub brushes and tooth brushes
• magic erasers

I also have Bar Keeper's Friend, Borax and Bleach on hand, but I don't use those as often so I don't keep in my cleaning kit. I don't have oven cleaner as my oven is a self-cleaning that doesn't use oven cleaner.  

Scrub brushes and the like: I have a toothbrush for cleaning in my kitchen (that I use on the faucet and grout around the tile) that stays in my kitchen.  I have a toothbrush for the bathroom that stays in the bathroom. The toilet bowl brush stays in the bathroom too. 

Dusting: When dusting, I use a mixture of warm water and vinegar in a bowl. I soak the microfiber cloth in the bowl and then wring it out so it is damp to the touch. I have a dry microfiber cloth or  a rag to dry any wetness left behind after dusting.   

Window/Mirrors: I use straight vinegar and a microfiber cloth

Floors: When washing the kitchen floor which is linoleum, I use a mixture of a squirt of dish soap, vinegar, warm water and essential oil - usually peppermint.  For a carpet freshener - I take some baking soda in a shaker and add some essential oils to the baking soda and mix up.  I then sprinkle that across the carpet and let sit for an hour or more. 

Commercial Cleaners: I try to avoid commercial cleaners because I have asthma and have found using vinegar based homemade cleaning products does just as well for me. I grew up with my Grandmother and Mom using vinegar to clean with and so it is a clean smell to me. Like I said I have Bar Keeper's Friend, Borax and Bleach on hand. I don't use the Borax or Bleach often because my lungs don't like them.  But occasionally I find the need for them. I will even at times get disinfecting wipes and Scrubbing Bubbles because they make it easier. But for the most 90% off the time I use the items listed under the bullet points.

Think about what you are cleaning and what you need to clean it. Use google as you can find links to clean about anything you would need to clean.

Here is a link from About.com about Choosing the Right Cleaning Product

Pans and Place-mats

I like place-mats for the table, but you know how it is...you get some new ones and those old ones sit in the drawer or on a shelf. I now use some of  the old ones to place between pans so they don't get scratched by stacking each inside the other. 

Organize Plastic Lids

You know back in the day when you had actual ice cube trays to twist and turn out into the bin to create a stock pile of ice. I have automatic ice maker now so I use that bin to store all my plastic lids.  I place the bin on the shelves next to the stacked glass and plastic containers making it easy to find the lid for the coordinating container. I don't keep any lid that doesn't have a container matching it in the bin. I might use it for craft projects to use as a paint palette several times and then throw it out. But I try to recycle them somewhat at least.

Cleaning a Coffee Grinder

Add a couple tablespoons to a handful of rice into the grinder. Grind the rice into fine particles and it will soak up the oils left from coffee beans, absorb odor and clean out residual grounds. Discard the rice and wipe clean with a dry cloth or use a clean paint brush to brush any left over particles.

Top row of 3 photos: 1) adding rice, 2) grinding rice, and 3) using a brush to clean up the left over particles
Bottom row of 2 photos:  1) Before starting this process, and 2) Clean grinder after using the rice to clean it.

Vinegar Tip: Pet Repellant

I know this might not work for everyone, but I thought I would share what has worked for our cats. Again, I know all pets are different so this might not work with yours.

We have 2 cats and our one cat has been known to get in the trash and drag out bones or just packaging for chicken or other meat.  Such as when I make chicken and throw the packaging away, he will jump up and pull that packaging out of the trash and lick it. GROSSES me out so much! Not only that he is licking the chicken package that had raw chicken in it hours before, but then he might step in it and then track that juice all around the house.  Yep grosses me out and I can't think about it too much or I really go into OCD type cleaning. 

I got to a point of putting any meat packaging or bones into a plastic grocery sack and bringing them out to the trash cans outside after, but well that can be annoying as well as we then had other animals get into trash outside, because it is easier to get to in little grocery bags. The smell seems to be attract them more easily when they are in grocery sacks instead of the big kitchen trash bags.

So I tried a couple of things, like thoroughly washing the packaging before throwing it away. It was in doing that I looked over and saw my vinegar spray bottle sitting on the counter.  I had noticed when I spray that over the counters when I wipe them down before bed - it keeps the cats off the counter while we sleep.  I thought why won't it work for the trash. Now I just throw the packaging into the kitchen trash can and then spray it thoroughly with straight distilled white vinegar right after throwing it away.  If it something our boy cat especially enjoys, I will give it one more spray before bed, but really once the packaging has been coated with the vinegar the first time, he doesn't like to touch it.

I did google to make sure vinegar is safe for pets and then asked a vet tech to make sure and she said it used often with pets in a variety of situations.

Cleaning Suitcases

I am sure if you are a regular reader of Domestic Servitude that you will have noticed that this year has lacked posts.  Master's job has a lot more traveling to it and I am blessed that I get to go along. But with that comes lots of packing, unpacking and repacking. 

When we come home from a trip, I unpack and get ready to do laundry, but I also have a little cleaning I do to the bags we use on our trips.  If I get to thinking about it too much, I can become a germophobe, but thinking about where our suitcases have been has had countless other people who might not be as clean does sometimes get under my skin.  So when I come home, I take my homemade cleaner of tea tree oil, vinegar, liquid soap and water and spray the inside and outside of all our bags. If I use totes that are washable, I throw them into the washer. But suitcases and other travel bags such as our laundry bag aren't washable. So I spray them with the homemade cleaner as it has disinfecting properties in it. I also take a cloth that I wet with the hottest water I can stand to hold and wipe down the interior as well as exterior of our suitcase including the rolling wheels and handles. Making sure to get into crevices. I let them air dry. Also you might want to test a spot before wiping down with a cloth with hot water on it as it can fade some. 

Why do I go through all this trouble? Well, I want you to just think about this for a moment and maybe it won't bother you - but I know it bothers me. When we come home, we often threw our suitcase up on the bed.  Now if you have been to a hotel that ends up having bed bugs...you now have potentially just passed on to your bed.So another suggestion is not to throw your suitcase on the bed, but to unpack in a bathroom or laundry room. I like to put on top of the washer and dryer and start sorting clothes right away in there. Then I can clean it easily in there also and let it air dry. 

*Photo is taken in our bedroom as the light and space to take a photo in our laundry room is horrible.

Extra Plastic Bag Storage Tip

I have a long tube like storage that hangs in the pantry for plastic bags. It is one that you shove the bags in one end and pull them out on the other end.  But sometime that fills up. We re-use  plastic bags for emptying cat litter as well as many other uses so I like having as many around and just like the thought of reusing them.

I have 4 empty tissue boxes that I now keep around and stuff with any extras.  I really like having them around because they are easy to tote.  Places I use them:

• When deep cleaning, I bring a box into the room I am cleaning and start making bags for donate, toss, stuff that needs moved to another room and just general stuff I need to organize better. Those things put in the appropriate bag and then I sit down and organize it better after the room is clean or at an appropriate time such as before I am heading to Goodwill.  But just having a box of these to pull from instead of having several loose bags around the room until I use them makes things just easier and neater.
• When we travel, I love putting a box in the car to use for trash sacks or for overflow if a suitcase or travel bag  is getting over packed/stuffed - then I have extra sacks to use to hold things. 
• When cleaning outside or cleaning the car, I bring them for trash.

Tuesday Tips: Hydrogen Peroxide

When I clean the kitchen after dinner, I wipe the faucet down pretty good. But every few days I take a toothbrush to it and scrub in between all the little grooves. After, I am done scrubbing it,  I will do a spray of straight vinegar or hydrogen peroxide or sometimes both. Sometimes I let it air dry and other times I use a clean cotton towel and wipe dry to a shine. Well, tonight I went to spray the peroxide and not the vinegar and noticed that the peroxide did the foaming bubbles like it will do when you pour it on a cut or infection. After saying gross a few times out loud to the faucet, I realized that I have been oblivious to the fact that I am probably more times then not leaving behind stuff that would make me say ewww.  Here all these years, I never noticed that it bubbles after I spray it on the faucet - why I am not sure as I have been doing that for years. But I am thankful now that I have a little test to see if it is clean. I use hydrogen peroxide often for disinfecting.  Now I will pay closer attention to see if it is working.

So tonight I scrubbed, rinsed and repeated until there weren't any foaming bubbles. The picture below is with the foaming bubbles. I couldn't capture it after it was clean as it just was a reflection of the liquid and fuzzy looking on the photo.

Tuesday Tips

Cleaning Crystal

Washing Crystal 
* When washing crystal, line your sink with a rubber mat or thick dishtowel.  Do one item at a time so they don't bang up against each other and get damaged or break.
* Fill with warm water and a solution of a healthy squirt of liquid dish soap and 1/4 cup of vinegar.
* Rinse in clean water and vinegar to help with spotting
* Dry with a lint free cloth such as a microfiber cloth

Cleaning Cloudy Crystal

I had one vase that got extremely cloudy. I had tried to clean it many times over, but nothing seemed to work.  I tried to use a paste of baking soda and vinegar on it and scrubbing with a slim brushes bottle brushes and toothbrushes, uncooked rice, vinegar, lemon juice, and egg shells and a couple other ideas too, but none of them worked. Nothing I did would clear it up.  When I had a second vase starting to get cloudy, I knew I had to find a solution. I read online about using denture tablets to clean crystal so decided I would give it a try.

So I picked up a box of denture tablets at the Dollar Tree and gave it a try...




I added the denture tablets and let it soak for 15 mins.  I then took a toothbrush and scrubbed - lightly. I rinsed the vases out and one vase was clear, but the other which was extremely cloudy to start  so wasn't completely clean yet.


I then did a second round of denture tablets.  The second time I only added the water to just past where it was still cloudy.  I then rinsed with warm water and it was clear.

So there are no more cloudy vases in this household....



That second vase only had a light ring of cloudy film. So it only needed one time through with the denture tablet process. The whole process was so easy. I think of all the time I had been struggling to try to get the one extremely cloudy crystal vase clean and couldn't.  I now always use them at first signs of cloudy film.

Just so glad I found an easy way to clean them.

Purging before the New Year

The New Year means a clean slate to me; a chance to create memories for the upcoming year; a fresh start and room to breathe and be. It is a chance to let go of all the baggage and 'stuff' we've been carrying around that we no longer need.

And of course, the New Year comes directly after a month of receiving new gifts and pulling out once-a-year items for limited use. Now, I don't want to start cleaning the slate on New Year's Day. I want it already clean, organized and ready to go when we let go of the old year and welcome in the new one.

Which means... the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is when I make the time for cleaning, organization, repairing, donating and purging. Impossible, during the holidays? I say no, if you break it down into smaller tasks and do a "clean as you go" sort of approach.

Some tips:

• Make a list of goals to accomplish. Be clear. Be realistic. Estimate the supplies needed and the amount of time it should take. Schedule them as you can. Also, make sure to schedule relaxation time to counter all this uberproductivity.
• I use Remember The Milk to schedule in bursts of cleaning/purging amidst all the holiday stuff, even if it is 7 consecutive days of 60 minute cleaning sessions out in the garage. RTM also has handy apps to track your tasks and to-do lists on the go. I'd rather do small projects for 45-60 minutes each day for a few weeks than to set aside a week of hard core cleaning at the end.
• Got a spare evening while you are watching holiday movies? Pull out your makeup bags and sort through it. Purge anything outdated or expired. Then set up an automatic calendar reminder to do it again in 6 months.
• Pinterest is a good resource for cute, DIY organization ideas.
• Now is a good time to donate anything from toys to coats to food to used furniture. If you aren't using it, haven't used it in the last two years and you know it is still good and serviceable, consider calling a local charity to donate. Save your receipt if you need it for filing taxes.
• If you have clothing or items set aside for repair.... now is the time to either get them repaired or call it quits. *Especially* if they've been out of commission longer than 6 months.
• Check when your local trash service picks up bulk items, and schedule accordingly.
• If I bring gifts for others into the home, I mark them off my gift list, store the receipts, wrap as soon as possible and get them to their owners if they are being mailed out and gifted. There is no need for them to sit in the house any longer than necessary. 
• In the same spirit- make room for new gifts and put them away in their designated space. If you need to make room on a bookshelf for new books, find a few you will not read again and take them to a half price bookstore or donate them (or give to a friend who you think will enjoy them). If you receive new clothes, check to see if there's any existing clothes in your closet you no longer wear or have outgrown to make the room for the new items.
• Purge through holiday ornaments/trinkets/knick knacks as you pull them out to decorate. Check them over for any damage to be repaired or assessed for purging. Get rid of any items you don't like/don't want/don't use... even if you are holding onto it for sentimental reasons, ask yourself how important it is to you in the long run, given the current condition it is in. Only you can make that call, but it's common for people to hang on to "stuff" they'll never use out of sheer habit alone.
• Label your storage boxes for holiday gear. Take the time to wrap up the ornaments and knickknacks when you are done, and wind the lights with care. I tend to stock up on new wrapping paper, gift boxes/labels/ribbons, decor, cards and ornaments on Dec. 26th when they are on clearance, and will list everything out on the label when packing up seasonal items. I also tuck new scotch tape and extra scissors in with all of the wrapping gear so I don't have to scrounge around looking for it next year. 
• I try to have the decorations down and in their place by New Year's Eve- the first weekend of January if absolutely necessary. Once I'm done with the holiday, I'm ready to move on.
• When you receive greeting cards, verify the address to make sure you have the most recent location in your records. Track who you receive cards from, and who you are mailing ones to.
• If you need to, farm out the heavier cleaning or tasks. If you only splurge once a year on a cleaning service, this may be your time to do so without guilt. The holidays can be the most stressful times of year, particularly with guests and additional entertaining and it may be worth it to remove extra stress. Look for local groupons for discounts, or ask friends for recommendations for cleaning services. Decide if you want to handle the basic cleaning, and ask them to do the heavier once-or-twice a year chores, or if you want them to come in and handle everything for you.
• I try to air out the house as best as possible when I'm doing that end of year cleaning.. that will depend on your climate but if it's possible to do so, I find it helps.

Good luck!

Making the Most of Citrus Peels

Master enjoys oranges and lots of 'em when they're in season.  Several years ago, I started looking for ways to use those peels and get the biggest bang for His buck.  That citrus peel really is some versatile stuff.  Being as citrus season is in full swing, I thought I'd share some of my favorite ways to put all that zest to use:

• Candied Citrus Peel - I've used every type of citrus for this and they've all been wonderful - lemons, oranges, and clementines are favorites around here.
• Cut the pith from the zest, so you just have the colored part not the white part and cover with vodka.  Allow the zest to infuse with the vodka for two weeks to a month, strain and add a sugar syrup to taste to the strained liquid.  The resulting citrus liqueur is yummy in hot drinks and cold alike.
• Dry the zest and make a scouring powder.  Again, any old citrus peel would work, here.
• Put the peels in a jar and cover with vinegar.  Allow the zest to infuse in the vinegar for 2 weeks and strain.  Use the vinegar to clean as you would normally but it'll have a more pleasant citrus scent instead of regular vinegar.
• Combine the zest with sugar or salt to make a body scrub.
• Mix the zest with some sugar and let it sit for about a month.  The sugar will take on the flavor of the zest and is perfect for dusting cookies, adding to tea, etc.

Do tell us, please, what are your favorite ways to use up those citrus peels? 

Slow Cooker Care & Cleaning

* Make sure your slow cooker is turned off, unplugged and cool before cleaning.  
* The lid and the removable stoneware crock can be hand washed with hot soapy water or washed in the dishwasher.  

* If hand washing, don't use scouring pads or abrasive cleaners.  Use a dishcloth, sponge or plastic food scraper with hot soapy water to remove any hard cooked food residue. Vinegar will often help loosen hard cooked on food residue too. 

* Be care of taking a hot crock and having it in contact with cold...such as a cold sink, counter or water as it can cause the crock to break. 

* Do not submerge the outside heating base of crock or any slow cooker that doesn't have a removable crock into water. 

* Do not submerge a slow cooker that is an one unit (non-removable crock).  Fill the inside crock area with hot soapy water to help loosen any hard cooked food residue.  Use a dishcloth, sponge or plastic food scraper to clean the inside of slow cooker.  But again do not submerge in water. 

* The outside slow cooker - the heating base - may be cleaned with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth such as a microfiber cloth. Wipe dry after cleaning.  Don't use an abrasive cleaner. Again vinegar will often help loosen hard cooked on food residue. 

It is time for...Fall Cleaning

I love fall cleaning almost more then spring cleaning. I think it is because I just love that chill that starts hitting the air. Nesting kicks into high gear for me.....cleaning, cooking, and doing crafts and decorating in prep for the holidays. So this weekend, I have been making lists,  going over things to make sure I have supplies on hand and mapping out my schedule.

Fall Cleaning Lists - Download and Print:

Kitchen
Dining Room
Closets and Laundry Room
Living Room, Family Room and Office
Bedroom
Bathroom
Basement, Attic and Garage
Outside
Smaller General List


How-to's:
Cleaning Your Ceiling Fan
Cleaning the Kitchen Trash Can
Tips for Vacuum Care
Cleaning Your Computer
How-to Wash Pillows
Cleaning the Toaster
Cleaning the Microwave
How to Clean Your Dishwasher


General Information:
5 Decorating Mantras to Live By
10 Simple Things to Make You Happier at Home
10 Habits for a Well-Run Home
100 Reason to Get Rid of It - this link has all sorts of resources for items you want to get rid of

Cleaning Your Ceiling Fan

About a month ago I posted a tip on dusting the ceiling fan, but today I am going to actually write about cleaning the ceiling fan that uses the same technique with the pillowcase, but takes it one step further when the blades are really needing to be cleaned not just dusted.

When you have blades that are dusty and just holding on to dirt, it can send all that flying when you turn on the blades.  That means allergies can be kicked up and as if we don't have enough allergens in a normal house and seasonal living.

I like to actually clean not just dust the ceiling fan during my seasonal cleaning. And soon I will be throwing myself into my fall cleaning routine so thought I would share how I clean the ceiling fan during my seasonal cleaning.

Supplies:
Old Pillowcase
Extra cleaning cloth such as a microfiber cloth
Spray bottle with water and vinegar
Ladder
Optional: Drop cloth


1. If you want for extra protection, place down drop clothes over furniture and under the area of the ceiling fan.  I often don't do this often, because I use the nifty pillow case trick, but also I start my cleaning a room by cleaning the ceiling fan so any dust and dirt that falls from it will be cleaned up during the rest of my normal cleaning.

2. Take a spray bottle and fill it with warm water and 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar. Spray the inside of the of the pillowcase with the mixture.

3. Standing on a ladder, slip the pillowcase over a blade and pull it back and forth to clean the blade.

4. You will notice dirt on the inside of the pillowcase as you take it off and move to the next blade. Spritz a clean part of the pillowcase and slip it over the blade and pull it back and forth like you did on the first blade. Continue doing this with each blade.

5. Take your cleaning cloth and clean the light fixture, base of the fan and any residual dirt and grime on the blades.

6. Take the pillowcase outside and shake out the dust and dirt and then launder.

If you have a ceiling fan that is very high, I don't recommend climbing on a ladder to clean it. If it is over 12 feet from the ground, I would get an actual ceiling fan duster from your local hardware store. They even have extensions to buy if you need to to go even longer.

Dusting the Ceiling Fan

A house I lived in years ago practically had a ceiling fan in every room and I got to the point of hating them not only because I am not especially fond of their looks, but cleaning them has always been a pain.  Here we only have one ceiling fan and it is in the bedroom.  It is needed in the summer time or we would never stay remotely comfortable when the temps reach 109 degrees during July and August.

I really dislike this ceiling fan because it is pretty much right over the bed no matter how we arrange the room.  I have used all sorts of cleaning methods over the years to dust the blades, but I have always been annoyed that I was basically dusting it on to the bed creating more work for myself.  Finally....I found the solution....using an old pillow case.

* Slide a pillow case over a blade of the ceiling fan.
* Hold one end and pull it along the blade. The dust and debris fall into the pillow case and not all over the room. 
* After doing this to each blade, take the pillow case outside and turn it inside out, shake out the dust and debris, and then launder. 

Friday Favorites

DIY Drop Cloth Stenciled Curtains  -  I think this would be an inexpensive way to replace curtains throughout the house.  I just wonder if they look as nice as they do in the photo as I really am thinking this is something I am going to do for our bedroom and the kitchen and dining room.

Staining Oak Cabinets Espresso  - again something I would love to do and this blog makes it look not as difficult as I thought it would be

Organization Board Tutorial -  a board with all the things  I need in one place. Very stylish too! I love the idea of putting them in frames and using them as dry erase boards with the printable check list under the glass.

Clean and Regrease a Kitchen Aid Mixer  - just something that might be helpful to those of us with Kitchen Aid Mixers

Thai Peanut Slaw - this is a different recipe then I usually see...I love the thought of the dressing. I really want to try this and add some grilled chicken to it for a good summer time meal

Cleaning the Kitchen Trash Can

Even with a trash bag in your trash can liquid and food particles can escape and cause nasty things to grow and create bacteria that not only smell nasty but produce things we don't want to touch or breath . Every time I change the trash bag out, I spray my normal all-purpose cleaner on the inside and outside.  It has disinfecting properties to it.  I let it air dry before putting in a new bag.

But every so often (about once a month to every 6 weeks), I wash and do a more thorough cleaning of the trash can. This will not only work for your kitchen trash can but all the other trash cans in your home. When cleaning the trash cans I bring to the curb, I just do this process but outside with the hose.

We have a shower that as detachable sprayer/hose so that it isn't fixed position. I use the sprayer on it to rinse off with hot water.  I  fill it up about 1/3 of the way with hot water and liquid dish soap and let it soak for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Then take a scrub brush to it and give it a good cleaning.   Making sure I get all the corners, around ridges and the lip of the trash can.

If you don't have a shower you can use, then use your tub and a pitcher to fill with water and pour over your trash can.   You can also use the outside hose even though it isn't hot water working with all purpose cleaner and soap will get it clean.  

After you have washed it in the shower (or tub or outside), let air dry or pat dry.  Then spray with an disinfecting all-purpose cleaner and either dry with a towel or allow to air dry.  You can also leave it to dry in the sun and the sun will help in destroying any other lingering bacteria.

Friday Favorites

Mojito Cheesecake Bites - when I shared this earlier this week with someone she called me an evil temptress. I can think of worse things to be called. :) They looks so good how could I not share!

Mother Earth News Canning Guide - shares the science behind it, why we should can, lots of resources and recipes. 

How to Clean Stoneware - I think this sounds interesting. There are times I wish my stoneware was clean again. But I do like the baked on look it has - makes it easier to peel things off of it too. But do read the comments on this one too. I saw at least one comment talk about their stoneware broke in the high heat.

DIY Body Butter Recipes - I have been looking through a lot of body lotion recipes. I have been wanting to make my own for a long time as I break out from so many lotions on the store shelves because of added scents and no doubt other ingredients I don't understand on the list of ingredients. I was also gifted a block of beeswax not too long ago so put me on the path to looking into this sooner than later.  So hopefully I will have some photos and recipe posted here soon. But at least wanted to share this link for now. 

Coursera - they partner with top universities to offer FREE classes. Many don't deal with domestic arts but some might come in use in household management such as some of the nutritional classes or finance. 

Friday Favorites

Kitchen 101 - Cooking Methods: a chart plus blog entry on all sorts of cooking methods
Chicken Chirizo "No Potato" Hash - looks delicious and a good way to add veggies in and not use carbs
Microfiber Information - a blog post about why to use microfiber and where to use it
18 Things to Get Rid of Now - just as the title says
Freezing Strawberries - tip on why/how to freeze strawberries now when the price is lower