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.

Traveling Food

I have mentioned that we have been traveling a lot.  I had been losing some weight, but with all our traveling and eating out, I stalled. I haven't gained any thankfully, but I haven't lost any either.  

Here are some things I am doing to help with food while traveling as eating out every meal costs quite a bit as well as not being very healthy.  When we travel, I always pack a cooler. We almost always stay in a hotel that has a mini-fridge too which always is a great asset when traveling. But even if we don't get one we have the cooler. I have those ice bricks and love them as they keep the food colder longer than ice cubes. I like that I can put those bricks into the mini-fridge - freezer section to have frozen and ready for our return trip.

So this is what I pack when traveling....

I pack small snack size ziplocks with grapes, sliced/cubed cheese or string cheese, pickles, baby carrots, baby peppers, or sliced peppers. I then take those little bags and put in a bigger ziplock, so that I just don't have lots of little bags floating around the ice. I put little containers of ranch dressing or bean dip to dunk veggies.  I bring other fruit with us - bananas and apples with us too.  Make sure you wash all fruits and veggies before you go so you can eat in the car easily.

Other traveling snacks I pack at times are trail mix or crackers that I put in snack size ziplocks for portion control as welly as just easier to have a little bag then a box or bigger bag. For something sweet, I will make cookies or bars so that we aren't picking up candy bar or other sweet treats.  Sometimes of course we indulge as our area doesn't have Dunkin Donuts so when in a town that has one we usually do part take in the puffy pillows of goodness. 

For breakfasts, I add some containers of yogurt to the cooler and bake some muffins. I also try to make at least the first day of travel meals - lunch and dinner - if not a couple of lunches. Such as packing sandwich/wrap makings - bread/tortilla shells and lunch meat, slices of tomato, spinach or lettuce.  If  I am just planning for one lunch/dinner then I will make up sandwiches for us knowing they will be ate that day.  I sometimes make a pasta salad or garden salad with some shredded chicken to top it as alternative.  (Extra little tip - if I bring wrap ingredients a quick easy lunch or snack is also using some bean dip/hummus, sliced peppers, tomatoes and spinach on a tortillas. Yums!)

When packing, I also remember to pack silverware including a knife that will cut apples or bread if needed, paper plates, paper towels, baby wipes for sticky fingers, and condiments. I try to keep it down to one salad dressing we both like and one condiment such as Dijon so that I am not having the cooler overloaded with things we will use so little of on the trip.   (Extra tip: We have a Sprouts here, but I am pretty sure Whole Foods has them too, but they sell the little almond and healthy Nutella spread in little condiment size packages like you get ketchup in when eating fast food - really nice for apples or crackers on the road.)

We always buy a case of bottled water - to keep hydrated during this hot hot summer and to discourage us from stopping from soda as much. When you pack your silverware, you might throw in a corkscrew also. Sometimes picking up a bottle of wine on the road especially an area that has local wineries is always a nice treat while in a hotel room after a long day of being on the road. 

Really, I know that has to be other stuff that could be easily packed and used for trips....please feel free to share your tips!

Guest Post: Pack like a Pro and Other OCD Tips

Is packing intimidating to you? Do you avoid it till the last minute because it is just too overwhelming? Do you find yourself repeatedly on vacation with no underwear and eight pairs of socks? Never again! Take my hand – we can get thru this together!

First off you need a spreadsheet. This is a NEED not a want. Just trust me. Don’t be afraid. You do not have to color code it or do anything fancy, that is for the advanced course. I use Google Docs because it is web based and can be shared with others. That way your owner can review it and add or delete. AND, you can copy it and adjust it for different trips.

Now think. What kind of trip is this? Camping? Conference? Vacation? Work? Will you have electricity (will you need a voltage converter)? Do you have to prepare meals? Will there be special clothing needs (formal, costume, sports)? What will the weather be like? How long is the trip? If this seems overwhelming don’t worry we will take it one day at a time. No, I mean it. Really . . .

Are you as excited as I am? Of course you are! Let’s get started.

On the first page I like to include a section for Transportation, Accommodations and other information like contact numbers of those I am traveling with and their travel and accommodations.

Under Transportation you might include:

• flight confirmation numbers
• flight numbers and times
• rental car confirmation numbers
• numbers for local taxi
• phone number of accommodations if they provide free transfers
• address of your destinations (through the trip)

Under Accommodations you might want to include:

• hotel confirmations numbers
• address and phone of hotel
• address of place near by you may need like; grocery, drug store, liquor store, beauty shop.

OK now you are there safe and sound! What to wear? Start a new page and make a column or list for each day of your trip.

Will the weather be warmer or colder where you are heading? Think about what you will be doing. Tonight you might be going to a formal dinner. Picture yourself getting ready . . .(dream sequence)

You are wearing your little black dress, definitely need the super tummy holding in panties for this or, will someone be seeing those panties later? Better to go with the sexy ones then. Eeks - bra straps - toss that one to the side and get the strapless. Nylons . . . no thigh highs – need a garter belt, grrr a run - good thing you brought an extra pair! Add your heels - think ahead a little - can you choose a pair that will go with another outfit? Now that you look beautiful grab your little evening bag and wrap as you head out the door. And when you get back from your awesome evening, will you visit the hot tub or just slip into jammies? So your day one clothing list might look like this:

AM:

• comfy travel pants
• t-shirt
• comfy bra and panties
• sweater
• socks (remember you have to take your shoes off in security if you are flying)
• comfy shoes
• travel bag (spreadsheet with travel info, tickets, ID/passport, purse, snacks, reading material, travel pillow/blanket, etc.)

PM

• black dress
• strapless bra
• black lace panties
• 2 pair thigh highs
• garter belt
• heels
• evening bag
• wrap or sweater

• swim suit
• cover up
• slippers or flip flops

• PJs
• Robe

Go through this process again for hair and make up. Do you need something special for your hair? Will you do false eyelashes? Chip a nail? Headache or catch a cold on the trip? Once you have this list you can use it for every trip and refine and add things as you learn you need them. No worries if you forget something in the beginning, you have the address of a nearby drug store remember?

Use this same method when packing for someone else. Picture their process getting ready and all the little things that might go wrong. It is so satisfying to have that one thing they did not know they would need.

The process also works for food, camping supplies, any trip you can think of. There are also many packing lists online you can compare with yours. Packing this way is so much fun and every time you have something you need in a pinch, you get to do a tush wiggling happy dance!

BIO: My name is Lacey. I am is a service submissive from the Baltimore Maryland area. I have been in service to the same Master for four years and am constantly striving to find new fun ways to please Him.  I have presented classes on Service Submission, Mental Orgasm, Rope Bottoming and others at Atlanta Bound IV 2011, Duck Stock Lite 2009, 2010 Duck Stock 2010, 2011 and Frolicon 2011. I love to share my passion for service! You are welcome to contact me any time on Fetlife or email. 

Friday Favorites

How to Pack Smart for a Trip - many tips I already do but good reminders anyway

A Beginners Guide to Keeping Chickens Part 1 and Part 2 - I am not going to be keeping chickens but have friends that want to and thought these blog entries were good

10 Quick Clutter Busters - again many tips I already do but good reminders and always good to cut clutter

Cheddar, Parmesan and Cracked Pepper Scones - If we didn't have a loaf of roasted garlic Italian to go with the chili I have in the crockpot I would be making these for sure! These look amazing. I have to make them soon.

DIY Bench Project - nice way to recycle some pieces off other pieces to make something new and useful.

Travel Packing Tips

We are leaving today for a business trip. So I have been busy packing. Here are a few things I do when packing.

* picked up a cloth laundry bag at the Dollar Tree for dirty laundry. In the past I have used just plastic grocery sacks but they are so tiny and sometimes break so I found that the laundry sack from Dollar Tree is big enough to hold quite a bit of laundry and has a draw string so that items don't fall out and easy to tote around.

* bring a small spray bottle of Febreeze. Sometimes the hotel rooms we go to no matter if we get non-smoking still smell like smoke. Master doesn't like the smell at all and I am allergic to smoke so it makes for unpleasant stays. Febreeze usually helps clear it up enough to make our stay better.

* smaller toiletries bottles - I have picked up packs of 2 to 4 bottles (again I get them at Dollar Tree) so I can put some of our daily bathroom necessities in them so that it saves space. I have huge bottle of Aveeno that really isn't fun to pack. So putting some in a little bottle makes it a lot easier. Even buying small travel size shampoo, condition or other products and reusing the bottle is good if you can't find the bottles that work. And now going through airport security you can't have any big bottles anyway.

* plastic bags - pack shoes in plastic bags so they don't get clothes dirty. pack things that might or could leak in freezer ziplocks.

* Once at my destination I hang items in a steamy bathroom, to help de-crease them after being packed in a suitcase.

* a must have bag - snacks (see below), wet wipes, anti-bacterial gel, tissues, gum, allergy medicine/prescription meds, lightweight jacket/sweater, sunglasses, notebook and pen, lint brush, small flashlight, sunscreen, sewing kit and a first-aid kit

* snacks - nuts, crackers, pretzels, crackers sandwiches with peanut butter or cheese, granola/cereal bars, dried fruit, fresh fruit, trail mix and even PB&J sandwiches. If you have a cooler, cheese, frozen grapes, carrots or bagels and cream cheese.

* keep hydrated - If traveling by car, remember to pack lots of water. If traveling by plane, you will have to buy a bottle after you get through airport security.


I found these links:
Rick Steven's Travel Tips

The Butler's Bureau Packing Guide

21 Tips to Help You Pack

Frommer's Pack List - bottom of link

Pack List

How to Pack a Suitcase

I listed on my Friday Favorites SpringPadIt.com and I really have enjoyed it for keeping organized. I have a Travel Task List - that has pack list, a planning of what we are doing while out of town, notes for this and that, a file I wanted to have while out of town. All that is broken up under one Task List and I will be able to access it anywhere. Even M's phone. It has really helped me keeping everything in one place instead of many many word documents on my computer.

Friday Favorites

Easy Summer Grilling Menus - It is a slide show that goes through 15 summer time menus. I know Martha Stewart again. But oh my some of these recipes just made my mouth water. And having them in menu form just makes it one step easier to me to not have to think about what else to make.

7 Deadly Sins in Decorating - very easy to read and understand article.

3 Kitchen Gadgets from At Home with Kim Vallee - Okay I saw that first one, the cooking mesh, in Metropolitan Home's June 2009 issue and I have been really thinking about it since. I know there is no-way I would find it in my little town even though we do have a nice kitchen store. And a Bed, Bath and Beyond. But it is something I hope to be able to add to the gadgets in the kitchen. The other 2 products look cool too. Especially the third item. I took a look at Lekue's website also and looks like several handy items there.

Free Curtain Patterns - It gives patterns beyond just making a channel and hemming.

And because I am leaving for vacation today....What to Pack for your Vacation