Karmacat: To Infinity And Beyond!

ZTD

Karmacat wrote: »

Ooh, I don't think I could bear to use bleach on a surface I put my kitchen utensils on.

Bleach, i.e. Sodium hypochlorite is a powerful oxidising agent, but that means its potency doesn't last long when exposed to the environment. It's perfectly safe to use, just apply it while wearing gloves - splashes need washing off too.

Karmacat wrote: »

I used an oven cleaner last year, and frightened myself silly with the warnings and the evil smell of it

That's sodium hydroxide. It reacts with the fatty acids in your skin to form what are, in effect, salts. Exactly the same process as is used for making soap. Turning your flesh into soap is not recommended - hence the dire warnings...

Karmacat wrote: »

- I'm afraid I'm sticking with Stardrops and using up Mr Muscle

Don't read the label on the Mr Muscle...

Karmacat wrote: »

Its looking a lot better, tho of course still *completely* messy.

It'll get there...

Pippajo

I used Mr Muscle once, never again. :eek:

I don't use bleach very often, but when you do that last clean before you leave to move house use it - the reason being bleach does as it says - bleaches any stains. I did it on a freezer that had been in storage, never looked so good!!

Rubber gloves, a toothbrush and neat thick bleach, takes very little effort and then just wipe with a damp cloth - eh voila :T

Karmacat

Okay, now thats interesting! Thank you! Z, the Mr Muscle is in a squirty bottle, not an aerosol.... does that make it any better, or am I best to just chuck it out?

elantan

been reading that book you gave me k.c and the green board ... i had chosen to try and use some more environmentally friendly cleaning products too .. and still will to a certain extent but finding out that alot of the so called environmentally friendly ones arnt as friendly as they make out was a tad annoying ...

are you enjoying the process if the garden? you had better be careful you dont change your mind about selling though lol

Karmacat

Yep, being green is a little more complex than you first realise, isn't it,El. Glad you're finding the book useful.

As for enjoying the process in the garden .... no! I hate it! Clearing brambles and overgrown shrubs while perching on a steep hill is *not* my idea of fun, I can't wait to get to a flat garden thats been looked after (this one hadn't been looked after when I moved in, and I never really got fully to grips with it )

Pippajo

Sorry KC I forgot about your green views i was thinking for of your arthritus and ease of cleaning.

Did the people where you are moving to have their offer accepted, or are they going to look to rent?

Pippilongstocking

Karmacat wrote: »

Okay, now thats interesting! Thank you! Z, the Mr Muscle is in a squirty bottle, not an aerosol.... does that make it any better, or am I best to just chuck it out?

KC I'm with you and using minimal amounts of these - I've one bottle of bleach in my cupboard - it normally lasts me a couple years but I do use it to clean my white formica (yup the kitchen here was put in 45 years ago! Its so cute!) I think sparingly using up stuff is OK......I often just use a toothbrush full or so - its pretty potent stuff isnt it - then a couple of wash downs

But that's just me! Sounds like you've a lot on but getting there.

Since discovering stardrops I can't say I've bought anything else aside one bottle of bleach over the past couple of years!

I can't say alot of the 'green' cleaning products work so very well for me - but thougth it was just me - the frugal part of our life has meant like many of you - I'm hunting for cheaper/greener/friendlier solutions to cleaning/washing etc. I've dramatically reduced what we do use and gradually dwindling all of those kinds of purchases. Being green and frugal is quite hard -

Speaking of things more environmentally friendly I've recently borrowed my SIL steam cleaner - and WOW - no chemicals - purely water and the house I'm moving out of is beginning to look really sparkly - hadn't thought of using it on the kitchen work tops but might give it a bash. I've not one of my own but seriously considering getting one - zero effort aside a wee wipe after you've whooshed it with steam. NO CHEMICALS - its ace.

Anyone you know got one?

Sorry morning - the coffee not kicked in yet!!:rotfl:

hypno06

Karmacat wrote: »

What it actually needs is a week's work from two strong guys. What it gets is a couple of hours from me :eek::eek::eek:

This was the predicament I found myself in - a huge amount of work, that I could only ever scratch the surface on.

What I have ended up doing is getting two strong guys in once a week - they have done 10 hours each for two days so far - ie 40 hours, and still there is a lot to do......I would have taken all year to get 40 hours, by which time the first things that I would do would need doing again, and the job would STILL not look as though I had made any progress!

I get my guys in once a week, to give me chance to get the money together to pay them! I reckon I can manage 2 more days of them, and then I will have to take over and keep on top of it, or finish off, but at least all the backbreaking stuff will have been done. It is taking money I don't really have, but it is finally getting the job done, which otherwise just is an impossibility for me with time/energy/ability constraints

redsquirrel80

Interesting comments on the 'green' cleaning products, unfortunately I've found that most of them aren't very good. I HATE the smell of bleach though so only use it very rarely. Tend to use washing up liquid for most things and lemon juice/ the remains of lemons I've used for juice to cut through grease or for making the stainless steel sink all shiny.. oh and vinegar for glass and mirrors. I must admit it's a mystery to me why people need to scrub every inch of the house with an assortment of products all the time though, I think a lot of it is advertising scaremongering, all these images of big scary bacteria needing to be blitzed by their amazing products or we'll all be poisoned... *steps off soap(ahem) box*

taxi73

I have one of those steam cleaners and they are great for doing tiles and stuff....I don't like using a lot of chemicals either.