My home is a mess

Frugalsod

laurel7172 wrote: »

Bicarbonate and vinegar

I'd be so tempted....;)

It is also much cheaper and greener than traditional brand cleaners.

fannyadams

back to work today and before walking pooches and heading out to school run/work, I have:

• rummaged in the prezzie drawer and found a decent prezzie & card for DS#2's best friend's sister's birthday (party on saturday)
• found a couple of decent prezzies for the twins who's birthday is in December but we went to their party in September and I forgot to give them a prezzie (oops!) will drop them over with apology after dropping DS#2 at birthday party on saturday.:o
• whilst I was in there I managed to get all the cards together in one bag , sorted out the prezzie bags and chucked out two that had seen better days.
• and swept up the dog biscuits that had leaped out the bag when the children make the dog's food up (is it SO HARD to scoop the food out the bag and put it in the dog bowls?) :mad:
• went through my wardrobe and bagged up the blouses and tops I don't wear (too posh for work, not quite my style for going out)
• made DS#2 do his homework :T

a very slack day at work meant I could wander over to the gym and make enquiries about joining (£15/month), whilst there I mustered up enough courage to step on the fancy pants scales (:eek: - I have to go back and be properly inducted with a proper BMI and hip/waist ratio measurement, but I have a 'body fat measurement' and it's not pretty!)
then I wandered over to our work 'discount shop' and bought hair stuff for a friend. My Line manager is away tomoz and has said if I'm done by lunchtime I can go home early :j (although I won't get paid, there's "no sense killing time if I have stuff to do at home") given that I don't have to start til 10:30 on Fridays - win win. :T

Risotto for tea (using up fridge bottom lettuce, pepper, salami, and more xmas cheeses)
--

Sprinkling motivational vibes for everyone who wants them - #UfYH

laurel7172

I'm a great fan of bicarb as a carpet stain preventer, too. Mop up the spill, treat area liberally with bicarb, hoover up when dry.

The biggest issue is that it tends to leave a clean patch

However...mustiness = damp + time. In a flat, I guess you don't have radiators, so things hang around on dryers for ages? Maybe you even put one lot on top of another...or is that only me? :rotfl:The solution is using your dryer. Failing that, do small washes very regularly, perhaps every couple of days, so that one wash is fully dried before you generate another one. Maybe invest in a heated drying rack from Lakeland-they cost pennies to run and they'll dry off your clothes much faster.

snookey

Emm glad your results were good. Still dont be doing too much.x

grousescot Dry your clothes in the dryer for 10mins after taking them off the maiden. Also air your flat out everyday.
Essential oils are great for giving a nice smell to your rooms. Put a few drops in a spray bottle and add water. Spray in each room. Also put a drop on a bulb when it heats up it gives a nice aroma.
To those that need one ,hugs and to those who have got through some housework well done.

Iv washed the stairs and landings and they were minging. Still getting muck out from when dd room was gutted.
Iv done some more laundry and other half sorted out the clean stuff to put away. Bin bags out and thats it today.

Going to try and get some more chores done tomorrow. Not sure what ones yet.

MummyBobble

Only in work until lunchtime today so when I finish it'll be a quick nip to the shop for a couple of things then home and back on to the paperwork decluttering. Most of the important stuff (including car docs, current insurances etc) is now filed, I've shredded insurance, council tax bills and other stuff that were so old Noah probably had them on the Ark and I have put passports, cheques books, assorted other similar items in the "safe place" :j Note to self - must remember where the "safe place" is :rotfl:

It's Friday :j

YORKSHIRELASS

kayester wrote: »

I feel like giving up. I fee like ive taken one step forward and three steps back. Not doing well with my diet, and really regretting the pizza I just ate!!
House is bad, ive hoovered round every room today but every room needs a deep clean.
Attic- toys EVERYWHERE again!!! It needs a good sort and not safe for kids to play in there at minute, ive literally shoved everything to one side of the room in order to hoover what I can.
I just cant bare to start in there right now so ive closed the door.
Bathroom needs a good clean, ive hoovered in there today and going to attempt to deep clean and sort out old/unused toiletries tomorrow.
Kids bedroom- looks tidy on the offset but then you open the drawers and wardrobe and everything falls out, which is a task in itself! Need to sort out what doesnt fit any more and iron the rest!!
My bedroom, im not even gunna go there.....i really should do something there though as its last thing I see at night and first thing in the morning. My get up and go was last seen in there a long time ago!!!
Kitchen is poor, pots get done a few times a day but cupboards need a good sort and its going to take ages.
Dining room is ok as there nothing in there apart from a table.
Room isnt too bad, just kids things dotted about.
School run soon so wont be doing anything else today (i kind of give up when it gets dark!!)

Chin up, you cant do it all at once - its impossible. And remember that if it took a while for the house to get into a mess then its going to take a while to sort it.

Just keep doing a little at a time. 15 minutes here and there makes a difference over a few weeks. If you are going to sort cupboards or drawers do one drawer or one shelf and sort it properly then have a rest and do another.

Oh and make sure that when you clear a little corner in the house - keep it clear.

All of this works - but is not easy and I can certainly relate to how you feel.

So for me its the dentist this morning, then work and grocery shopping. I have a sore throat and must make some time to just switch off and relax this weekend because I feel like everything is getting on top of me.

Have a good Friday all x

alec_eiffel

If your clothes smell musty mix some bicarb and water in a spray bottle and spray it onto your clothes, the smell will go. We also bought a dehumidifier, not cheap but works well, I also hang shirts etc on hangers and hang them from the doorframes, they seem to dry more quickly that way.

fannyadams, well done for exploring the gym.

I have a bitty day today, there are loads of two minute jobs to do, sounds easy but it's all stuff I hate doing like shredding and dealing with little things that never seem to have a home. I also need to deep clean the bunny pen but I may wait until tomorrow when DH can help.

Have a good day.

Baileys_Babe

grousescot wrote: »

Hi folks,

I'm subscribed to this thread but haven't posted for quite a while. I wondered if anyone could offer some advice about a rather embarrassing matter which I suspect may be common to those in my demographic, i.e. single 30-something man living on my own. Recently my dad has been round helping with some DIY and commented (tactfully!) that my flat smelled a bit musty (he actually said it reminded him of garlic!). He said that he'd often detected the same smell coming from me when we meet up for a beer or when I've been round to visit. I'm guessing this is because I air-dry my clothes inside (nowhere else to do this and I'd rather not use the tumble dryer all the time) and the smell transfers.

I don't notice anything myself so I am rather paranoid that I'm inflicting myself on work colleagues, etc. during the day (I work in an office). I make a point of showering, using anti-perspirant, putting on a clean shirt every day and outer layers (jumper, trousers) get changed and washed every few days.

I try to keep the place aired by opening the windows for a time although obviously in the past few weeks this hasn't really been practical. In the last couple of days I've taken to keeping a scented candle lit over the course of the evening but I can't tell if this makes any difference. It's a modern flat (less than 15 years old) so I don't think it can be issues with damp.

Does anyone have any tips on keeping the air fresh indoors without spraying chemicals everywhere? Also on checking if things are getting musty without someone else having to tell you!

Cheers

To get the laundry dry quickly indoors I:
1) Set each wash load to as high a spin (1400) as possible, to remove as much water as I can.
2) hang every up with plenty of space & things that can hang on hangers do, I hang them either from a clothes rail (doubles up as guests hang space) or an over the door rack, when we have a lot I also use the curtain rails.
3) use a dehumidifier

Every day I open the windows, sometimes just for a few minutes to air the place.

To remove any lingering odour you can place open containers of bicarb in discreet places around your home, back of the wardrobe, corner of rooms etc as I absorbs smells for quite a while, just replace periodically.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Grousescot -
Your dad remarked on an odour "a bit musty" and "it reminded him of GARLIC" - not a straighforward musty smell. He also said he`s noticed it on you, when you aren`t in the flat.
You may be looking at this the wrong way round, this garlicy scent could be coming from you rather than your living quarters. This doesn`t mean you aren`t diligent with personal hygeine, but that for some reason you are producing this scent, which then permeates your clothes and where you keep them. Rather than masking it maybe you should try to find out why it`s happening.
Unless you actually eat loads of garlic, or work somewhere where there`s lots of sulphur compounds, there may be other reasons, some medications can cause it, and some medical conditions. I suggest you see your GP to try to track down the cause.

MummyBobble

Must hold my hands up and confess to having achieved nothing to day. Started feeling rough early this morning and by the time I got home from work felt like I had a head so full of snotty stuff my face was going to slide off (apologies for the TMI ). So, having napped on and off since then, I am now off to bed fully dosed up and will bounce out of bed like a spring lamb in the morning - perhaps). I will then slap myself around the face and see what I can get done before the children get back from their dad's around tea time.

Night all x