Buying a home and knowing nothing!

lisa110rry

I'd like to share a story with you Manxcottage... I hope you will find it amusing and it will spur you on in your quest for home-maker-i-ness!

In 2000, when my husband was 53, I had to go to the US on some family business. I wrote out exactly how to use the washing machine and dryer with simple instructions on how to load (darks/lights/delicates/linens and towels) and flew off.

When I got back I discovered my husband had been trusting the little care labels on clothes like the Bible, and had washed almost every item separately - and dried them individually, too!

Unfortunately, at that time we developed a leak from our rising main stop tap. To deal with this, he took some of the towels from the airing cupboard and left them to soak up the water, then put them directly (without spinning or wringing!) into the drier to dry in order to be used again!

Just be aware that if you buy a lovely new navy cotton cardi, you should indeed wash it separately or only with navy items for a while, but after it's settled down and no longer loses colour, you can be a bit less careful, but I'd suggest never putting it in a load of white cotton socks or hankies!

I'm the kind of person who prefers to use elbow grease rather than lots of modern chemicals to keep my home clean and tidy, so I use simple cleaning materials and products.

Old towels can be purchased sometimes from charity shops, and like the previous poster, we have a lovely wicker basket with them piled up by the back door. Dog in, towel over her and she stands stock still until she's been rubbed. I also wash all the dog gear separately including bedding, once a week or when necessary according to weather.

With regard to ironing, don't let clothes get "too" dry. You want them soft and slightly damp. If they get bone dry, the creases set in.

I realise you don't have central heating, but I save a lot of ironing time by hanging clothes on hangers before pegging them out. When dry, in our case, they get hung by the boiler.

GreyQueen

Re drying washing outside, as well as the forecast, you need to consider factors such as wind (is there any?) and overall temperature and humidity. Days which are grey, damp and windless will not allow things to get dry, and they may even end up more moist than when you put them out, perverse as that sounds. You can also get stuff dry in very frosty weather, surprisingly enough. I expect I'm not the only old-styler who has karate-chopped frozen clothes to get them to fold into a linen basket. Pure white cottons can benefit from a good freezing, it whitens them. Not a bundle of laughs getting them in or out, though.

I wouldn't put clothes out in a flat calm, unless it was also very warm and sunny. Deffo right about damp-wiping the line before pegging out, as birds perch on them with mucky feet as well as airborne grime. Don't leave your pegs out on the line unless you're using them. They'll get grimy and the weather will degrade them. Decent pegs aren't bought at 20 or 40 for £1, either, buy cheap buy twice definately applies here, too. If you have good quality wooden or plastic pegs, they should last a few years, with you losing a couple or so to breakage a year.

The best drying days are those with a good stiff breeze, and things will dry surprisingly well even in colder weather. A good blow also reduces creasing, especially if you are able to loosely fold the items into the linen basket as they come off the line. A few spits and spots of rain won't make much difference to the drying time, so don't flap if there's a light shower; leave 'em out there.

If you don't have room for a straight linen line, you may have to use a rotary, but I don't find them anywhere near as good. You could also benefit from having a clothes prop, they lift the line above head height and get it up into the breeze. If you can get one, a steel cable linen line (try trad hardware stores) is superior to the plastic-covered nylon ones from the supermarket. There's hardly a woman amongst us, I bet, who hasn't had a plastic-nylon line snap. And then your clean clothes are on the ground and not-so-clean any more.

I wouldn't personally put/ leave washing out overnight as it will take up moisture from the night air and also birds get up earlier than you do and can poop on it. Plus in some neighbourhoods stuff might go walkabout.

You won't get line-dried laundry completely dry unless in baking hot weather, and you don't really want it bone-dry as you want to iron it. Best way it to catch it whilst it's ever so slightly damp to the touch. This is particualrly the case for cottons you're going to iron.

Iron regularly, rather than letting it fester, and you'll iron more easily. Once ironed, things will need to spend a little time airing out - you've just filled them with superheated steamy air. Put shirts on hangers, preferably plastic ones as metal can mark up clothing, and put other things over the airer. Things want a bit of time to cool down and lose the last of the moisture before going away esp if you are going to fold them. If you have an airing cupboard, or a cupboard with hot pipes in it, this is an ideal intermediary stage for a couple of days before putting them away properly. If you're not ironing, still follow the airing out procedure, as damp textiles become mouldy textiles if you're not careful. HTH.

Rainy-Days

GreyQueen wrote: »

Pure white cottons can benefit from a good freezing, it whitens them. Not a bundle of laughs getting them in or out, though..

Quite right and the other thing that my mum also used to stand by was that she would never leave white cotton or linen out in the strong summer sunshine for too long either - she maintained that it would turn the whites a shade of funny creamy yellow.

GreyQueen wrote: »

Don't leave your pegs out on the line unless you're using them. They'll get grimy and the weather will degrade them.

This sends me bonkers. I find it so damn slovenly, why oh why can't people just take their pegs in off the line? It's no big hardship. Just get a basket or peg bag and it's done.

GreyQueen wrote: »

If you don't have room for a straight linen line, you may have to use a rotary, but I don't find them anywhere near as good.

Rotary takes allot longer to dry, but if you have extra stuff that doesn't fit on the line, they are a back up. Previous people left this rotary and it's not that old and a Brabantia one at that, so it's a good make, but I agree with you I prefer the line.

GreyQueen wrote: »

If you can get one, a steel cable linen line (try trad hardware stores) is superior to the plastic-covered nylon ones from the supermarket. There's hardly a woman amongst us, I bet, who hasn't had a plastic-nylon line snap. And then your clean clothes are on the ground and not-so-clean any more.

Yes I agree and what a ball ache :rotfl:



See if you can get your hands on a book by Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie it is called How Clean Is Your House? They had a program on channel 4 a few years back now, but I loved that show. These ladies followed it up with a book and then did a comprehensive book called Household Management. Loads of tips and tricks in that first book though, it will give you brilliant ideas on things, such as popping a lemon in water in the microwave to clean it. You will be able to get this book for about £1.00 in the charity shops and they do crop up every now and again. Worth getting if you see it.

Grey Queen is right though you are going to need to get yourself a good airer with having no central heating. Get a good sturdy one such as Minky. Tesco have one of their own version - good steel structure - and it's £10.00, but it should last you for years and it will be a good investment.

[Deleted User]

As far as laundry goes just do every load on a quick wash and use decent laundry liquid. Your machine will last years and it will be economical to run. This will be sufficient unless you work down a coal mine.

GreyQueen

You reminded me about the yellowing, Rainy-days, that was something I knew but forgot to mention. When you have to write it out, isn't it amazing how much you know without thinking about it, having just picked it upsince childhood? Don't leave clothes out longer than is necessary, because sunlight rots textiles and fades dyes, too.

And I had a LBM when you mentioned Minky clothes airers as I've had mine so long I'd forgotten the brand, but that's what it is, what Mum has two of, also. Good quality items. I'm also a fan on Brabantia products, they make an excellent can-opener, f'rinstance. Prestige make good gear, too.

Other things; if there is an elderberry bush in your garden, birdies will c**p purple s**t onto your linen after eating the berries. Hence Mum's instruction to Dad to remove the self-sown one from her back garden.

And I'm so with you about the pegs out with nothing on the line, drives me nuts. Used to have a housemate who'd leave stuff out for days at a time, probably one of the few people whose washing was dirtier after washing than before. :rotfl:

Pegging out; there's a bit of a knack to how you peg clothes and other items out on the linen line, which won't necessarily be something you'll know. Pegging out in certain ways isn't because we're twinkly housewives with time on our hands but because it will do the following things;

1. Minimize clothes-peg marks onto clothing.
2. Minimize double-thicknesses of cloth which will leave damp areas on otherwise dry clothes.
3. Maximize the catchment of moving air into textiles, so that they billow, and dry more easily with fewer wrinkles.

Shirts are pegged on the bottom hem on the side seam. This applies to mens proper shirts, ladies proper blouses, teeshirts, sweatshirts, anything shirt-y. You don't want to peg 'em by the shoulder or you'll get a mark in a highly-visible place. Peg only one side of the garment, so the wind can get in and billow it out. You can also try putting shirts, buttoned up, onto coathangers but they're a beggar to keep on the line. Collars should always be rolled down so there's only a single thickness.

Trousers are laundered with zips and buttons done up, preferably inside out. Frisk pockets carefully for debris before loading washer. You don't want debris - you'll be surprised and horrified at how far one tissue can spread once it's disintegrated in your washer. We've probably all done it, and more than once, what a PITA.

Trousers inc are pegged from the cuff of their legs, legs lying flat (no twisting to cause damp spots).

Flat things like tea towels and regular towels are pegged with 2 pegs on one of the short sides. Big flat things like sheets are halved bottom to top, the two outside corners pegged at the double thickness and two additonal pegs placed, slightly offset, each holding one thickness of the sheet. It should look swoopy and then billow when the wind hits it. If you have a small yard, watch that the place you pin the sheets won't cause them to brush into the shed/ fence/ tree/ whatever.

Things not to do;

1. Don't put those trad yellow cloth dusters into the washing machine. They're not colour-fast and you will end up like my pal who had washed a duster with his white jockey shorts and ended up with yellowed undercrackers smelling suspiciously of Pl*dge. And your duster will be anaemic-looking. Waves at male friend who did this.........:rotfl:

2. A washing machine is a sophisticated animal. Feed it gently. If you have large things like bedsheets, feed them in, don't put them in a bunch. If you are intending to wash just one large item, also add one smaller one, like a towel with a sheet. It's not so the main attraction won't get lonely, it's because the spin cycle will be very rocky othewise, the smaller item acts as a counter weight i nthe drum when she spins.

3. Buy (or make from charity shop net curtains) delicates bags. These will hold fragile items together and stop small escapees.

4. Most people only ever use 2 settings on their washer - 40 and 60 or 30 and 50.

4. Halve the amount of laundry detergent the manufacturers recommend unless items are very heavily-soiled. You can spot-treat grease marks by rubbing in neat washing-up liquid before doing proper laundry.

5. When removing the finished load from the washer, take about 60 seconds with a microfibre cloth or similar and dab the little bit of standing water out of the rubber door seal, ditto the powder drawer, wipe the inside of the glass porthole, the outside and wipe off any marks on the machine. Done on every washload, it takes under a min and keeps your washer looking showroom fresh. If you leave water in the doorseal or the powder drawer, they'll grow black mould.

6. Always leave your washer with the door ajar when not in use. After mopping the powder drawer dry, I leave that open for a while, too.

7. Aim to do up all zips and buttons before loading the washer. All pockets should be frisked. Small items can work their way around the back of the drum, like socks, or even blouses. Bra underwires are the commonest cause of washing machine woes - preferably don't machine wash them.

Callie22

One tip for making sure that you haven't overfilled your washing machine is to make sure that you can still do a thumbs up on top of the washing. If you can't the machine's too full

Rainy-Days

It is so weird Grey Queen because you do things without giving them a second thought. I whipped out the drawer in the machine today because it was looking a bit slimey in the fabric conditioner section and gave it a good wash through and put it back. Just wiped the machine around generally with the micro fibre and it's done. You just do them almost on auto pilot, but when you have been doing them for so long, things just come naturally. Then to type them down it's a brain racking job because you have to think back how you do things. We all do it different in some ways or another but it still kind of comes back the same.

The only time I use the Tumble Dryer is for the towels just to fluff them up. Winter I use it more but that's mainly for the brushed cotton sheets which would take a couple of days to dry and they hold allot of moisture - and when it's on I am thinking "electric bill"

I love my washing on the line and I love seeing the sheets billowing out. Four pegs up and two pegs on the outer edge - looks a bit like a festoon blind. It looks lovely and it works!

:rotfl:about the Elderberry. I go nuts if a bird craps on my car I have wet wipes in the boot so I get it off quick just in case! Read ages ago that when birds eat berries the acid in the berries can affect the paintwork on cars at certain times of the year. Never forgotten that one.

If you actually think about it, logically, the laundry area is the big beast where most people seem to either go wrong or get vexed about. Probably because that when something does go wrong it's costly either to the machine or the clothes itself.

I have never (lesson learned from Mum actually) been one for having clothes out on the line for hours on end. When they are dry they come in. I still think ironing on the day they have dried makes them iron easier and better though.

I just wash the dusters out by hand in the bowl with a bit of washing powder, give them a rinse and a good wring and put them out to dry and they do dry quick as well. Walking around like Big Bird from Sesame Street is not a good look!

Bexster - I am mad about ironing the bed sheets but I work it out this way a few minutes ironing them is a whole week of sleeping in a really nice crisp bed. A bit of luxury. When I first had my own home I moaned to Mum one Sunday about the ironing and the reply came back "You don't have to iron, you don't have to iron at all, but if you don't want to go out of the front door looking like a rag bag, you need to spend a bit of time at the ironing board". I didn't moan after that and I actually got to not mind the ironing so much either or maybe that came with age!

bexster1975

Ha ha ha! Rainy days, I have to agree about the sheets. Unironed just seems really wrong. I love fresh crisp sheets. It's a frequent topic of debate but my mum always irons bedsheets so I blame her!!

I confess I buy clothes that need minimal ironing generally. I really don't mind ironing the sheets as my iron and board would barely earn their keep if I didn't do bedlinen

Bexster

pinknfluffy28

Firstly - Congratulations on your new home, it sounds perfect x

As others have said, dont worry, housekeeping is something you learn (quickly) and everyone has there own techniques, and cheats and routines!

I have been living independently (alone, with dh, now with dh & kids) for over 20 years, and I still follow a chores list, which I devised myself when I got my very first little studio flat at the ripe old age of 19!

With being a working mum (and with a dh who works away mon-fri) cleaning nowadays truly feels like a chore, I dont enjoy it, but know it must be done. So I choose to do little and often.

My key tips (from my rota) are:
-Vacuum, sweep, mop, daily
-Never leaves pots stacked up or overnight, trust me, it is so much easier to get pasta bake off plates straight after eating, than after its had a good few hours to grind in!
-Wipe down all skirting boards, door frames etc twice a week, it keeps them looking pristine white for much much longer!
-Clean your toilets and shower/bath daily, dont let that limescale build up!
-Have a "quick wipe" around kitchen after every meal prep, and then have a deep clean, which includes oven, hob, microwave, once a week.
-Clean windows inside once a week, outside fortnightly, saves £ss on a window cleaner!
-Keep your lawn/gardens tidy. I mow/strim once a week for as much of the year as I can. I am also a keen gardener so my garden is my pride and joy, but just a freshly mown lawn can be so much more welcoming when you walk up the path after a hard days work.
-I change bedding once a week, and towels twice a week (except teatowels which are changed daily).

I no longer own a tumble dryer, washing is either hung on the line, or on airer in conservatory.

I only iron once a week. Yes, this is pure laziness, I hate doing it, and so save it for a Sunday evening, when I can stand in front of the tv, glass of wine nearby, and get it all done in one go without interruptions.

I also bulk prepare meals, again, usually on a Sunday. I aim to prepare and freeze at least 3 meals which can then be put in the oven of an evening. This makes my life during the working week, much easier.

And finally, I have never needed to "spring clean". By following my old, and very tatty rota, my house always looks and feels clean and tidy. It is not a show home by any means, but I have 2 dogs and 2 kids, and clean and tidy is good enough for me!

GreyQueen

A lot of life is working out the most efficient way to do things according to your needs and your temperament. No two people are the same and no two households are the same, even if you superficially appear to have the same numbers and ages of residents.

A lot of housework can be eliminated by low cunning and a lot of laundry woes can be prevented by being a bit determined at the clothes selection stage, like the items from the charity shop which catch my eye from time to time but which don't get to come home because they require special laundry procedures like being machine washed in cold water or dried flat.

I'm not prepared to faddle around with such things. With the exception of a few lovely handknit woollies and one silk shirt, I don't do handwashing, I want 99% of my stuff to be machine washable at 40 and not to require ironing.

The washer microfibre wipedown is something I instigated this Jan when I moved a new washer into the homestead and it's still looking showroom fresh, despite being right next to the sink and in the way of all sorts of spills.

Mind you, I did paint my kitchen walls tomato red on the grounds that I do a lot of tomato-based cooking, and it wouldn't be obvious if it splashed up the wall. No point in getting older if you don't get more devious, says I.