Travelling On

badmemory

Don't forget your washing machine will need the odd very hot wash, even if you run it without washing in.  I do mine once every 4 to 6 weeks.

Karmacat

badmemory said:

Don't forget your washing machine will need the odd very hot wash, even if you run it without washing in.  I do mine once every 4 to 6 weeks.

Oh my I confess, I've never done that in my life I'm just not there on maintenance ... my dishwashers have a hard life, but my washing machines tend to keep going ... I've jinxed it now, haven't I    

Christmas cards haven't gone too badly - I *only* just had enough, literally none left over, and I had to juggle them a bit to make sure I don't send the same card to the same person two years in a row.  Done about a third, though I'll have to write some notes for some of them.  

QueenJess

badmemory said:

Don't forget your washing machine will need the odd very hot wash, even if you run it without washing in.  I do mine once every 4 to 6 weeks.

Good reminder!  We were told that in the summer when our washing machine (of 5 years) stopped working and apparently one of the parts had failed due to limescale build up... ooops my bad... (we are in a very, very, very hard water area).

I use ecloths for most my cleaning (I'm allergic/sensitive to almost all chemicals it seems) and so put those through a hot wash every few weeks to try and help.  The cloths also need a hot wash every now and again so hopefully it does them and the washing machine good.  I have washing machine cleaner too from the manufacturer (probably OTT) that I use every so often.

Suffolk_lass

Our washing machine man told us to do at least one hot wash a month and said towels or cotton bed linen could be done - so I do. It clears the soap scum build up but not limescale. Adding a laundry gloop measure of vinegar will clear limescale if used regularly.

Re your quince jam - you could try it with a little gin and something like tonic (something not too sweet and fizzy) - my sister makes quince gin - basically gin, sugar and fruit - and I have used unset strawberry jam with prosecco and vodka as summer cocktails so I'm sure it would work. I hope your jars are not full if you are freezing them...

Cheery_Daff

Karmacat said:

badmemory said:

Don't forget your washing machine will need the odd very hot wash, even if you run it without washing in.  I do mine once every 4 to 6 weeks.

Oh my I confess, I've never done that in my life I'm just not there on maintenance ... my dishwashers have a hard life, but my washing machines tend to keep going ... I've jinxed it now, haven't I    
 

I confess I've never done it either, and our washing machine was already second hand and old when I met Mr Cheery 15 years ago 😮 Hope I've not jinxed mine as well! 😮

Karmacat

Thank you all!  Re. vinegar, for the first time ever I cleared my bathroom washbasin with vinegar and bicarb, so I can certainly try the vinegar alone for the washing machine.  I don't want to put another "product" in there if I can avoid it because like Jess my tolerance of artifical chemicals is quite low.  Still glad to see I'm not the only person to cope without ever doing a hot wash  

The quince sounds a very good idea, to put with something alcoholic.  There are 3 choices: the port I keep in place of wine (throwing out an *awful* lot of wine before I changed, because when I *do* drink, I drink a single glass).  Or I could see if it goes with the half bottle of Christmas pudding wine, that might be a blast!  Or, and I've been very adventurous here, I've bought a 4 for the price of 3 set of mini-prosecco bottles for Christmas    in fact I could give all of those a go  

Erm, the jars are pretty full they're those Bonne Maman ones I mentioned.  I've just been to check on them, and they haven't erupted yet ... plus I just read something about defrosting slowly in the fridge, so I'll do that, when its time.  All part of my somewhat slapdash approach - when the big jobs like fencing and digging are done, I'll have more attention to pay to the good things in life.  

Karmacat

JL have been deluging me with delivery emails, and now the courier has joined in.  They said it would take 7 - 10 days, from Saturday night, but at least one is being delivered today, and another tomorrow.  To my sister, poor thing!  I'm off to hers later this week for Christmas/birthday, so I'll take my wrapping gubbins along, and I've already got the parcel tags written out.  Earliest I've ever done it!  A pandemic will do that.

Otherwise - get the easy cards posted out today, and open the post I've already got.  I wonder when the rest of the shopping will get cleaned?

greenbee

I do my cleaning cloths on a 60c wash every so often, but my machine also has a 90c ‘drum clean’ programme that I run periodically. I use citric acid to clean both WM and DW. 

Since I got my new machine I regularly run programmes with extra water, as I have hard water and find it needs it, even when washing with soap nuts or using soda crystals with powder and vinegar in the rinse with powder/liquid washes. (I use different stuff for different loads and/or depending on what’s available). And I clean the filter regularly which is usually unpleasant!

Karmacat

Wow.  I'm way behind the curve, that's obvious!

OTOH, 11 Christmas cards actually posted - never, ever done any as early as this, I'm thrilled   Another half dozen or so half done, so that's half of the whole lot.  Plus quite a lot of tidying and rubbish-outing going on.

My biggest Christmas card so far is by the littlest Tiny Human, a palm print with googly eyes stuck on, adorable    

earthgirl2

Aww so cute!
I have had a flashback to your Christmas card woes of many years ago!
When my student comes I am going to write them then, and walk with him to post them. If I am a bit late I will blame isolating!