# Hosekeeping Stuff Your Mother Never Taught You **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168 "2006-03-20T18:12:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/41 "2006-03-21T15:04:56Z")
It’s very easy to have to almost never clean your oven: Put all pans on a cookie sheet to catch any spills. If you notice a spill, pour salt on it immediately, and wipe up when clean. To clean up burned on, greasy crud, put a paste of baking soda and water on at night and wipe it up in the morning. Cheaper, greener, and better than having lye close to food. Pumice stones can also be used on ovens. Cheap & Green. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/42 "2006-03-21T15:20:53Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > On rare occasion, I run into people who actually have _never_ cleaned out the air lines in their smoke detectors. Talk about inviting disaster. > _snicker_ You’re a horrible person. I spent a full ten seconds wondering how I was going to get to the smoke detector in the bell tower. That’s ten seconds I could have been thinking about _something else_. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/43 "2006-03-21T15:27:52Z")
You clean? Wow, that must be why your apartments and homes don’t smell. I was wondering about that. :smack: Actually, it’s been interesting moving in with someone who is much better about keeping things clean. I’ve found answers to some of the mysteries in life. 1. The reason things don’t pile up. – She puts things away after she uses them. I had always assumed that the trash would walk over to the garbage can on its own free will. 2. Empty sinks. – It helps to wash after each meal. 3. Towels hanging straight. – Gravity won’t do this on its own, they have to be straightened _each_ time they’re used. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/44 "2006-03-21T15:29:45Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > It’s not sex-linked in our household, either. If I wanted to get a job that would replace his income, he would happily stay home and keep the place clean (and most likely do a better job at it 😃 ) > > The job I chose is fulfilling, but its salary is mostly a symbolic gesture, and my hours are only part-time. It’s not exactly fair for me to ask him to work forty hours a week to support our family if I don’t, so I make up the rest of the time by keeping our house neat. Not that he doesn’t help-- many a time I’ve come home and found he’s cleaned the whole house for me and cooked dinner. Yeah, it’s pretty much the same in our house, too, except nobody really cleans much. I just don’t complain about him not cleaning since I work part-time and he works full-time plus.😃 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/45 "2006-03-21T15:32:00Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > I’ve said it before, I’ll no doubt say it again. If they sell it in your neck of the woods, [Viakal](http://www.pgprof.com/uk/html/uk_ho_viakal.shtml) is the solution to all your mineral encrustation problems. I never want to find out what’s in it, in case it’s so environmentally unfriendly I won’t eb able to use it anymore. But it really does the business. From the product information sheet pdf at [http://www.pgprof.com/uk/hk\_ss\_pdf/MSDS\_Viakal\_Descaler\_Spray.pdf:](http://www.pgprof.com/uk/hk_ss_pdf/MSDS_Viakal_Descaler_Spray.pdf:) “The product is intended for wide dispersive use and is compatible with the down-the-drain disposal route. The product is not considered harmful to acquatic organisms nor to cause long-term adverse effects to the environment. The surfectants contained in this preparation comply with the biodegradability criteria as laid down in Regulation EC/648/2004 on detergents.” So, you’re good. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/46 "2006-03-21T16:15:45Z")
> [@Crescent](#): > > That stuff really works? Our water is very hard here and I didn’t even know about the pumice. The stains make me crazy. Hell yes. I have tried CLR (didn’t do crapola as a scrubbing agent, but is good for soaking showerheads and faucet spouts full strength), Limeaway (didn’t work on anything for me), Barkeeper’s Friend (make it into a thick paste and it’s great for rust stains in the tub, sink, and, yes, toilet—if you enjoy getting down on your hands and knees to scrub the toilet bowl) and Kaboom Shower, Tub and Tile Cleaner (excellent for that chalky buildup you get in the shower, not so hot on rust.) When I saw the Kaboom toilet cleaner, I was skeptical, but desperate. Man, does it do the trick, especially once you’ve got a clean toilet. It took a few applications the first time, though. Now, whenever I notice rust trails developing, I just squirt a good coating under the rim where the trails are, and do a light coating around the rest of the bowl, which results in a goodly amount running down and pooling in the bottom to derustify below the waterline. Let it stand for 5 minutes, swish with a toilet brush, flush. _Voilà._ Sparkly white toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/47 "2006-03-21T16:33:57Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > You’re a horrible person. I spent a full ten seconds wondering how I was going to get to the smoke detector in the bell tower. That’s ten seconds I could have been thinking about _something else_. Muahaha! Vengeance is finally mine! Beat _me_ to that “Tell a lie! Tell the truth!” joke, willya… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/48 "2006-03-21T16:52:59Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I never knew until a year or so ago that you’re supposed to clean your walls, ceilings, and windows during annual spring cleaning. > > Windows I already knew. But walls? Ceilings? OK, I can see taking a long-handled duster and tackling an errant dust bunny. But actually _clean_ them? With soap and water? > > My MIL almost dropped dead upon seeing my expression when she mentioned this. But then again, she’s Martha Stewart’s older sister. Heh, I wipe the walls with the long-handled Swiffer thing, but I don’t _wash_ them with soap and water. I do clean the wall by the stove if it gets grease-splattered, but I don’t wash other walls. My MIL was the same way as yours. She did this massive twice-yearly cleaning where _everything_ got washed. This was in addition to obsessive daily Martha Stewart-like cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/49 "2006-03-21T17:37:18Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Heh, I wipe the walls with the long-handled Swiffer thing, but I don’t _wash_ them with soap and water. I do clean the wall by the stove if it gets grease-splattered, but I don’t wash other walls. Those “Mr. Clean Magic Erasers” are the best thing since cheese in a can when it comes to cleaning walls. They’re one of those rare products which actually works as advertised. I use 'em for cleaning spots and marks off of my walls, and also for scrubbing ground-in dirt on the linoelum that the mop doesn’t get. The only bad thing is that they leave behind a faint chalky residue. If your walls are white matte, no problem, but if you use them on other colors or on glossy paints, you have to have a damp rag in the other hand to wipe the wall after you get done using it. > [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > You clean? Wow, that must be why your apartments and homes don’t smell. I was wondering about that. I didn’t use to clean this much. Our old house was a pigsty-- I kept it marginally within Health Code, but otherwise let the clutter and dust go. Then I bought a house, a huge, beautiful house, and I felt like I \*HAD \*to keep it clean to be worthy of it. I have a back injury, so the heavy stuff I can’t do. I had to hire a housekeeper to come in once a week. A housekeeper is the best way to keep your house clean, and it’s not because of the work _she_ does, but because I’d get embarassed if she came and the house was a wreck. (My imagination torments me with thoughts of her going home and saying, “Dear God, those people are _disgusting_!”) ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/50 "2006-03-21T17:44:58Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Heh, I wipe the walls with the long-handled Swiffer thing, but I don’t _wash_ them with soap and water. I do clean the wall by the stove if it gets grease-splattered, but I don’t wash other walls. Those “Mr. Clean Magic Erasers” are the best thing since cheese in a can when it comes to cleaning walls. They’re one of those rare products which actually works as advertised. I use 'em for cleaning spots and marks off of my walls, and also for scrubbing ground-in dirt on the linoelum that the mop doesn’t get. The only bad thing is that they leave behind a faint chalky residue. If your walls are white matte, no problem, but if you use them on other colors or on glossy paints, you have to have a damp rag in the other hand to wipe the wall after you get done using it. > [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > You clean? Wow, that must be why your apartments and homes don’t smell. I was wondering about that. I didn’t use to clean this much. Our old house was a pigsty-- I kept it marginally within Health Code, but otherwise let the clutter and dust go. Then I bought a house, a huge, beautiful house, and I felt like I \*HAD \*to keep it clean to be worthy of it. I have a back injury, so the heavy stuff I can’t do. I had to hire a housekeeper to come in once a week. A housekeeper is the best way to keep your house clean, and it’s not because of the work _she_ does, but because I’d get embarassed if she came and the house was a wreck. (My imagination torments me with thoughts of her going home and saying, “Dear God, those people are _disgusting_!”) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/51 "2006-03-21T18:13:55Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Those “Mr. Clean Magic Erasers” are the best thing since cheese in a can when it comes to cleaning walls. I _ **love** _ those Mr Clean Magic Erasers! But I’m still not washing the walls as a regular thing. Maybe for a spot or something. Washing the walls… who the heck does _that?_😉 ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/52 "2006-03-21T18:24:37Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > Muahaha! Vengeance is finally mine! > Beat _me_ to that “Tell a lie! Tell the truth!” joke, willya… 😉 And here I thought fish-shaking would be your only form of retribution. How naive I was. I have never washed a wall in my life … and I really don’t plan to start now. My house is lucky I take a swipe at cobwebs with a broom now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/53 "2006-03-21T18:34:25Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > But I’m still not washing the walls as a regular thing. Maybe for a spot or something. > Washing the walls… who the heck does _that?_😉 My mother does. I’ve never understood it. Cleaning off spots and marks is one thing, but unless you’re getting ready to paint, does the wall really need to be washed from top to bottom? I can never tell a difference, and it’s incredibly labor-intensive. My walls have a stucco-like finish. I use one of those fluffy nylon dusters on a pole to wipe over them occasionally so dust doesn’t cling to the little bumps, but damned if I’m gonna go get a bucket of water and spend hours on something that doesn’t seem necessary. Another housekeeping thing I just discovered: My stairs are carpreted in the center, but hardwood on either side of the runner. I used Pledge Wipes\* on them last week because the package claimed that it would keep the dust down. By gum, it seems to have worked. Wheras I could usually see the dust starting to build up two days after the housekeeper cleaned them, now they stay pretty dust-free all week. (Or at least they look that way, which is all that matters. 😃 ) \*Museum Girl speaks up again: _never_ use these on antique furniture, or anything you intend to designate as a family heirloom. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/54 "2006-03-21T18:59:38Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Another housekeeping thing I just discovered: My stairs are carpreted in the center, but hardwood on either side of the runner. I used Pledge Wipes\* on them last week because the package claimed that it would keep the dust down. By gum, it seems to have worked. Wheras I could usually see the dust starting to build up two days after the housekeeper cleaned them, now they stay pretty dust-free all week. (Or at least they look that way, which is all that matters. 😃 ) > > \*Museum Girl speaks up again: _never_ use these on antique furniture, or anything you intend to designate as a family heirloom. What about decent wood furniture that you just bought & want to keep nice-looking? Will they ruin it? What’s the issue? I’m really curious now, as we have a dusty house, and I just can’t keep up. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/55 "2006-03-21T19:15:57Z")
You know those big fluffy synthetic featherlike dusters? I found out it’s a Bad Idea to dust hot light bulbs with them! The fuzzy thing not only melts, but it sticks to the bulb. Then, if you panic like I did, and try to pull it off the bulb, you break the bulb right off, in a spray of sparks. I do know how to wash walls. I learned from a friend of Mom’s that you need a natural sponge to wash sand-finish plaster. At the factory, I washed a lot of walls. I don’t like it. I haven’t washed any of my own walls in 35 years, though. I paint instead. Mom was a pretty good cook, once she learned to stop cooking while it’s still food. **Her** mom cooked everything into submission. Mom knew nothing of spices, though, and I had to learn all that on my own. She knew how to use a pressure cooker, which is why I was the only kid I knew who didn’t hate vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/56 "2006-03-21T19:24:31Z")
> [@YaWanna](#): > > What about decent wood furniture that you just bought & want to keep nice-looking? Will they ruin it? What’s the issue? I’m really curious now, as we have a dusty house, and I just can’t keep up. The issue is build-up of the waxes and chemicals on the finish of the furniture. Over long periods of time, this can damage the finish, and it’s almost impossible to remove without causing further damage. If your furniture isn’t something you imagine that your family will want to keep as an heirloom for hundreds of years, you’re probably okay in using it. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/57 "2006-03-21T19:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Those “Mr. Clean Magic Erasers” are the best thing since cheese in a can when it comes to cleaning walls. Personally, I don’t find the cheese in a can all that effective for cleaning walls. 😃 I’ll just second getting a cleaning person. Nothing motivates me to keep my place clean like worrying that she’ll think I’m a pig. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/58 "2006-03-21T20:18:58Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Mom was a pretty good cook, once she learned to stop cooking while it’s still food. **Her** mom _ **cooked everything into submission** _. Mom knew nothing of spices, though, and I had to learn all that on my own. 😃 I like this bit. My MIL was like this, and I never quite knew how to express it - ‘cooking it into submission’ is just what she did. And she knew nothing of spices, either. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/59 "2006-03-21T21:01:47Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > If your furniture isn’t something you imagine that your family will want to keep as an heirloom for hundreds of years, you’re probably okay in using it. Great - the only people who’ll get my furniture when I’m gone is my step-daughters, so what do I care? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168/60 "2006-03-22T04:00:14Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Personally, I don’t find the cheese in a can all that effective for cleaning walls. 😃 Sure it is, if you’ve got a dog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hosekeeping-stuff-your-mother-never-taught-you/349168.md?page=4)