Huh. I think I’m gonna have disagree with you again, because (while I’m not an expert) what you’re saying contradicts everything I’m reading and what I’ve been taught about stainless steel. First off, you mention that stainless steel sinks are porous and dangerous. This is very misleading since stainless steel is utilized in a variety of settings that require sterility (i.e., hospitals, restaurants, and food processing plants) precisely because it’s it doesn’t require harsh chemicals and excessive cleaning to maintain a hygienic surface.
Further, while your 5% bleach solution contains less damaging chlorine than dumping pure bleach would, it’s still overkill on a daily basis and will over time damage your sink by corroding it’s surface. The fact is chlorine is corrosive to stainless steel. I’m not certain if this is true, but it may be possible that a finely corroded stainless steel surface is going to present a more porous (or uneven) surface in which to harbor bacteria.
Again, the point of having stainless steel is so you don’t have to pour a bunch of bleach down the drain. It’ll be perfectly clean if you use a mild, non-abrasive cleanser, such as dishwashing detergent. Here are some useful tips for keeping a stainless steel sink clean and in good condition.
I know this is going to appear like a slight hijack, but I really think it’s important to be sure that we’re not giving housekeeping tips that can potentially damage people’s homes and belongings.
Febreeze, open your windows every few days and let the place air out. Try doing your laundry more often if you can, piles of dirty clothes get smelly if left for a week, especially since you’re in a humid area. 2) What is the frequency I should wash my curtains? I’ve never laundered my curtains. Assuming you have curtains that can be thrown in the washing machine I’d do them a couple times a year, maybe more if you smoke.
3) Bedsheets? Pillow case? Blankets? ** Every 2-3 days since you’re in a warm environment and sweat a lot. I do the smell test on towels and sheets, if it smells it gets changed.
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4) My belongings consist of mainly books…and more books. And board-games. I am running out of shelf space. And if I ever have to move, packing those books will be my biggest nightmare. Any tips? I don’t know if you have any storage space, but you could always get some of those big plastic tubs and put some of your books in a closet or a storage room.
5) Eh…and, are there any alternative to mopping a floor? Swiffer makes some dusting/moping things that are a little easier to use than a standard mop. Or you could get a sponge mop (basically a sponge on a stick, usually with some ineffective mechanism to squeeze out the water).
**6) What other areas should I pay attention to? ** Make sure your bathroom and kitchen is clean too. For the bathroom, I get some of that foamy bubbles cleaner, spray it on and wipe it off with a dry cleaning rag. You can get your whole bathroom spic and span in about 10 minutes with this. Get the toilet cleaners that you put in your tank instead of swabbing the bowl out. Kitchen, make sure you don’t leave dirty dishes in your sink and take your garbage out frequently. Whenever you do dishes, clean the stove, counter, and sink afterwards. Clean out the fridge and throw away old food about once a week. If you’re doing spring cleaning, you might want to wash your walls too, especially if you smoke.
Every day when I get home from work, before I settle down and relax I set the timer on the microwave for 15 minutes and skim through the house tidying up. Just putting stuff away, loading the dishwasher, wiping up any glaring spills, that kind of thing. It makes the end-of-the-week major clean so much easier and the house looks tidier and just nicer during the week.
You can’t do much about smells if things are dirty/mouldy, but as long as everything is clean, my tip for freshening up - I put a few drops of lemon oil on a CLEAN nylon broom and sweep it over the walls, ceilings (where I can reach), light fixtures and ceiling fans once every couple of weeks to a month. Makes the place smell nice and fresh. And I’m told lemon oil repels spiders, so bonus!