I was tidying up in my laundry room and came across the “Laundry Cheat Sheet” that I made waaaaaay back when, when I was teaching my daughters how to do laundry. I had put it in a page protector and hung it in the laundry room so that they could easily look to see how to wash what they were washing!

As you can see, it is a bit wrinkled and worn. It has been stored away for quite some time. I thought it would be fun to update it and make it prettier and share it with you! It can be a reminder for you or help you to teach your kids to laundry too.

I am a fan of bleach. I use inexpensive white hand towels and washcloths for my dish towels and dishcloths. They can be bleached and when they get gross or wear out I throw them away! I can’t stand the thought of all the bacteria and raw meat and all the nastiness that can be in a kitchen NOT being cleaned with bleach. Bleh! That is just my germophobia coming out I guess!

I don’t wash my bath towels with dish towels. It just seems yucky to me. I don’t bleach my bath towels either. Vinegar is a great way to get any smells out of the bath towels though! No, they don’t end up smelling like pickles!

I rarely dry any of our shirts. The less time in the dryer, the longer your clothes will last. Besides, I find that skipping that step and going straight to a hanger to dry and then to the closet speeds up the laundry process. There is less in the dryer so those things dry faster, and the shirts are hung up already so they just have to be moved to the closet.

This is one of my husband’s favorite shirts. Notice the year printed on the shirt. It has rarely ever been dried, if ever. I would say it has lasted pretty well!

My favorites things for laundry are right here! You can purchase from Amazon by clicking on the pictures.

If you are subscribed to The Self Cleaning House you will receive the Laundry Cheat Sheet in your email! I hope you enjoy it! My Christmas present to you!

Guess what I did today!!!!!!! I hung towels on the line! Did you expect something a little more exciting? Ok, I may be a bit crazy for being so enthusiastic about a chore most people don’t even do anymore. I will admit, it is a bit odd. I just love the smell that you can only get from clothes hung outdoors. No dryer sheet can give you that! I like that I can save money hanging clothes and it is a really good excuse for me to get to go outside. It is a very relaxing job really. Not only that, but it means that spring is actually here!

Which means….. I planted flowers too! I like the cheery colors I chose this year. Yellow, orange and bright pink. Marigolds, Kalanchoe, and pink petunias. Nothing like getting your hands in the dirt to make you feel close to nature and at peace in your soul. It is such a great feeling!

An article in “Modern Farmer” by Anna Brones entitled “Does Dirt Make You Happy?” suggests that dirt is an antidepressant, an immune booster and suppresses inflammation in the body. I am all for that! No wonder Spring feels so good! Go outside and get your hands dirty and come back to a clean house. The outside dirt is such a wonderful thing but the “dirt” in our homes, not so much!

I used the bathroom downstairs today. I don’t use that bathroom very often. I keep it clean but I don’t actually use it much. I happened to notice the baseboard given my position. ummmmmm….ewwwwww. The bathroom is uncluttered and clean but sometimes something like a nasty dirty baseboard can make a whole room look gross. I am NOT a detailed person. I am just not. I can keep a whole house looking clean and tidy but when it comes to the little things I really have to work to get those done. It doesn’t just come naturally. I know this about myself so instead of waiting, I went and grabbed an old toothbrush, cleaner, and a rag right away. I looked at my watch. 2:14pm. I sprayed the whole baseboard along the longest wall. I started scrubbing at the end where I had started spraying. I scrubbed, sprayed, wiped. I also scrubbed the floor where it met the baseboard.

Right here I am going to interrupt myself to recommend that you NEVER use a sponge mop. Just don’t do it! I can’t think of anything more disgusting than spreading around the nasty grossness that never comes out of a sponge all over your house. Sick. If you must use a Swiffer type mop, fine, not as bad but don’t use it all the time. You don’t want to be pushing ickies to the edges of the room. Use an actual mop that you can twist and wring out and replace the mop head now and then. It will not leave you with gunk in the corners so much or be spreading nasty bacteria. I also spray my mop with Clorox Cleanup after rinsing it when I am done. I hang it to dry between uses.

Ok, back to the baseboard… I got the one wall done and decided to keep going. The others were shorter although maybe even dirtier. All done! I looked at my watch. 2:19. FIVE MINUTES guys!!! Five minutes to do a nasty job that doesn’t get done often but made the whole bathroom look way cleaner! That is my proud moment for this week! We can get so much more done in five minutes than we think we can. We build those things up in our minds and make mountains out of molehills!

Go conquer some molehills friends, and get your hands in the dirt outside too! Spring is here!

Since spring is here that means its time to change up that menu! Move over soup and casserole! Salad and BBQ are ready for their turn.

I am going to leave you guys with my famous potato salad recipe. I promise you it’s the best darn potato salad you’ve ever had and you will have people begging for the recipe! Just be sure to tell them where you got it!

Here is the link to get the program I use for all my recipes and menu planning! Please Check it out!
E’s Potato Salad

E’s Potato Salad

Serves:
12

Ingredients:


3 pounds	red potatoes diced
1 cup	sour cream
1 cup	mayonnaise
1 bunch	green onions sliced
1 pound	bacon cooked, drained and crumbled
1 teaspoon	salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon	black pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon	paprika
1 tablespoon	dill weed
2 tablespoons	pickle juice
1 tablespoon	cider vinegar
	chives for garnish

Directions:

In a stock pot cover potatoes with cool water. Toss in about a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Boil for 15-18 minutes, checking for doneness with a fork. Don’t overcook, you don’t want mashed potato salad. While potatoes are cooking stir together remaining ingredients, except garnish. When potatoes are done, drain and rinse with cold water. Gently stir potatoes into the mixture. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with chives and more paprika if desired.

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