The Basic Housewife Diaries
I recently got the stomach bug and was in so much pain that I literally thought I saw the light and asked the Lord to take me now. Dramatic but I thought several times that I was dying. It was borderline worst than labor.
So when I starting my episodes of vomiting, I instantly got terrified that Jeremiah or Arlo were going to be the next victim.
Luckily couple weeks before that, I ordered off Amazon the hydrogen peroxide Clorox spray that healthcare facilities use. I got this because I was told that it kills the norovirus aka the stomach bug.
So right away I started to spray everything that I touched and disinfected several times determined that no one else will get the stomach bug. I’m not sure if I scared off those horrendous germs with my anger towards them or if I did the right amount of cleaning or Jeremiah and Arlo just have really good immune systems right now but luckily and thankfully no one else got it.
So the day after I thought I was going to die, I noticed that on the top of Arlo’s crib was very dusty. My mom was in the room and saw the dust and said to me, “Paige I taught you how to clean”. Truth is, she did, and dusting was something that I have just forgotten about.
Now please don’t think my house is a dirty pigsty, I vacuum, swift and clean counters pretty regularly and the bathrooms probably should be cleaned a little more but I quickly realized that I don’t think I’m doing enough cleaning. Ugggggggggghhhhhhhhha. I wish I could afford a maid. I wish I had the cleaning gene and was a clean freak. But I’m not and it sucks.
As a housewife, cleaning just comes with the name. I started to search the web looking for tips and tricks to quick cleaning and soon realized that a.) everyone has their own way of cleaning, b.) you can use about any ingredient lying around to clean anything, c.) when in doubt use baking soda and vinegar and d.) wow this is overwhelming. I seriously almost bought a book about cleaning because I felt like I didn’t know the proper way after looking online!
I’m still digging through information on the best way to clean, which cleaning products to use, and how to convince Jeremiah that I need a $30 mop versus using a swifter but I did come across some things that stuck with me right away.
First is to really clean something, it’s best to use an all-purpose cleaner and then a disinfectant. You need to make sure the surface is completely clean or the disinfectant cleaner won’t be able to disinfect under the maple syrup spot you thought you scraped up. Once everything is clean of debris, spray the disinfectant and let that sit for a while. Actually read the label on the bottle, as it will say how long it needs to sit for it to truly disinfect. Like a couple of minutes or 10 minutes letting the spray truly kill the 99.9% of the bacteria it “claims to kill.” For some reason, this process never crossed my mind because I just spray and wipe as I go.
Secondly, clean top to bottom, left to right. A lot of cleaning professionals use this method. Clean top to bottom with the thought that when you clean the top shelf that dust and grime will fall onto the things below. So when you get to the bottom you know that everything was really wiped down. I think the method of going left to right just ensures you clean the whole room rather than cleaning random things in no order. Sounds logical and efficient.
Thirdly, why am I seeing all these ads for the non-toxic cleaners? It’s the latest thing now. I have seen the ads for a while now on my social media but just now really noticed how much they are pushing these products.
I’ve looked at a couple of sites, read the reviews and read about the products and actually think it might be a good idea for everyday cleaning. They don’t seem ridiculously expensive and there is a starter kit so I think I might go for it. I did note that most of them have subscriptions but what doesn’t now a day.
I’m going to try out Truman cleaning products and do a review blog later on; along with if I learned any more cleaning hacks.
Has anyone tried any of these non-toxic cleaners, like Mrs. Meyers, Grove, Truman etc.…? Let me know if you have please!!!
I’ll still keep my hydrogen peroxide spray, disinfectant spray and other “harsh” chemicals but keeps those for when something truly needs a good deep cleaning. I’m going to try to create a cleaning routine and hope that it just becomes second nature at one point. Why is adulting so annoying at times and why isn’t Arlo old enough to clean the toilets????
So Housewives, let me know what are your best cleaning tips and tricks are because ya girl loves a good a hack that saves time.
XOXO,
Your Basic Housewife
P.S. A week later Jeremiah got the stomach bug and I got mastitis so now I’m more determined to come up with a better cleaning ritual