Can We All Agree on That?

Jan 29th, 2010 by Kathy

An indoor hammock pendulum chair can bring outdoor charm inside!

As I was saying, there’s more than one unpleasant result of being stuck indoors for most of the winter. Many people, of course, come down with cabin fever, and won’t be cured until they can get back to cooking on their grills, eating at their picnic tables, napping in their hammocks, and relaxing on their porch gliders. Furthermore, with all of the windows being closed, the air can get a little, well, stuffy, inside.

A lot of offensive odors like to hang out in the kitchen, because all of the good food in there eventually ends up as discarded bits, in the trash can, garbage disposer, dishwasher, or sink, or as leftovers in the refrigerator.

In fact, this situation may be exacerbated now in certain homes, because some people still have food from the holidays in their refrigerators. Hard to believe, but, hey, why not? Some still have their houses decorated, and their Christmas lights on! (By the way, if you’re in that number, I beg of you – TAKE ‘EM DOWN, ALREADY!!)

(A-hem!) So, remember, like last year, and the holidays, it’s out with the old; and that includes old ice cubes, which can hold onto odors. Clean up any spills in the refrigerator with a soapy sponge. Put a quarter-inch of baking soda into a few, shallow dishes, and place them on separate shelves, where they will absorb odors for up to three months.

In the dishwasher, smells can be caused by particles of food stuck inside. First, clean the filter, which is usually located below the bottom rack, with a paper towel. Then, run the “quick rinse,” or “rinse only” cycle, with the machine empty, to wash away debris. Afterward, leave the door open a crack, to air it out.

Offenders in the sink are scraps of food that get stuck in the pipes, or the garbage disposer. Clean the blades by grinding up the old, smelly ice, or make cubes from equal parts of water and vinegar. If your disposer has a rubber gasket, rinse it thoroughly on both sides. Whether or not you have a disposer, pour ½ cup of baking soda into the drain, while running warm water.

Doing these things on a regular basis will make things a lot more agreeable for everyone, and make everyone more agreeable. After all, people always get along a lot better after they clear the air.

And now, here’s some inspiration to convince you that, yes, spring is coming!