I'll Take A Shower Later

• I'm too tired.
• It'll just make me sleepy.
• Maybe it would be better if I took it before bed.
• I don't smell bad.
• I'm too cold.
• Not right now.
• Maybe after I eat something.
• I'll do it later.
• It'll just wake me up.
• I can do it tomorrow.
• Maybe it would be better if I took it first thing in the morning.

These are some of the thoughts that can convince me to procrastinate showering or bathing.

The peculiar part is that I actually like to shower and bathe: being immersed in the warm water, the deafening white noise of the water pouring, the room filling with steam, getting the dead cells off of my skin, relaxing all of my muscles in the weightlessness, the yummy smells of the soaps, the silky feel of my wet hair. I love the idea of washing off all the bad gunk, emotions, energy, and situations. A shower or bath is a fresh start.

Then why all the procrastination?

Maybe it's a bit of rebelliousness leftover from my childhood. At the whim of an adult, I had to stop whatever I was doing; put my toys away, and go take a bath. I realized pretty early on that many bubble baths left me with hives. I sometimes had a toy or two in the tub. I liked little people and boats. I would play with the washcloth if that was all that I had. Most of the time I was being hurried though, someone else needed the room. To this day, I cannot stand the smell of that particular soap, ugh.

Maybe it's the after time. I do not like being cold. Wet is the quickest way to feel cold. I used to get those hives that look like mosquito bites but now I only sometimes have prickly heat looking hives. The first 45 minutes to an hour after the shower my skin crawls and itches. If I'm sick or stressed out, I cannot resist and scratch and scratch and scratch.

Still, maybe I need a shower. Nah, not right now, maybe after dinner.

Spring Cleaning

Boxes and Bags of Suff

I am taking Spring Cleaning to an all new level. I am going through EVERYTHING.  I seem so disorganized.  I can see how quitting a big project like this could end up on the Hoarders Show or the Storage Wars Show.

FLY Lady would disapprove of my methodology and I am seriously thinking of taking a step back putting my house back together and going forward with the FLY Lady method.

My partner keeps saying things like "you tell me what to do and I'll do it" and "whatever you decide." Instead of giving me the all go ahead I feel almost immobilized. Instead of doing the "responsible thing," whatever that is, I want to climb back into bed and pull up the covers.

Yikes.

Cleaning My Chalky Dishes in the Dishwasher

Chalky Dishes, Dishwasher, Limescale

I readily admit that housework is a challenge for me and that I use any shortcut or cheat that I can without endangering the life or well being of my friends and family. With that being said I had been using a powdered dishwasher distributed by Aldi's. I was happy for a while. Then this summer I started to notice that my dishes were chalky after they had been "cleaned" in the dishwasher. I was able to scrape the chalk off with my fingernail, it really appears as limescale. Not particularly a pleasant task to undertake. I use the dishwasher to make my life easier, not to add tasks to my day. I decided to buy Cascade. I have used Cascade over the years and I had never had any issues with it before. My first response was that Cascade has a new box. That is not really a big problem for me though. I am a firm believer in FUNCTION over FORM. I thought probably some research firm had decided that this newly designed box would entice more sales. The problem though was that my dishes did NOT improve. In fact, my previously black Farberware began to appear GRAY. My glasses and clear plastic cups all had a layer of limescale. I can remember an article, an announcement that my community had switched from using Chlorine to using Chloramine. So I decided to do some searching online. I found that many people across the country were having similar if not exactly the same issues as I was having. I asked a few local friends and they too were having trouble. I decided to try some of the solutions that I found online. I tried this first one, it works so I haven't tried any others.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
* 1/2 cup borax
* 1/2 cup baking soda
* 1/2 cup salt
* 3 envelopes unsweetened lemon drink mix (I am using Aldi's Flavoraide lemon-lime)
Use one tbsp for pre-wash and one tbsp wash.

I gave this recipe some thought. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) and Unsweetened Lemon Drink Mix (Citric Acid) make that lovely foam (http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/baking-soda-and-vinegar.html) giving off water and carbon dioxide. If I put salt in my bath it softens the water. For that matter people pay to have Calcium and Manganese removed from their water with salt in "water softeners." Now, I am certain that the gray is in fact limescale! And limescale is often Calcium Bicarbonate and can be removed with citric acid.

I like the recipe because I can mix it up from items I actually already have on hand. I give it a try. Immediately, my dishes were clean AND less scaley. I tried adding vinegar during the rinse cycle in a load with all of my Farberware. Now my spatula and spoons look brand new again.

I am happy with this simple solution maybe you will be too!

Finally Chalky Dishes in the Dishwasher Come Clean