Exceedingly Mundane

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Aug
22
Posted by Stace

Hump Day Ramblings

Hot!I don’t know about where you live, but it’s still hotter than hot here. It’s supposed to be 100º again here today. I’m really sorta tired of this heat, humidity, lack of rain, constant watering of flowers, grass and shrubs, etc. I’m over it, really I am, and I’m ready for some kind of fall. Or at least a rain shower. Or 80’s. I know, I know. I’ve blogged (and complained about this before), and I really shouldn’t go there. But it seems like its never ending. These “dog days of summer” are getting old. πŸ™‚

Let’s see, I’ve made a couple of new recipes lately that we liked. Nothing fancy, but they were good, and I’m going to try to get the recipes posted at our main site. One was for pork chops, one was for potatoes and another was from Jenna, for teriyaki chicken. I’ll try to post an update later and post the links, whenever I finally get around to getting them entered and on the main website. πŸ™‚

I’ve also got a small update to the cleaning post I made a couple of weeks ago. I got a lot of wonderful feedback on how you guys clean your floors and such. After thinking about it and pricing some things, I’ve decided to jump OFF the Swiffer band wagon. I have a big box of Swiffer mop wet refills that I plan on using in our bathrooms until they are gone. I don’t like to waste stuff and just throw it out. But, I also don’t feel that these Swiffer things are getting my floors very clean. I’ve pulled my old sponge/squeeze mop back out, and unearthed a bottle of “Armstrong Floor Cleaner” that says directly on the bottle that it is safe for ceramic tile floors. So, for the last two weeks, I’ve been mopping my kitchen, breakfast room and laundry room with that, and I think it’s a lot cleaner. It looks and feels a lot cleaner, and even Tim has noticed. So, I won’t be buying any more Swiffer wet mop refills. After I finish that bottle of Armstrong floor cleaner, I’m going to either try Mr. Clean or Lysol all-purpose cleaner, diluted for floors. I keep meaning to look for “Simple Green” to try, but I haven’t gotten any yet. Can you use that on ceramic tile floors?

Along the same lines, I have an old microfiber dust cloth that I use a lot to dust. For quick dustings, I also have a Swiffer Duster. I needed some refills, and on my last trip to Walmart, I had them on my list (on my PDA, where I also track prices) to buy. Well, a box was like 7.86. For disposable, throw-away duster refills. I just couldn’t do it. I looked around, and found a handheld duster that has a microfiber, washable cover on it, that will basically do the same thing. Except I won’t have to buy refills for it, I can toss it in the washing machine, and the whole thing was under 3.00. I have been using it for quick touch-ups and I’m very happy with that. So, in summary, I’m no longer going to use Swiffer products. They’re convenient, but they’re also expensive, they’re disposable and add a lot of trash to our already overflowing landfills. I’m really glad to have found alternatives that work for me. :mrgreen:

Lastly, here’s two foodie things I’ve bought lately that make me REALLY happy!

Butterfinger Ice Cream Tropicana Fruit Squeeze

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  1. Southern Girl Said,

    It’s hot here, too. Actually, it’s not just hot, it’s HOT. Yesterday Memphis had the 13th heat-related death of the summer. πŸ™ And it doesn’t seem like there’s an end in sight! So I’m just going to stay right here inside my lovely air-conditioned house. πŸ˜‰

  2. Carrie Said,

    Oh yum! That icecream looks yummy. As for the water, I tried 2 different flavors and just didn’t like it. But, in this heat, it may taste darn good, LOL!

  3. Coach J Said,

    I’m with ya on the dog days of summer!! Rain, rain, come and play. You can stay for many days…..
    Kudos on changing your cleaners. I just use Dawn detergent in some warm water for my ceramic. Very economical – ‘course I don’t mop but every other year around here!! πŸ™‚
    And we just finished off some Mayfield’s Moose Tracks. Heavenly!!

  4. Sonya Said,

    I agree with your assessment of Swiffer products. I actually cannot justify buying those things because they are way to expensive. Also, I do more work mopping with my swiffer than I do if I just use a regular mop. And my regular mop gets things much cleaner!

  5. Eden Said,

    I just bought a Swiffer and love it. The sponge mop we had always left everything so dirty and then on top of it, no matter how much I clean with it if I put the black light against it, it’s still gross because you can see all the bacteria u’r spreading around. lol I don’t like the fact that Swiffer products take up so much room on the landfields or that they are soo expensive to buy, but…
    Growing up, we used a regular mop and I’d love to have one, but it takes up to much space with the bucket, etc. Maybe someday I’ll have house with plenty of room for mops, buckets, cleaners, etc. and I’d have a place outside for it to dry in the sun or my own washer and dryer. Because as much as I like the Swiffer, I don’t like the $$$ it costs.
    That ice cream looks yummy! Hope to see you around soon.

  6. Cam Said,

    You mean you don’t like the heat? πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€
    It is definitely getting old. Just think, 2 months from now we should definitely have the relief we’re hoping for.

    Good for you for dumping the Swiffer! I can’t agree more.
    You know what I dust with? Just a plain damp washcloth. I dust with it until it gets dirty, then I go wash it out in the sink, squeeze it out, and go back to dusting, repeating the process till I’ve finished dusting everything. It’s practically free and there’s no waste or throw-aways.

    Pretty soon you’ll be off the deep end like me, and using cloth wipes for tinkles instead of TP. LOL! πŸ˜€ I’m not doing that yet, but I will be soon…at least I’m going to try it. I’ll be using cloth wipes for the baby (I hate disposable wipes–talk about waste, as well as not good for a baby’s skin!), and I’ll have those to wash as well as the cloth diapers, so I figured I may as well try cloth in the bathroom too. I’d never heard of it till I started frequenting the natural living online groups, and I found out that lots of them do this. Fascinating!

    Enjoy that ice cream.

  7. Amy Said,

    Before I forget~tag your it! That ice cream looks divine! I’ll be so glad when I can get out of the house and buy things that are sinfully bad for me again…lol!

    And please tell tim that Amy thinks it is just too hot for him to play golf anymore! Ha..that woukd go over well, huh?

    Stay cool yourself.

  8. Lauren@Baseballs&Bows Said,

    I am with you on the weather! It is still in the 100s here as well. Our drought is so bad that our water is starting to taste different. We really need rain!

  9. jen Said,

    I love Edys Dibs……love them love them. I dont like Butterfingers though. I’m home without kids and enjoying this time alone.

  10. Gail Said,

    Did you buy that ice cream because I told you about it! I think I might blog about it too b/c I seem to be VERY addicted to it this summer!
    I don’t like those swiffer things much either and had quit using them, they’re probably way more expensive than some other stuff.

    Oh and you know it’s very HOT here too!

  11. Heidi Said,

    I actually love Armstrong products. I think they are great. But I agree with you about all the expensive disposable stuff. THere are a lot cheaper alternatives that don’t fill up landfills.

    Good for you!! I like your product reviews!

    PS, it’s only ~67 here today, but it’s going back into the 90’s soon.

  12. mamichelle Said,

    We’ve had cool weather but it’ll be 95 this weekend. Yuck.

    My ds lives on this ice cream!!! LOL Delish though!

  13. Susanne Said,

    It’s a sunny, balmy beautiful 70 degrees here. I love it. I’m not good with the 100 degree stuff either.

    I can’t bring myself to do the Swiffer stuff either. But one disposable thing that I just won’t give up are the Lysol or Clorox disinfectant wipes. I love that they are disposable. So that is my one “extra”.

  14. Kara Said,

    I really love the convenience of Swiffer, but you are so right – SO expensive. I have moved away from their stuff, too.

  15. theresa Said,

    I just wrap old T-shirts at the bottom of my swifter and squirt murphy’s oil on my hard wood floors -much cheaper.
    I am a new blogger and loved reading your favorites-many great ideas

  16. Karen Said,

    I think you’re right about the Swiffers. I use them for convenience, but I think the old hand & knees & elbow grease is the best thing for my dirty floors — 3 kids and a dog, and we wear our shoes all the time (well, not the dog!)

  17. JennaG Said,

    I’m so glad you liked the teriyaki chicken–you are more than welcome to put it on your main site–I don’t need credit for it though! And please pass the Edy’s.

  18. Write From Karen Said,

    Stacy, you inspire me. Because honestly? If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. And the dust? Well, I’m pretty good at ignoring dust mites. *grin*

    I wish I could be a better housekeeper but it ain’t happenin’. I’m a slob and the sooner my husband accepts this flaw, the happier we’ll all be. lol

    It’s hot here, too. The kids went back to school today. My oldest has air conditioning. My youngest, no. He took an iFan and water with him, so hopefully, he’ll stay cool enough. The school district thought about dismissing the students early, but decided since the heat index wasn’t over 100, they could tough it out.

    Big meanies.

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