Scientific Fact: At least I managed to dig out the little evil man who shuts down my computer
He didn’t come. The computer saviour. He said he might come tonight. But it’s snowing and I doubt it. Because when snow happens, nothing else does. So I wrote the article on spring cleaning without toxic substances and found out I have been wasting money and earth resources on detergents when I could really make my own. I’m going to the grocery store tomorrow to buy supplies. Because that’s where you find them: vinegar, baking soda, lemons and maybe some borax are what you need. I’m going to name them Chloe. -Chloe glass cleaner -Chloe floor polish -Chloe general cleaner I’ll let you know if they work. Apparently effervescent denture tablets unblock plugholes in sinks and baths. Did you know that? Well did you? Shame I don’t have dentures I could try it this very minute.
Scientific Fact: The Blurry Book People. They guard books against bookworms and mould
I also rearranged the books. They are not shelved by colour anymore. Thank god, I couldn’t find anything. The last few books I read were all orange because they were Penguins and I knew where to find them.
"Let me say this to you I’ll be steadfast and true And my love will never falter
The sea would crash about us The waves would lash about us
I’ll be your rock of Gibraltar
Sometimes it’s hard And we’re both caught off guard
But there’s nothing I would ever alter
The wind could howl round our ears
For the next thousand years
I’d still be your rock of Gibraltar"
*for all my great rocks
February 7th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
I so need some of those majic “Book People” to guard against worms and mould. Maybe you should sell those. You could make a fortune!
So sorry the computer saviour didn’t make it! Snow go away.
Thanks for your prayers for my cousin.
Take care, Connie
February 7th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
One of my parent’s cleaning ladies use to use vinegar to clean the windows and glass in the home. The glass shined like diamonds.
She also used it to clean out the coffee maker–just ran a little of it through it. Coffee tasted better after that (she ran a couple cycles of just water to get the vingar completely out).
February 7th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
And oh, thank you!
February 7th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
But snow is always fun!
And hey, maybe I should try it!
Everytime, my friends think it’s hilarious to rearrange my books when I’m away (I’ve more than a thousand).
And usually, I go to great pains to categorize and arrange them, kinda sucks when you’ve to go through the whole process again. Grrr.
PS - The Melomakarona was *excellent*. I should write a post on it sometime!
February 7th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
So, is the guy in the top picture the little evil man who shuts down your computer? Because the book people are in the next picture. If he is, he is not very evil looking. But true evil doesn’t look like evil at all, I know this because I grew up reading lots and lots of horror novels!
And I’m looking forward to hearing about your new line of do it yourself cleaning products. Perhaps you could tell us how to make chloe general cleaner, cause I would definitely make some of it, too!
February 7th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Snow!? Snow?! in Greece?
Photographic proof please.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Finn
i’m sending you one by email
thou shalt believe
February 7th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
connie
i’m going to send you one Book Person with the next package.
you are welcome. i wish i could do more than pray. Many hugs xxx
angel
i’m going to try the coffee maker trick you suggested. Now!
metlin
did you make them? pictures please!
kimananda
here’s the recipe which i haven’t tried yet:
1. All-Purpose Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups hot water
Combine the washing soda, borax, and soap in a spray bottle. pour in the hot water (it will dissolve the minerals), screw on the lid, and shake to completely blend and dissolve. Spritz every 6 inches or so of surface once or twice, wiping off the cleanser with a rag as you go. For tough dirt, leave the cleanser on for a few minutes before wiping it off. Shake the bottle each time before using.
2. Floor Cleaner with Fragrant Herbs
This recipe is nice to rid the house of the stale smell of winter.
1/8 cup liquid soap or detergent
1/4 to 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup fragrant herb tea (peppermint is great as it adds antibacterial qualities)
Combine ingredients in a pail or bucket. Swirl the water around until it is sudsy. Proceed as normal.
February 7th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
one of my all-time favourite songs!
I would’ve never thought I’d comment the next sentence, but here it is:
take regular washing-fluid (fairy etc.), pour half the bottle into the drain (sink or bathtub), pour a couple of litres boiling hot water after. yes, the tubes will handle it. if they don’t, sue the plumbers who messed up your house.
how do I know that? I believe the plumber who rescued me last autumn after my kitchensink failed to function and this advice only cost me 110 euros. now I share it with y’all for free, how about that?!?!
I sort my books by genre and alphabetically. I miss working in a library heheheh
February 7th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
vinegar and newspaper … the great glass cleaner.
Peace your way …
February 7th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
That’s good news about the detergents - if it works we could spare the environment a little from all that toxic waste.
My books are stored just about anywhere I can find a space - my shelves are at war with books piled all above each other
February 7th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
Can I rent Chloe the floor cleaner for a while please?
February 7th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Chloe..as u know I am not a good cook when it comes to “ingrediants” used ..You think I should attempt your cleaning recipe. With my luck I’ll end up hearing a ” bang”.. That word borax makes me nervous..lol
February 7th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
I guess you like Nick Cave !!!!
I’ve heard that all those natural things work wonderfully for cleaning, and don’t harm the environment like all the expensive stuff we use now. Good luck with the recipes … hope they work. Take care, Connie
February 7th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
What are the books shelved by now
Also, if you can get the book people to clean the house, that would be a neat trick.
February 7th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Chloe;
Reading your post was like comfort food for me tonight, all cosy and warm and I felt like wrapping myself up in a wooly blanket and eating cookies and milk….can we arrange for this to happen? Can we?
February 7th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Here are lyrics from my favorite
Nick Cave song of all (well, the
first verse…)
I don’t believe in an interventionist God
But I know darling that you do
But if I did I would kneel down
and ask him
Not to intervene
when it came to you
Not to touch a hair on your head
But to leave you as you are-
And if he felt he had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms…
Into my arms oh Lord
Into my arms.
Love that Cave-man.
I want to buy Chloe cleaning
products!!
Smiles!
February 7th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Hi, I found a site which showed how to use vinegar to clean the coffee maker:
http://www.infinitymonkey.com/coffeeclub/archive/extras/cleanpot.shtml
February 7th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
They clean glass tables here with diluted vinegar and it works great! I love the smell of vinegar. I used vinegar to kill some mould growing in our bathroom once. It worked really well, though the smell wasn’t all that great in the bathroom… smells better in a food environment!
February 8th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Oops, the site is:
http://www.infinitymonkey.com/coffeeclub
without all that other mumbo jumbo at the end I don’t know how that got there.
February 8th, 2006 at 1:10 am
oh! the pic of the evil man looks really cute :-)…..and yes, its better to have your own ingrediant for doing things than wasting the hard earned money on things that do not last long and do damage to your poor hand…so when will we get to find chloe detergent in the market???….do let me know,sure it’ll be a useful one….and wow! those that keep bokworms at bay are also sweet….will you lend them to me?;-)
February 8th, 2006 at 5:04 am
daria
thanks.
all righty. i’ll try this if my sink stops functioning. let me copy-paste. okay. done
berlinbound
any kind of newspaper? even dirty tabloids?
devil mood
it works! it works! i tried it last night and i’m going to post pictures of my detergent.
bedshaped
you’ll pay extra mister. My currency is cds.
heidi
don’t do the borax recipe then, do the fragrant floor cleaner. come on Heidi, you can do it.
meow
i love nick cave.
they work, they work, they do work!
at least the fragrant floor cleaner really works.
stephanie
noooooo. the little people can’t move away from the books. and cleaning is fun Stephanie. (the doctor told me to repeat this so that i might believe it someday).
Cathy
okay. but you’ll have to leave your shoes outside. can’t you see i’ve cleaned the floors? and no crumbles please!
(is this milk organic?)
xxxxx
(i wish we could. it’s a shame to HAVE to see people you don’t like and not be able to meet the ones you do like).
Madelyn
into my arms, i love this song too.
a greek songwriter has done a cover in greek. it’s horrid.
Chloe cleaning products are free. Of course cds are always a welcome payment.
angel
the first link is the right one, because it’s the actual page with the guidelines. thank you so much. i’ve had such a problem with the espresso machine. i hope this fixes it. xxxx
maja
i wonder if we can dilute vinegar with with some peppermint tea for the bathroom. i’m going crazy maybe??
ashmi
okay, i’ve got to think of a plan to deliver my detergents worldwide.
February 8th, 2006 at 5:16 am
Could you send these to Chris and mark them SUBTLE HINT
February 8th, 2006 at 7:08 am
nevets, you only need vinegar and water for god’s sakes. make them, label them Anti-Dirt: Floors, Anti-Dirt: Windows, Anti-Dirt: Kitchen (guys need things simple) and wrap them up in red ribbon. Valentine’s is approaching.
February 8th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
I hope you write more about cleaners. All I use is an environmental-friendly spray, and a vinegar and water mix. If I need to scrub gunk, I use salt or baking soda. Healthy for you, your house, and the environment. I changed the way I clean because I became concerned about what my cleaners were doing to the world, but also found that I stopped having as many skin allergies when I got rid of my cleaners.
February 9th, 2006 at 4:39 am
You’re full of knick-knacks! I want to live in your house!
February 9th, 2006 at 5:48 am
vesper
i admire you endlessly. i was researching an article and i found these recipes and it made sense. they are also great if there are kids around.
missy
well consider yourself invited missy!
February 15th, 2006 at 12:34 am
Having lived and worked there I have a less romantic opinion on Gibraltar. There is however a permanence about it as a part of Britain.