Housekeeping Tips For Senior Men Living Alone

I'll start with one. If you don't like to see dishes grow into a huge pile which you dread washing, wash them as you use them. I have my hot water heater turned to about 160 degrees for the sterilization that water that hot can do. Instead of running a sink full of water I squirt a drop of dishwashing liquid on the plate and wash it in the super hot water right out of the faucet. Careful, though - water that hot can scald you.

The women here might not agree with my shortcut (or yours). That's a good thing. The more we annoy the women with quick ways to keep house the better.

 

Hot water won't sterilize dishes if they are only in it for a few seconds. You are wasting hot water and electricity. You don't need to have the temperature set that hot.

Need any other hints on how to keep house.... and save money?

 

My husband washed a load of towels yesterday. When he brought them upstairs, I was helping fold them and asked him if he had put fabric softener in the wash. He looked confused and said, "do you need that stuff?" I said, "not if you like scratchy towels." He's trying so hard, bless him.

 

I agree with wash as you use them. I put a plastic tub in the sink every morning and fill with soapy water and dump it out at night.

Few knickknacks makes dusting and straightening easier. Keep things simple.

 

Hogwash. We have hard water and I don't like scratchy towels. And in all my many years of drying off with towels, I have yet to ever note a discernible difference in "ability to absorb liquid."

 

You do you. I hate scratchy towels. (And since when is google my friend?? And do you have to google everything you do in life? Lighten up, Frances. )

 

Here's all I need to know about the fabric softener debate:
Towels w/o softener = scratchy and rough.
Towels w/softener = fragrant and soft.

I don't need a scientific publication to advise me on what I like.

And FYI, I don't use fabric softener when I wash anything that is microfiber. That is definitely a no-no. (Brunner heads to Google in 3.... 2.... 1... )

 

When my sister was killed, I stayed for three weeks with my brother-in-law holding "housekeeping boot camp". He didn't know much about laundry, cooking, shopping, etc. It was intense. He had earned the money; she took care of everything else. We had supermarket days of going up and down the aisles with me explaining the difference between instant rice and regular rice, tomato sauce and tomato paste, how much to buy for one person, etc. We had laundry lessons on separating colors from whites, water temp, how much detergent, what cycle to use, what needed to be dry-cleaned. How to take items out of the dryer IMMEDIATELY. Where the iron and ironing board were in case the previous rule wasn't followed.

Billing cycles were explained, bank accounts gone over, when the dogs needed to go to the vet, what the grandchildren needed from him now that Grandma was gone.

He learned quickly. I was very proud of him. He does very well for himself.