OCR Text |
Show Home Living Review Page 1 B Lakeside Review Wednesday, March 27, 1985 Hold Tight! Household Objects Migrating Again CHERYL ARCHIBALD Review Staff The migration of household objects is a matter that should be investigated. Scientists have plotted the courses of salmon upstream to spawn and the paths of wild animals across deserts for food. Their research has shown when and why the animals migrate. In the last few years, given more free time with the emergence of dishwashers and clothes dryers, more attention has been given to the movement of things; more specifically, household objects and their seemingly migratory habits. Its a new and open field for study. hardly ever discussed with never a formal study done. One housewife who must remain anonymous because of societys skeptical attitude toward such revelations, was on site for long durations of time. She took some notes that could be useful, should there ever be such a scientific inquiry. The notes con tain evidence to show that, truly, there are things in homes that periodically, and for no apparent reason, do migrate. Among the most obvious mi- gratory household items she noted were hairbrushes. In her study, brushes were; observed continuously for one week. All were in their places at the out- - brush in each of three bathrooms and one in a teenage girl's bedroom. On day two, three brushes were observed in an upstairs hall bathroom and one had disappeared from the downstairs teenage boys bathroom. His bathroom remains brushless most of the year, she noted. Perhaps the darn things like to stick together, was the house-- . wifes comment.On day three, three brushes were in the hall bathroom, and one was under the couch. Day four, and this is the curious part of the study, there were no brushes in any of the rooms of the house, but they were all in the car. Two were under the seat, one in the glove compartment, and one in an ash tray. Conclusion: No one knows why the brushes travelled to the car, but it was obvious they went together. However, they did not cluster in a fold when they reached their destination. Day four was not only curious in that respect, but the migration of brushes to the car had actually created a household crisis early in the morning with people searching all bathrooms and throwing accusations at each other for the brushes disset--o- The objects were nowhere to be found, and all family members shared the same comb. The absence of investigatory brushes prompted the housewife to appoint herself objcctolo-gist- " and she began indexing other household objects prone to journeying. She listed shoes, finding that if all shoes are in a closet in a box. by the next week half of them will have migrated under the bed. Though shoes are supposed to stay together in pairs, one often leaves the other and remains absent for days, causing morn- ne - ing searches which begin exactly one minute before people are to leave for work or school. Thp shoe is found only after no one cares anymore. If all shoes stay together, by the third week they will all have relocated under the bed. Socks, which should stay together in pairs like shoes, seem to divide up and one half of each pair migrates to for to start up his own sock herd. Books leave entire bookcases vacant over time, the observer noted. They spread out to different rooms, usually to and never return to the shelves. They must be rounded up seasonally, usually in the good-perh- aps night-stand- s, appearance. spring. The youngest boy in the famistudy things on his own--h- e always knows where things have migrated even though he never uses them personally-located the wandering hairbrushes and herded them back to the house to avert an confrontation. On day five all four hairbrushes were in the researcher's purse, something that almost started another crisis and may serve as a clue to why the things Eyeglasses take their treks ly, who may all-o- rq T'VH alone. They travel freely and are usually found to be by themselves in a remote or obscure area. Further study would perhaps make possible the cataloging of movements of objects and would help people to understand why it happens in order to prevent the frustrating migration. However, apathy hinders such studies as does the lack of time in private sectors. Perhaps the government could appropriate some funding. It ut migrate. They may do so just to cause trouble. Day six the study fell apart. would be money any housewife. well-spen- Ask t. Gather Equipment for Annual Rite of Spring (Cleaning) a tote bag or box with han- DARLENE MIX will need in Review Correspondent dles. In the days of wood and coal furnaces, spring cleaning was an important and a major task to undertake. Mrs. Mary Kirvan remembers as a child in the 20s that, The house was almost turned inside out, the old coal burning stove had to be taken out, with papers placed to catch the falling soot from the pipes. The rug that had been tacked down, was taken outside where it was beaten, she added. The curtains were taken down, washed and starched and put on stretchers, and the wallpaper was cleaned with something like play Take your time. Dont try to tackle your spring cleaning all at once. Spread it out over a few days or weeks. Balance the tasks. To avoid wearing yourself out, do a hard job with an easy one, rather than tackling all of one type at the same time. Listen to your favorite music as you clean. It makes cleaning easier, with seemingly less effort. In fact, you might even enjoy cleaning if you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing this difficult tasks in the most efficient dough. Mrs. Kirvan continued to reminisce how the rest of the house was cleaned. But, today because of modern conveniences there is no need to clean your house the way it was done generations ago, when the carpet beater and the scrub brush were standard equipment in every home. Take advantage of all the help you can get and follow these spring cleaning tips. First, get organized. Make a list of all the things you will need to do, on a room by room basis. Check your inventory. Stock up on cleaning essentials. You can create your own home care products. They are less expensive, but require time to prepare. Have ready a good supply of soft absorbent lint free cloths. This makes cleaning easier. Paper towels or disposn cloths can be used and able non-wove- discarded. . Save steps by carrying what you way possible. if you are a reluctant house cleaner, plan to reward yourself with something special for each major task accomplished. Throw away unused and things that clutter such as newspapers and magazines. When going through clothes closets, get rid of clothes that no longer fit by giving them to a worthwhile organization. Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner. Do label your home cleaning products. Following are recipes for creating your own home care products: General Household Cleaner: I Tblsp Ammonia, Tblsp liquid detergent and 2 cups water. Mix together and use for general cleaning. Put in spray bottle for 1 touch-up- s. Glass Cleaner: pt. rubbing alcohol, Tbsp ammonia, and Tblsp liquid detergent. Put ingredients in a bottle. Fill with water. For ease in use, transfer small quanities to a spray bottle, 1 1 1 one-gall- as needed. Use on window and mirrors. (This recipe is excellent for light fixtures, chandeliers or glassware.) Heavy Duty Wall Cleaner: cup ammonia, Vz cup vinegar, 'A cup washing soda (sal soda) and gallon hot water. Mix ingredients. Wash a samll area at a time and wipe each washed area with a second cloth wrung out of clear warm water. This mixture cleans badly soiled painted surfaces. Mixture can dry the skin, so wear rubber gloves. Wall Cleaner: gallon hot water, cup ammonia, xz cup white vinegar, A cup baking soda. Mix in large container. Grout and Tile Cleaner: cup Spic and 1 1 1 1 1 Span, 1 gallon water, 1 cup bleach. Scrub and rinse good. Let dry all night. When thorougly dry wipe with lemon oil. Furniture Cleaner: For light soil; 1 Tblsp. liquid dishwashing detergent, qt. water. Swish up thick suds. Use suds for cleaning. Wipe off with clean damp cloth. Wipe dry. (Furniture may be washed but do not drench it. Work on a small section at a time. Give it a good 1 waxing.) Furniture Cleaner: 3 Tblsp. boiled linseed oil, tblsp turpentine, I qt. hot water, Combine ingredients in a can or the top of an old double boiler. Lift out and squeeze until it does not drip. Go over a small area at a time, redipping cloth as needed until area is clean. Follow immediately with a dry, absorbent cloth until all the oil is removed. Linscd oil allowed to remain on wood will become sticky. Solution cleans wood and protects the finish. Carpet Cleaner: xz cup ammonia, Vz cup cleaning solvent (Thoro or Energine) 1 one-qua- rt ': gallon warm water. Combine shampoo ingredients in a bucket and scrub one section of carpet at a time using brush or shag. Carpet Rinse: cup white vinegar, gallon warm water, old bath towels. Rinse the carpet with vinegar solution and dry with towels before going on to the next section. Tile Floors: Warm water and vinegar will clean floors without removing wax. Blackmarks will come off linoleum or tile with soap pads and liquid floor wax. Kitchen Carpeting: Can be quickly touched up by using a squeeze mop with rug cleaning solution between major shampooings. For puppy stains use dry corn meal. Remove and apply fresh com meal two or three times. Let last application of corn meal remain overnight, then vacumm off or sponge spots with white vinegar to neutralize and remove odor. 1 1 Dry with clean cloth. Upholstery Cleaner: Upholstery should only absorb a minimum of moisture, so clean quickly with foam suds, if washable. 5 Tblsp. white soap flakes in 1 pt. boiling water. Add teasp. ammonia or 2 tblsp. powdered borax. Let stand until it jells. Wipe up the soiled suds with a clean dry terry towel. If necessary, repeat with new suds. Let completely dry before using again. 1 Cleaner for Kitchen Cubboards and Wood Paneling: 2 tblsp. Linseed oil, 2 tblsp. Turpentine, I qt. hot water. Clean and wipe dry. Ovens: Take racks out of oven and put in a tub of hot ammonia water and let soak while cleaning rest of oven. Then scrub off with metal scraper. Leave Learn to Be Positive Parent RUTH MALAN Use constructive punishment as a last resort then show an increase of love, said Dr. Henry Isaksen to a group of parents during a home improvement seminar. Dr. Isaksen graduated from San Jose State College and earned other degrees from Stanford University and the University of Utah. He helped with the parenting resource group to write the book How to Get Your Children to Clean Their Rooms and Other KAYSVILLE Impossible Tasks. He is the father of 17 children. Ten of his own and seven stepchildren. Isaksen explained that a person must understand himself to be an effective parent. Children are natural born mimics, he said. The most important work you do is within the four walls of your home. He explained that the first mistake of parents is to expect too much of a child. Babies are the most people and must learn not to be noisy and to impose upon others. Nothing can drive a parent crazy like a child acting like a self-center- ed child, he said. If too much is expected of a child he becomes frustrated, discouraged, defeated and feels theres no use in trying." Another big mistake is to compare one child to another. Be sen sitive to a childs own world. "Chances are they will adopt our beliefs if we dont demand it of them," he said. water. Fingers do tops and bottoms of slat in one motion. This process should be done outside, or in a tub to aboid scratching. Bathtub: Make a paste of baking soda and let stand overnight. Then rinse. Or use a mixture of cream of tartar and peroxide forming a paste. Scrub, then rinse towel-line- d with warm water. Some extra handy tips include the lowing: fol- Commercial hand cleaner: Will clean, shoes, barbeuce grill, oil spots, aluminum storm doors and windows. dogged Drains: Pour down drain: cup salt, cup baking soda. cup vinegar. Follow this with 2 qts. boiling water. 1 1 1 Washing Machine Filter: Soak over- night in vinegar. This will unclog filter holes. Automatic Washer: To clean fill with water, then pour a gallon of distilled vinegar in it and let the machine run through its entire cycle, it A Davis Chapter Homemakers has beem elected to a state office; Kathy Thurgood of Syracuse vice was elected presi- Utah the of dentprcsident-elec- t State Homemakers Association at the annual convention hclct in Reward a child's good behavior and ignore negative. Praise is the greatest reward, he said. Give children room to make mistakes within limits, said Isaksen. We need a fine tune balance of expecting enough but not too much. Let them know you trust them. Give them enough rope to explore. Natural and logical consequences are the best way to learn. Never give up. Its never too late to have an influence on a child. - Homemaker Elected to State Office; member of SYRACUSE Constructive Punishment Review Correspondent small dish of ammonia in the oven overnight. Stains will soften and be easily removed the next day. Range Hood: Spread hand soap cleaner over the baked on grease. Let it set for a few minutes. Wipe off clean with a rag. Appliances: Wash with general household cleaner. For ugly yellow stains. Mix Vi cup bleach, 'A cup baking soda, 4 cups warm water. Let set for a few minutes. Rinse off. Sinks: After cleaning to get rid of remaining stains, pour in some household bleach, and add water. Let set for- : hour than rinse. Venetian Blinds: Wash with garden gloves dipped in soap suds, then in clear Salt Lake City. encouragement, Dr. Henry Isaksen tells ents during a seminar in Kaysville. GIVE CHILDREN Ms. Thurgood is currently president of the Davis Chapter. She is married to Don Thurgbod and they are the parents of jwo children. She is actively invoked in dairy farming. She encourages all those who would like to participate with this 5 or group to call 773-918- |