I've enjoyed sewing this week. There were a couple of mending jobs, I fixed the waistband on a skirt and made set of six white kitchen cloths and two absorbent tea towels. I'm still using my organic cotton knitted cloths but I've found that the white cloths are much better for cleaning the induction stove, microwave and fronts of the stainless steel fridge and dish washer.
I don't think I've properly explained my rag and dish cloth cleaning methods because I had a couple of emails asking if I still use rags. Of course I still use rags, and always will, but I've only ever used rags for what I call dirty cleaning, not in the kitchen. For me, dirty cleaning is cleaning bathrooms and toilets, wiping the floor with a rag as well as cleaning up any spills that ended up on the floor. If that spill was on the kitchen floor, I'd use a rag but I don't wipe the kitchen bench, fridge or stove with a rag.
In the kitchen I like to start off with a cloth that I know is clean. That used to always be a knitted cloth and now I've added the white cloths. I saw them when I went to Ikea a couple of months ago, felt them and thought they'd be very absorbent so I bought 10 of them and two absorbent cotton tea towels. The dish cloths were 30 cents each and the tea towels were 80 cents each. I got 10 cloths and two tea towels for $4.60! It was only when I used them that I realised what great products they are and such great value for money.
This is the drawer under the oven where I store my kitchen cloths, tea towels, hand towels, straining cloths, jugs covers, tea cosies, oven mitts etc.
This is the first forget-me-not. It makes me very happy.
Tommy Toe tomatoes are growing well. Tomatoes are easy to grow in winter in this climate, in fact, it's the easiest time of the year to grow them.
We've been in lockdown again this week, it ends tomorrow. Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and the Blue Mountains are also locked down. We're dealing with the terrible Delta variant of the Covid virus and with only a small percentage of people in Australia fully vaccinated, it's worrying, to say the least. If you're in one of the lockdown areas, I hope you made the most of the extra time at home. I think it's useless having a negative outlook. I just get on with it and use my time to do things that will make life better for us. I hope things are good at your home too. Take care of yourself, stay safe and keep warm (or cool). Thank you for visiting me here today. I love your comments and visits.
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Weekend reading
- ‘An archaeological dig for food’: recipes to cook with kids during Australia’s lockdowns
- ‘We can actually make a big difference’: Peter Singer and philanthropic experts on giving well
- Stop Spending Time on Things You Hate
- Inspiring Woman Growing a Huge Amount of Food in Her City Permaculture Garden
- Tips for Zero Waste Living - How a Family of 5 Makes Almost No Waste! Most of us know this family - Lauren, Oberon and their daughters living in Tasmania. This is a great video.
- A quiet day at home
- Permaculture is agriculture reimagined
- Little house on the mountain - I love that she suggests we "accept silence" because I feel that is one of the fundamentals for being mindful
- Sewing projects for scrap fabric
- I want to die happy - this is a blog of mine that I think deserves a second run around the block
I love white tea towels, I made them in old grandmother's sheets. Unfortunately, they always end up getting stained... I admire people who always have very white tea towels. I don't know how to do it!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week-end Rhonda.
Patdub, this is how you keep white tea towels white (and all other white fabrics). When you put them in the wash after use, IF THERE ARE NO STAINS just wash as part of your normal wash. If there are stains, put them aside until you've collected a few white things that need extra treatment. When you have enough, get some oxygen-bleach - this is the stuff you treat baby nappies with. At Aldi it's called Di-san. Get a bucket that will hold about 8 or 9 litres of water, add the recommended amount of oxygen-bleach to the bucket and then fill it up with the hottest water from your tap. It doesn't have to be boiling water but it should be hot. Dissolve the oxygen-bleach by stirring it for a minute then add the white fabrics. Don't over crowd the bucket. Make sure all the fabrics are submerged and leave it to sit overnight. The next morning the stains should be gone. Take them out of the liquid and wash them in the washing machine on your normal wash. Good luck.
DeleteWhat lovely tea towels, and at such a bargain!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. There is no sense in being upset about what you can't control. May as well make the best of it and be useful. Praying all is well with you and Hanno.
We are having a glorious rain at the moment, most welcome as we've been dry for quite a spell. The heat of summer will be gone for just a few days before we are back into the thick of it, but I'll take it. Just enough time to get a few more things in the garden done.
Blessings...daisy
Hi Daisy. We're both well, thank you. I'm glad you have rain. We've had rain for the past couple of days and it makes such a difference to the garden. Happy gardening. xx
DeleteI save old socks & other fabrics as "rags" too... but I give them to my husband who uses them in his workshop. They're invaluable, aren't they. Your drawer looks so neat & beautiful. Have a wonderful weekend! ~Andrea xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteYes, Hanno uses a lot of rags too. xx
DeleteI love the idea of making your own tea towels. I live in southern Colorado in the USA and have a terrible time find good tea towels that will dry dishes. TRULY dry them, and not just push the water around. I had not thought of making them from a bigger piece of fabric. Rhonda you teach me to see things I had never seen before in all my years. Thank you. ~Dee
ReplyDeleteThe truth is Dee, we can make almost everything we need if we have the time to do it. xx
DeleteI love the white cloths. I might have to go to spotlight and get some material
ReplyDeleteLiving in victoria we had endured many months of lockdown, but being such a homebody with lots of crafting I didn’t mind. The only hardship was not seeing family
Lots of FaceTime was great for seeing the granddaughters
Thanks for the inspiration re the cloths
You are so right...that post you wrote really did deserve a "second run around the block." Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. Those tea towels look excellent. I use my crocheted organic cotton ones for kitchen cleaning. I love them. You sound very fastiduous with your cleaning. I appreciated the tip on keeping white towels white, too. We are enjoying the hot weather up here in the mountains. Swimming in the lake is refreshing. Just had some visitors up at the cabin. Lots of space to socially distance and sit outside. I agree with you about making the most of lockdown time. I've got the sauna heating up and intend to use it soon. Having a comfortable home is such a blessing. Thanks for all you do, Rhonda...
ReplyDeleteGood morning Rhonda,Hanno and Gracie! We are actually out of lockdown here for once, but the weather has been cold,windy,rainy and even a bit of hail so haven't been too far. Have made soup and orange cake and have also been inspired to take up some trousers that are perfect for this weather but no good if they don't fit! Enjoy all that gorgeous garden
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda! Based on your blog today I ordered white cleaning towels from IKEA. US prices were similar. They just shipped so will get to try them out soon ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like them. I've been using mine for a while now and have just made another set, but I prefer the Ikea ones. They are the ideal cloth for cleaning. They dry fairly quickly too.
DeleteI use disposible wipes and haven't seen these cotton ones - I do need a lot of new tea towels so could cut the old ones for cleaning wipes and be a bit more eco friendly. I looked at your other blog (want to die happy) you write so much and so well - thanks :)
ReplyDeleteYes, cut up the old cloths and give them a new purpose. Thank you for your kind comment. xx
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