Today the OCD-monster demands appeasement in the form of a long-overdue kitchen clean and tidy.
This has brought my mind back to domestic coping strategies I've developed over my time on this earth; and made me wonder with what others might have discovered.
I think my trump card is a spray bottle containing 66/33% Isopropanol / water. This is great for so many things; as a gentle degreaser (I'm just about to saturate the inside of a particularly greasy cupboard), glass cleaner (great for TV and computer screens, glasses, windows and various other things) and sanitiser - both on surfaces and wounds if they're not allowed to dry out too much post-application. IPA's also great in neat form for many cleaning tasks that require the dissolution of polar hydrocarbons (tbh the main reason I still have it in dilute form is because it's better at killing organisms this way and I started mixing it during Covid).
Isopropanol, Isopropyl alcohol or "rubbing alcohol" can be had for not a huge amount of money in bulk (typically 5l), while mixing your own multipurpose solution in this way is likely far cheaper than buying off-the-shelf products and also cuts down levels of plastic waste enormously.
I'll been scrubbing various areas with knackered items of clothing (boxers, socks, cut-up shirts and dressing gown) that have been kept for this purpose once unable to soldier on in their original application, until the point they die completely - rewarded by a warrior's burial on the open fire.
Speaking of which there's nowhere to put the fat liberated when cooking animal products (down the drain causes clogging, in the food bin melts holes in things) so this is stored in preparation for use as an accelerant when lighting the open fire (in preference to bought fire lighters).
Finally the old dear has recently bought a load of white vinegar cheap in bulk; which is great for de-scaling taps and other things afflicted by hard water deposits.
What ways have you found for maintaining / improving your domestic environment without getting screwed by the man or sh*tting on the environment?
This has brought my mind back to domestic coping strategies I've developed over my time on this earth; and made me wonder with what others might have discovered.
I think my trump card is a spray bottle containing 66/33% Isopropanol / water. This is great for so many things; as a gentle degreaser (I'm just about to saturate the inside of a particularly greasy cupboard), glass cleaner (great for TV and computer screens, glasses, windows and various other things) and sanitiser - both on surfaces and wounds if they're not allowed to dry out too much post-application. IPA's also great in neat form for many cleaning tasks that require the dissolution of polar hydrocarbons (tbh the main reason I still have it in dilute form is because it's better at killing organisms this way and I started mixing it during Covid).
Isopropanol, Isopropyl alcohol or "rubbing alcohol" can be had for not a huge amount of money in bulk (typically 5l), while mixing your own multipurpose solution in this way is likely far cheaper than buying off-the-shelf products and also cuts down levels of plastic waste enormously.
I'll been scrubbing various areas with knackered items of clothing (boxers, socks, cut-up shirts and dressing gown) that have been kept for this purpose once unable to soldier on in their original application, until the point they die completely - rewarded by a warrior's burial on the open fire.
Speaking of which there's nowhere to put the fat liberated when cooking animal products (down the drain causes clogging, in the food bin melts holes in things) so this is stored in preparation for use as an accelerant when lighting the open fire (in preference to bought fire lighters).
Finally the old dear has recently bought a load of white vinegar cheap in bulk; which is great for de-scaling taps and other things afflicted by hard water deposits.
What ways have you found for maintaining / improving your domestic environment without getting screwed by the man or sh*tting on the environment?
