Safer At Home - Kitchen and Bath "Cred"
Since Covid-19 arrived on the scene, you are likely at home much more often. Cue the resurgence of cooking and cleaning as two of the most tried-and-true activities for not only keeping busy, but also reinforcing valuable life skills. What better time than now to enhance your homestead “cred” and better the hardest working areas in your house -- the kitchen and bath -- for ultimate comfort and safety during this pandemic and beyond?
My family and I gained insight for “safer at home” cooking in the kitchen by checking out three highly recommended television shows (all available on Amazon Prime Video). First, “Grow, Cook, Eat” is a new series about how you can grow your own vegetables and fruits in very small gardens - or even in containers - or on an apartment balcony. Each episode focuses on a particular vegetable or fruit and takes you through the entire process, from sowing to seed, to harvesting, and to cooking. Second, “Can You Dig This”, a feature documentary following the stories of four brand new gardeners in their South Los Angeles neighborhood. Next, the “Biggest Little Farm” follows the wild eight-year journey of a couple and their dog to create an ambitious American farm. Each of these shows provides inspiration and education in vastly different ways that might grow your ambition to get in the garden!
After devouring each episode of these shows, my family and I paired our newly found knowledge with the extra time at home and started planting. A lot. Brussels Sprouts, onions, several varieties of tomatoes, marigolds, sage, parsley, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, lettuce, squash, zucchini, watermelon, pumpkins, peppers, etc. Nowadays, the only place where we spend more time than the garden, is in the kitchen! We are truly enjoying incorporating fresh ingredients into our meals whenever possible and trying out recipes we normally don’t have time for.
Speaking of recipes, during our time at home during coronavirus - my family I got to work on cleaning with a dream team (easy!) formula of liquid dish soap and vinegar. For general surface cleaning, like kitchen and bathroom counters, you can use a little liquid dish soap (Dawn, Ajax, Palmolive, etc.) with more vinegar. Play around with the proportions to see what works for you. If the vinegar smell is a little strong for your liking, you can also dilute the solution with a little water. Start with one part liquid dish soap to three parts vinegar, then adjust up or down on the ingredients to your preferences.
Specifically for soap scum in the shower, mix equal parts liquid dish soap and vinegar into a spray bottle and shake gently to mix. If you have really tough deposits, you can heat the vinegar in the microwave before mixing for a little extra power. Spray all over the shower and let it sit for a few minutes to a few hours. Since the spray is thicker, it clings to the walls and shower doors rather than running right down. After the mixture sits, scrub if you need to, but you’ll probably just be able to spray it off and have sparkly surfaces.
Take the opportunities these current unprecedented times offer to keep an even more clean, organized, and healthy home! Federal Brace is here to help with exclusively Made in the USA products from wall mounted pot racks to bathroom supports and beyond, all ready to ship and ideal for your next project! Check out www.FederalBrace.com or call toll-free (877) 353-8899, 8:30 AM - 5 PM EST for additional ideas and design assistance.
