Little things people should know...

[Calico Salsa]

Well, our actual dishes & bowls are all white, so we don't see any white marks. But if we leave dishes, bowls, glasses, stainless steel bowls in the dish drainer and a pool of water evaporates, you'll get water marks. So in general it's best to dry dishes, glasses, etc. right after washing them.

For flatware & stainless steel bowls, keep some 0000 steel wool in the drawer, and when you either unload the dishwasher or put away from the sink drainer, check for any spots or stubborn food particles. Use the 0000 steel wool to buff off the spots/food. It makes your flatware nice and shiny, but is fine enough that it won't scratch the finish.

[nwcountrygal]

again can't rep you Clalico Salsa

[Calico Salsa]

Thanks for trying!

Add-on to the steel wool tip - don't stand over the open flatware drawer when you buff, because little steel wool dust will drift down. Stand over the sink or the rubbish bin. And if you use the steel wool on wet items, put a bit of paper towel under it when you put it back in the drawer. That way if it gets rusty it won't stain the drawer or drawer liner.

Another tip, although this applies to anywhere...

If you use a dishwasher, use only about half the soap that the instructions say to use. Bought a brand new dishwasher, and after about a year found that the dishes didn't seem to get as clean, there was a film on the glasses, and in general we weren't so happy with performance. The repair guy came, and he said nothing wrong was with the dishwasher, but too much soap will make all those things happen. He ran his hand along the inside bottom edge, and sure enough his fingers were caked with old soap residue. We were using the soap cake pellets; it was harder to chop them in half and as soon as we ran out we switched to a powder. Now we only fill the reservoir about half full, and everything is very clean and no problems.

[hotzcatz]

Are you on catchment water, Calico? Rainwater has a tendency to require a lot less soap than other waters. It is glorious stuff to wash your hair with, no creme rinse necessary and your hair comes out real shiny and soft. County water acts a lot like "regular" water in that it needs more soap and doesn't leave your hair shiny and soft.

[Calico Salsa]

We're on regular county water. Haven't set up any way to catch rainwater (yet).

In general, I've found you need less soap than any instructions say, whether that's dishwasher or shampoo. We also stopped pre-washing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, unless there is something like egg yolks on the plate. Friends who visit say they pre-wash everything, and can't believe we don't. I figure on playing the odds. Let's say if 2 dishes and 1 glass needs to be washed again - isn't it better to just re-wash those instead of wasting time & water on pre-washing everything?

[lost_traveler1]

Originally Posted by KoaKine

I like that I didn't think of the envelopes. I've only been here a month so its limited but fruit and veggies ripen here much faster than the mainland already wasted a bunch.

Buy those "As seen on TV" green bags that store fruits and veggies in the fridge. Learn to buy fresh produce in amounts and days you expect to use them. Like if you're going to buy 7 mangos, select from the bunch, 3 ripe and 4 on the greener side to anticipate them ripening buy the end of the week.....Unless you are one of those that like to eat the unripe mangos in a pickle preparation. Ew, I can't for the love of god understand why people would want to eat them that way!!?!?!?

[lost_traveler1]

Originally Posted by cynmkolohe

One weird thing that happened at my house: for a while we had a problem with ants building a nest (?) in the back of our coffee maker. I've discovered that the only way to avoid this is to disassemble the whole thing regularly and be sure it dries out completely. Seems they seek out the warmth and moisture.

One good way I have found, with dealing with ants is get a small spray bottle and fill it with a little dishwashing liquid and water. Kills them instantly without using harsh chemicals that you end up breathing in like Raid............

[RickShaw1]

Originally Posted by lost_traveler1

Buy those "As seen on TV" green bags that store fruits and veggies in the fridge. Learn to buy fresh produce in amounts and days you expect to use them. Like if you're going to buy 7 mangos, select from the bunch, 3 ripe and 4 on the greener side to anticipate them ripening buy the end of the week.....Unless you are one of those that like to eat the unripe mangos in a pickle preparation. Ew, I can't for the love of god understand why people would want to eat them that way!!?!?!?

Dude you haven't tried raw mangoes pickled in spices Indian style? Yuuuummmmy.. Try the shreded marmalade style raw mangoes the spicier kind Yuuuummmm

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by nwcountrygal

again can't rep you Clalico Salsa

I did it for you, gal.