Cleaning Week can sneak up on you.Byline: Mark Baker The Register-Guard Clean roof gutters. Clean barbecue grill. Clean fireplace bricks and glass. Clean out medicine cabinets. Wash windows and screens. Straighten garage. Yes, it's that time of year. Time to check your to-do list and roll the sagebrush-like dust balls out the door. Time to clean out the fridge and throw away that chunk of meat that's crawling in the back. It's spring-cleaning time. This week is National Cleaning Week (according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a certain vacuum company that rhymes with whistle) and next week is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Week (according to a certain sandwich bag company - aren't you "Glad" we told you). "Right now we're getting lots and lots of mold and mildew mildew, name for certain fungi and protists, for the diseases they cause in various crops, and for the discoloration (and sometimes the weakening and disintegration) they cause in such materials as leather, fabrics, and paper. questions," said Susie Busler, family community development agent at the Oregon State University/Lane County Extension Service in Eugene. The extension service answers thousands of calls every year, especially at this time of year, Busler said. Everything from, "How do I clean my silver?" to "How do I know when to throw out the mayo?" Clue: Let your nose be your guide. "It's more of a quality issue than a safety issue," said Nellie See Sooty albatross Oehler, who handles food preservation food preservation, methods of preparing food so that it can be stored for future use. Because most foods remain edible for only a brief period of time, people since the earliest ages have experimented with methods for successful food preservation. calls at the extension service. Letting "the biology projects that have grown since Christmas" camp in your fridge through spring will result in a smell that might never leave, Busler said. "That odor - you're not going to be able to get rid of it," Busler said. That's because the smell will seep into your refrigerator's insulation, she said. Extension agents have heard all the spring-cleaning horror stories horror story Story intended to elicit a strong feeling of fear. Such tales are of ancient origin and form a substantial part of folk literature. They may feature supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, or vampires or address more realistic psychological fears. . They've heard the ones about mice infestations that have formed their own republics in the back of garages. They've heard about what happens when refrigerators accidentally get unplugged right before family vacations. Busler remembers a call about a fridge left unplugged for four days after the caller went out of town soon after cleaning the coils in the back. Upon returning, seafood in the freezer had defrosted and dripped down into the other compartments and into the insulation. What to do? Get out the checkbook and buy a new fridge. The most humorous cleaning call Busler ever received? The one from a couple who had accidentally washed their baby's disposable diapers and all the little pellets got stuck on the inside of the washing machine (storage) washing machine - An old-style 14-inch hard disk in a floor-standing cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the "top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they were always set on "spin cycle". . The husband's suggestion? He wanted to just let them dry out and then vacuum them up, Busler said. But his wife wasn't so sure that would work. No, you need to fill the machine with water again, then strain them out with a colander, Busler said. Ah, the wisdom of an extension agent. Busler is full of all kinds of wise spring-cleaning tips, from the obvious - pulling all your furniture out and vacuuming underneath - to the less apparent - using down strokes on one side of windows and side-to-side strokes on the other side so you can see which side the streaks are on. And if you thought spring cleaning Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in colder climates, where the house is difficult to clean during winter. was only a dreadful chore, Oehler has some news for you. It's a great way to concoct con·coct tr.v. con·coct·ed, con·coct·ing, con·cocts 1. To prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking. 2. some tasty dishes. Take all those questionable fruits in your fridge and make some jam. Take the corn in your freezer and make some corn chowder Noun 1. corn chowder - chowder containing corn chowder - a thick soup or stew made with milk and bacon and onions and potatoes . And leftover tomatoes and salsa can make a great tomato paste for pizza, she said. Just blend together and sprinkle on oregano oregano (ərĕg`ənō), name for several herbs used for flavoring food. A plant of the family Labiatae (mint family), Origanum vulgare, , basil and garlic powder. Leftover salsa is good for soups, too, Oehler said. Just mix with everything else you're going to throw away. "I've made some really good soups cleaning out my cupboards lately," Oehler said. CLEANING TIPS ONLINE An Internet guide to shaking off the cobwebs cob·web n. 1. a. The web spun by a spider to catch its prey. b. A single thread spun by a spider. 2. Something resembling the web of a spider in gauziness or flimsiness. 3. www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/closet/closet.html For novice cleaners www.mymamasaid.com/learn/article/116 If you want to go beyond clean to impressively organized www.commitment.com/organize.html For the chronically disorganized dis·or·gan·ize tr.v. dis·or·gan·ized, dis·or·gan·iz·ing, dis·or·gan·iz·es To destroy the organization, systematic arrangement, or unity of. www.mamalibman.com/tips/refrigerator.htm Tips for cleaning out the fridge www.seedsofknowledge.com/spring.html Spring cleaning in the garden my.execpc.com/~naturalc/stain.html Comprehensive directory of stain removal www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/01500038.html Preventing mildew www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp.mod02/01500219.html Venetian blinds care and dusting |
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