Dishwasher Cleaning

Silly as it may sound, this is a reminder that your dishwasher needs to be cleaned now and then.

It's so fast and Lazy, you'll want to do this! Check and clean the food trap at the bottom. Then just run a regular cycle without adding any dishes. About 10 minutes after it's started, throw in 1-2 cups of cheap white vinegar. (If you put in the vinegar at the beginning, it just drains away. If you add vinegar with soap, they neutralize because one is acid and one is alkaline so the vinegar doesn't do the best job it can)

The vinegar freshens and cleans the dishwasher. Done!

Like the live dangerously?  Do the following disinfecting clean with caution... since these chemicals cause a reaction and a potentially deadly gas if mixed. Since the bottom of your dishwasher sees so much food drips and remnants, before starting the cleaning cycle, splash about 1/4 cup bleach mixed with 2 cups water into the bottom and let it enter the drain. Start the dishwasher, and 10 minutes in, add the vinegar. Since the dishwasher should drain the bleach away, the bleach and vinegar should not have had contact. If your dishwasher does not drain before starting, this is dangerous... don't do it.

Key to Success

I don't know about you, but I currently have a dish of keys that I have no idea what they are for. This is not awful other than the fact that I really should know better because I had a great system. Keys add up... shed, relatives' homes, safe, multiple doors to the garage you may not use etc.

The easiest and best way to organize keys is to just colour code them. I used to do this with one dot of nail polish on each side of the key. I kept the colours unique so I recognized the keys easily. This is easy, can be done is a few minutes (just give adequate drying time to each side) and is simple to remove if you need to.

You can also colour-code by dipping the key-heads in kid's paints, using the snap-on coloured rings available, or with bits of colourful tape. I'm sticking to nailpolish.

If you have keys you don't often use make a little 'key legend' on card stock. Put a dot of the same nail polish on the card and label what it's for beside it. Put your key legend in one of those plastic name badge holders they use at conferences. Store your infrequently used keys on a keyring with the color-coded key legend in your utility drawer. Done! Never having to search for keys again is priceless!

And... take this opportunity to lighten your load but cutting down how many keys you carry. I carry ONE key now - how's that for simplifying life!