Cleaning dust a must around the house

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2012 (5001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Reena,
My mom and I have the same argument every week. She bugs me about dusting my room and I tell her that it’s a waste of time because the room will just get dusty again the next week. So we need you to settle this argument: What is the point of dusting?
Lana

Dear Lana,
When I was younger I wondered the same thing, week after week dusting seemed like a pointless task. Since that time, I have learnt the importance of dusting from several people who have written to me over the years. Let’s begin with the obvious; a clean room is a reward in itself because it looks better, fresher and newer. But some don’t worry about appearance, so what else? Lack of dusting is a fire hazard. If a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector fills with dust, the detector may fail to work properly because it is clogged. Or the alarm on the detector will activate because of accumulated dust in the unit. When this happens, it takes some investigation to determine what the problem is. Two months ago, someone wrote to me regarding their stereo system which suddenly started on fire (thankfully they were home at the time). The cause? Accumulated dust in the unit!

Studies also show that from excessive dust inhalation, people may display symptoms of asthma such as wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing (to put it mildly). In order to maintain the best environment for yourself and your family, I am gonna have to side with your mom on this one.

Did you know? The average home accumulates about 40 pounds of dust per year.

Hi Reena,
Can you please provide a solution for eradicating fruit flies in my home? Thank you in advance.
Evelyn

Dear Evelyn,
Typically fruit flies are worse in the fall; therefore I suspect that something is going on in your home. You may want to bring your indoor plants outside because fruit flies breed in plants, drains and of course fruit. Plug drains and refrigerate fruit. The easiest fly catcher is a vinegar dispenser with a funnel lid half full with red wine, positioned beside the sink. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell and become trapped. You can also catch fruit flies by cutting strips of sticky window fly traps and positioning them onto window sills, or wherever the flies are collecting.

Dear Reena,
I drink a lot of tomato juice with and without vodka, and I find that some of it adheres to my glass tumblers. I rinse immediately and sometimes rub the inside of the glass with my fingers. I use vinegar in my dishwasher. Still, the glasses show marks on the inside where the juice was. Can you help?
Thanks,
Kathryn

Dear Kathryn,
There is not much that you can do to prevent tomato juice from staining your glassware, other than washing them by hand or experimenting with a variety of dishwasher detergents. You can clean them by filling each glass with lemon juice and either salt or baking soda. Leave in the sun for a few hours and wash. This technique also works on tomato stains on plastic containers.

Dear Reena,
Can you give me a healthy smoothie recipe for hot summer months?

Darren

Dear Darren,
Apart from being healthy, smoothies are very easy to make. Combine frozen strawberries, frozen pieces of banana, vanilla yogurt and milk. Blend until smooth. Experiment with the amounts until the consistency is appealing to you. Extra Tip: Cut overripe bananas into chunks and freeze them in resealable bags until ready to use.

Another fruit smoothie idea: Combine 1 cup cantaloupe, half cup pineapple chunks, one quarter cup orange juice, half cup frozen or canned peaches and one teaspoon sugar. Blend and drink. Extra Tip: Leftovers can be frozen into popsicle molds or plastic cups with popsicle sticks.

Reena is a popular presenter and author of the national best selling series, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and Household Solutions 3 with Green Alternatives. If you would like Reena to visit your area and present a workshop, please call 204 320 2757. I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming! Check out my web site! www.householdsolutions.org.