Making Disinfecting Wipes

I've got 2 types of disinfecting/sanitizing wipes that I make myself: alcohol wipes and bleach/water wipes. Both are super simple to make, each having its own purpose. 

The alcohol wipes are great for wiping down electronic devices, such as keyboards, touch screens, and remote controls. 

And I like the bleach and water wipes for wiping down the handle, lid, seat, and rim of toilets, faucet handles at sinks, the handles, knobs and buttons on kitchen appliances, the telephone handset, and the inside and outside of door knobs.

I use those select-a-size paper towels, torn to the smallest rectangle for the bleach wipes, and cut in half for alcohol wipes. I tend to use smaller wipes when using the alcohol ones, due to often cleaning smaller areas with alcohol.

To make a dozen alcohol wipes, you need a small container with tight-fitting lid, 6 sheets of select-a-size paper towels, 70% ethyl alcohol, and scissors. Simply cut each sheet of paper towel in half and stack inside the plastic container. Pour the alcohol over the towels until saturated. Cover tightly.

To make about 10 bleach wipes, you need 10 select-a-size paper towels, each folded over once, some household chlorine bleach, water, and a plastic, lidded container. Stack the folded paper towels inside the plastic container and pour about 1 cup of a bleach and water solution (see below) over to saturate. Cover tightly. Wear gloves when handling the bleach wipes.

For a bleach and water solution, I follow the guidelines of the CDC for using bleach and water as a disinfectant against COVID-10 found here in the section How to Clean and Disinfect: Surfaces. I make 1 cup at a time and only make about 10 wipes at a time, so that I use them soon after making and the bleach does not lose any potency. It's important to use bleach that has not expired. Yeah, right -- who knew that beach could expire? Also, I mark the top of my containers as to which kind of wipe is which.

Part of my daily routine, now, is to wipe down high-touch areas, such as doorknobs, handles, touch screens, remote controls, and light switches. I do this once per day, hoping we can keep the germs to a minimum where ever our hands may go.

Starting Seeds for My Garden, Because Life Goes On

I may be preoccupied with coronavirus right now, but garden-planting time will come around whether I'm prepared or not. This year, I don't know if I'll be able to get out to stores to buy my tomato plants in time to plant (I plant them around April 15-20 under plastic covers), or if plants will even be available in abundance in my area. There are too many unknowns at this point. So, I found a packet of tomato seeds from 3 years ago, tucked in my seed stash. 

They may have lost some viability, but I believe that some of the seeds will germinate. I planted several seeds in each cell of this 6-pack. I am hoping for 4 to 6 healthy plants. Planting seeds this late means the plants will be smaller, but I'm hoping I'll make up for that with more plants. (I planted 3 large commercially-grown plants last year.)

Life does go on. 

How Much Hand Sanitizer My Family of 4 Is Using

I opened this bottle of hand sanitizer about 10 days ago and placed it on the kitchen table. I would guess that most of our use of this bottle has occurred in the last 7 days. We are primarily using soap and water for hand-washing and backing that up a few times (5 or so) per day, each, with the hand sanitizer.

We've had 2 very mild viruses in the house in the past week, so I'd guess that our usage has been moderate. For moderate use, it appears that we are going through about 1/3 of an 8-ounce bottle every week to 10 days. (The black pen line on the bottle is the actual level.) 

At this rate (should no one become more ill than minor viruses) an 8-ounce bottle should last my family about 3 weeks to 1 month. Should we increase our usage, due to major illness in the family or visitors (not likely), we would probably use the hand sanitizer at almost double the current rate, or an 8-ounce bottle every 2 weeks. I bought three 8-ounce bottles in February, so we have enough here for between 6 weeks and 3 months, depending on need. Six weeks brings us to about April 10, and 3 months brings us to about May 22. 

I understand that our local Target was completely cleaned out of hand sanitizer a week ago, before the terrible news of this past weekend. I don't know if they've been restocked since. Even if I couldn't find hand sanitizer in my local stores this week, I do believe that I will be able to find some by early April, at the very latest. The current, regional hand sanitizer shortage is not indefinite. Store shelves and websites will have it again in a matter of weeks.

I just wanted to share our usage so that if you've only been about to find a small amount of hand sanitizer, you would have an idea of how much this family of 4, who also is using soap and water, is using under our current circumstances. And, if you're thinking you need to buy several gallons, this might help you understand that not only would that be more than average families might need, but it would hoard quantities that others can't find. Also, it doesn't keep forever (so would just be a waste of money). Hand sanitizer has an expiration date on the bottle because it does lose effectiveness over time.

If you can't find any hand sanitizer at all, there are alternatives. Ethyl alcohol is the active ingredient in most bottled gel hand sanitizers. Some folks pour ethyl alcohol into a small spray bottle (think purse-size spray bottles that you can get from places like Amazon and fill with your favorite perfume) and spritz their hands, rubbing together well. 

Sanitizing Dishes if You Don't Have a Dishwasher

I believe that this first tip comes from Kris (here in the comments) from some time ago. I wanted to share this for anyone who is concerned that they don't have an easy way to sanitize dishes without a dishwasher.

If you have a plastic-coated dish drainer that fits in your sink, after you wash and rinse all of your dishes, put them in the drainer in the sink. Then bring a tea kettle of water to a boil and pour the contents completely over your washed dishes.

Alternatively, you can plug your sink, place all of the cleaned dishes in the sink, and pour the boiling water over all to immerse the dishes. This may take a couple of kettles of water. Allow to soak for at least 30 seconds. the temperature of the water would need to be at or above 170 degrees F for the duration of the soak. (source:http://stopfoodborneillness.org/news-from-stop-clean-sanitize-disinfect/)

The website Stop Food Borne Illness also recommends a bleach/water solution for sanitizing dishes. When I volunteered for kitchen duty for fund-raisers at our church, we were instructed to add a small amount of liquid bleach to a sanitizing water after dishes had been washed and rinsed. 1 tablespoon of liquid bleach to 1 gallon of cool water (hot water stops the sanitizing effect of the bleach). Allow dishes to sit in this solution for at least 1 minute. Wear gloves when handling dishes.

What I've always heard is that it is better to allow dishes to air-dry, as opposed to towel drying. So, don't feel like you're being lazy when you let the dishes dry on their own! One less chore!

Anyway, check out that website linked to above. If one member of your household does become ill (with any virus), these instructions could help prevent infection with the rest of the family members.

If you do have an automatic dishwasher
My family does have a dishwasher and we've begun washing on a higher temperature setting than usual. This may cost a bit more in electricity, but worth the expense for peace of mind and perhaps keeping us all healthier in cold and flu season.

Let the News Motivate You, but Not Control You

I haven't talked much about the coronavirus, here, in part because I don't want to be a source of worry for anyone else. Also, for my own self, talking about it brings my own fears and worries to the surface. Today, I am ready to talk about what I've been doing to prepare.


Prayer and Preparation

I did almost all of my March shopping in February. What I didn't do, I ordered online to be delivered later this week. I am taking this one day at a time. Tuesday (this morning as this is posted), is Senior shopping day at Fred Meyer. We have a handful of confirmed cases right in my area, near enough to the Fred Meyer where I usually shop, so I've decided not to shop Senior Discount Day this month. We have enough in our fridge, freezer, and pantry right now to get through the entire month of March and beyond. I'm starting my vegetable garden indoors under lights this week for some early greens. We'll live on what we have with maybe another online order of non-perishables for delivery from Target a little later. Through all of this, I am keeping my prayer life very active.

When You've Done Everything Else, Make Chicken Soup

I made a large pot of chicken soup last Friday. We had that for dinner that night and lunches all weekend long. I made another large pot of chicken soup on Monday. This soup is in part for snacks and lunches right now, but part of it is going into the freezer as emergency "illness" food. One of the foods that I bought in February for March was a 10-lb bag of chicken leg quarters. I'll be making a lot of chicken soup, some for eating presently, and the rest for freezing. If you saw in the news, the team in Nebraska was serving homemade chicken soup to some of the coronavirus patients.

Budget Preparedness

If your budget is not very big and can't include a lot of convenience foods, make some of your own right now and store them in the fridge or freezer. Casseroles and soups freeze well. If you want to stock water, you can fill empty plastic or glass beverage bottles (soda, cider, wine, juice) with tap water and store in your fridge. I'm not sure why bottled water is one of the suggested items on many stock-up lists for this virus. But it can't hurt to be prepared, if you have some empty bottles anyway.

When you do need to go to the stores to buy foods, medicines, hygiene items, and cleaning supplies, the best tips I've read are to wear gloves while shopping, shop very early in the morning (if that is a time when stores are least crowded), shop midweek/avoid crowded weekends, go to stores where there seems to be less traffic, and when you come home, wash your hands well. Consider having groceries delivered to your house. Stores like Target offer free delivery in my area with a $35 purchase.

Organize the supplies that you do have. I pulled all of my disinfecting supplies together. I included items that we might not think of as a disinfectant, such as hydrogen peroxide, but they are. I've got a Lysol-type spray, 70% and 91% alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, hand sanitizer, liquid bleach, and some Lysol-type cleaning wipes, as well as lots of soap. I've put these together in a cabinet in the laundry room. After doing some reading, I discovered that some are more effective than others against coronavirus. However, I believe they will all be useful for my household. These items have differing properties that make some more useful for particular surfaces than others. 

Be Aware, but Take a Break From the News From Time to Time

At the present, for many of us, the threat of this virus is not on our doorstep. There is no need for us to scare ourselves silly. Stress lowers the immune response. So, if you find yourself overstressed, take a break from the news and do something very relaxing, such as listening to calming music, or watching light-hearted comedies on youtube or dailymotion.com. The unknowns are the source of most of my fears. I am a woman of faith. So, I have been reminding myself that although I don't know things, He knows it all.

Still, the news can be addicting. So, it's good to force yourself to break away from the news for a few hours a day. Remember, the news agencies make money by getting you to read or watch, so their headlines often contain worrisome words and phrases, like "cases jump." Be aware, but take breaks from worry. Just keep doing those good health practices -- wash, wash, and wash some more, get good sleep, eat healthy, take time to relax each day.

One of the things that I do each night that brings me peace is I tell myself that I'm still well. I survived the day. My family is doing fine. I'm in His hands. I only have to do this one day at a time.

I've got a lot more to say, but this is long enough for today. I hope everyone is exceptionally well right now.

Harbingers of Spring?

When I find the first daffodils in my yard, I feel as if they are blowing their trumpets to announce the imminent arrival of spring. In addition to daffodils, on Sunday afternoon I found other flowers and vegetables/herbs peeking out to say hello.

the earliest of the daffodils -- a petite daffodil

grape hyacinths just barely peeking up through the dirt

a larger patch of the purple primroses (and lots of moss)

heath

yellow primroses that seem to be lunch for the slugs

snow crocus -- earlier and shorter/smaller than giant crocus

the garlic is just now up and could be used for garlic chives/greens

sorrel -- a pot of cream of sorrel soup is in order, I think

the chives could be cut now, too

While it's still pretty chilly outside, seeing these beauties does make me hopeful for warmer temperatures to come.

Did you realize that March 1 is considered to be the first day of meteorological spring? This is based on the annual temperature cycle and not Earth's position in relation to the Sun.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: When Trying Something New, I Baby-Step My Way In -- My Carob-Chocolate Brownies

Kris touched on this a little the other day in the comments about trying to decide how much pureed pumpkin to use in a recipe as a substitute for oil/butter in a batch of pumpkin bread. She suggested to try a little bit to start and see how the final product turned out. Then, the next time, use a bit more and see what the results are like.

This is exactly how I approach this sort of situation. If I'm just baby-stepping my way with a recipe, trying a small amount of the "new" ingredient, there's less chance it will turn out horrible and a greater chance we will still like the end result. My "usual" formula is to try using 1/4 of the new ingredient to use as a substitute. 

This month when I was cleaning the baking cupboard, I came across a baggie of carob powder. I used to love carob, so when I saw it again I thought I'd enjoy it as a substitute in hot cocoa. for my own taste, it was too fruity and lacked the bitterness that I enjoy in cocoa powder. so the baggie just sat in the cupboard until I found it in my cabinetry excavations.

Yesterday, I was wanting to make some brownies, but we're very low on cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is not a necessity (I could hear several gasps through the internet just now), so it's not high on my grocery priority list. (The best price on cocoa powder is a 20-30 minute drive from my house. I'll pick some up when I'm down that way again.) Anyway, I wanted to make brownies, yet also wanted to spare some of the cocoa powder. Remembering the baggie of carob powder, I decided to substitute 1/4 of the called-for cocoa powder with carob. The brownies came out delicious and absolutely no one knew any different.

Trying just a little at a time is also a good strategy for using up less desirable foodstuffs. I occasionally will get this wild idea to buy a package of seaweed, even though I know I don't like the taste of the stuff. When I come across a lingering package of seaweed in the pantry, I use it up in tiny, tiny amounts added to something like tuna casserole, or chicken soup, or stir fry. The first time i will try a small square of the seaweed torn into tiny bits. The next time, I'll add a bit more, and so on, until it's just too flavorful for me. 

Baby steps. I risk less while trying something new.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Tasty Meals for the End of the Month

Friday

Friday

fried, marinated tofu slices on bed of brown rice and smothered with gravy from the freezer

mashed Hubbard squash

cabbage and sprouts slaw

Saturday

Saturday

scrambled eggs and onions

shoestring fries

carrot sticks

boxed stuffing

Sunday

Sunday

baked bean burritos in homemade flour tortillas

corn and tomato relish

Monday

Monday

Thanksgiving gravy soup, using last of the container of gravy, vegetables, and lentils, topped with oyster crackers

pumpkin spice bread with cream cheese

Tuesday (daughter's night)

spicy corn and tomato soup

mac and cheese with sausages

Wednesday

Wednesday

tuna and tofu sandwiches on homemade whole wheat bread

oven fries

artichokes (marked-down produce -- 3/$1)

canned green beans

Thursday (other daughter's night)
cookout of hotdogs in buns and various salads (and no, it wasn't warm enough for a cookout -- we froze, but my daughter really wanted to have a cookout)


Wednesday's tuna and tofu sandwiches were quite good, and absolutely no one at the table noticed the tofu. (I used tofu to add protein while stretching the tuna.)

My mind is fried as I type this up. On Thursday, I woke up a couple of hours earlier than usual after hearing a plane fly over our house. We live near a small airport that just began commercial flights a year ago. The commercial flights are not supposed to begin for the day until 6 AM. This was around 5 AM that I heard a plane. It must have been one of Boeing's, which do occasionally fly at odd hours. (Boeing has a major plant near us (using the same airfield), and they run shifts around the clock.) I got up and didn't realize it was just after 5 until I was in the kitchen making coffee. Anyway, I'm just not functioning well.

It was a good week, although very busy. I'm making a large pot of chicken soup today, some to eat for dinner and some to freeze. Now that we've gone through most of the  blackberries that we foraged last summer, we have quite a bit of space in one of the freezers -- room for some homemade freezer meals.

I hope your week was a good one. What was on your menu? Any special plans for the weekend?

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Something on the Lid to a Can of Pumpkin

I was opening a can of Libby's pumpkin the other week and noticed this on the lid:

Most of us know that you can use applesauce as a sub for oil/butter in recipes. And I think we also know that pureed pumpkin would also work as a fat substitute in baking. But I just thought this was cool that Libby's had this on their lids this year. So, 

• 3/4 cup of pureed pumpkin = 1 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin = 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup of pureed pumpkin = 1 egg

From my own experience, using a pureed fruit of veggie as a fat or egg substitute works best when the substitute is only for a portion of the total called-for fat or egg. That is, if a cake calls for 2 eggs, then I only substitute 1 egg. Or if a batch of cookies calls for 1 cup of butter, I only substitute for 1/2 cup. In addition, there are definitely some recipes where these substitutes just won't work, such as with shortbread cookies. The texture change would alter the final result far too much.

I just thought Libby's cans were cool.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Making Instant Oatmeal

I needed something to keep my mind off of the news yesterday afternoon, so I put myself to work in the kitchen. One of the things I made was a large batch of cinnamon and brown sugar instant oatmeal, some in individual packets and the rest in a jar to make at home (snacks and quick breakfasts. I used the same method and amounts as I did in October.  I used very basic ingredients to make this: regular rolled oats, granulated sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, and for the individual packets -- powdered milk. (I left the milk powder out of the jarred instant oatmeal, as we can always add milk from the fridge, here. But the packets are designed to be cooked at work.)


In a very cheerful sighting today -- the Easter bunny's baby brother was spotted on our front lawn this afternoon. So cute!

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Thanksgiving Gravy Soup

Just to clarify, this gravy has been in the freezer (not the fridge) since November. However, I brought it out of the freezer on Friday, thinking it was a quart of refried beans (or something along those lines). To my surprise, it was a quart of our Thanksgiving turkey and bacon gravy. As gravy goes, it's very delicious. It's just hard to use an entire quart within a couple of days. 

We've been serving gravy over many of our meals. Yet, I still had about 2 cups remaining. It's tasty, but very rich. Yesterday, I had a thought to turn the rest into soup.

To thin the gravy and turn it into soup, I simmered onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a couple of inches of water. When the veggies were cooked, I stirred in the gravy, plus some leftover cooked lentils for protein and a chunk of frozen spinach. Then I seasoned to taste.

This soup was another meal item based on using up leftovers from the fridge and freezer. It tasted great and put that lingering gravy to good use. Using up leftovers in new ways always puts a smile on my face.

As I was chopping the veggies, I got to thinking -- I do a similar thing, only in reverse, with brothy soups. I thicken leftover stock-based soups to use as gravy. I guess I just like to vary how we use our foods.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Forcing Blossoms Indoors on Cut Tree and Shrub Branches

I don't always get the timing right when taking branch cuttings in late winter to force blossoms. Some years, I cut just a little too soon. The branches don't blossom, but instead, they just sit there growing bacteria colonies in the water. If I am keeping an eye on the cuttings, I'll notice within a few days if buds begin to develop into blossoms. If I have at least a couple of blossoms within 5 to 7 days, I know these branches will do fine. Otherwise, I dump the batch of cuttings and start again in a day or two.

On Friday, I cut about a dozen branches from the forsythia on the side of our house. This shrub is in need of strategic pruning anyway, so I cut away those branches that were blocking access to a walkway. I culled the best 8 branches, trimming the ends so they would all be about the same length, and brought them indoors to a vase of water. 

I've set them on a window seat in the dining room on the north side of the house. On Saturday, I noticed 3 blossoms. Then Sunday, there were several more. I think I got it right with the timing this year. We'll enjoy the forced forsythia blossoms for a week and then it will be about the right time to check the pear trees for branches to cut. I just need to remember to top up the water in this vase every other day.

My grandmother always brought cuttings of blossoming shrubs and trees inside to force. The cuttings were a source of free flowers for her living room. I try to remember all of the ways that she brought loveliness into her home while living on a small budget.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Using 4 Practically Free Methods to Perk Up My Home

When my home feels like it needs freshening, but I don't want to spend any money, I use 4 basic methods to perk things up.  Here's how I gave the table in my entry hall some love yesterday.

• declutter/organize/rearrange -- I took everything off of the table, putting away the winter-ish items (pinecones, candles, evergreen and berries topiary)
• clean/dust/polish -- I was all out of furniture polish, so I used olive oil to which I added a drop of lemongrass essential oil for fragrance. I detailed every nook and crevice of the table.

• repair -- this table has some water stains and moisture damage. After dusting with the oil, I worked some furniture wax into the finish, allowed it to dry, and then buffed. While the work with oil and wax doesn't eliminate the damage, it does minimize it considerably. In a couple of the patches where damage had lightened the wood, I also used a dark brown crayon, rubbed in hard, and then buffed. In addition, there were 2 small support pieces which had broken off. I used wood glue to repair both.

repaired shelf support

• cover -- Sometimes, the best way to improve a surface is to cover it. With this table, I added one of my mother's cutwork placemats to cover the moisture damage. I also added some spring-like decor pieces. 

All ready for spring!

What's great about using these traditional methods of housekeeping to perk up your environment is they work both on the small scale (like this one table) and the large scale (a whole room). I sometimes like to rearrange the furniture as a way to freshen up the look of a room. Moving the seating arrangements allows us to see out the windows from different angles and bring more natural lighting to new conversation groups or private reading spots.

Anyway, I love how clean and polished my entry hall table looks now. It has inspired me to continue with cleaning in this little space of the house.

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Getting One of Those Jobs Done

I was wondering to myself why I dislike some tasks more than others. What I think it all boils down to for me is that some jobs have either little positive feedback, or the negative feedback overrides the positive feedback. 

One of a dozen gouges in the wall from moving furniture up/down the stairs

Here's an example: I've been needing to repair the gouges in a wall for about a year. There's really very little positive feedback for me in this job. No one in my household will gush over how great the repair looks. I could easily find a dozen other jobs that would have more tangible rewards. 

Patch and Paint quick-dry spackling -- this brand is 3M Patch plus Primer.
This stuff is ready to paint in 30 minutes, needs no primer.
I use a straight-edged putty knife to apply and smooth the edges.

I'll have to hunt down all of the tools and supplies that I need, which could prove problematic because our tools and home repair supplies are not well-organized. And I could (and did) cause some sort of injury to myself in the process (I punctured my finger when digging through tools in the garage). 

When the gouge has rippled the paint, as in the left photo, I use an X-Acto knife to trim away the ripple.
The final image shows the same gouge after spackling.

So, can you see why I'd think there is far more negative feedback in the completion of this job? To counter all of this presumed negative feedback, I needed to build in some positive feedback that may only exist in my mind; but that could be enough in itself. 

Okay, so positive feedback on this job:

• I would gain more experience with minor household repairs, which would boost my confidence for future repairs
• I may even get good enough at this kind of repair that I could instruct or inspire someone else to do it
• I would notice how nice the repaired wall looks, even if no one else does
• a house in good repair is always easier to sell than one needing lots of work
• I would finish a job that I start, do what I tell myself I'll do, and become more accountable in my own mind, leading to improved self-esteem

the various gouges all ready for paint

So, I talked myself into taking care of this job. I think I tipped the scales in favor of more positive feedback compared to negative, even with a punctured finger. I'll hunt down the paint in the next days or so. I'm feeling pretty good about myself for getting this done. That's a win!