Fab Friday: Hydrogen Peroxide

I am not a great housewife.

More Lucille Ball than June Cleaver, my housewifery is lackadaisical and haphazard, with the majority of my homemaking artistry concentrated in the fields of Dish-Doing and Bent-Over-Toy-Gathering.

In the Department of Fluff-n-Fold, my know-how is most rudimentary. But I have a secret weapon when it comes to stain removal.

Hydrogen Peroxide.

It's no secret that I have a fondness for OxiClean. I am supremely lazy and use the spray version, usually saturating the area and allowing the garment to sit for long, lonely hours before washing.

But once in a while, my beloved OxiClean just isn't powerful enough to fight the legendary staining power of chocolate. When I spy those milky brown streaks embedded in Big J's favorite shirt, I immediately reach for the Hydrogen Peroxide.

Used in conjunction with OxiClean and a toothbrush, I have found HP to be a problem-solver extraordinaire.

I spray the afflicted area generously with Oxi, douse with HP, scrub gently with the toothbrush, and walk away. If the air is particularly dry (not usually a problem in the bowels of my Eastern Michigan basement), I will ensconce the garment within a Ziploc bag. 12-24 hours later, I wash.

And that's it.

Some may laugh and gently shake their heads at my ignorance. "OxiClean contains HP", they think to themselves, marvelling at my foolishness while they flip through the latest copy of the Robb Report and tap out their meerschaums.

I know that. But there's something about the above approach which just works.

While not infallible, 95% of the darkest, most set-in chocolate ice cream/ pudding/ fudgsicle stains have disappeared. I have used the above on stains which were washed and dried and deeply entrenched. Blood, chocolate, and grass stains have all drifted away before the mighty power of the HP.

So the next time you're faced with the remains of last night's popsicle fest besmirching your favorite garment, give it a go.

What do you have to lose?

(Other than the 69 cents you'll spend?)

*Disclaimer: I am not a laundry expert. The above has worked for me, and may or may not work for you. Before you attempt stain removal, check your garment's care instructions. FYI, sometimes the above doesn't work the first time. In that case, I repeat the steps while the garment is still damp from the wash, and allow it to soak for more time. Good luck!

Sunday Morning

I don't think it's an auspicious start to the day when.....

Big Daddy chooses to sleep through his alarm, then snaps "Quit waking me up every 20 seconds" as a response to "Can I do anything for you this morning?" (my gentle wifely attempt to get him out of bed).

Big Daddy then comes into the kitchen and snaps a picture of me in my PJ/ cold morning outfit of purple tank top under pink long sleeve night gown under black Oregon State sweatshirt over turquoise flamingo / trailer park-at-Christmas pants, with pink slippers, glasses & hair in messy topknot. {Stunning, I know} He said he wanted to record me for posterity, so that when this becomes a national trend we will know where it all began.

Perhaps this is a hint that I should re-examine my morning wardrobe. And maybe even consider getting dressed before noon each day. I think I'm in for a rude awakening when I have to start doing the morning drop-off next school year.

Freshly Made

I love the promise of a freshly made bed. Clean sheets, smoothed and tucked just so. Pillows fluffed, a little turn-down on top.

There's nothing like sliding between the sheets of a newly made bed. I'm not sure what's better: The comfort of snuggling into a featherbed-topped mattress with flannel sheets and a fluffy down comforter. Or the cool embrace of softly worn cotton and the lightest of summer blankets.

My life changed when I discovered down pillows. I am a tremendous fan of the pillow, going so far as to build a "pillow fort" when I have the space. This means one pillow under my head, and one on either side of my body. Not so popular when sharing a bed, but tremendously cozy when space allows. I have 2 king sized down pillows that are enormous, puffy, and perfectly squishable. I like the king sized version, as I can tuck it under my head and still have pillow to wrap my arms around.

And on that note, I am going to sleep in my freshly made bed.