Archive for Cleaning Tips

Use Your Homemade Enzyme To Clean Your Washing Machine & Rid It Of Odours & Mildew Buildup Forever !

September 30, 2009 · Filed under Cleaning Tips, How To's & Guides · Tagged , ,

washing-machine.jpg

Hi there, dear friends :D

Two years ago, I had written about using bleach and vinegar to get clean my washing machine in the post :-

Remember to clean your washing machine monthly

However, since I started using the miracle homemade fruit enzymes (READ HERE on how to make your own enzymes at almost zero costs) for all my household cleaning purpose, my washing machine no longer has any bad smells and mildewy buildups.  Because I also use enzyme to do my laundry daily, my washing machine is going to stay odour free and clean on the inside all the time.

For those who will be cleaning their front loading washing machine for the first time using homemade enzyme, here are the instructions :-

1) unplug the washing machine

2) remove everything on and around the washing machine

3) get ready the following items :-

  • a small pail,
  • 2 old face towels or rags,
  • 2 to 4 cups of enzyme,
  • scrub brush with a long handle,
  • a roll of paper kitchen towels,
  • a spray bottle filled with enzyme (use full concentration for tough cleaning, diluted with some water for milder jobs)

4) remove the detergent drawer. To remove caked mould and dirt effectively, soak it in some concentrated enzyme for the moment.

5) spray inside the area which holds the detergent drawer with undiluted enzyme

6) use a few pieces of paper kitchen towels to wipe off the yucky mess in the folds of the rubber ring at the door opening.  Remove as much of the dirt as you can

7) dilute one cup of enzyme with 5 cups of water in  the pail

8 ) wet the rag in the diluted enzyme and rub it all around the folds of the rubber ring. Rinse cloth and repeat again until as clean as possible.  Pour away the pail  of water that is now dirty

9) prepare another batch of cleaning solution in the pail, i.e. 1  cup of enzyme with 5 cups of water

10) wet another piece of rag in pail of  diluted enzyme and wipe all the other surfaces of the washing machine, i.e. door, knobs, sides, top, etc…

11) use the long-handled brush to scrub at the area that holds the detergent drawer. If possible, do like I did – use a hose to spray some water at the same time you brush away the caked dirt there. If not, then just spray more enzyme or water while you remove the dirt. Flush or spray with water until that area is as clean as possible.

12) for the detergent drawer that has been soaking in the enzyme, use a brush to scrub away the grime there. If need be, use an old toothbrush to get at those hard to reach area. Rinse clean and put back the drawer back into the washing machine.

13) the final step of cleaning your washing machine is to put in 2 cups of enzyme into the detergent drawer, plug back in your washing machine and put it through a normal wash cycle (without any dirty laundry) with a temperature of 37 degrees Celcius or 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The enzymes work best at this temperature. :idea:

There you have it…your washing machine is now clean on the inside and the outside and even the water pipe outlets should be cleaned by the enzyme….and most important of all, there is no more smells and fungus and  mildew there! :D

How to get your laundry really clean and good smelling ?

Answer :- Just add in a quarter cup of enzyme to the detergent! :idea:

I noticed that when enzyme is used together with laundry detergent, my laundry no longer smells funny. Even the fragrance of the fabric softener is enhanced. Somehow, the enzyme helps to remove the bacteria in the laundry – a good confirmation this is my laundry no longers smells mildewy even when we have no sun and it has been raining for 2 days. Previously, in this kind of environment, my clothes will smell a bit mouldy and I would have to re-wash them again.  :roll:

For really dirty laundry, just soak it overnight in your washing machine (remember to add in 1/4 cup of enzyme), and continue the wash first thing the next morning! Voila! My towels are so white and fresh smelling these days! :D

Hope you can try the enzyme out yourselves to see how it will work for you. I bet you will be happy with your washing machine and doing laundry from now onwards!

With best wishes,

choesf :D

Comments (5) »

Shortcut To Reduce The Fermentation Time Of Your Fruit Cleaning Enzyme

September 18, 2009 · Filed under Cleaning Tips · Tagged , , , , ,

Enzyme Sludge & Yeast To Speed Up Enzyme FermentationLeft – 1 teaspoon of yeast was added

Middle – 2 teaspoons of yeast was added

Right – Sludge from another matured enzyme was added (about 1/2 cup)

Good morning, dear friends :D

All credit of this wonderful tip to shorten the fermentation period of the Eco or Fruit Enzyme for cleaning goes to visitor Jon Q, who had commented at my post earlier of Recipe For Eco or Fruit Enzyme for Cleaning.

Jon Q said,

August 20, 2009 @ 11:16 pm ·

This is a great idea! I’m trying it now. The reason it takes so long to ferment is that you’re relying on the tiny amount of natural yeast that lives on the citrus peels to reproduce and eat all that sugar. Since there isn’t much yeast at the beginning, it takes a long time to get the fermentation going.

You can speed it up considerably by adding a spoonful of yeast at the beginning. It should take less than two weeks if there’s enough yeast. Another way to speed it up is to save the liquid / sludge at the bottom and use it in your next batch, it will speed things up a lot. Try using a balloon instead of a lid, it will stop the bottles exploding.

If you look at the picture above, you will notice that the bottle with the enzyme sludge added has a more “mature” look in the colour of the enzyme. This shows that enzyme sludge is more effective in speeding up the fermentation process of the cleaning enzyme.

Hmmm….I wonder if the same concept (of using the slush) will work for drinking enzymes? :lol:

With this method, I can now harvest a lot of cleaning enzymes in a shorter time, enough for me to liberally use the enzymes for cleaning effectively.

Happy Cleaning!

With best wishes,

choesf :D


P.S. Due to the feedback received from visitor, tt, that the bottle of enzyme exploded overnight – please exercise caution before you open the enzyme bottle in case it explodes and the bottle cap hurtles like a missle and may hurt you.

When yeast is added to speed up the fermentation process, the amount of gas buildup is multipled also, and you will need to check your bottles for tension more often.

Here are some tips to stay safe and not have to clean up a big mess :-


1) to test the extent of the gas buildup in the bottle, give the bottle a slight squeeze (if the bottle is not made from hard material) – the degree of tension or flexibility of the squeeze will tell you whether an explosion if likely or not


2) invert a plastic bag over the bottle before opening it – in the event of an explosion, the mess is contained within the plastic bag and the cap will not hurt you


3) to prevent an explosion – remember to check the bottles frequently by opening the caps daily (even a few times a day if time permits).

4) do not make the bottles airtight but keep the cap closed partially with just a couple of twists.

Comments (16) »

Rice Water Enzyme – Good For Cleaning Oily Surfaces, Kitchen, Plastic Containers, Tupperware

September 18, 2009 · Filed under Cleaning Tips · Tagged , ,

Rice Water Enzyme

Right – Rice Water Enzyme Concentrate

Left – Rice Water Enzyme + Dish Detergent + Water

===>  For washing dishes

Good evening, dear friends :D

Quite some time ago, I was watching a show from Hong Kong on TV where chefs were taking part in a culinary competition. During the show, they were asked what was most effective in cleaning the oily surfaces in restaurant kitchens – their answer was a real surprise to me ===> rice water! :shock:

The chefs said “Mai Shui”, which in Cantonese means “Rice Water” or water left from rinsing the rice before cooking.

Naturally, my interest was perked upon hearing that we can use rice water for cleaning purposes. Of course, I tried using some to clean my kitchen hob and splatter wall tiles but it didn’t work at all. In fact, I got a messy and really oily wash cloth – more oily stuff to clean! :roll: :lol:

So, I forgot about the whole thing until last month, when I was told about the Rice Water Enzyme by a lady who has a “economy rice’ or “mixed rice” stall. We were sharing notes on the using of enzymes for cleaning and she said she read about the Rice Water Enzyme in a magazine.

Here’s the Rice Water Enzyme Recipe :-

Rice Water (from the first rinse when washing rice before cooking)

Brown or Red Sugar or Jaggery – at least 100 gm per liter of rice water

Method – mix both thoroughly in a plastic bottle. Enzyme is ready to use after ONE (1) WEEK!

Tip – this enzymes smells a bit and to overcome that, I added some bruised lemon grass and lemon peels.

To use – I added 1/2 cup of Rice Water Enzyme to 1/4 cup dish detergent and 1 cup water and stored this cleaning solution in a bottle. This mixture is further diluted with water depending on the degree of oiliness of my dishes, pots, kitchen wall tiles and stove tops, etc.

The dish detergent is to give the cleaning mixture some suds, because the enzyme on its own has no suds/lather.

I am very happy with the efficacy of the Rice Water Enzyme in cutting grease and oils effectively…more so than the Eco Enzyme or Fruit Enzyme that I had made earlier. Only problem is this enzyme is also more abrasive on my hands compared to the Fruit Enzyme, which had, on the contrary, helped to soften my hands a bit from all those cleaning. :lol:

I find the Rice Water Enzyme especially good in heavy cleaning jobs like washing oily plastic containers like Tupperwares, greasy pots and woks, oil splattered wall tiles in the kitchen and mixing bowls with remains of cake batter.

With a normal dish detergent previously, I would have squirted lots of it and many rounds of washing to get my plasticware oil free. But with this enzyme, just an easy rub or two with the sponge would make the plasticware quickly oil free. It’s really amazing how the Rice Water Enzyme works but you have got to try it yourself to see. :wink:

To clean my kitchen sink outlet pipes, now and then, I would pour about 1 cup of the enzyme into the sink holes when all the washing in the kitchen is done for the night. I am hoping that the enzyme would help to cut some of the grease in the pipes as well as breakdown the sludge buildup in there. :idea:

Happy Cleaning!

With best wishes,

choesf :D

Comments (4) »

Wow, I’m So Impressed With My Eco (Fruit) Enzyme Cleaner – You’ve Got To Try It! Here’s My Review…

June 22, 2009 · Filed under Cleaning Tips · Tagged , , , , ,

Good afternoon, dear friends :D

My first bottle of eco or fruit enzyme was due to “mature” on 09 July, 2009 but because I had ran out of floor wash and I was impatient to know know effective the enzyme is as a multi cleaner, I poured some of it out to use on 16 June, 2009….3 weeks prematurely, before harvest due date!

Wow, I am so impressed with the amazing cleaning qualities of the eco enzyme that for the past week, I have been trying out this “premature” enzyme on almost anything and I was busy cleaning like a busy beaver! :lol:

(Do read the comments at the bottom of this post for more amazing cleaning experiences posted by the visitors here and myself)

Check out this POST on how to make your own fruit enzyme. :wink:

mini-Eco Enzyme 001

Photo taken on  06 May, 2009 – on the left is my first eco enzyme made from lemon and orange peels, which I had posted HERE. The  middle one was made from lemon, orange and beet root. The right one is made from green apples and some lemon.

mini-Eco Enzyme 002Photo taken on 16 June, 2009 – I had made a new bottle of eco enzyme using the skins of one dragon fruit and 2 oranges. Notice that the contents of the right bottle made from beetroot has turned yellow?

Here’s my review on the eco enzyme -

Bathrooms

Previously, I had tried vinegar, bleach and specilised bathroom cleaners to wash my bathrooms and toilets. With the eco enzyme, cleaning of bathrooms had become a breeze! I used 1/2 cup of enzyme to 1 litre of water as my cleaning solution and I wet the whole bathroom with it. Wow, the dirt and scum came off easily with minimal scrubbing…most importantly, I did not have to bear with any cleaner fumes..instead there was a wonderful citrus smell. The enzyme was also good in removing stale bathroom odours. Am I impressed indeed! :shock:

Tiled Floors

Being in the tropics, our houses here are not carpeted and we walk barefooted at home. So, it is of utmost importance to me that my floors must be clean. Having an effective floor wash to mop my floors is crucial, given that my house is 3 storeys high and I have a lot of area to mop. Previously, I had tried expensive enzymatic floor cleaners, vinegar and standard commercial floor wash. As I have 3 cats, I can’t use strong commercial cleaners as they may be poisonous to my cats (cats are always licking to clean their paws and fur).

With great excitement, I poured 2 tablespoons of eco enzyme into a pail containing 3 litres of water.

Again, I am simply astounded by the enzyme – the dirt on the floor was easily removed and the pail of water was getting dirtier faster than if I had use my previous type of floorwash, even with vinegars. Another proof of the superb cleaning power of the enzyme was seeing the floor grouting (the lines between the tiles) getting brighter/whiter! I used this one pail of water plus enzyme to mop one whole floor.  After this, my floor was squeaky clean and very shiny! :D

Two days I mopped my floors again with the enzyme. This time, the pail of water got even dirtier, which I guessed was due to more old dirt and grime being removed by the enzyme. By the third time I mop the floors (another 2 days later), the dirt in the water was lesser and by now, my floors look brand new and shiny. Best is the wonderful, clean feel on the soles of our feet when we walk on the floor. Wow!

With the enzyme floor wash, there is no rinse is required, it absorbs odours, it is safe for pets and the leftover mop water can be used as plant fertilisers.

Glass Doors & Windows

I used window cleaners and lots of paper kitchen towels to clean my glass doors and windows. Often, I have had to wipe them a few rounds to get them really clean with no smudges. With the eco enzyme, I used 2 tablespoons of it with 2 litres of water and a clean cotton towel. No rinse is required and the glass was easily cleaned effortless..all in just one wipe and in a couple of minutes. Old water stains were easily removed for those windows exposed to rain. Fantastic!

Car Porch & Garden Pots

With the amount of rain that we get, some parts of my car porch and garden pots have green algae. Also, as the car porch is not often washed or scrubbed, there tend to be a buildup of dirt and grime that is hard to remove. I had tried using vinegars and strong cleaners and srubbed my car porch like crazy..but still, it didn’t turn out as sparkling clean as when I used my eco enzyme.

To half a pail of water (about 3 litres), I poured in half a cup of enzyme (if I had more enzyme, I would have used more..maybe next time….because this is a heavy duty job)…I spread the cleaning solution over my whole car porch and then started scrubbing a small area first. Again, I need not srub hard and the dirt came our very easily….cleaning the car porch has never being so effortless for me and I was so happy! The green algae came off easily from the floor and pots. Even my children commented they have never seen our car porch so clean before.

Kitchen Hob/Stove

I didn’t get very good results for using the enzyme to clean my oily gas hob after a heavy cooking session – probably because I didn’t use enough enzyme. By now, my “yet to mature” enzyme has been half used and I dared not use too much of it.  I will report more on this the next time I clean my kitchen with the eco enzyme. :wink:

Kitchen Wall Tiles and Glass Blocks

Again, these were easily cleaned with minimal time…I have gleaming wall tiles and glass blocks.

Refrigerators

They were really easy to clean with the enzyme. Best is stale odours were removed quickly and interior and exterior surfaces of the fridges are now sparkling clean and shiny. As both my GE fridges are white in colour, the cleaned doors were quite obvious.

Other areas I would like to try using the enzyme for :-

1) washing the car? Just to see how good the enzyme is for removing old dirt from the paint and the stubborn watermarks on the windows and windscreen. :lol:

2) doing the dishes?

3) cleaning the painted walls?

4) doing the laundry?

5) as an insect repellent? Thus far, I have tried a little of the enzyme on some areas where there were ants…but I need to test this out more before I can write more on it.

6) as a facial cleanser? I am not really sure about this but my air-condition repairman said his wife uses the enzyme to wash her face and her complexion is now so good. She even calls this enzyme, “SK-111″…this is also another reason why I decided to use fruits only to make the enzyme as it will smell better.   :lol:

7) fertiliser – in addition to using the enzyme as fertilisers for my plants, I intend to blend the remains of the fruit pulp with some water and pour them onto my plants.

Advantages of using the eco enzyme :-

1) really, really effective as a cleaner…..doesn’t need a lot of effort to clean anymore, and the dirt is so easily removed that it is almost magical!

2) cost effective – I am now saving a lot of money in not having to buy anymore bleaches, vinegar, cleaners, floorwashes, toilet bowl cleaners, glass cleaners….and so on. The enzyme is almost free and the only minimal cost is in the sugar.  Also, I save money from buying fertilisers.

3) safe to use…there are no chemicals involved…and so, it is good for those families who have pets and small children at home

4) nice smell to it – no irritating chemical fumes. Can even remove odours,

5) it is an environmental friendly product

6) it is gentle on our hands

I hope you will be able to make some enzyme and see for yourself how wonderful its cleaning qualities are. It will save you a lot of energy, work and money and you will be like me…..beaming with a wide smile everytime I finish cleaning with the enzyme! :D

From now onwards, I will be making eco enzymes regularly to provide a steady supply for my cleaning requirements! :lol:

Happy Cleaning! :D

With best wishes,

choesf :D



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Recipe For Homemade Citrus Enzyme Cleaner – Natural, Really Cheap (Almost Free) & Effective !

May 2, 2009 · Filed under Cleaning Tips, How To's & Guides · Tagged , , , , , , ,

homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-005-smallMy newly prepared eco enzyme cleaner made from lemon and orange peels

(Please READ HERE for my review and good feedback from visitors and myself of this wonderful enzyme :wink: )

(READ HERE is how to make Dragon Fruit Enzyme to drink for health)

*

Good afternoon, dear friends :D

Heheh, for quite a while, I was suffering from a writer’s block – there was so much to tell you but every time I select the “New Post” option here, I ended up just staring at the blank page and no words came out…my mind felt like it was stuck in quicksand! :oops:

Anyway, I would say that the Earth Hour campaign carried out here in Malaysia a few weeks ago was a great success – environmental awareness has increased and there were many good articles in the local newspapers promoting environmental friendly programmes and articles.

One of them that caught my eye was the recipe or method for making our own enzymes using fruit and vegetable scraps or leftovers from the kitchen. These enzymes are really good and effective as a multi-purpose cleaner.

I have been using a fruit and enzyme based floor cleaner to mop my floors for the last 13 years but I bought the floorwash from a chemical engineer who made this environmental friendly floorwash for sale.  After mopping the floor, I would pour the water into my pots of plants, which would bloom beautifully….i.e. the floorwash doubled as a plant fertiliser, too. :wink:

Last year, a friend told me the “recipe” for making our own ezymatic cleaner…but I didn’t really try making some until I read about it in the newspapers last month. It was actually called “The Garbage Enzyme” but I thought the word “garbage” sounds kind of yucky and decided to modify things a bit and made my own Citrus Enzyme, consisting of lemon and orange leftovers.

Some wonderful uses recommended for this non-toxic, environmental friendly enzyme (use one to two teaspoon of enzyme) -

1)  to do dishes and laundry

2) for washing bathrooms and toilets

3) for removing stubborn stains

4) to clean vegetables and fruits

5) clear blockages in kitchen sinks and drains

6) as a natural insect repellent (use undiluted) for ants, cockroaches..

7) as a floorwash to mop floors shiny clean

8 ) as fertiliser for vegetables, flowering and non-flowering plants

9) as a skincare product, e.g. facial cleanser


Currently, most people that I  know are making this enzyme at home and many have confirmed its wonderful uses. Even my regular air-condition service/repair man said his wife has been using this homemade enzyme to wash her face and she has given it a name – SK3 ! :lol:

I made a small batch of enzyme to try it out for myself, and I have posted a pictorial recipe below. I  only used 10 % of the total ingredients required because I was impatient to get the enzyme started and I didn’t have a large enough plastic container. Anyway, the curiousity got the better of me and I didn’t want to go through waiting over a few weeks to accumulate the 3 kg of vegetable and fruit scraps from my kitchen. :lol:


Citrus Enzyme Based Multipurpose Cleaner

To begin, you need a plastic container with an airtight cover. Here, I have used an old 2-litre fruit juice bottle. The enzyme takes 3 months to “ferment” and be ready for use.

Ingredients :-

homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-001-small

100 gms of brown sugar

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homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-002-small

300 gms of lemon and orange scraps (these were leftover after I had juiced them)

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homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-003-small

1 litre tap water

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homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-004-small

Use a funnel to pour sugar into the bottle. Drop in the fruit slices. Pour in the water.

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homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-005-small

Cover the bottle and date it, so that you will know when the enzyme is ready to use , i.e. 3  months later on

*

homemade-citrus-enzyme-cleaner-006-small Give the ingredients in the bottle a good shake to mix them thoroughly. For the first month, open the cover to let out the oxygen build-up from the fermentation process. On some days, you will see the bottle swelling up in size.

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homemade-fruit-enzyme-small

The above picture is my bottle of enzyme that is now almost 1 month old. To read more about this amazing enzyme cleaner from my local newspaper,  CLICK HERE

Happy Cleaning! :D

With peace and joy,


choesf :D

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Preparations For Chinese New Year – 1

January 27, 2008 · Filed under Chit Chats & Stories, Cleaning Tips · Tagged ,

potsofpaint.jpg

Good evening, dear friends :D

Ah, finally my Chinese New Year preparations have started – by doing a decluttering and cleaning of my store room. This is the first step to decluttering my house – decluttering the store room will make space for more stuff to go in there as I declutter the rest of my house. This way, I will keep the the  stuff easier to organise and kept flowing as I go about doing this for the whole house – every storage area like cupboards, wardrobes, store rooms, larders, and even refrigerators will get a good cleaning and tidying.

This is very important for Chinese New Year because we are removing the chi from the past year, to make room for the chi of the new year. Starting this massive decluttering job will be scary we are sure to procratinate or even balk at doing it, but once we get started, we feel so good about ourselves and the space that we have cleared because the energies there are now clean and new. So, it is really worth the great effort it takes to do this.

It will take me another 2 – 3 days to finish the whole decluttering job, with the help of my family, of course. :wink:

Today, I did some painting and waterproofing jobs. First thing in the morning, I scraped off a part of the wall that was getting a little damp at the ground floor of my house, apply a layer of waterproof sealer and then repainted it. After that, it was painting my automatic gates at the front of the house, and the grille gate and wooden door at the back of my house – they were subject to the weather elements and there was rust and some wear and tear.

It is good to give a new coat of paint to gates and doors because they will bring in new chi also. It is inauspicious to have rusty gates or gates that are rundown in condition. I simply love the paint of smell and because I was an only child in my family, I had grew up doing the painting for my family every year before Chinese New Year. Therefore, the smell of new paint reminds me that the Chinese New Year is just round the corner. My husband can’t stand the smell of paint but anyway, I love doing the paintwork and would happily go about looking for stuff to paint! :roll: :lol:

Yesterday, it was my husband’s jobs to replace all the light bulbs that had fused. There is inauspicious chi in those areas that have things that are broken down and therefore it is advisable to get those things fixed. :wink:

Okay, I will stop here as I have taken a breather here from decluttering my living room. I am too tired to cook dinner tonight and so, I am just going to the Indian shop nearby to buy some takeouts of Roti Canai, Chappati, rice and some curries. :D

Have fun preparing for your Chinese New Year, ladies! :D

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Declutter Your Home For Better Wealth, Career, Relationship, Health

December 8, 2007 · Filed under Areas of Feng Shui, Cleaning Tips, Feng Shui Remedies · Tagged , , , , , ,

3-coins.jpg

Dear friends, :D

Hehe, you must think that I talk a lot about decluttering and cleaning and cooking… :roll: but when we look from the Feng Shui perspective, it is of utmost importance that we do a light decluttering occasionally, so that old, stagnant chi or energy can be removed and new, vibrant chi takes its place. Have you ever noticed how good you feel, both mentally and physically, after you have decluttered and cleaned up some sections of your home?

Here, I am going to explain a bit further on why we should never let clutter build up in our home because, in Feng Shui, that pile of clutter is going to have a negative impact on some aspects of your life! :shock:

In the Life Aspirations Theory in Feng Shui, our home is divided into 8 sectors, with each sector signifying an important aspect of our life. For example, the Southeast sector means the WEALTH SECTOR for us. Now, if you have a lot of clutter in this part of your home, it is likely that you will face some problems with your wealth in terms of savings, expenses, money flowing out faster than it comes in, etc.

Below is a Life Aspirations Theory Chart, and some explanation on the various sectors of our home. When you understand how it works, I bet you will want to start decluttering those important sectors of your home! :wink:

life-aspirations-chart.gif

The eight aspirations are correlated with a direction.The magnetic orientation of the main entrance (a compass reading) determines the placement of the life aspirations map. In the example of the chart above, the front door faces South. So, the area at the entrance is considered as the South sector of the home. Or when you take a compass reading by standing at your doorway, looking outwards and it shows that your entrance faces East, then that sector of your house is considered the East sector.

Meanings of Sectors in our Home
East ===> Health. Activating and keeping the area in the East sector clean and tidy bring good health to the residents. The East also stands for longevity and descendant’s luck.

West ===> Children & Family. If the west side energy is kept harmonious, clean and active, the family stays in good spirit and strength.

South ===> Fame. The fame recognition sector when energized (by having some activities there, like spending some time cleaning and decluttering there) would assist and benefit the reputation, recognition, popularity and fame of the occupants. If you desire more monetary wealth you need to activate the fame area to be noticed. If you want a promotion you first need your boss to notice you. Also, if you want to increase your business sales you need clients to notice your company.This is definitely a favourable sector to energize for politicians, actors, singers, writers, models, or people that benefit from popularity and recognition. So, be sure this area is not cluttered up and no stagnant chi builds up slowly.

North ===> Career, Business. The career sector when energized would assist and benefit in the positive and smooth flowing of your career, for steady and solid growth in career as well. Stagnant chi and clutter means your career is going nowhere.

SouthWest ===> Love, Relationship, Marriage. The marriage and relationship sector when energized would stimulate smooth and positive flow of energy favourable for relationship and marriage prospects. Thus, this corner would be appropriate for those wishing for positive relationship and improving relationship, especially those not married. For married couples, sometimes marriage can be stressful and need much compromise; the activation of this corner can help in circulation of more positive and harmonizing relationship energy, South West is also a very important area; as it is the place of the matriarch of the family. Take care that this area of the house is always kept free from clutter.

SouthEast ===> Wealth/Money. The wealth and prosperity sector when energized would assist and benefit in the positive achievement, and accumulation of wealth and prosperity. Make sure this area is not obstructed by clutter and there is free, easy flow of good chi here.

NorthEast ===> Knowledge, excellent examination results of you and your children, i.e. this sector represents educational growth. This area is also good for meditation and spiritual growth.

NorthWest ===> Networking, Mentors, Friends, Helpful People Sector.This sector helps to bring in helpful people, the Chinese call them “Noblemen”, mentors, friends, to help you progress in your life. So, if you are into sales, and you need to ensure that you have got good networking circles, be sure this area is kept clean and active.

A light decluttering can simply mean that you are moving things around just a bit, like taking that pile of books off the shelf, giving them a good dusting, and then putting them back onto the shelf – there, you have moved the energy or chi around there. Or when you pull out your sofa set from the walls, give that area a good vacuuming and then push your sofa set back – that is also considered as refreshing the chi or activating the chi there. Move things around. A fresh coat of paint will also refresh the chi.

Do you remember the feeling you had when you moved into your newly rented or purchased home? When your new home is all clean and tidy, with fresh coats of paints on the wall, when you got there? Remember how good and fresh and vibrant the place felt to you?

For the Chinese, the welcoming of the Chinese New Year doesn’t just mean heralding the lunar New Year date, but we also welcome the wonderful, new chi/energy of the lunar New Year. But before the new chi can come into our homes, we need to remove all the old chi first, and that is when a few weeks before the Chinese New Year, you will see all Chinese families engaged in a frenzy of cleaning every part (and I mean literally every part!) of the home – the walls, the floors, all the furniture, even our cars, car porches, all get a good cleaning and wiped with water (water is a cleansing medium, too)….and on the eve of Chinese New Year, our homes are spotless!

Earlier this year, we had some European friends who joined us in this cleaning ritual, all the way up to preparing a Chinese feast for our New Year’s Eve Reunion dinner, and they had a lot of fun welcoming the new energies of the lunar New Year.

Next year, Chinese New Year will fall on February 07, and a few weeks before that, I will be embarking on my grand house cleaning activities, and I will blog about it here. So, if there are some you who would like to join me in decluttering your whole house then, we will have some fun together. I can assure you although the job will be very tiring, you will go to bed happy and fresh each night. Like the new chi that you will be bringing into your home as you clean along, you will feel lighter, brighter, more cheery and full of energy. Best is now that you understand what the Life Aspirations Theory on the various sectors of your home is, you will know that good things are being welcomed into your life as you declutter your home. :wink:

Happy Decluttering! :D

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How To Remove Urine & Other Odours From Mattresses

December 8, 2007 · Filed under Cleaning Tips, How To's & Guides · Tagged , , , , , ,

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Dear friends,

A few weeks ago, I received an enquiry from a visitor here on how to remove urine odours from our mattresses. I’m sure many of us have gone through a stage whereby our babies, kids and even pets have got their pee onto the mattress, and it can be quite a headache for us to remove the stain, and worse, the pungent smell of urine.

If this happens onto a crib mattress, then the cleaning job is easier as we can easily carry it to a convenient place to clean and have some sunlight on it. But if you have a situation like mine – whereby my babies have managed to wet my king-sized mattress – then there is no way that we are going to lug the huge mattress anywhere and any cleaning will have to be done on the spot. :roll:

This is the method that I used to remove urine stains and odours from my mattress :-

1) remove the bed sheet and any mattress protector first. Then wash the stained spots under a tap with some detergent at the laundry or kitchen sink. Rinse. After this, put the bedsheet set into the washing machine, set the cycle for a hot wash, put in detergent, and at the first rinse in the wash cycle, put in a cup of white vinegar. This will remove any odour in the bedsheet.

2) For the mattress, if the urine stain is still wet, put a few pieces of paper kitchen towels to absorb the moisture as much as you can.

3) Make a solution of detergent and warm water, pour bit by bit over the urine stains, give them a quick scrub with a brush, and very quickly use paper kitchen towels to remove the moisture there. Repeat this a few times until you are sstisfied that you have done your best.

4) I used a hair dryer to dry the wet spot. At this point, the urea/ammonia smell is still going to be there and you need something to neutralise that smell.

5) I had used Ammens Medicated Powder to absorb the smell last time because then, I only had this on hand and I have found it to be very effective. Plus, I thought this powder would be safer to use on the mattress since we sleep on it. Just pour the medicated powder liberally to cover the whole stained area.

Leave this on for as many hours as possible………but in case you need to sleep on this mattress (it may be in the middle of the night), place a dry towel over it, and then put a new bedsheet over it and go back to sleep.

6) Next day or a few hours later, just vacuum off the medicated powder. The smell would have gone by now but if there is a bit of odour left, then, you just pour more medicated powder over the spot and leave for a few more hours….then, vacuum the powder away. :wink:

Actually, the best remedy to remove urine odour is to place the mattress or bedsheet in the strong sun, as sunlight can neutralise the urea smell. But when this is not possible, e.g. your mattress is too heavy to be moved, you don’t have sun because now it is autumn or winter, etc…. then using the medicated powder is a good remedy.

I have read that we can use a vinegar and baking powder solution to clean the stains and remove odours, but I personally feel that using the medicated powder is safer on our skin (not that we are having direct skin contact with the mattress, but psychologically wise, I feel better with the medicated powder anyway.)

Many years ago, my doctor has also recommended the use of medicated powder to as a deodorant for my underarms at one time when my underarms were allergic to some deodorants/anti-perspirants that I was using. So, this sort of confirmed that medicated powder can actually remove odours, too. :wink:

Please note that I am not being paid or sponsored by the company of Ammens Medicated Powder, but that I am merely sharing with you my experience.

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The Beautiful Art Of Procrastination

December 7, 2007 · Filed under Chit Chats & Stories, Cleaning Tips · Tagged , , , ,

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Ah, dear friends, you are wondering why I describe procrastination as being a beautiful art? :lol:

What started me off thinking deeper about procrastination was just the simple fact that I have been procrastinating for a long time on a really, simple task, which got me thinking that procrastination is not as simple as it seems! :roll:

I have been putting off decluttering a small section of our family room on the top floor where our bedrooms are, where there are cupboards storing our bedsheets, towels, clean laundry pending ironing…….and because these cupboards are also accessed by my kids, being kids, they often mess up the whole place. Neatly folded towels would have slipped off and pushed hurriedly back in a haphazard manner by them, clean laundry would be turned upside down in their haste to get their own shirt for ironing, and so on…  

What was putting me off that simple task of merely putting order to the little “chaos” in those cupboards was the futility of it all – they will be back to a mess in a week’s time! :roll: So, I took the easy way out – I started to ignore the “mess” that was staring at me and I became immune to the chaotic sight that greets me everytime I open those cupboards.

But then there is this little voice coming from the back of my head that refuses to go away and just keeps on telling (err…..I think nagging would be a better word there! Hahaha!) me to please, go and clean up that place – after all, clutter is no good for good feng shui, because clutter means chaotic chi, negative energies…blah, …….blah, ….blah. :roll:

So, one day, I really couldn’t stand that little voice bugging me anymore, I took a deep breath, opened those cupboards, took out the first item (actually, I started with the easiest chore to do – refolding those towels) and started my decluttering chore there.

As the minutes went by, I started to think, ”hey, actually I am enjoying doing this.”  Really! Because there was joy and satisfaction in creating order out of chaos, seeing the untidy mess turned into neatness, and more of getting a decluttering chore out of the way (and in getting rid of that little naggy voice out of my head, too!) Actually, when we are decluttering, we are also removing the negative, stagnant chi……and in its place, new energies would come in and those energies were making me feel good. Sort of like “external” endorphins, if you like. :lol:

While I was tidying up, I couldn’t help thinking how wily and conniving our mind can get in trying to get away with doing something, i.e. in procrastinating. Have  you ever procrastinated before in doing something, like finishing an assignment in school, getting the leaking faucet fixed, preparing your paper for tomorrow’s meeting, etc? The next time you try and postpone the inevitable (you are procrastinating), try and slow down a bit and observe how you feel and what is going through your mind. You would be amazed by all sorts of excuses or feelings that run through you when you procrastinate…..and that is why I call it “The Beautiful Art Of Procrastination!”  :wink:

We can use so many adjectives to apply to it – the mind is slippery as an eel, and therefore it is so easy to come up with many excuses in an instance just to not do that job -

1) I told myself that there was no point in decluttering, things would only get messy again in a short time

2) no, I have something better to do

3) no, I have something more important to do

4) no, I have nothing to do but I am just going to take a little rest now

5) I know I am supposed to declutter after that nap, but now I have to prepare dinner (but dinnertime is 6 hours away! :roll: )

6) I will declutter after dinner because that job is easy, it’ll only take me 10 minutes. No problem!

7) …(after dinner), gosh, I am so tired from running around doing errands today, I will clean those darned cupboards tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I promise!

8 ) …(come the next morning), please refer to Step 1 above and go down the list again …

See what I mean? 8)

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Remember To Clean Your Washing Machine Monthly

November 4, 2007 · Filed under Cleaning Tips · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

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Do you know that you have to clean the insides of your washing machine thoroughly to avoid buildup of mould, mildew, scum and terrible odours (especially when almost all brands of front loading washine machines will have bad odours)? Well…I didn’t! :oops: It was only recently that I found out there is a way to properly clean the interior of our washing machines. Mine is a Zanussi front loading washing machine, and all this while, I have just been cleaning its detergent drawer, the exposed part of the rubber seal at the doorway and the external body.

Of late, I noticed an odour that is a bit mildewy and my detergent drawer was growing some black stuff, which I only knew after doing some research on the Internet. was BLACK MOULD! OMG! I was shocked and quickly found what I needed to do to get rid of this mould, gunge and slime ……and at midnight last night, I gave my washing machine a thorough cleaning. :roll: Now, my machine looks almost like new (although it is 5 years old), the glass door and external body is gleaming, and best of all, the mouldy odour inside is gone! :D

(Please READ HERE for my post dated 30 Sept, 2009 on  second method in cleaning the washing machine – a homemade eco or environmental friendly fruit enzyme is used instead)

For washing machines like mine that have not been properly cleaned for a long time -

(Note – Make sure the power supply is turned off before starting)

1) remove the detergent drawer and soak it in 1 litre hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar for 10 minutes. Give it a good scrub, and if there are persistent stains, spray some undiluted bleach on it. After rinsing, leave it to dry and put back later when you have finished cleaning the “hole” that you removed the drawer from.

2) make another batch of the baking powder-vinegar-water solution in a pail – use a long handled brush to clean the hole/compartment that contains the detergent drawer. There is a lot of black mould in there, which is not good for our health as it can easily spread to the rest of the washing machine and may cause allergies if we wear clothes that have black mould.

For harder to access nooks and crannies in the hole, I used a spray bottle to squirt the cleaning solution inside. Use a bottle to spray the water in to rinse off the dirt. My washing machine is located in my laundry room and I can use a hose to directly spray water inside. Make sure the cover to the drainage located on the bottom front of the washing machine is open so that the dirty water can drain out from the front, when your washing machine is turned off.

Then as I was not satisfied with the cleaning that way, I even squirted some undiluted bleach into the hole and let it stand for a few minutes, while I went on to clean the other areas of my washing machine.

The rubber seal at the doorway for my washing machine is folded and in the fold there was a lot of buildup of slime and gunge, which I was not aware and so I used the same baking powder-vinegar solution to scrub the whole rubber seal – outside and in the folds…practically every inch of it. The slimy scum was also contributing to the odours in the washing machine and the front loading models are very prone to these problems.

One way to avoid this scum and gunge buildup in the rubber seal’s fold is to wipe it dry with a cotton towel each time a wash cycle is completed.

3) I went back to clean the hole of the detergent drawer as it was sprayed with bleach earlier, and rinsed it with my water hose. Next, put back the detergent drawer.

4) for the last part, turn the power switch back on. I put in 2 cups of bleach, set the hottest wash cycle (no clothes inside) and let the washing machine “clean itself”…..and ….. Voila! Now, my washing machine is very clean, both outside and INSIDE, and there is no mouldy odours anymore! Be sure to leave the door open to air it as there will be a bit of bleach smell still from all that cleaning. :D

For regular maintenance/servicing of your washing machine, here is what you need to do once a month -

1) pour a cup of laundry detergent, set temperature for a hot wash, and turn on your washing machine for a whole cycle (but without any dirty laundry)

2) to remove odours – pour in 1 cup of white vinegar and put your washing machine through a hot wash cycle (without clothes). Some recommended 1 cup of baking soda.

3) to kill off bacteria and prevent buildup of slime, gunge and mould – pour in 1 cup of bleach and put your machine to a hot wash cycle (without clothes). Some recommended a combination of bleach and detergent.

Remember to take care of your washine machine regularly! :wink:


With best wishes,

choesf :D

Added on 24 July, 2009

I no longer use bleach, baking soda nor vinegar to clean my washine maching.  Instead, I now use a Homemade Eco Enzyme, which is environmental friendly, for a better cleaning job of my washing machine. Use the cold wash cycle instead of the hot one  because the hot water will kill the enzymes.

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