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Entries from Talk tagged with 'cleaning'
3 Lemons in bag turned to green dust. Keep the rest?
A friend brought me a huge bag of lemons from Costco and I didn't have room in the fridge (he brought me a ton of produce), so I left them in the bag on the counter for 2 days. I could see the perfect lemons in front, but the plastic at the back was not see-through. Three lemons had turned to smelly green dust! Mystery smell solved. There was only one other that I had to cut off part of the rind and I squeezed the juice from that for my dish, but I scrubbed all the rest, and put them in a bowl in the fridge. I hope they don't freeze - no room in the crisper. Any suggestions there would also be appreciated.
I have a question for you. Would you zest lemons that had been exposed to that green dust? Should I spray them with a bleach solution and rinse? Should I trash them? What would you do?
I originally put this in the thread about kitchen odors, but was afraid it would get lost.
Walnut salad bowl
I have inherited a walnut salad bow set but was told I could not wash it. To clean it they said to wipe them out. That does not sound very sanitary to me. I tried looking on the net and did come across a woodcarver who said he would never give a walnut bowl for salad because of the dark wood and not being able to see if it is realy clean. Does anyone have any suggestions on cleaning? Is it safe to use luke warm water and mild soap?
Thanks so much.
Please get the smell out of my tablecloth...
So, just call me a stumbling domestic goddess... I completely forgot a RED COTTON tablecloth in the washer a while back. For days. Naturally, it soured. Actually, that's an understatement. It stunk to high heaven. No mildew stains, just stench.
The only time I've ever done this in the past it's been white towels -- nothing a little bleach and scalding water wouldn't handle. Obviously not an option with a RED COTTON tablecloth.
I've tried everything. Double detergent. Soaking in borax, vinegar, ammonia (not at the same time). Even tried an enzyme odor remover for pet accidents. Last night, I decided it was probably destined for the garbage bin anyway, so I washed it in hot water. Shrinkage and fading appear to be minimal. But it still stinks. It has not been put through the dryer, so that's not the problem.
I've probably spent more on water and wash aids than it would've cost me to simply buy a new one.
Any ideas? I've resigned myself to parting company with it, but I've invested so much time and effort at this point, that I can't seem to give it up just yet.
Getting garlic/onion odors out of wooden cutting boards?
Last year for a holiday gift I got a huge, beautiful wooden cutting board that I adore. Problem is, garlic/onion odors have taken up residence. I can no longer use the board for fruits or any vegetables that I don't want to taste like onion. Can anyone help? I have tried salt and lemon juice/vinegar to no avail.
Microbial Madness: Menacing. Miraculous. Misunderstood.
Bacteria, mold, viruses… Microbes are such a mixed bag. Miraculous wine, vinegar, beer, cheese, and even penicillin. Menacing food poisoning. Misunderstood with the help of marketers and the media. What's your stand? Toss leftovers the second they hit two days old? Always buy antibacterial? What’s under your sink? Personally, I firmly believe that ordinary soap and water take care of virtually all the nasties. It’s how you use it that counts. No anti-bacterial anything for me. Vinegar cleans produce and disinfects the cutting board, Bar Keepers Friend on stubborn pots and sink stains, ammonia cuts grease and shines mirrors, a little bleach on rare occasion. That’s about it. My hang-ups are...
- Sponges. Extremely dangerous, not permitted in my house.
- Kitchen textiles are primary germ transmitters. I’m compulsive about changing my dishcloth/towel at least daily. I wash them in a separate load, without any other laundry. My washer has a sanitize setting which I use for all towels.
- Hands are the other primary transmitter; I wash mine compulsively. Years in healthcare taught me that washing thoroughly (palms, backs, between fingers, wrists, under nails), with hot water, for a minimum of 30 seconds is the key. Kind of soap doesn't matter. Just use one.
So what’s your M.O.?
A. Disinfect and sterilize everything, all the time.
B. Clean where it counts but not obssessive.
C. What germs? I don't see any germs.
Question of the Day: How clean obsessed are you?
Di Fara (for those of you outside NYC, a legendary Brooklyn pizzeria) was closed for, among other reasons, actually touching food with bare hands. I couldn't care less, particularly if something is being cooked at screaming temperatures after it's been touched. As I've said before, adventurous eating sometimes leads to a puke adventure. To me, it's worth the risk. You?
