General Chat

We have cavity wall insulation newish double glazing but I can honestly say that there is no damp. Maybe where you live is like Cornwall, friends who lived there used to have a humidifier because it was so damp.

It's a vicious circle AnnG regarding clothes drying ---

We have all forms of insulation going to keep in the heat , but when you then try to dry clothes indoors that make the air damp , mould forms on the walls

We also have an air conditioning system to take the dampness out of the air, but if it's not on all day when you have damp clothes about it is not effective.

It is put on each night when we go to bed and it stops / reduces condensation and consequent mould.

BC, if I hugged it, I'd lose my pillow :-(

Lolly - I sleep alone (with occasional interruption from a cat), so there's no 'no-go' area :-D

As for the mattress, it's quite new and I rarely vacuum it, but it does get a 2 or 3 yearly precautionary sprays with insecticide (cats again)

A few years back, I bought what I thought was a towelling mattress cover from IKEA.
I put it on the bed, and realise it had a rubber backing :-S
Thought I'd try it, ready to end up a sweating heap - but I didn't - it was lovely :-D
Bought another 2, and wash them quite often - much easier than vacuuming the mattress, and I'm ready for my dotage :-D

Have to say we don't get mould on the walls but the clothes are on hangers hanging from the radiator shelves, or in one case in the kitchen, hooked on the book shelves on the wall over the rad.

I always imagined bolsters to be used as a kind of no go area ;-)

I use old blankets to stop the pillows sliding through the headboard gap, so possibly a bolster would be a better idea, think I will give it a try.

My ex sister in law always said that a marriage certificate should be attached to a dishwasher ...hubby always said she was a lazy so and so !
But I 'd like one tho have no room.

However with our weather I'd struggle to manage without my tumble drier, had a separate one when the children where young , but now have a washer / drier.

With all the washing for 4 adults and hubby not liking drying on the rads cos it causes mould on the walls ( he doesn't mind the airing on them...he has too!! ) I couldn't manage without a tumble drier.

Maggie...have just read that in some countries, the bolster is designed for hugging when sleeping :-) <3

No tumble drier, no dishwasher, but I do have a bolster :-D :-D
The bolster is to stop the pillows sliding through the gap between the headboard and mattress.

As for teatowels, I use lots :-S

Have had a dishwasher since the early 80s. Used to have a tumble drier but no room for a separate one in this house and wasn't happy with the combined washer drier so changed to just a washing machine when we had to replace. Dry outside if fine, in the conservatory or on the rads. But it does mean the sheets need ironing because they are too creased not to.

I Hoover mattress about once a month, buy new pillowcases every six months, change bed once sometimes twice a week. Like Muffy I just love the smell and feel of clean cotten! But I never, ever iron. Just fold carefully! :-D

Have just counted. Is keeping eight duvet covers for two beds a bit excessive do you think? *frets....

BC XX :-D

? I don't know anybody who hasn't got a dishwasher apart from a few rellies at uni.

They are not exactly new - I can remember our lot using them in the late 1960s - and not expensive. Compared to trad "washing up" they are a lot quicker and far more energy efficient. The temp of the water is far hotter than anything washing by hand can achieve. Washing up by hand and then using a day old teacloth to "dry up" sort of defeats the object. Since a long time ago dishwasher run off just the cold supply, like washing machines.

They come in all sizes - standard, large, catering, half size, counter top.

The only things that we don't entrust to it are Limoges porcelain and old cut glasses.

A friend in Denver tends to order all kinds of ready cooked food which is delivered. The food comes on quite nice melamine plates which he heaves into the trash along with the utensils, left overs etc. They laughed like mad when on her first visit OH stacked the plates in the dishwasher.

Large parts of Asia North Africa serve the food on a large flat bread which also serves as the utensil. No washing up :-)

most of us dont have a dishwasher either,only the digits whats on the end of our hands or a gadget called himself... :-D.

I Dyson my mattress once a month but do have memory foam on top which has a take off cover thats washed at the same time.

I know my food prep is done as clean as possible with all precautions taken,,,,,,but am fanatic about door handles,loo flushes and the like....

whos been there before you.?


:-S

Duvet cover, sheets and pillowcases changed every week. We don't have a tumble drier but they dry well in utility room on a 'sheila maid' airer if I can't dry outside (which is most of the time!).

Use linen or cotton tea towels when needed for non-dishwasher stuff (don't like the towelling ones). Cellulose sponge used for washing up, bleached regularly and then thrown away.

I iron duvet covers, pillow cases and tea-towels, but don't bother much with fitted sheet! I use cotton rather than poly-cotton and don't like them un-ironed.

We don't have any tea cloths, dish cloths, etc etc. Life goes on.
Various kinds of disposable cleaning cloths instead.
Yes, it costs more than trad 1950s methods.

All fresh food prep done onto stainless steel / glass.

Never ever iron fitted sheets or anything else for that matter.

Biz shirts and OH best dresses go to an outside cleaner and come back like new :-)

My brother-in-law irons his levi jeans and wears M&S shoes which shows just how naff he is. Even drives an Audi. Yes my sister does iron anything not moving even the Sunday paper given half a chance. Her cat died at 6 from the stress of it all.

Here's a tip: clean your computer keyboard and mouse, mouse mat on a regular basis. They are one of the worse places for bugs in the western world. Second only to the PIN terminals in shops and ATMs. A good place to get the correct products is Maplins.

OH irons all bedding, pyjamas, and normal things like shirts. Sweaters we can often get away with. But Rollo, if you read one of my posts, we do not have a tumble drier.

Rollo there is always a need for tea cloths, not everything can be used/fitted in dishwasher. When I was mobile we still had a dog, each time I dropped a teacloth on floor, it was promptly put in washer and a clean one selected.

Always iron tea cloths - it kills the bugs.

Face flannels and tea cloths regularly boiled up in preserving pan!!

OH got a shock first time he hoovered mattress and under the little rosettes!

When I ironed I showed the iron to the fitted sheets! OH gives himself work he opens my nightshirts and slips them over the board and irons every bit.

Mind you I used to iron all the knickers - male and female ones!

IRON THEM ??????????
What on earth for after stuff has been tumble dried if it is taken out quickly then there will be no creases.

The duvets are all goose feather/duck down and go to an outside cleaner once a year. We have lightweight ones for what passes as a summer in England.

Dish cloths ? Yuk, disposable kitchen towels.

Glasses, plates etc come out of the dishwasher straight into cupboard /rack. No need for tea cloths.

Oven mitts - fairly often.

Tea towels are changed several times a day, often, I have used 3 or 4 depending what I am doing. Dish cloths, I may have two on the go at the same time. These and towels get a boil in washing m/c. I put dishcloths in bleach to soak overnight.

Once a week for me too...even the bed in the spare room.which doesn't get used often....just because i like to walk into a room and smell the smell of clean sheets.

Daily summer, every other winter ; what is so difficult ?
whip off duvet cover, pillow cases and sheet, w/machine, tumble dryer and that's it. Fitted bottom sheet goes on in a tick, duvet cover two ticks.

A good reason for a daily change:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dust+mites&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=FEsnUcLWNYiRhQfkzoCgCw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1014&bih=602

My biggest problem is that the cats like to jump all over the bed while I am sorting it out. Yeah, I do it not my wife 'cos it is king size, she is short and also disabled.

Is there anybody still using flanel sheets, woolen blankets, hard pillows and bolsters and eiderdowns ? Surely not.