August 25, 2010 – 3:53 pm
One day several years ago, while watching a cooking show in which the host advised viewers to bake a dish on a baking sheet “because you don’t want it to boil over and end up on the bottom of your oven,” my college roommate, Sara, and I both ruefully laughed out loud. And then Sara summed it up: “That is the bottom of our oven.” In our defense, the house had been only half-assedly cleaned before we moved in, and I’m certain that there was gunk in that oven from before our time. On the other hand, that time I overbeat an angel food cake and it erupted out of the bundt pan while baking? I probably should have wiped that up. But the average college student’s tolerance for squalor is well-documented, and we were no different: cleaning an oven was so low on our list of priorities that it never surfaced. At least, not until we moved out and wanted our damage deposit back. That’s when I was initiated into the mysteries of oven cleaning and learned, among other things, that oven cleaner is really nasty stuff. Several years and several laboriously retrieved damage deposits later, I went on a mission to find out how to clean an oven naturally, without harsh chemicals. My latest article describes a very effective method of doing just that.
We apologize for the messy appearance. We’re in the middle of cleaning up the code on this blog. Please bear with us while this process is ongoing.
-The Management
I’m torn. I own all kinds of products for cleaning furniture: upholstery cleaner, dusting spray, lemon oil. But now I know the dusting spray contains a neurotoxin, the lemon oil is actually petroleum-based mineral oil, and the upholstery cleaner has the potential to adversely affect my husband’s reproductive glands. As a person who turns the shampoo bottle upside-down to eke out every last drop, I’m tempted to use the stuff up anyway (which, let’s face it, could take years). But as a person who values my health and the health of the planet (not to mention the health of my husband’s testicles), I feel a responsibility to get those nasty chemicals out of my life immediately. I could do it easily, too, now that I know how to clean furniture with all-natural products that I already have on hand for other uses. It’s all explained in my latest article.
Stuffed animals or plush toys can mean a lot to kids. In fact, I still have one of the stuffed animals I had when I was a kid—Snoopy. My Snoopy spends a lot of time in a box in the closet. I don’t want to put him out, and I don’t want him to go away. I just want him to stay mine. Someday I may pass him on. But he is in rough shape. A couple holes and a few restitched seams. But he still plays Rock-a-bye Baby when I wind him up. I remember as a child holding him close as the tune played, feeling the music reverberating through Snoopy as the little music box tinged away. Snoopy has a few stains on him. But overall he is pretty clean. He doesn’t smell. So far as I know I have only drooled, not vomited, on Snoopy. Snoopy has moving internal parts, so he would be difficult to clean but not impossible. He would just have to be spot cleaned with quick rinses. Other toys that are submersible should be spot cleaned first, too, to get all the chunks off before a more thorough cleaning in the washing machine. Lastly, air drying is the best way to dry them. Read the full article, How to Clean Stuffed Animals, for detailed instructions.
March 10, 2010 – 12:10 am
The Japanese have been kicking our butts technologically for a few decades now. In 1982, the Sony corporation released the very first CD player: the CDP-101. It sold for about $900. Then, 14 years later, the Sony corporation would come out with a new product: the DVD player. The Sony DVP-S7000 was built in Terre-Haute, Indiana, and sold for $970. Well, now it’s 2010, and I am using a DVD player I bought five years ago for $90 at Target. And it is a Sony. I keep it real. And to this day I have never once considered cleaning it. It has performed well. The reason I bought it was so I could watch movies and also listen to music. You see the DVD player played CDs better than the CD player would. If a scratched CD wouldn’t play on the CD player, there was a good chance it would play on the DVD player. Now, in the digital age, this sort of information is rather useless. No one listens to CDs anymore. And, in the not too distant future, no one will watch DVDs either. But until then at least we will be able to clean the DVD players.
February 26, 2010 – 7:32 pm
Many people think that wearing a wristwatch is old fashioned, especially these days when everyone has a cell phone. As for me, I never wore one because I could never find one that I liked. That was until I got older. It was then that I realized I had just been looking in the wrong place. For pretty much everything. I had a friend who worked at a jewelry shop, and it was at this jewelry shop that I saw the first watch I had ever coveted. It was expensive, even with the Friends & Family Discount. But, you see, I have expensive taste, but it’s not like it was a Rolex or anything. Regardless, I caught a lot of grief from my parents. It’s funny how your parents can still say something to you that makes you feel like a little kid. Maybe not funny ha ha, but funny sad. Anyway The best way to clean a watch is going to begin with reading my article so get to it.
February 22, 2010 – 4:46 pm
They say that nothing can beat bolt-action rifles for accuracy. But for what they lack in accuracy, semi-automatic rifles make up in sheer number of bullets fired. But, as my father and perhaps your father told you, “If you make the first one count, you won’t need a second.” My dad also told me “bullets aren’t free.” That is especially true these days as the price of bullets has gone way up. I thought my dad had lost it when I saw the thousands of rounds he has stockpiled around the property. But I can see his point. Sorta. At least I will know where to go when the zombie apocalypse is upon us. Read the full article “How to Clean a Bolt-Action Rifle“.
February 22, 2010 – 4:43 pm
The pump-action shotgun is perhaps one of the coolest guns ever. The only exception may be the sawed off, but those aren’t always exactly legal. The pump is one of the guns that I would definitely want to have when it comes time for the zombie apocalypse. It is versatile and extremely effective at relieving zombies of their brains. Of course I would also want a couple of pistols and a bat, but I think I’m getting off subject. There are other uses for pump shotguns, like hunting birds, which is fun and rewarding. Duck is a tasty critter. But one often overlooked component of shotgun ownership is cleaning it at regular intervals, primarily when it’s been fired. This article attempts to break down shotgun cleaning into 8 steps, which include tips on the most useful tools to use. Gun cleaning is quite simple with the proper tools. In fact, it only takes a few minutes to fully clean your gun. Continue reading and see for yourself.
February 22, 2010 – 4:37 pm
I have been using the lever-action Marlin 30-30 for 15 years now, and it is still in great shape as you will see from the pictures – once you read the article. I don’t know if it’s just my gun, but these puppies are heavy. I got my first 30-06 this year and that thing is way lighter than this. I think it’s the weight of this gun that appeals to me. Its projectile will plow through brush, whereas it seems the 30-06 can be deflected by the tiniest things, like a leaf for example. But they are both tools, both with an intended purpose, and both must be clean in order to perform properly, so let’s get to cleaning the lever-actioned rifle.
February 15, 2010 – 6:43 pm
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