Airing The Linens (CIRS)

I spent most of yesterday doing a task that is not so much in vogue anymore: airing the linens.  I like the idea of line-dried linens, but never did more than hanging sheets to dry. Yesterday included not only the sheets, but the blanket, mattress pad, mattress base cover, and the mattress itself to be aired.

Organ Recital (feel free to skip this part): But I finally received a diagnosis from my doctor on what has likely been causing all of my vague, and not so vague symptoms these past years (asthma, migraines, fatigue, depression).  In a nutshell, I have a problem with mold.  Leaf mold had shown up as something I was allergic to long ago, but I didn't think much more about it, since mold is everywhere, and seemed to only bother me in the fall.  However, one of my symptoms, the asthma, first showed up when we were remodeling our bathroom and showering in the basement in a deck shower.  The doctor found lab markers on me that indicated chronic inflammation in my body.  After running more tests, he determined that my body cannot clear mold the way the majority of people can.  Here is an analogy: when a biotoxin (bacteria, mold, etc.) enters the body, the immune system realizes something is wrong, identifies the invader, and sends in the troops to obliterate it.  In my case, the body recognizes that there is an invader, but can't identify it.  An analogy I read was that it is like a policeman witnessing a crime, taking a photo of the perpetrator, running back to the police station to inform the rest, but the picture is blurry and the culprit unidentifiable.  So, they are all running around looking for this guy, but can't recognize him, so they run around, sort of like the Keystone Cops.  So the immune system is roaming around trying to find it, but can't, and so remains inflamed.  Hence the Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS (pronounce "Sirs" as in "Dear Sirs").  I am now on a medication that will help chelate the mold accumulated in my body.  

*****

We are now looking at reducing the amount of mold I come in contact with.  This is very difficult, because mold is virtually everywhere.  What we have done so far is to invest in an excellent air purifier, be more cognizant of keeping the bathroom ventilated and the towels and shower curtains frequently laundered, and started opening windows more, now that the days are warmer.  Future remedies will be fixing the portion of the basement where there is some water seepage ($$).  That's a big job, and fortunately our basement tested out "borderline" meaning I can live with it until such time as we can afford to fix the basement.  I also found a cute craft online for keeping shower curtains mold free (more on that when I get around to making it).  

Because I have read that bedding can sometimes harbor mold, yesterday's work included undressing our mattress from all of its coverings, and having it sit outside in the sunshine for several hours.  We also placed the base cover on the wash line for airing (we are not to wash that, according to the tag).  Then I washed our brand new "jelly head" as Kristin calls the puffy mattress covers, our blanket, and one set of sheets (will do the same process on the other sheets soon).  Thankfully, Robert and Paul were available to wrestle the mattress in and out of the house.  We placed an airtight, allergy-type zippered cover over it.  We also rotated the mattress when we placed it back in the room (can't flip these newer mattresses, because there is a definite top and bottom).  But the rotating was so nice!  Paul and I slept a lot better last night in our fresh, clean bed.  

The first batch: mattress base covers and the new "jelly head".

Second batch: blanket and sheets.

(P. S. Don't mind the little wood pile in the forefront!)

Washer Woes

I have been loving our HE washer over the past few years.  But lately there has been something amiss.  The clothes were not smelling fresh; in fact, were downright manky.  We always leave the washer door open after use.  I thought perhaps we had left clothes in the washer too long after the wash cycle ended.  I had tried Affresh to no avail.  Online research found me solutions.  I ended up using the "tub clean" feature, but this time I poured bleach in the bleach cup (about 1/4 cup), and also in the washer itself (about 3/4 cup).  This website also gave good ideas.

I did several loads of wash after the treatment.  All is well, and the clothes smell fresh!

Laundering the Laundry Area

Part of our kitchen remodel involves fixing up our laundry area in the basement.  Paul very wisely realized that we would need a nice area to wash dishes in once our kitchen sink was removed.  Our laundry area, although it has a washer and dryer that I love, was not the most warm and fuzzy place to work in.  First, to update, I had posted previously on how we fixed up the old basement door to make it more weather-tight and to make it look more attractive (see post here).  Here is the finished door:

Once we removed the old sink and had the pretty new one installed, we saw how scary and dismal the surrounding area was:

So we removed the crackly old plaster, painted the wall behind where the sink, washer, and dryer go, and painted the floor:

Paul carefully painting around the new sink.

We chose a light green for the floor.  The Behr paint company calls it "Terrace View".  I like to think of it as Pistachio.

Another view, with the new sink.

We have to paint the floor in front of where the laundry is, fix the ceiling, and place wallboard back behind where we took out the scary plaster.  But we are on our way to a more beautiful laundry area.  Stayed tuned for further developments!

Make That Eight Phases

It turns out that there are two phases of getting the kitchen done that I either forgot, or needed to expound upon.  Paul rightly pointed out that the window replacement we did deserves its own phase, because it was an arduous job and took a lot before we could complete it.  See past posts here and here.  The second added phase is a new basement laundry sink.  To what does that pertain in a kitchen, you might ask?  Well, once we remove the kitchen sink to do the next phase of cabinet replacement, we realized that it would be very nice to have a clean and attractive basement sink in order to wash our dishes in until the new kitchen sink was in place and functional.  The old one was a massive concrete affair, battle-scarred and ugly, frightening.  (Julie referred to it as a "Hannibal Lector" sink, recalling the end of the movie The Silence of the Lambs, with the creepy basement - it wasn't actually that bad, but you get the idea!)

So, I have revised the phases, below.  You will note that the basement sink phase is checked off as complete.  It is!  We bought the sink, and the plumber came and took care of it today.  More on that in a subsequent post.

The Phases (a √ indicates completion):

1. Make it livable (completed in 1988): remove "island", place south wall base cabinets and cheap countertop) √
2. 2011-2012: New kitchen windows √
3. 2012: North wall gutting, insulating, initial electrical, wallboard, and upper cabinets, west wall uppers √
4. 2015: New basement laundry sink √
5. Knotty pine removal, wallboard, and electrical for east and south walls, keep existing base cabinets and cheap countertop
6. New base cabinets for north and west walls (including a blind corner cabinet with pull-out hardware for easy access), new sink (buh-bye old metallic monstrosity), built-in 18" dishwasher, adjustment of stove on north wall to accommodate new bases, new countertop
7. New upper cabinets and countertop for east and south walls
8. Knotty pine removal and electrical for last portion of south wall (no cabinets here)

Preparing for the Winter (In a Most Unromantic Way)

Normally when one thinks of a blog post about preparing for winter, the thought that would come to mind is of lovingly storing up food, knitting warm socks, making warm pies and cocoa.  All with a serene countenance and, of course, in a lovely romantic sort of dress - with a frilly apron.

Not in this house!!

Our winter prep is of a more utilitarian nature: namely rehanging the ancient basement door that has been letting in so much cold air it is like its own air conditioning unit.  This is a problem for me doing laundry, and our poor kitties whose cat box is downwind of the draft - Brrrr!.  The door is rather ugly and peppered with small gouges from BB guns from previous owner's children.  But the big problem was that the door was ill-fitting, did not close properly, and had air leakage and drafts constantly.

So Paul removed the door this weekend (probably the last "warm" weekend here in the Chicago area).  He found proper wood in his stash, got new hinges and a handle from the hardware.  He refitted the door and added pieces so that when the door is shut with applied insulation strips it will be a tight (and draft-free) fit.  I did the usual lady thing when a man is working: holding sticks of wood, holding parts in place while Paul marked things or drilled holes, making "helpful" suggestions, ordering pizza, and taking annoying photos.   The work is mostly done.  All that is left now is to add the insulation strips, fill the BB holes, prime, and paint it.

Here are two in-progress shots, more to come once the door is painted:

In other non-romantic news, in between holding things in place for Paul, I did a lot of basement uncluttering, packed up and sent off a large load of give-aways to Salvation Army.  Then I sorted things into new spaces, cleaned a bit.  I still have a lot more of that to do.  Maybe I'll get to the cocoa and knitting one of these days.

Homemade Laundry Products

A while back, Tyler was diagnosed with eczema.  While he was undergoing treatment, I also began to rethink our laundry products.  I had read about making one's own laundry products to help with problem skin conditions, and all of the difficulties people can have with some of the additives to commercial products.  I thought I'd give homemade products a try.  There are tons of "recipes" out there, all very similar.  I think it is trial and error to find the best one for your needs.  So far, the combinations and proportions I used (below) seem to work well.

Powdered Laundry Soap

1 cup of soap flakes (I used Zote Laundry Flakes)
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup of baking soda
1.5 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
(Mix all together, store in airtight container.  I used a cheap glass jar with a seal that I got at Walmart, along with everything else.  Use 2-4 Tbsp per load.  Note for front loading machines: be sure to remove the liquid detergent insert in your machine when adding this.  The homemade soap has to go in the powder cup or it will clog.)

Homemade Fabric Softener

3 cups of water
1 cup of hair conditioner (I used VO5 Freesia)
1.5 cups white vinegar
(Note: it is best to mix in a big bowl and stir well, or if mixing in the container you will use, gently invert the container back and forth to mix.  If you shake, it will suds up terribly.  Gently invert container back and forth before each use.)

This time around, since I am satisfied with the way they work, I used a double recipe of each homemade product, which nicely filled my containers to the top.

I Think I'm In Love!

The old washer gave out. The old dryer has been given a new home at my nephew and niece's. The clothes are beautifully clean and fresh smelling. The best part of all: my new washer sings a happy little tune to me when it is done with its work.

Hanging Out The Wash

I have been wanting a clothesline for some time now, and Paul set a post in the ground with a hook on it, then installed a retractable clothesline on the house. I am loving this! I wonder what it means that I get excited by a clothesline. The explanation I came up with is two-fold: it is a wonderful process from the past that is making a comeback for various reasons, and I love the thought of freshly air-dried clothing and sheets. I will have to post a new photo once we get a new camera (ours broke a few days after I took this photo). We have added a clothesline prop which supports the middle of the line from drooping and can be stored out of the way once done, and a beautiful flower pouch of lavender-colored petunias under the birdhouse.

I am transported to another place and time when I hang out the wash!