Someone cleaning my bathroom as a new mom was one of the best gifts I was ever given.
Nothing Says "I Love You" Like...
I'll be honest here, I have a weak stomach. Many of my friends can
attest to their own giggle fits while they say things that make me
gag... sometimes even running to the next room with my hands covering my
ears and humming loudly so I can't hear or think about what they are
saying... so I'm trying to sensitive to the fact that others might be too...
I tried to look up appropriate euphemisms for this topic... bad idea. So, don't worry... just keep reading... you'll get the idea.
You know that helpless feeling you have when someone you love is sick? I don't mean with the sniffles... I mean the sickness... cramps, nausea, um and you know... that comes with being pregnant... or having the stomach flu... or worse, chemo and radiation...
You just want to know what you can do to help, right?
I can tell you this: Sticking your head in the bathroom and asking "What can I do to help?" while someone is trying to fight nausea... is not the way to go.
There is one thing that you can do. I learned this lesson a long time ago, and have used it and shared it many times... always with great results.
Nothing says "I love you" like giving them the ability to do what they need to do in a CLEAN toilet. Seriously. That's it. That is the big secret.
I had terrible nausea with all four of my children. I even had to be hospitalized at one point with my son. There were times when I would be so sick that I would literally lay down on the bathroom floor after one wave passed to wait for the next one to come... and rumor has it, I'm not alone.
When my kids have the flu, the first thing I do is go scrub the toilet (and then pray they make it in there!)
P.S. Cleaning the inside is important! But don't forget to use a couple spritzes of Windex and wipe down the outside too!
I tried to look up appropriate euphemisms for this topic... bad idea. So, don't worry... just keep reading... you'll get the idea.
You know that helpless feeling you have when someone you love is sick? I don't mean with the sniffles... I mean the sickness... cramps, nausea, um and you know... that comes with being pregnant... or having the stomach flu... or worse, chemo and radiation...
You just want to know what you can do to help, right?
I can tell you this: Sticking your head in the bathroom and asking "What can I do to help?" while someone is trying to fight nausea... is not the way to go.
There is one thing that you can do. I learned this lesson a long time ago, and have used it and shared it many times... always with great results.
Nothing says "I love you" like giving them the ability to do what they need to do in a CLEAN toilet. Seriously. That's it. That is the big secret.
I had terrible nausea with all four of my children. I even had to be hospitalized at one point with my son. There were times when I would be so sick that I would literally lay down on the bathroom floor after one wave passed to wait for the next one to come... and rumor has it, I'm not alone.
When my kids have the flu, the first thing I do is go scrub the toilet (and then pray they make it in there!)
P.S. Cleaning the inside is important! But don't forget to use a couple spritzes of Windex and wipe down the outside too!
The Joy of Giving with a Servant's Heart
I was taking care of our newborn, our two-year-old, and our six-year-old and my husband, who had left a few months before, was remaining steadfast in his resolve for a divorce. I was falling to pieces in more ways than anyone even knew.
My friend came to my house and spent over an hour cleaning my bathroom. It was a huge bathroom... and she covered every square inch. She scrubbed the toilet, the tub, the tile and even the carpet where the cat had gotten sick (probably weeks before) and I had halfheartedly cleaned it up.
The love I felt from her when she gave with a servant's heart was so uplifting. I still remember that as the best gift I've ever received and will tell people so when a related topic comes up from time to time.
Giving a gift to someone who has had a new baby or is recovering from surgery is an automatic thing for some people... "Let's send flowers." It doesn't mean they care any less, and the gift receiver loves it as well... but caving to the automatic response can take the joy away from the gift giver.
I want to challenge you to put the JOY back into your giving.
Know that when you are giving a gift, it is something that is truly given with the receiver in mind. If you can't afford a gift that needs to be bought, consider what you can do for that person.
Offer to rock the new baby while the new mom takes a nap.
Offer to take the older sibling(s) to the park for the afternoon.
Make dinner for a family who is experiencing an illness.
Clean their kitchen.
Fold the laundry.
Or, don't even go in their house... just mow the yard.
Obviously, as a small business owner, I would encourage everyone to give a gift certificate for cleaning, cooking and errands from Hire A Housewife ;-) But really, everyone has the ability to do something meaningful for their friends... bless someone by having the heart of a servant.
You could even clean their deep freeze.
What is the best gift you've ever received? Leave a comment and let us know!
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galations 5:13
Getting Rid of Lime Scale and Rust
Does this look familiar?
There are three products that will take it off almost immediately...
and they aren't the ones you are thinking about already! Better yet... they are under $3 each!
Bar Keeper's Friend comes in a powder at most local stores. Get the surface wet, sprinkle this on and then use a wash cloth to wipe it off. It is that easy. There is a downside to this. Because it is a powder, it is really hard to spread on a vertical surface, like your shower door. Their website says that there is a liquid version... but I have yet to find it anywhere except online.
Bar Keeper's Friend comes in a powder at most local stores. Get the surface wet, sprinkle this on and then use a wash cloth to wipe it off. It is that easy. There is a downside to this. Because it is a powder, it is really hard to spread on a vertical surface, like your shower door. Their website says that there is a liquid version... but I have yet to find it anywhere except online.
This is "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. This should only be used in a VERY well ventilated space or with a mask of some sort. Squirt this on the shower door and watch the lime scale run off. There is also an occasional "smoke" that rises from the product while it is working. I haven't figured out why it does this yet. This works great, but make sure that you wear gloves as it tends to irritate the skin, and don't inhale! It will leave you feeling breathless and coughing.
This is my favorite of the three products. I call it "Lysol Black." It just sounds awesome, right?
This is the ONLY type of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner that will work. It has to be in the black bottle specially marked with "Lime & Rust Remover." This goes on more thickly than "The Works" and isn't as breathtaking if you accidentally forget to flip on the bathroom fan while you are using it. Still, don't use it without gloves. You will likely need to spread it on with a scrub brush or a wash cloth, but you will not have to do any actual scrubbing.
That's all it takes to clean your shower door and make it look almost like new!
This is the ONLY type of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner that will work. It has to be in the black bottle specially marked with "Lime & Rust Remover." This goes on more thickly than "The Works" and isn't as breathtaking if you accidentally forget to flip on the bathroom fan while you are using it. Still, don't use it without gloves. You will likely need to spread it on with a scrub brush or a wash cloth, but you will not have to do any actual scrubbing.
That's all it takes to clean your shower door and make it look almost like new!