TIP: Clean Vacuum Filters in the Dishwasher

I'll admit it, I'm an obsessive vacuum-er.  I hate stepping on little pieces of stuff.  Especially with kids - there is ALWAYS stuff on the floor - something is being spilt, knocked over, or deliberately dumped onto the carpet.

So, I vacuum, a lot.

Which means if I don't clean or change my filter regularly the vacuum gets that NASTY smell it throws out when using a dirty filter.  Filters are expensive.  The filter for my vacuum is $27 (which is 1/5 of the cots of my vacuum! Crazy).

I had heard years ago that you could wash your filter in the dishwasher.  I have to say I've been a total skeptic.  Which is probably why after owning this vacuum for 7 years, purchasing a number of new filters, and it taking ONE HOUR to vacuum two rooms last week, I finally tried this.

Fed up with this stinky filter, I dumped the dust/trash out and tapped my filter a few times to get the extra dust and allergens out (sick, I know). then I tossed it all in the dishwasher with one of my dishwasher soap pods.  Actually, the little mesh divider thing I washed by hand, I didn't want it to rust.

Here is how it came out!  I was pretty surprised by how clean it got.  And, it wasn't until I compared both pictures that I noticed just how clean everything came out.

I put the filter in the window sill to dry for a day or two.  Then I ran my dishwasher empty to clean it once or twice - just in case, because I'm paranoid like that.

The filter seems to be working fine.  My vacuum doesn't smell and....it finally SUCKS again!

A Chevron Blanket

I think I've mentioned before how much I love yarn.

I have an obsession with new skeins.  I feel compelled to roll them into a nice, neat little ball.

Maybe it's because, usually, I wash the skeins in a lingerie bag before I using it, especially if I'm using a really cheap, scratchy yarn, and it kind of needs to be rolled up after it's washed.  This stuff seemed soft enough that I didn't do that this time.

Chevron patterns always end up smaller than you anticipate.  They rows naturally squeeze together and they make a nice and tight, thick fabric.  I've made the gauge a little tight on this pattern.  I plan on washing the blanket once it's finished to loosen it up - and to soften it, of course!  I'm hoping by the time I pull it out of the dryer it will be the perfect texture and softness.


It might take me a few weeks to finish, but I'll post pics when I'm done!

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

Around here, we are in the throws of baby food.  The New Guy is mobile and HUNGRY. 

I don't know what it is about the label on the double pack of Gerber baby food that drives me crazy.  Once you remove one from the pack, the label either flaps around and gets in the way, or you toss it and you've then got to decipher the contents of the unlabeled food by the tiny stamped info on the side.

With my last baby I figured out this little system....

Once I remove and use one packet of the two-pack, I simply cut the label and insert it just under the lid. Then, when the baby's eaten that pack, save the cut label and use it the next time I purchase that same flavor.  

This is especially helpful for baby food to go.  When you're digging around in your diaper-bag, it's easy to see what food you've grabbed.

Let me say, this has been a SANITY SAVER for me!  Like I said, I really hate the labels floating around in my cupboard.  

I'll admit that if you like to see the labels when you open your cupboard, this is less than ideal.  However, I like to sort and stack my baby food according to each day.  That way The New Guy gets a variety of food to eat - and I don't have to spend any time thinking about what I have already fed him and what I'm going to feed him next.

 

These little plastic containers are great to re-use when they're emptied and cleaned.  Perfect size for kids snacks, earrings, rings, spices, kiddo knickknacks, etc.

Happy Independence Day America!

 

As I re-read the histories of my Ancestors who fought in the American Revolutionary War, I'm impressed at how willingly these men fought for an ideal. Our Nation, in its infancy, was a cause worth dying for.  

My 6th Great-Grandfather, Christian Hollinger, an immigrant from Switzerland, and his son, a first-generation American Colonist, both served in Battalions in Pennsylvania.  I think of the eclectic group of men from so many different countries fighting in these battalions - can you imagine all the different accents? That's assuming they spoke English to each other.  It's amazing the language barriers alone didn't keep them from loosing the War.

My 5th Great-Grandfather, Daniel Hullinger fought at the battle of Germantown near Philadelphia, in October 1777.  As he was petitioning for his pension he mentioned he had his age recorded in his father's (Christian) family record book, "a book prepared and kept by him for the purpose of a Family Record Book."  Oh, how I wish we had access to that book now!

What a great thing it is to know my family history is so deeply steeped in American history! From William Brewster on the Mayflower, to these two Revolutionary War ancestors. Not to mention those who crossed the plains to settle the West, those who fought for the North in the Civil War, others who fought in both World Wars, and those who have done and still do countless things to contribute to the American life we now enjoy!

Happy Independence Day, America!

In case you'd like to singe the Preamble...