Sunday, March 8, 2020

Stealth Cleaning

Because I could not wash my hair due to stopped up drain, I stayed home from church. I got busy.

In the bathroom between the commode and tub, Tommy keeps a 6  gallon orange bucket with a plunger in it. It was used last fall and I used it on the sink Friday. It is not sopping wet all the time.  The orange bucket is in the back yard now. The plunger is cleaner than the floor it sits on!

Almost every time I come into the living room, my nostrils are assaulted by the pungent smell of cigarette. The culprit--ashtray. I offered to wash it when I came here, but he screamed as though I was offering to castrate him with a rusty knife. So, he is gone.

I cannot get the layer of ash out. I used a paper towel on the soaked ashtray. Then, I used a canning jar flat to scrape it out. No go. Now, it is full of vinegar with Dawn in it. He will be home from church in 30 minutes, so I cannot let it soak all day.

Even though he said he has not smoked after I had been here for two weeks, it stays full of stuff. Today, it had toenails in it and hair. I could barely get the nails out as they were stuck to the bottom. I have a metal scratchy puff that I will use in a minute.

The other times I have been here during church, I was too ill to worry about the ashtray. This morning, laundry and hanging laundry have been on the agenda along with the stealth cleaning. He watched me dust once and said nothing. So, I can do that while he is here. However, I do not dare dust or clean his table holding his lamp and the ashtray and other junk and necessities. I believe it is very germy, too.

The shortcakes were delicious last night. Today, I have three more quarts to work up. We will have more strawberry shortcake tonight and I will freeze some and leave a portion for us to eat however we each please. I like to pour milk over the slightly sweetened strawberries. He will probably want to eat his in a bowl. I might make a smoothy with strawberries, banana, oj, plain yogurt...I cannot wait. I won't use sugar at all on those strawberries. And, I won't have to mash them first. That will be breakfast tomorrow.

Okay, at 12:10, I went in to try to clean the ashtray. After soaking in vinegar and Dawn, it is hard as a rock. I did use the metal puff to try to clean it. No luck. So, I rinsed it off, dried it and put the ashtray back in its place. Okay, just found out one hand smells like smoke. aaagh

It is 56F with a predicted 65F today. There is no wind, thankfully. I can see the tulip tree in full bloom across the street when I have the door open. There are not many flowers or blooming trees on this block. The next block is in full bloom with promises of more flowers if the flower pots are any indication.

Okay, a nap caught me. It is now about 9 pm and he has not missed the orange bucket. We had the remains of the taco salad. After we ate last night, I remembered I forgot to add rice. Oh well. Tonight, I added more taco seasoning and a couple of small slices of cheddar cheese on top.

I did not get the strawberries cleaned and in bowl to eat. The nap was more important...lol.

How did you spend this pretty Sunday? Or, was it pretty and warm where you are?

14 comments:

  1. Do you think oven cleaner might clean the ash tray? Just a thought. We have never had an ashtray used in our house and we have been here over 40 years. I inherited some of my Mom's old ash trays, but I wouldn't even know where to find them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susie,,
      It might, but I am not going to invest in it. Next time, I will put baking soda and vinegar and Dawn in it. However, I don't know when I will be alone with it...lol.

      Delete
  2. Try filling it with water and table salt and letting it soak? Table salt helps loosen and remove caked on food from dishes when food burns or chars to it. Works wonders for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Breenlantern,
      I will have to try that if I am ever left alone with it...lol.

      Delete
  3. You had me at stealth lol. Sunday we lunch out after church and I baked a Angel Food cake

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa,
      YUM. I wonder if the angel food cake mixes are good.

      Delete
  4. I’m told that flat Coke will shift anything steeped in it. Might be worth a try if you’ve got an hour or so alone with that ashtray! xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. "get an hour or so alone with that ashtray" Oh, I stifled the laugh at those words. Finally, I started laughing fast and softly. I stifled it before he asked why I was laughing so. I have no idea when he will be gone and I will be home again. But, I might sneak it while he naps and soak it then. If he catches me, I will point out that the stench causes my allergies to act up--the truth. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You’re welcome any time Linda! xx

      Delete
    2. I decided. The next time he goes to bathroom or to the mailbox, I will go splash a bit in the bottom of the ashtray. Or, I will measure it and buy another at the thrift store or somewhere.

      Delete
  6. Someone needs to come sneak in my home and clean... Nap I really need a nap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chef,
      There are places someone needs to come and sneak in and clean while I keep him occupied out at the grocery...lol.

      Delete
  7. I think the ash tray might just get "broke". It won't come clean-I worked in restaurant before the smoking bans and the one the cooks used-never could come clean.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAM,
      I thought about buying one like it. The thing is about it getting broke is that he forbade me to clean it. I could spill a little Coke in it. That would not show. Maybe it will just "break."

      Delete

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