Hello everyone:
Today I would like to talk to you about changing the bag in your vacuum cleaner.
Vacuum cleaners sometimes contain bags that hold the junk they pick up; they need to be changed frequently. If the cleaner does not have a bag (this is known as a “bagless vacuum”), it will, in the very least, need to be dumped out.
If you have a cleaner with a bag, please do not attempt to re-use the bag; throw it away, along with all of the allergens it contains. Follow the instructions that came with the cleaner, but here are some tips that are vital for either type of cleaner:
Put the used bag or the contents of the cleaner into a plastic bag (like the ones you get at the food store) and tie it shut immediately.
Do not change the bag or empty the contents of the vacuum when standing over a white carpet; do not keep the cleaner plugged in while you change the bag.
Do not change the bag or dump out the contents while standing outside in a strong wind.
Do not change the bag or dump the contents while you are near an air conditioning or heating vent.
Why not? Because the breeze that these sources of air provide may send dust flying all over the room.
Make sure that you install the replacement bag correctly. If you have a bagless model, make sure that you re-install the vacuum’s container correctly. One time when I was working on my Dad’s vacuum, I re-installed the container wrong; the vacuum would not pick anything up and it happily scattered the dust it still had inside all over the room I was in. I was not amused.
Have a great day,
Sheri
Hello everyone:
With the new self-scanning that is available in most grocery stores, it is a great idea to organize how you bag your groceries. Here are some tips to help you out:
As you bag things, keep similar items together. For example, bag your frozen food items together so that you can head to the freezer once when you get home (and you won’t forget to put something away). Put food items that belong in the main part of the refrigerator in the same bag or bags, so that you can put them away quickly. Otherwise, an unexpected visitor or phone cal might distract you long enough for the food to start spoiling (like my great-aunt’s bread that hardened like a stone when she forgot it in a bedroom…..for several years…….or the milk that spoiled overnight in my car on a midsummer night).
Do not bag food items with cleaning supplies. You do not want to find a dollop of toilet bowl cleaner on your bread! Your food should not smell like the dryer sheets with which you soften your clothes.
Do not over-bag your items. One time when a oh-so-helpful grocery clerk bagged my items while I scanned, I found she had placed 12 cans of pineapple in a single bag. I could not lift it! If your bags are too heavily-weighted, the bags can burst on the way to the parking lot. This happened to me once- as I scooted after the rolling cans, my cart took off on the sloped parking lot. I grabbed my fallen purchases and high-tailed it towards the cart, catching it just before it crashed into someone’s car.
A nearby male customer who had been too far away to help, shouted, “Nice catch, lady!” We both had a good laugh over my antics. Lesson learned: do not over-bag or you will regret it.
Best,
Sheri
Hello everyone:
One of the greatest needs that caregivers have is the need to take care of themselves. You absolutely have to be able to take a break. A friend of mine and her hubby have cared for her mother in their home for more than four years. The elderly woman is in great health and is very sweet, but she has signs of dementia and has to be watched. All the time.
What can a caregiver do? One thing my friends have done is to drop the mother off with friends who own an assisted-living home twice a week for a few hours. It makes such a difference in the quality of their own lives. They have a few hours two times a week to run errands, go to their own appointments, take a nap, or go out with friends to see a movie.
The hubby of this couple is a skin diving enthusiast. He schedules an occasional dive trip to get exercise and to relieve some of the stress from the daily responsibilities they face. She recently went on a sightseeing trip with a longtime friend. They have each coped in their own way, but the key was to find a way to get a little time off. I hope that you can also find a way to get this much-needed time for yourself as you deal with the situation your loved one is facing at this time of life.
Best,
Sheri
Hello everyone:
When my great aunt was still alive, she and her friends agreed that they would call each other twice a day, to make sure that everyone was still alive and well. This worked like a champ and kept everyone aware of the others’ well-being. One by one, however, the ladies died; my aunt stopped her involvement in the group when she was put in a nursing home three months prior to her death.
My mother died two years ago and my dad, who was not involved in any outside groups, did not have anyone with whom he was in contact on a regular basis. My sister-in-law told us the story of her friend who lay in the shower for three days, after having slipped getting out of the shower, and we made the decision that Dad had to be called or seen every day. This has worked out well and I highly recommend you do this for any elderly relatives you have.
If you are the elderly person, you may wish to set something like this up, or you may want to get one of those “help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” services. The important thing here is that, if you live alone, someone needs to know you aren’t pushing up daisies! Think of it this way: how long would you want to lay on the floor or in need of help? Keep this in mind and make the arrangements to be checked on before you need it!
You can also be a help to someone who lives alone. If you notice that someone does not keep his or her regular schedule of activities, you should call or go over to check on him or her. I understand that a pizza store realized that a regular customer had not called for a meal in 11 days. They went to check on the man and found him seriously in need of help. They called 911 and the man’s life was saved because someone noticed that they hadn’t seen him. Food for thought.
Best,
Sheri
Hello everyone:
Today I am going to share some organizational tips with you. A calendar is a great tool for keeping things straight. While some folks swear by their cellphone calendar, I am a personal fan of the old-fashioned printed calendar. My schedule is hectic and it is really nice to have something that will never crash, does not need to be in cellphone tower range, and does not require any electricity.
I shared the use of my calendar during my college days on www.Practicalmakesperfect.com today, explaining how I made it through four degrees while being active in my church, homeschooling, and running a small decorating business. These days, I teach at three colleges and must keep each college’s dues dates and assignments straight. The calendar works great for that, as well. Maybe you don’t have three jobs to keep track of, but you may appreciate being able to track your various activities, family plans, work obligations, and church events in a simple yet effective way. Get out your traditional calendar and mark it up, color coding the activities based on what type of activity it is.
Another use of the calendar is to track when various tasks need to be done. Keep your smoke detector battery changes, air conditioning filter switches, and deep-cleaning activities on your calendar, making an entry on the calendar several months ahead. I have pre-scheduled hair appointments to keep the gray at bay, so I enter all hair appointments for the year in my calendar. All trips are also placed on this document. Birthdays and anniversaries are also noted.
The calendar is kept at my computer, opened to the current month. The calendar is in a stand that sits upright, so it is never covered up. I have a smaller duplicate month-at-a-glance calendar in my purse.
I hope this helps you get your activities organized and that it helps relieve some stress you may otherwise be feeling.
Best,
Dr. Sheri
Hello everyone:
Have you got a mouse in your house? Sometimes it is easy to tell because you find small “deposits” – we call them “turds” in our house. The upside is that, if you use peanut butter on a mouse trap, the critters seem to like it. The bad news is that you still have to get rid of the trap and the deceased pest when it works.
Occasionally, mice survive the entrapment, which leaves you with an injured pest…..When a mouse threatened my sanity while I was working the the garage, a mouse trap did do the trick, but only partially. My solution was to sweep the critter to the center of the garage, place a large piece of cardboard atop the invader, and run over the whole contraption with my car (the cardboard was thick and prevented damage to my tires). I then swept the entire kit and caboodle outside, where the offending critter was disposed of. Low tech, but it worked.
Have a lovely day,
Sheri
Hello everyone:
With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on the state of Florida even as I type this, it seems appropriate to talk about hurricanes and evacuations. Suddenly Single discusses the need to have nonperishable food and plenty of water on hand, but one thing it does not mention is the need to take food with you, should the need to evacuate arise.
You always plan to take your clothing and personal hygiene items with you to the hotel where you will stay, but do not assume that restaurants will be open. My family just evacuated to Kissimmee yesterday, only to find that the governor had ordered all the restaurants to close, leaving folks without a place to find sustenance. The one food mart in the resort where they stayed was jammed with hungry folks (1,000 people had checked in that afternoon; 150 of them were in front of them in the check-in line). They managed to get some peanut butter, Cheerios, and turkey and cheese before they gave up and went back to their room, but do not assume that food will be abundant. It might not be.
Also, since the gas stations and other bathroom break places might also be closed as you travel, (not wishing to be too indelicate here) you might want to take a jar with you and a towel to shield yourself from the other people in the car. If the roads are packed, you will not want to stop the car and get out to do your necessary work. Just sayin’.
Best,
Sheri
P.S. Although I do not usually post the same blog in www.practicalmakesperfect.com and www.suddenlysingletips.com, it seemed appropriate today.
Hello everyone:
Some men rush to immediately give away their deceased wife’s clothing. Try not to be in too big a hurry here, or you may find that someone who could have really used the clothes as been overlooked.
Offer the clothing to your children first; you never know when some jacket or shirt has a special meaning to your kids. However, do not try to force the clothing on them; the size or style may be wrong for them and you should not do a guilt trip on the kids for not wanting the clothes.
After your children have had the first opportunity to look through the items, consider people you know who might enjoy having them. Is there a neighbor or friend who could use them (and who is a similar size)? When my aunt died, we offered her clothes to a nearby neighbor who had done so much for my aunt for many years. It turned out that her mother was my aunt’s size and was able to enjoy the like-new winter coats that my aunt had barely worn.
Hope this helps!
Sheri
Hello everyone:
Are there clothes in your closet that you haven’t worn in a year? Unless you are talking about a ballgown or a tux, it might be time to get rid of that garment. If you have something hanging in the closet that you argue with yourself about every time you start to put it on, give it away or throw it away. If something hasn’t fit in years, chances are that it isn’t going to fit now; it might be out of style, so you might as well toss it. Is something shows signs of wear, do you really want to wear it? One caveat: If I have a scruffy-looking hem on an otherwise nice pair of pants, I send the pants to the cleaners and have them made into shorts.
As the saying goes, “you have to get rid of what you don’t want in your life to make room for what you do want.” Your closet is a great place to start. Do you really want those ugly, dated shoes with the run-down heels?
As you work through your closet, have three piles: give away, throw away, and keep. As the closet empties, dust it to remove cobwebs and clean off the shelves and floor. As you put away your “keep” pile, your closet will be cleaned, as well as cleaned out.
Do you really want a nightgown that itches, a belt that pinches, or underwear that cinches? Nope. Give them away or throw them away. Undergarments that do not fit properly will not lead to a nice-looking appearance. The battle of the bulge will throw off your whole look, so toss or give away these items, pronto.
Have fun!
Sheri
Hello everyone:
Today’s blog is on using your vacuum cleaner. It is best to wear shoes when using the vacuum, because stubbed toes are no fun. Also, if you roll over something wet, wearing shoes can help lessen the electric shock you might get.
When vacuuming, make sweeping motions all over the room, watching to make certain you do not miss an area of the carpet. Move small furniture pieces and vacuum under them; don’t try to move heavier items without help or you could become a candidate for hernia surgery (don’t ask!). If you want to be completely thorough, vacuum first in one direction and then vacuum perpendicular to what you just went over.
Do not vacuum too close to the drawstrings of curtains, unless you want to remove the curtains from the wall. [There are easier ways of removing curtains!] Move the drawstrings before you vacuum nearby. Do not roll over electric cords or they might fray.
Have a great day!
Sheri