tips to make you happier at home

I decided to share this post in hope to provide useful advices to some who plan to own a house. we all understand to keep a house clean and to maintain de routine can be harder than it has to be especially when your commitments in life increase over time. this post may not be applicable to those who has domestic helper(s), grandparents or mother-in-law in de house to help with your daily chores. 

1. Dishwasher

some say I'm a lazy person when I told them I need a dishwasher at home. when you talk about dishwasher a lot might be asking :

Q1 Does dishwasher get them as clean as the hand washing dishes does?
Q2 I can easily handwash de dishes in a shorter time rather than to wait for a dishwasher cycle that could probably last for an hour or longer (it is just too long!) 

to answer Q1, I guess nowadays nearly all households do owned a washing machine to clean their clothes. well, you don't ask if a washing machine gets your clothes done as clean as hand wash so why bother to ask for a dishwasher that works on de same principle? 

for Q2, it depends on de principle you choose to live your life. try to consider some of de points below : 

YOUR HANDS

knowing gloves will protect de hands, it is a tedious process (every time) to me and I would probably end up not wearing it sometimes. wet gloves need to be dried after use but for gloves that didn't dry well at de tips, they are unpleasantly damp and slimy during next use. not really an issue if you don't really mind but what about de hands that are turning dry and cracked over time way before you aged? yes aging is part of de nature process but will it be okay if your habit is making you to age faster?

YOUR TIME

what about saving de washing time to spend some quality time with your partner and kids? do you find yourself saying this quite often to them :

honey, I need to do de dishes, later!

mommy needs to do de dishes, later! 

eventually you end up doing nothing with them because you are too tired with de pile of dishes in your kitchen.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNER

you don't need to engage a silly fight with your partner over not doing de dishes. but it depends because some families practice de you-cook-I-wash rules or maybe this is not an issue at all to some honeymoon couples (remember I say honeymoon). if you have a baby, try to think about de amount of milk bottles that you need to wash everyday? well, you seriously are good in finding a perfect partner (or you're perfect) if you have no issues at all.

YOUR DIET

by getting rid of de disturbed reminder on dishes need to be done after meal, we can eat better and much healthier from homecooked meals. washing de dishes is always de cooking's biggest downfall.

all in all, I see dishwasher as a good investment so why wait? it is time to break de Asian taboo. we have a dishwasher from Bosch at home (been almost 2 years). you may find relatively cheaper dishwashers in de market but beware with de toy looking accessories basket (lightweight) because I don't think it can last longer. remember, you get what you pay for.

NB.: just like a washing machine, you need to maintain your dishwasher to keep it in good working condition.

2. Food disposal

this is a catalyst to boost your performance in de kitchen. a food disposal unit is an electrical powered device installed under a kitchen sink between de sink's drain and de trap. it shreds food waste into small pieces and allow them to pass through plumbing. I usually drain down food waste into de sink before loading de dishes to de dishwasher. picture below helps you to understand de concept better :

picture above courtesy of Google Image

de food disposal unit that I'm using at home is KleenGard SD750. this device is my life saviour because I hate to remove food residue from de strainer. oh my those stubborn particles that jammed into de mesh and you have no choice but to korek it (dig out)! anyway, it isn't 100% perfect either as this device cannot process hard bones such as pork and beef and fibrous foods like corn husks and durian seeds. but it could generally provide a better waste management at home. at least you can say goodbye to ants and cockroaches!

kitchen nightmares no more.


3. Kitchen hood and hob

growing up Chinese we believe "visual fire" can cook better food. I'm not really a master chef so I don't really bother anyway. what I do care is that cleaning de greasy and grimy stove grates is a huge no for me so I will strike off burner gas. keep de kitchen neat and simple by choosing something that is easy to clean. I'm using a glass cooktop and I only need to spray a little of de Magiclean and wipe off after a while. that's all my routine after cook.

for regular cleaning of de kitchen hood, I load de baffle hood filters to de dishwasher (they are dishwasher safe).

4. Fan

for ceiling fan, I recommend those with reverse function because you get lesser dust buildup at de wings over time. maybe it sort of disperses de accumulated dust back to de environment (oops!). if budget allowed, I recommend Aeratron fan. this ceiling fan comes with a birds' wing design which creates a silent, but very even and smooth (strong) airflow. I have to say it gives a very comfortable living environment to my home. I only clean it once or twice a year (haha don't judge me please!).

for standing fan, choose ventilator over a normal oscillating fan for better house ventilation. I have Dyson, Vornado, and Houm at home and I personally prefer Dyson Tower Fan / Desk Fan considering de fact that life is good without de need to deal with dust blades. however, review for de old model of Dyson fan is that it will produce an aggressive high-pitched whine at high speed (above speed level 8). thankfully, we are surviving just as good at level 8 but I'm pretty sceptical considering de price I have paid for this performance (what really annoys women). anyway, de good news is de newer version has improved sound quality (even at high speed) so I guess Dyson fan is still a good buy?

we are trying to minimize de likelihood to run a dusty fan that circulates allergens and dust back into de air. so much to clean!

5. Cordless vacuum cleaner

if you're still cleaning your floor with a broom and dustpan, please stop. a vacuum eases your life and a cordless vacuum takes de pain away. Dyson V8 Fluffy is my favourite cleaning tool as this lightweight miracle performs admirably, addition to de superb turbo suction that I like to use it on my bed mattress or fabric sofa. besides, it also eases de problem of waste handling as I never have to touch de dirt again! to empty de bagless vacuum, simply pull de red trigger on top of de machine until de shroud is fully exposed to empty de bin. and woala, dirt is gone! 

de run time for a fully charged Dyson V8 is about 40 minutes and it comes with various accessories. a lot of similar cordless vacuums are emerging in de market these days so you can pick de one you like. just remember to get one. 

you can even vacuum gracefully in your maxi, if you wish.


6. Cordless mop

no matter how good de self-twisting system of your mop can be, by de end of de day you still need to deal with at least a bucket of dirty water. seriously, nobody likes to spend a lot of time mopping. we recently brought in Hizero Multifunctional Bionic Floor Cleaner to de house and I have to say that Saam likes it very much. this product has a 4-in-1 functionality, which means it vacuums, mops and dries de floor at de same time. underneath de main cleaning head is a polymer roller that absorbs solid waste and liquid as it rolls over de floor. as de roller spins, it separates solid waste on a tray and dumps de wet trash in a dirty water tank. a separate water tank holds clean water that cycle through the roller to keep it clean as clean the floor (self-cleaning function). 

for those who like to cook, we all know it is tiring to clean de kitchen floors with a mop after all de preparation work to cook and dish washing. again, this cleaning tool at least helps to solve one of your biggest concerns. de rechargeable battery can last for up to 60 to 80 minutes.

Captain Saam's mighty mop. 


7. Washing machine

we have actually considered getting a model combined with dryer function but ended up with a normal washer due to logistic issue. I still prefer my clothes under de sun (if no rainy days)! anyway, I recommend a front loader because it is able to preserve your clothes, if that is what your mom tells you then it is true. I see de availability of more temperature options as a deeper cleaning for de laundry and they dry faster too. opt for a washer with self-clean function and most importantly, a timer, for a better time management. 

8. Bathrooms

there are only 2 adults at home. my bathroom is cleaned customarily weekly and de rest is on a needy basis (I have a total of 4 bathrooms in de house). I use Chlorox tab (don't use cheap brands) to preserve de toilet bowl and keep de bad scents at bay. I have a Karcher at home but sometimes I'm just too lazy to use it even though de setup is only to fill de tank with water. I have not come out with any brilliant idea for cleaning bathrooms. perhaps you can share yours? I hope my bathroom is not too dirty (I say don't judge!). 

ehhh wait, why not having a sanitize button for bathroom? don't make me wait too long for your invention.

END