THE MESS YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH

Living in a house with multiple pets, multiple kids and a husband who collects auto parts as a hobby, can create messy situations that seem impossible to deal with, such as excess fur and pet odour; grease on clothes; hard-to-clean chandelier, non-commissioned wall-art... Well, let's look at a few simple solutions:







Dusty Chandeliers

And it GLOW's

I love chandeliers. If I had it my way I would have one in every room, even the bathroom! A chandelier is the bling of the house. So when you're given one shot to get only ONE, you go for it; and this one has over two thousand tear-drop crystals. When it shimmers, it SHHHHIMMERS, yeah baby!!! But, we're in Kenya and everywhere you go, you'll find a little dust...which eventually finds itself on your beautiful chandelier. Now you have to clean each of the two thousand shimmering beads along with the two dozen little light bulbs. This means, standing on a ladder with arms raised for a little over 2 hours... (isn't this a form of punishment at a boarding school somewhere?) Good news is, you can get someone else to do it for you. More good news, you can do it yourself in this simply way. Spread a plastic/polythene paper on the floor under the chandelier to protect your floor. Pour home dry cleaner into a spray bottle (or simply transfer the spraying top to the dry cleaner bottle). Get your ladder well positioned and get spraying. You will use lots of it as the spray rinses off the dust, running down onto the polythene on the floor. The excess home dry cleaner liquid will quickly evaporate from the bulb holders. Should I mention that you shouldn't be smoking and chandelier lights should be off and cool?

Who Let the Dogs In

Pluto

Indoor pets should come with a maintenance manual. I learnt it the hard way; dogs will not be embarrassed to poop right in front of you in the centre of the carpet. The dog will sniff after just to make sure he did it. And you have to clean up. And he will find the very same spot the next day and download again for you to pick up. The cycle repeats itself until your house gets a dog shit stench you're unaware of, because you've acclimatised...and your guests won't tell you about it because they don't want to hurt your feelings. True story. So I discovered that while I train the dog to go outside (same time everyday, with a treat after), I also have to get rid of the poop odour from his forbidden poop spot. Solution: Vinegar and baking soda. A real good amount should be sprayed into the carpet, allowed to sit then dub the area to remove the excess liquid. Sprinkle baking soda if you wish and vacuum after some hours. Your house will smell a lot better.

My four-legged family members include two indoor dogs (Toby and Pluto) and two cats (Shaka and Prince), who think we're visitors in their home. Basically, they own the furniture and leave fur all over the place. Humans shed between fifty and a hundred strands of hair daily, so you can imagine what we have to go through with the four pets' moulting. At first I thought a vacuum cleaner would solve the problem of furry sofas and hair balls, but it doesn't come close to this great idea. Place duct tape on a paint roller with the sticky side out and run the 'duct tape roller' to collect fur from the sofa and carpet. (This also works extremely well as a lint remover from your clothes). You may have to buy the paint roller and duct tape from Nakumatt or a hardware nearby. It beats vacuuming by far. You could also find someone else to do it for you or simply keep the dogs away from the couch. "Toka Toby! MBWA WEWE!!!"

Picasso on the Loose
The first time your little one writes on the wall, you go ballistic. Your child doesn't understand what you're ranting about, because he just did something amazing...and thinks maybe he didn't draw it right. So two days later, he's done a real Picasso with permanent marker! You almost get a heart attack. After this you just don't care. So now there's wall writing everywhere with pencil, crayons, markers, you name it...it's beautiful. NOT!!! It's got to go and you know it. Here's how to do it. Pencil marks come off easily with a regular pencil eraser. You may also use baking soda; just mix a few table spoons with water to make a paste and apply with a sponge as you rub gently. Crayon marks come off with WD40, but this could stain water painted walls. You can still try baby oil applied on a cloth and rub gently. Mayonnaise, shaving cream, vinegar or baking soda can also do it. Permanent markers can be intimidating, but we've go you covered. Simply use good ol' toothpaste! Colgate, Whitedent, Aquafresh...just apply and rub with a sponge or toothbrush, depending on how smooth or rough the surface is. Surprisingly, it will take very little effort to remove wall writing. So let the little one explore his or her new talent; after all, it's just a phase. The scissors phase, however, won't be so easy.

Hubby with 1986 KXS

Grease the Wheels
My husband attracts vehicle spare parts like a magnet, literally. He once believed that all used auto parts could be reused - somewhere. In his 1987 Mitsubishi Lancer (KYT...), you would find bottle caps, a toothbrush, shoe lace, wire hanger, soda can cut-offs, tin foil, etc, somehow twisted and tied to solve some mechanical problem. He loves old cars because they always give him a reason to go tinkering. It's no wonder therefore, that his clothes get greasy at  the cuffs and along the sleeves. This often caused laundry challenges, but I found some fairly good hacks to tackle grease and oil. Spraying WD40 does well to remove grease stains directly. However, this must be followed by washing with detergent in warm water. To remove oil stains from clothes, you can use dish liquid soap or hair shampoo, both of which are made to deal with oil. Simply apply directly on the oil stain until it forms. If it's an incredibly large grease stain you may have to use hot water. Luckily, I haven't had to go that far.

Driving You Potty

Image: I Potty Training

One great milestone in a toddler's growth and development is potty training. During this period, the toddler stays without diapers and the loving family has to contend with soiling accidents, including the
inevitable stench of urine in the clothes and bedsheets. For some lucky mothers, like me, this period doesn't last too long; potty training is swift. My daughter graduated to the toilet the very day I gave her a live demonstration of how it was used...TMI? However, for some unlucky mums, this could continue into the child's teens, and the stench gets worse with age. Good news is urine smell can be controlled. Two of the best solutions are right in your kitchen pantry: Vinegar and Bicarbonate of soda. To treat any odours in clothes (sweat included), put a cup full of vinegar in water mixed with detergent. Soak the clothes for about 45mins and wash. This may need repeating if necessary. If your carpet still has urine smell after a wash, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda generously and leave it for some hours before vacuuming it off. This reduces the smell significantly and the child will slowly but surely outgrow this habit. Remember, freshly soiled clothes should be treated immediately since old urine smell is more difficult to treat as urea turns into ammonia over time.

I've had to look up ways to remove chewing gum from bedsheets; ketchup from the kitchen ceiling and candle wax from the carpet. So I'll share that in another post. Household accidents are a part of life for a mother, but don't worry if cleaning is not your forte, you can always find someone else willing to do it. Tuonane.