Category: House & Home

New Vacuum Cleaner

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We recently purchased a new vacuum cleaner to replace the one we’ve had since moving into our current home nearly sixteen years ago.

I looked online at different models, and really liked the tools/features Bissell offered at an affordable price ($110 from Amazon). It also didn’t hurt that it’s my favorite color. :)

Bissell Cleanview Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

The day after it was delivered, I vacuumed the house and there was so much dust (which looks like sand in the canister) and dust bunnies it was unbelievable! Granted, it had been two weeks since we last vacuumed (we usually do it weekly), but I was still shocked.

I vacuumed again four days later and while the accumulation wasn’t as much as before, there was still a decent amount of dirt in the canister. Since we don’t wear shoes inside, we wipe Wookie’s paws after every walk, and she doesn’t shed, it’s amazing to me that so much stuff had accumulated so quickly. I can see and feel a difference in the carpet – its fluffier and literally looks cleaner. I guess that old vacuum just wasn’t doing its job.

I initially had mixed feelings about the new vacuum, and while I like it more after using it a few more times, it’s still not perfect by any means.

Pros

Powerful suction – lets me clean the bare floors without needing the attachments.

Lightweight – makes it easy to push and carry upstairs.

Convenient storage – the cord is stored in the machine and rewinds with the push of a button and all the attachments clip securely to the unit.

No bags or filters that need to be replaced.

Dislikes

I don’t like how dusty the machine gets when emptying the canister and there’s no HEPA filter (apparently Bissell doesn’t use HEPA in ANY of their vacuums for some reason).

It tips over easily when using the hose (even if I have it right next to me) so I’ve been hit in the head multiple times already.

It’s loud (88 decibels), so I need to use ear protection.

It sucks up small throw rugs (like ones by our doors or in the bathrooms) because you can’t reduce the suction power, so vacuuming those has become a two-person job – Joe holds them down while I vacuum one end, then flips it around to do the other side.

I might be expecting too much for the price of the vacuum. Plus how would I even return it during this time, or find one that doesn’t do the same thing without spending 3-4x more? It probably isn’t worth the hassle. I’m sure I’ll adjust to all its quirks in due time. Plus it does in fact clean very well which is the whole reason we bought it.

Spring Cleaning

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I’ve been on a cleaning/organizing frenzy lately. Partly out of boredom, but also because I actually enjoy doing it, and thankfully now that the brain fog and fatigue have lifted, I have the energy and mental clarity to do so.

At this point if my ear issues went away I would feel about 85% back to normal. I can only hope they too resolve or at least lessen over time. I’m not even sure why I’m feeling better, although I have some ideas, but I’ll write about that in a separate post at some point.

I wanted to document in detail what we’ve been doing around the house.

Master bedroom closet – Got rid of some old bras I had been hanging onto for some reason. As if I don’t have a drawer in my dresser overflowing with them! The irony is I rarely even wear bras these days, but that will change once life gets back to normal.

My nightstand and dresser – I moved my leggings from the closet to my dresser, bras I use infrequently from the dresser to the closet, and just straightened up all my lounge wear. I haven’t purchased any new clothes other than a pair of jeans and two packs of underwear (went down multiple sizes when I lost weight and am still at the lowest I’ve ever been) in nearly a year. I miss going to Savers, but I’m still getting rid of clothes so clearly I don’t need any.

Master bathroom cabinets – Just rearranged things in there since it got messy and I had placed an online order with Target to replenish some personal care items that were getting low.

Since this lockdown we haven’t left the house other than to take Wookie on a walk around the neighborhood. We did go on a drive one day in my car (Joe drove) but stayed close to home. We drove past my old employer and there were lots of cars in the parking lot. I’m so glad I no longer work there!

Hall closet – I just rearranged it a bit as it wasn’t cluttered.

Kitchen cabinets – We have too many glasses thanks to gifts we’ve received. I stacked them so they take up less space, and rearranged our lesser used kitchen appliances. We bought new dinnerware/plates (whatever you want to call it) in February to replace these after I read how most plates have lead in them. I was tired of all the mismatched bowls and plates anyway. We got Corelle white glass dinnerware which I’m really liking. We bought a set from Amazon and then purchased additional cereal and pasta bowls from Walmart. They are lighter and stack nicely in the cabinets and dishwasher.

Refrigerator shelves – Wiped them down. I had done a full cleaning of the inside a month and a half ago so it wasn’t looking too bad.

Medical paperwork and entire desk area – I was dreading working on this but it had to be done, and now I feel better. Plus my desk is is so clean and streamlined which makes me happy.

Pantry – I’m always rearranging our pantry, but Joe organized our second pantry in the workout room a few days ago since we’ve stocked up on more food than we usually do. We would just rather not have to go out every week for supplies to reduce our chances of catching anything.

Under the kitchen sink – I just finished rearranging this area yesterday, in fact. I gave it a huge overhaul in February of last year so I just moved things around to make it more convenient to grab the most frequently used items. Plus I switched from using a bucket to a caddy when cleaning around the house. It was harder to see stuff in the bucket because it would get buried. I’m really not sure why I switched from the caddy to the bucket in the first place.

Other things I organized this morning – under the bed in the master bedroom and the buffet table by the front door. I also got out all the rechargeable batteries and recharged them in anticipation of getting this battery case from Amazon soon:

Battery Case

Battery Case

Right now they’re stored in a cheap plastic box and there’s no way to keep them from falling over or rolling around which is super annoying.

Home/Life Maintenance

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Just a quick list of things we’ve taken care of in the past month for future reference.

Bought a new Winex air purifier from Costco for the master bedroom.

Reorganized part of the garage.

Switched my car’s floor mats back to the fabric ones for the summer.

Repainted the numbers over the garage.

Purchased vehicle stickers and Wookie’s city tag.

Planted wildflowers in boxes on the patio. Used Dollar Tree ones so who knows what will come of that.

Joe’s dad visited for a few days.

Purchased license plate sticker for Joe’s car.

Had HVAC inspected/cleaned. Unfortunately they couldn’t find source of musty smell I keep noticing. So $90 not necessarily well spent, but I guess after seven years it was due for an inspection anyway. They didn’t think our air ducts were dirty enough to justify a cleaning so $350 saved I guess?

Roasted Veggies & Easter Decor

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I made the mistake of decorating for Easter on Friday (03/22), when Easter is still a full month away. Two days later I was already tired of looking at the stuff, so today I ended up removing some of the decor and spreading some other stuff elsewhere so it’s more minimalist. I feel much better. I’m finding that I prefer a more minimalist look in general, like I had going for St. Patrick’s Day. This is great because I’ll save money owning less decor in general. Incidentally, I finally found something I’ve been looking for since last year – white ceramic bunnies!

They were in the Target dollar spot for $3 each and were sitting in random spots so I’m not sure whether they’re supposed to be more poses. Nothing ever seems to be organized in the dollar spot. I used to think it was laziness on the part of the employees but now I’m convinced it’s a ploy to make people spend more time in that section hunting for treasures, because you do tend to miss the best stuff if you do a quick once over.

Saturday (03/23) we took a big bag of old paperwork to a neighboring village to be shredded. I’m so relieved to have that out of my house. I’m getting ready to donate some of the stuff I have listed on Offer Up that isn’t selling as well, just to get it out of my house. I’m tired of it sitting in the spare room / office.

After the shredding event, we had lunch at BonChon in Schaumburg and it wasn’t as good as the first time. The spicy and soy garlic chicken was just as good as before, but I opted to try the pork buns… and while they weren’t terrible, they aren’t something I’d order again. Joe didn’t care for them either.

Sunday (03/24) I discovered the deliciousness that is roasted carrots. Can you believe I’ve lived 43 years not really loving carrots? I don’t mind them in soups or stews but I’d never eat them on their own. I tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and pepper before roasting them at 400 degrees for about a half hour. The best part? I added some honey to melted butter and drizzled it on the finished carrots. OH MY GOD were they good. I enjoyed them more than the main course! I have been roasting green beans for a few weeks now too, so now I need to try roasting other vegetables that I thought I didn’t like. Apparently the cooking method really does make a difference when it comes to taste.

Home & Craft Projects

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Today Joe installed some particle board under our cabinets to go over the old contact paper that wasn’t even the same color. It’s a pretty close match and looks so much better now. Not bad for only $16! Thank you, Menards. Strangely, neither Lowes nor Home Depot carry such boards.

Before:

After:

While he was working on cutting the boards, I decided to tackle two craft projects, one of which I will reveal next month when I put out the Easter decor. The other one is a shamrock banner for St. Patrick’s Day using $2 of Dollar Tree products – 1 pack of glitter foam shamrocks and some Jute Twine. I happen to already own a glue gun and some glue sticks that my mom gave me years ago that was collecting dust in the closet. It was my first time using a glue gun, and my first DIY home decor craft, so all things considered I think the end result is pretty good even though the spacing between the shamrocks isn’t uniform (I just eye-balled it) and the one shamrock is a bit more angled than the others.

We don’t really have a lot of decor for St. Patrick’s Day and I’ve been gravitating to more neutral colors and a more minimalist look, so it’s perfect. I’m pretty proud of how it came out.