Cleaning Systems vs. Days
Volume 1, No. 7
I have been living with my parents since my mother became severely ill a few years ago. I was expecting it to be about six months to a year to get my mother back on her feet. I treated everything like it was temporary including my cleaning systems. I don’t want to interfere in what was their normal routine. I realized recently after my mother’s passing that it was false thinking. I should have adjusted my systems and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I am reestablishing those systems as my father and I adjust to a new normal without her.
Cleaning systems over days means cleaning a little each day so there are no major tasks that suck your energy or your time. It is things like straightening a room before you leave it. If you work from home, straighten your desk at the end of the work day. It means a place for everything and everything in its place. If I have a major spill in the kitchen or bathroom, just mop the entire floor. The goal is not to double dip when cleaning.
HIDDEN HERSTORIES:
Alice H. Parker (1895–1920): Inventor who revolutionized natural gas furnace central heating.
Here are five relevant facts about Alice Parker:
Details on Parker's private life remain largely unknown. including what she looked like. In 2022, Audrey Henderson from the Energy News Network discovered through research that a picture often thought to be Parker actually shows a white woman who was born five years after Parker's furnace patent was granted, and she had no connection to Parker. It is currently accepted that she was born in 1895, in Morristown, New Jersey, just 40 miles east of New York. Parker pursued graduated from Howard University Academy with honors in 1910. Despite her higher education, she worked as cook.
The idea came from a place of need. The Parker family encountered challenges in heating their entire home simultaneously, posing a risk during the cold East Coast winters. In the 19th century, heating systems often relied on coal and wood, which were not easily accessible
Parker submitted her patent application on July 8, 1918. The patent for Parker's innovation was granted on December 23, 1919. This invention is considered a foundational development in the evolution of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technology. What distinguished her invention was its capability for "zone heating," allowing for the temperature regulation in various sections of a building. Her patent application was submitted well before the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Liberation Movement, highlighting her achievements as particularly remarkable, given the systemic obstacles faced by Black women of her era.
Although Parker's gas furnace was a revolutionary idea, it wasn't put into widespread use. The main reason was safety worries because the technology back then couldn't control how hot or cold it got, as her invention required. However, Parker’s patent has served as a basis for the development of heating systems throughout the 20th century; especially the “smart home” technology, that is used by nearly all households in the 21st century.
Parker’s legacy lives on numerous awards and grants, and most noticeably in the annual Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Award that is given out by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce to celebrate outstanding women innovators from New Jersey.
CLEANING TIPS OF THE WEEK:
There are things we should clean at a minimum of once a year. I l trimmed this list to be common for everyone whether you are in a home or an apartment.
Vacuum your heating ducts and air conditioning vents.
Purge your garage or storage space.
Deep clean upholstered furniture.
Vacuum out your fireplace.
Deep clean :
Your washer and dryer.
Your carpet.
Your dishwasher
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
I think the biggest thing is clean as you go. Wash all your knives, cutting boards, dishes, when you are done cooking, not look at a sink full of dishes after you are done. Cleaning as you go helps keep away cross contamination and you avoid having food borne bacteria. —Cat Cora
This is something that was taught to me by my grandmother and mother. There is nothing worse than coming back to a kitchen having to clean every pot, pan, plate, etc. Everyone’s gone home or to bed leaving you to plow through. It’s fight I lose constantly with my father once he took over cooking when my mother couldn’t do it. He piles dishes into the sink from breakfast to dinner then complains how late he has to stay up to clean the kitchen. I tried to show him how my mother and I do it but he looks at me like I am speaking to him in another language. If you haven’t , you should try it. Your stress levels will thank you.
SOUL FOOD CHALLENGE:
“A cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind.” Pick a room in your house or apartment and clean and organize it so that it is functional for you and/or family. Establish a routine that keeps it clean.
Notice how do you feel coming into this room versus others in your home.
Share you thoughts in the comment section on the website.
Until next time.....remember your voice and stories matters!
