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Make a Clean Start this Spring!

SPRING IS DEFINITELY IN THE AIR, AND IT IS A GREAT TIME TO CLEAR OUT ALL THE CLUTTER THAT HAS ACCUMULATED – BOTH IN YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR BUDGET. We've gathered some handy cleaning tips to make your Spring Clean a lot easier:

Kitchen Always begin cleaning on the right side of your stove, then move clockwise around the room. The stove is typically the dirtiest part of the kitchen, so ending with it keeps you from spreading dirt and grease. (First, soak drip pans and knobs in warm soapy water. By the time you've worked your way around, they'll be easier to clean.) Believe it or not – your dirty kitchen sink contains more bacteria than a toilet seat. If you don't have disinfectant available, there's an easy way to disinfect your sink with common kitchen products. Clean your sink with soap and water first, then spray it with a mist of vinegar, followed by a mist of hydrogen peroxide, and let the sink air-dry. (Don't mix the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide; spray one after the other.) If your sink is stainless steel, make it sparkle afterward by putting a few drops of mineral oil on a soft cloth and buffing it. This prevents water build-up, which deters mould and keeps the sink looking clean longer. Use microfibre cloths instead of paper towels. When wet, microfibre helps sanitise and clean floors, counters, glass and tiles, and eliminates the need for other cleaning products. We all know that sponges are a breeding ground for bacteria. Disinfect yours every night by squeezing it out and microwaving it on high for a minute. When it's shredded and smelly, replace it.

Bedrooms Start with the bed – if your bed is made, your bedroom looks neat. When you wake up, pull the covers up to your chin, then scissor-kick your way out of bed so it'll be half-made when you get up. Tuck the covers up and in before you leave. Most women have drawers full of clothes they don't wear, and their dresser tops soon become repositories for things they can't store. Get rid of things you haven't worn in a year and vow to put away your clean laundry each week. Keep a "pamper basket" next to your bed to store the books, knitting and other odds and ends you enjoy doing before nodding off. Leave only your alarm clock, lamp and a box of tissues on your nightstand. Gone is the clutter!

Laundry Since fabric softener and dryer sheets can strip towels of their absorbency, add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle or throw two new, clean tennis balls in your dryer to get rid of static electricity, soften fabrics and eliminate the need for dryer sheets. Almost everything can be washed in cold water (and it's better for your electricity bill and the environment too), but use the hottest water possible for sheets, towels and underwear. Take special care to put undergarments in the dryer as soon as possible to stop bacteria growing while it is still damp.

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Eat right for your blood type

There have been many fad diets over the years: from the cabbage soup diet in the ’60s, to the low-carbohydrate Atkins fad of the ’90s. The one thing that all the wacky diets and dieting ideas throughout the decades have in common is that they are unhealthy. Many of them will work: eating only 1000 calories a day of grapefruit will result in dramatic weight-loss; or more precisely, rapid fluid loss which is then regained after the diet is stopped.

The blood type diet, made popular by Peter D’Adamo’s book, Eat right for your blood type: The individualised diet solution to staying healthy, living longer, and achieving your ideal weight, is not much different from any other fad diet.

Scientific basis?

D’Adamo’s theory about nutrition is that the way one’s body absorbs and processes foods is affected by their blood type. This means that each blood type should eat (and avoid) different foods. Further, D’Adamo says that blood types determine how people should exercise and their susceptibility to different illnesses.

This, according to D’Adamo, is as a result of ancestral lines – where some people have hunter-gatherer heritage and should eat meat, others have agrarian (farming) ancestors and should eat little or no meat.

However, there is no scientific evidence that this diet is beneficial and no research has been done to prove that this diet works to improves health, maintain weight, or to improve wellbeing in any way.

The disadvantages

Part of the reason that the blood type diet is problematic is because of how restrictive it is. According to D’Adamo, the following are the diets associated with each of the blood types:

•Type O

D’Adamo says that this is the oldest of blood lines and as a result, people with type O blood should maintain the diet of their ancient ancestors. This means eating a lot of lean meat, poultry, and fish and avoiding grains and legumes. They should also enjoy vigorous exercise.

•Type A

Supposedly type As come from an agrarian line and benefit from vegetarian diets and gentle exercise.

•Type B

Allegedly type Bs have the least restricted diet and can eat almost anything but should avoid or limit carbohydrates. Type Bs should exercise moderately.

•Type AB

This is a modern blood type, according to D’Adamo, which should involve avoiding animal protein and exercising regularly.

The dietary restrictions don’t take taste and personal preference into account and there is no research which suggests that this diet is beneficial for the different blood groups. Registered dietician Monique Dos Santos suggests following a well-balanced diet instead. “We need to eat from each food group rather than being limited by our blood group,” she stresses.

It is important to discuss any dietary changes with a doctor or dietician to ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Make a Clean Start this Spring!

SPRING IS DEFINITELY IN THE AIR, AND IT IS A GREAT TIME TO CLEAR OUT ALL THE CLUTTER THAT HAS ACCUMULATED – BOTH IN YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR BUDGET. We've gathered some handy cleaning tips to make your Spring Clean a lot easier:

Kitchen Always begin cleaning on the right side of your stove, then move clockwise around the room. The stove is typically the dirtiest part of the kitchen, so ending with it keeps you from spreading dirt and grease. (First, soak drip pans and knobs in warm soapy water. By the time you've worked your way around, they'll be easier to clean.) Believe it or not – your dirty kitchen sink contains more bacteria than a toilet seat. If you don't have disinfectant available, there's an easy way to disinfect your sink with common kitchen products. Clean your sink with soap and water first, then spray it with a mist of vinegar, followed by a mist of hydrogen peroxide, and let the sink air-dry. (Don't mix the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide; spray one after the other.) If your sink is stainless steel, make it sparkle afterward by putting a few drops of mineral oil on a soft cloth and buffing it. This prevents water build-up, which deters mould and keeps the sink looking clean longer. Use microfibre cloths instead of paper towels. When wet, microfibre helps sanitise and clean floors, counters, glass and tiles, and eliminates the need for other cleaning products. We all know that sponges are a breeding ground for bacteria. Disinfect yours every night by squeezing it out and microwaving it on high for a minute. When it's shredded and smelly, replace it.

Bedrooms Start with the bed – if your bed is made, your bedroom looks neat. When you wake up, pull the covers up to your chin, then scissor-kick your way out of bed so it'll be half-made when you get up. Tuck the covers up and in before you leave. Most women have drawers full of clothes they don't wear, and their dresser tops soon become repositories for things they can't store. Get rid of things you haven't worn in a year and vow to put away your clean laundry each week. Keep a "pamper basket" next to your bed to store the books, knitting and other odds and ends you enjoy doing before nodding off. Leave only your alarm clock, lamp and a box of tissues on your nightstand. Gone is the clutter!

Laundry Since fabric softener and dryer sheets can strip towels of their absorbency, add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle or throw two new, clean tennis balls in your dryer to get rid of static electricity, soften fabrics and eliminate the need for dryer sheets. Almost everything can be washed in cold water (and it's better for your electricity bill and the environment too), but use the hottest water possible for sheets, towels and underwear. Take special care to put undergarments in the dryer as soon as possible to stop bacteria growing while it is still damp.

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