HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME continued HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME continued
Mary Beth Voelker is a writer, a mother,
a cook, a gardener, and a crafter. Though
originally from Pittsburgh, she and her
family kept coming back to North Carolina
until God let them stay. She likes to say that
while she has often been bored at work she
has never been bored at home.
Cleaning Despite Allergies
by Mary Beth Voelker
I’m an asthmatic who is sensitive to nearly all
perfumes and most cleaning chemicals, which
makes keeping a clean house challenging. There
was a fad for unscented things a while back,
which I thought was great, but they’ve gotten
hard to find again. So, what to do?
First, I said most. After long trial and error,
I’ve found 2-3 cleaners than I can tolerate, at
least if diluted. I won’t name brands because
your allergies and mine aren’t likely to match.
Mainly I use these sprays for spot-cleaningwith
paper towels I can dispose of rather than
rags that will hang out in the laundry hamper
until the next washday (Tip: Keep a bucket or
separate hamper just for cleaning rags so the
chemicals don’t get on your clothes).
Second, as your great-grandmother knew,
there were very few things that can’t be cleaned
with a bucket of hot, soapy water and a rag or
scrub brush. You’ll have to rinse, but I always
rinse after using even the “no-rinse” cleaners
anyway because of the chemical fumes. I find
that nothing cuts grease on the stove after frying
like good, old dishwashing liquid anyway.
When it comes to floors, I have to admit that
I wouldn’t have thought to buy a floor steamer.
I was used to mopping and resigned to the fact
that the only way to keep people from walking
on a freshly-mopped floor was to live alone.
Then I was given a steamer after someone
bought a newer, lighter one. Wow!
Though in theory a steamer requires
nothing but the steam for cleaning, I find that
heavily–soiled areas benefit from a light spray
of my tolerable cleaner or a hot, soapy, water
wipedown about 10 minutes before using the
steamer. It’s also critical to change the pads as
they get dirty. My second–hand steamer didn’t
come with enough pads but barmops or old
towels cut to size work as well or even better.
When it comes to pet areas, boys’ bathrooms,
utility rooms, and other places that can be
particularly odorous, there’s nothing like white
vinegar followed by the steamer to eliminate
any possible nastiness.
Speaking of vinegar, I don’t find that it’s the
miracle cleaner some people claim, but I do
find that white vinegar and baking soda-used
separately or, for the worst issues, togetherare
the best possible deodorizers. In a crafting
context I’ve even used white vinegar to take the
musk out of buck mohair.
Hydrogen peroxide can also be used in some
cases, though it can be very damaging to certain
materials so caution is needed. However, when
a bag of meat leaked heavily onto the carpet in
the cargo area of our old Suburban, I was able to
clean it up by alternating peroxide, the vinegar–
baking soda combination, and plain vinegar
over several days—allowing it to dry in direct
sunshine with the cargo doors open.
Your great-grandmother also knew about the
power of direct sunshine. While you have to be
careful about fading, you’ll find that giving hard–
to–wash items like cushions, thick comforters,
or heavy parkas that have gotten stale a sunning
will freshen them up nicely. Likewise, when you
wash your trash cans, you can get lingering odor
out of the plastic by drying them in direct sun.
Finally, when it comes to simply keeping
your home pleasant, I’m a firm believer that
nothing beats fresh air! Even the 100–year–old
house I grew up in with its badly–insulated walls
and drafty windows would get stale when closed
up for the winter. Our modern, tightly–sealed,
energy–efficient houses get stale much faster.
Here in the Sandhills, we are blessed with a
moderate climate that allows us to comfortably
leave windows open much of the year, but even
during the hottest or coldest times, it’s a good
idea to pick the most moderate day of the week
and open up your windows for an hour or two to
change the air and keep it fresh and healthy.☐
Grilled Peaches
by Mary Beth Voelker
As a Yankee in the South, I continue to
marvel at the abundance of peaches. Growing
up, I thought of them as something you ate for 2
weeks in July, three weeks if you were lucky. Here
in the Sandhills, we have local peaches from
mid-June to late-September.
One delicious peach dessert option that
doesn’t heat up the kitchen like baking a pie
or cobbler would is to grill your peaches. You’ll
need:
• 1 freestone peach per person
• Butter (melted)
• Cinnamon and/or ginger (optional)
• Ice cream (I recommend vanilla bean,
HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME con't. next column HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME con't. next column
caramel swirl, or butter pecan)
• Caramel sauce (optional)
• Chopped pecans (optional)
• Whipped cream (optional)
Peel your peaches with a 15–30 second dip
into boiling water followed by a plunge into an
ice bath.
Cut peaches in half, removing the stones.
Prepare the grill for medium–hot-either
charcoal or gas works.
Brush one side of each peach half with butter.
Place on grill butter side down.
Brush top of each peach with butter. Grill
until just cooked, turning once.
Serve on ice cream with or without the
suggested toppings.☐
Note: Locals can find fresh peaches,
during peach season, at family owned
& operated Highlanders Farm.
See ad & info above.
No. 138 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.11