Pandemic: The Cleanse

The Cleanse Story

This story twists and turns in the normal way life often does.

We started in 2019 with a personal reaction to climate change (fires + heat leading to electrical outages), that led us to decide to make a significant house improvement (solar panels), which triggered a house-wide electrical upgrade. These business contractors introduced us to some wonderful people (electricians + painters), who shared our house for a month each, and that triggered us to initiate a house cleanse. Because we needed to move stuff out, we found a wonderful community organization (BuyNothing) to help. Finally, all this activity helped us lesson our carbon footprint, downsize our household belongings, yet reduced overall potential waste; while also being able to help our neighbors and those less fortunate.

A winding path indeed.

Preliminary Details

During this time of pandemic living, we find ourselves spending a large amount of time at home and in our yards. Some people have turned inward, learning from Marie Kondo to dispose of those things that do not bring joy. While others of us have turned to finishing off those long-standing, and very long lists of honey-do projects. We are sort of doing both, but where we find ourselves today, actually began last year.

Necessary to my story, is that you know we own a 1941 split-level El Cerrito (California) house that has 9 rooms. We bought it back in 2004, and every couple of years we manage to save enough money to pay for a renovation project.

Like other aged homes, any renovation project always gets complicated and more expensive quickly, so we break down projects into smaller segments to do one at a time, and we save about 50% more than the bid, to cover unexpected costs. We also have learned every project takes more time than is estimated.

This whole story started when we decided to install solar panels and batteries so we could handle power shut-offs, which are happening much more frequently in California due to climate change bringing very hot weather and fires. Between necessary medical equipment, and my packed freezers, we wanted consistent power. Because of the cost, we broke this large renovation project into two, first lets get the panels, then add the batteries later.

Work Cascades

In late Spring 2019, we decided to get the solar panels and that work lasted until August. Rather quickly, we realized the need to also upgrade our electricity from the older knob-and-tube to modern wiring. The company we hired for the solar panels, Ally Electric + Solar, agreed to install the panels and upgrade the electricity as well, and did a great job. We enjoyed having the workers around and the dogs liked them too.

Once they were done with both projects, we were left with lots of white, patched interior splotches in nearly every room of the house, as they had to get to the wires to upgrade them. So we knew a year ago that we would have to, eventually, get the interior walls painted.

We arranged some bids, decided on a contractor, and started to save up the money to pay for the new work.

Side Note About our Painters

Arminda Flores and Kevin Quigley are married, and work well as a team. After a week or so, I cooked them lunch and, while sitting outside eating, I found out that while Kevin loves to talk about his wife’s many talents, Arminda is quiet, and states that her English is not good.

While diminutive, and perhaps a bit shy, she is an amazing woman with an amazing life story. Although I will not go into her personal history, I can say Arminda was born in the ancient Purepecha town of Ihuatzio on Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico. She is a active in her community, with its food, traditions, and ceremonies; and has been written about in several USA publications.

• In 2004 SF Chronical Jon Carrol wrote: Nov. 1, the Day of the Dead (Día de losMuertos), is five days before my birthday. Last year, I decided to spend it with my friends Kevin and Arminda down in Ihuatzio, a small Indian village outside Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico. The celebration in Michoacan is pre-Christian, however, so the nomenclature is a little confusing. Nov. 1 is also called Noche de Muertos, which is more apt because the major celebrations stretch from late in the evening to dawn of the next day.) Kevin is an American, a lapsed Catholic from St. Louis; Arminda is Purepecha Indian from Ihuatzio. Together they run an eccentric and wonderful bed and breakfast; Kevin also makes money painting houses in Northern California…
• Arminda’s traditional cooking was featured in the Gourmet Magazine ”A Purepechan Stew,” written by Deborah Madison (2008).
• AnthonyHoldsworth has written a bit about Arminda, and featured her a cappella singing in a YouTube recording titled “Painting around Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico“
• Anthony Holdsworth also wrote that Arminda:
  • In January 2009 Arminda hosted the owners of Picante Restaurant in Berkeley,  Jim and Laura Maser.
  • She has collaborated with Betsy McNair of My Mexico Tours preparing regional dishes for her groups for the last 6 years.
• She also has a Facebook page where she sells handmade soaps: Los Jabones de Mimi. (Is there anything this woman cannot do?!)

Leading to Cleanse

So now, over the course of what we anticipate being 4 weeks of work, we are getting up at 7am to dress, feeding the dogs and ourselves, and then promptly at 8am we welcome Kevin and Arminda.

To assist them, we have moved everything in 6 of the rooms, into the center of each room, at least 3’ from the walls, so they can get to the paint areas. While, they are painting the middle and upper floors, we are living in the bottom floor; and will switch once they are done upstairs.

Since we have had to touch everything to move it, we are now reviewing everything in the house, deciding with each thing if we should keep or toss. (Of course we do not really just “toss”, we are gifting, recycling, donating, and repairing everything we can). This means, along with all the other people living during this pandemic times, we have initiated the pandemic cleanse.

Buy Nothing Project

When doing a cleanse, the big question is what to do with the stuff you want to remove? We have done trips to the County-wide recycling center, other trips to our local (and great!) city-wide recycling center, gifted to the local library and other organizations, checked with friends, and have taken tons (seriously a lot!!) of old taxes and papers to a shredding company in Berkeley.

Then, my spouse discovered the Buy Nothing Project. This project, started in July 2013, and is based on the idea that communities can create their own gift economy, based on the simple acts of giving and receiving, no cash involved. It is organized by city or town, as far as I can tell. So you have to provide your address to join your local version. We joined the Buy Nothing El Cerrito Facebook group and have been passing on to others items we no longer need, or cannot remember why we have kept over the years.

I have picked up free Arugula plants, others are gifting seeds, some are sharing food, but there are lots of other things shifting around as well. For instance, one woman runs to local homeless camps to find out what they need and posts the list for all of us to see and donate. And there is a sponsored event every Friday to gather kitchen items and food for our neighbors. Seeing all the good work being done, I turned by eyes toward my kitchen, while my spouse looked at everything else in the house.

The Kitchen Cleanse

I looked for things I have not used in years, multiples of items I did not realize I had, or things I can change to reduce waste. Honestly, I want a kitchen that has the minimal amount of stuff, but that stuff needs to be high quality tools I can turn to every day.

Paper Towels

I have a heavy, metal paper towel holder I use in the kitchen. The use of paper towels is a connivence that is bad for the environment, and trees specifically. Even though I am using kitchen towels more, I still use paper towels for those times when I want a quick disposal, such as when I have an egg or meat juice cleanup situation, or when Maggie (the older dog) has an accident in the house (always our fault for not letting her out in time).

Mostly a kitchen towel, microfiber cloths, along with soap + water will clean up any mess, but I want to have options for gross things.

• A personal goal is to use less paper towels and save the money and environmental resources so I want to switch to bamboo disposable sheets and cotton towels.
• But even the bamboo towels need a dispenser, so I will keep the towel holder.

Aluminum Foil + Parchment + Plastic Wrap

Some use aluminum foil to wrap food in, line pans or ovens to keep them clean, cover resting meats, etc. I do not use it very often since I do not want any of my food to touch aluminum, so any roll of foil lasts a very long time. In fact, I use parchment paper to line any aluminum foil so my food stays away from that metal. I do however have several rolls of aluminum foil, due to a Costco purchase several years ago.

I have parchment paper which I use for all sorts of kitchen activities. I use it when I cook en papillote, to line baking sheets, to separate servings of certain food when freezing them, etc. I buy this at Costco in rolls or at restaurant supply stores in sheets.

I have one plastic wrap roll that I rarely use. Recently I have used it to tightly wrap half-cut avocados, but that is about it. So once this is gone I will not repurchase.

• I will gift, and not repurchase any aluminum foil or plastic wrap that I currently have.
• I will however keep parchment paper handy in my kitchen.

Reusable Baggies

I do not buy the flimsy zip-top sandwich bags, for they are hard to reuse. Instead, if I buy plastic bags, they are the more durable freezer bags and I wash and reuse them multiple times before they get recycled.

• A goal is to use up the bags I currently have and move to better silicon bags that are more durable.
• But as I bought this item from Costco, I have quite a few boxes left to get through. I will keep these until they are gone then buy more sustainable bags.
  • StasherBag: It’s safe to store food, put in the microwave, freezer, oven, and dishwasher. You can even cook right in your Stasher bag, sous vide style. It won’t leak, break down, or degrade over time.

Cleaning Products

Under the kitchen sink is a shelf full of cleaning products. I want to keep the fire extinguisher, the bucket full of rags, and some of the cleaners, but not all of them.

I have cleaners for granite, stainless steel, leather, ovens, windows, And floors; wood oil and dust spray, rug spray for spots or animal urine, plus white vinegar.

• I want to remove the multitude of synthetic chemicals in my house and kitchen. So my plan is to reduce the cleaners to just those that are actually needed, and that cannot be replicated via a generic household cleaner made up of natural ingredients.
• Just as we have gifted a partially used large container of shampoo we do not use, I am going to see who needs these cleaners.

Kitchen Hardware

In reality, every thing I want to do in the kitchen can be achieved with basic tools, like a good knife. But folks, including me, like their gadgets. I do have some that are not necessarily required, or are cheaply made, so am reviewing all of them to see what I can get rid of without much impact on my cooking.

Prep Gadgets

I have drawers full of other manual gadgets I use for very specific prepping activities. So let me review the drawer with a critical eye.

• Gifting my rarely used garlic press. I now just use my knife or a planer to do the deed. Easier to clean as far as I am concerned.
• Gifting extra wine and bottle openers. I am not even sure why I thought I needed so many to begin with.
• A nut cracker set. Traditionally every Christmas, in Germany, we would have a basket full of nuts in the shell and one of my favorite things was to crack-n-eat those nuts. But it has been at least a decade since we’ve done that, so away it goes.
• Stainless steel cheese slice-n-serve utensil I do not use any more.

But, I am keeping my whisks, egg slicer, spaetzle maker. planer, grater, lemon squeezer, tongs, and pestle + mortar, veggie peeler, ice cream scooper, can opener, mandolin, etc.

Cookware

I have lots of pots and pans, more than I can cook with. Further, some are ~20 year old non-stick pans that were created during a time when chemical and environmental concerns were not commonly considered. So I have passed on or recycled many pots and pans that were older non-stick or aluminum cookware.

• Over time I have been replacing the cheap pots and pans with more expensive ceramic, cast iron, or carbon steel quality equipment. In cookware, at least for a home cook, quality should win over quantity. These should be considered tools, so get the best for the job at hand.
• I also want cookware that have glass lids so will be gifting those without glass lids as well.

Cooking Utensils

I have been reviewing all the cooking utensils I have to make sure I am keeping only the ones I actually use, and passing on any I do not. I do not like holding steel handles, preferring wood, as they tend to conduct heat too much. The wooden handles feel natural and fit me better. Like Chef Alice Waters, I like to have natural beauty and human stories surround me in the kitchen.

• I prefer wooden utensils, or wooden handles, so am passing on all the stainless steel or plastic handled utensils.
• I am keeping my offset spatula, my knives, tongs, whisks, spatulas, slit spoon, spider, ladle, bowl and bench scrapers.
• Keeping all my glass and metal bowls.

Kitchen Appliances

I have a microwave, toaster, air popcorn maker, and slow cooker. These will stay in my kitchen as I use them regularly. But I also have a standing mixer, immersion blender, blender, hand mixer, handheld milk frother, several whisks and a large and small food processor. All of these tools are designed to mainly do the same thing so I can get rid of some of them.

• The 20 year old Krupps hand mixer will go, since the standing mixer can do the same work.
• I will get rid of the large and small food processors since either the mandolin or blender can do the same work.
• I will pass on my older and rather large dehydrator, for I found the oven (set at 200F) does the same thing in less time and suits my needs just as well.
• Time to recycle the broken Krupps electric can opener since I have a manual one that works well.

Coffee + Tea Prep

I have both an electric and drip coffee maker equipment; also 3 teapots, 3 gaiwan sets, and a tea kettle as well as an electric water cooker. Obviously I do not need all of these as I am not a real coffee drinker (although my son is), and I am the only hot tea drinker in my house (my spouse prefers iced tea).

• I have an electric hot water heater + dispenser, as well as a stovetop hot water kettle. I am going to donate the hot water dispenser to my old work colleagues, and keep using the stove top kettle.
• Realistically I need only 2 teapots, so will give away one. But am going to keep my gaiwan sets.
• I will keep the drip coffee maker + grinder, and get rid of the automatic coffee maker as the drip tastes better anyway.
• Also, I am gifting my older milk frother, since I have a great new Zulay frother.

Food + Spices + Herbs

I also reviewed the food we have in the pantry and kitchen cabinets for donating.

• We have given some cans or packaged foods to friends and needy college students.
• I have passed on quite a few bags of dried herbs (sage, oregano, thyme, and mint) I made over this past Spring and Summer.

Satisfaction

There is something so satisfying from doing a cleanse like this. Along with getting rid of clutter and items we no longer need or want, we have also changed the colors of a few rooms and rearranged some of the furniture.

• We are however, still waiting on our living room rug to be returned to us; we took the opportunity, since we had to roll it up anyway, to go ahead and get it cleaned and repaired. It is a beautiful Pakistani “oriental rug,” that recently began to show its age with thin spots, some color wear, and torn edging due to cats. This rug is an irreplaceable heirloom, so worth the effort to maintain.

The end result is that already (and we are not done yet) the house interior looks better and brighter, the house feels lighter (though dusty from the California fires + painting), and we are a bit more pleased with the space. If one is “pandemic-forced” to spend the majority of time within one building, it helps if it feels good to be there.

This has turned out to be a big summer-long effort, but worth the money, time and energy given to the various related projects. As a hint for those considering owning a home, all projects start out with a simple idea (let’s get solar panels), but once started, the project turns into a cascade of related projects that are each expensive, time consuming and ultimately temporary; as a new honey-do list starts the very day all the projects are completed. Like, we need the Solar batteries to help with power shut offs, sigh.

Just remember, it is the journey that is life, not getting to a particular destination.

—Patty

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News: Mid-September Doctor Anthony Fauci, Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that taking certain health supplements will boost immunity, as reported by Health. Specifically, he is suggesting we take Vitamin D and C as a precaution and general boost to our immune system. However, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Vitamin D supplementation results in a great loss in total bone mineral density (BMD) in women than in men.

News: ABC reports, models released by the U.S. government suggest a future with less water may arrive sooner than previously projected for the seven states that rely on the Colorado River. Later they write, Compared with an average year, only 55% of Colorado River water is flowing from the Rocky Mountains down to Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona line. Due to the below-average runoff, government scientists say the reservoirs are 12% more likely to fall to critically low levels by 2025 than they projected in the spring.

News: TheGuardian reports, Pandemics almost always begin with the transmission of an animal microbe to a human,” writes biologist Nathan Wolfe in the introduction to The Viral Storm. This year has been, more than most, a manifestation of that fact. Later they wrote, Wildlife, and our increasing proximity to wildlife, is the most common source, but farmed animals are not only original sources, they can be transmission sources or bridging hosts, carrying the infection from the wild to humans.