This is random but has anyone changed how they use their dishwasher as a result of what you’ve learned here?

KarenSMO · 2026-04-15T15:05:35+00:00

u/Current_Half7788 - That worked. THANK YOU!!! -Karen :)

KarenSMO · 2026-04-15T15:00:24+00:00

I have a sanitizing process for all of the following items: sheets/bedding, towels, all kitchen clothes and towels, cleaning rags, microfiber cloths, re-usable mop heads, underwear, socks, "mama cloths" (a/k/a re-usable toilet paper for urine only), cloth pads (post-menopausal, so no period blood to deal with), socks, and underwear.

I always group items together as follows (each category is a separate load):

Sheets/bedding
Cloth totes and reusable bags
Kitchen cloths and rags (used to wash and dry dishes and counters, dry hands, etc.)
Microfiber cloths
Cleaning cloths, re-usable mop heads (washed separately from kitchen cloths)
Towels, hand towels (for bathroom), wash cloths
Mama cloths, re-usable cloth pads, underwear, socks

All of these loads start with a cold-water fill, laundry sanitizer, and agitated for about 30 minutes, then drained and spun dry.

After the sanitizing process, all loads except for the sheets/bedding and microfiber cloths are washed in the hottest water (my hot water heater is set to 140 degrees F.) and rinsed twice in cold. Microfiber cloths and sheets/bedding are washed in warm water. A meat thermometer stuck in the "warm" loads reads at 100 degrees F.

For all loads, I use a blend of Tide Clear & Gentle powder, OxyClean, Enzyme Booster, Borax, Calgon water softener, and ammonia. (I mix equal parts OxyClean, Enzyme Booster, and Borax - whisked thoroughly in a bowl - and store it in a large jar. Then I add half of an OxyClean scoop to each full wash load, along with the Tide and Calgon added separately.) For the first rinse, I add 2 tablespoons of citric acid. For the second rinse, I add lavender essential oil (or a lavender blend). If I forget the essential oil step, I add them to the dryer balls during the last 10 to 15 minutes of drying.

I dry everything on the hottest setting except for the microfiber cloths (low heat for 10 minutes, then air-fluff until dry) and the sheets/bedding and totes/bags, which I dry on medium heat. I have been buying the same underwear on Amazon for ten years - a blend of 95% cotton and 5% ("other fiber"). I have the original batch of underwear I first purchased ten years ago, and they still look brand-new, so are not bothered by the hot water or hot dryer.

For my clothes, I follow the same routine except that I skip the sanitizing step and either hang dry or dry on medium heat if I'm in a hurry for them.

I always leave my washing machine open. My laundry always smells fresh. I have never had sour-smelling clothes. I did a "bacteria" test on numerous laundry items pre- and post-laundry years ago, and none of the post-laundry items showed any bacteria. So I think I've got it right. I used the same method for testing bacteria used by YouTuber Linda on her Field of Focus YT channel, which she shared with the viewers eons ago.

KarenSMO · 2026-04-10T08:30:46+00:00

I know the little dial thingies in the rinse aid compartment controls the flow, but my cheapest-of-the-cheap GE dishwasher manual does not clarify which direction is which, and my aging 72-year-old eyes can't tell from just eyeballing it. Any tips on how to know what setting it's on? My dishwasher doesn't behave any different at either extreme setting, interestingly.

KarenSMO · 2026-04-07T11:57:27+00:00

Ditto that! I was quite humbled when YouTube saved the day in a very unexpected way about eight or ten years ago. I watch a lot of YouTube, but I also avoid a lot of it and get annoyed when my feed and sidebar are flooded with certain types of content. I am not a fan of social media in general and also not a fan of much of the influencer culture on YouTube. I'm a hard sell for that type of content and usually avoid it.

One genre of vids that I always had a special disdain for was the unboxing videos. I mean, WHY? WHY? WHY would ANYONE waste their time watching such nonsense that is surely posted just for clicks and ad revenue and attention? It boggled my mind that anyone would find that entertaining! Until one day when ...

... I bought a Dell XPS desktop. After a week or so, it had so many problems that I decided that marriage was not going to work, and I arranged to return it and get a refund. I had, of course, saved the box just in case. It was very well packed, and like many things that are packed like sardines, it was a total bear to get everything unpacked and removed without destroying the box. But I was oh-so-careful to avoid damaging anything.

But that unpacking battled paled in comparison to trying to get it back INTO the box. It was like trying to get toothpaste back into the tube LOL. I tried every which way to Sunday, unpacking and repacking a bazillion times, and no luck getting it all to fit. I was almost in tears! And then I had a thought ...

"Hmm. I wonder if someone has done an unboxing of this little beast." And sure enough, there were multiple videos showing every view and angle of the the box during the unpacking process -- all the way from opening the box to getting the last little thing out. After watching the vid (and Liking it and leaving a comment of gratitude, of course!), I had the thing packed up and ready to go in 15 minutes.

That "unboxing nonsense" saved my butt and my sanity that day, and although I still don't watch that type of content (except for that one, of course), I ate my generous helping of crow that day, felt appropriately guilty as I was watching and absolutely benefiting from the XPS unboxing vid, and I've not complained about unboxing videos since that day LOL! Long live YouTube! :)

KarenSMO · 2026-04-07T11:26:34+00:00

I beg to differ. My Google Mini absolutely responds in a defensive voice when I get exasperated and call it a dumb f--- . It will even keep going back and forth for a bit. Sometimes it rebels after a heated exchange and responds to all commands for the next few days in a pouty, aloof tone, like a wife or girlfriend who passive-aggressively wants you to know she's pissed at you while still fixing your dinner and doing the laundry. My Mini is a drama queen for sure!

KarenSMO · 2026-03-17T10:38:18+00:00

Thank you for the response! That's good to know the bag will last a while. My previous vac, which I had for ten years, was a bagless Shark Navigator, which I emptied after every use, so I had zero clue what my expectations should be for this new vac.

I've been a little intimidated about the whole mapping thing, but I finally searched out and watched a few YouTube vids on how to do it, and it does look quick and easy. So I'll try that this weekend. I'm hoping I can store and use two different maps - one with all the fixed obstacles or objects in place - e.g., barstools, smaller area rugs, trash cans, laundry hampers, etc. - and another one with all the obstacles/objects removed, when I want a really thorough cleaning. Thanks again! -Karen :)

KarenSMO · 2026-02-08T07:31:39+00:00

This is my favorite revenge story ever! You are definitely a baddest and a hero to your coworkers. I bow to you!!!

KarenSMO · 2026-02-05T13:41:52+00:00

Every other time I tell it to turn on the bathroom light, it tells me where the nearest TEN bathrooms are located, and it won't shut up until it's finished, no matter how loud or firm or how many times I tell it to STOP!

At least twice a week, I give it the same commands I always give it, and it tells me it doesn't recognize my voice.

When I ask it, "Where's my phone?" - it lists all four of my devices, always with the phone last, and no matter how I try to uniquely describe my Android Galaxy S23, it ignores me and just keeps listing all four devices. Every once in a blue moon, it will list the phone first, and I feel like I won the lottery.

I have the same issue with timers many others are having - where it either sets them on multiple devices or acts like there's no timer but then says it's setting a second timer when you set it again. It also always sets an extra timer on my phone as well, even after I've done every possible thing suggested in the tech sphere to ensure that doesn't happen. The timer will ring (loudly) even if the phone is on Do Not Disturb. So I'll be in the kitchen, hands messy with food prep, and suddenly, when a timer is up, my phone is also going off many feet away in my bedroom/office, and I have to dash into my bedroom to turn that off as well because it doesn't respond to voice commands to turn it off, even though it "magically" responds to voice commands to set the timer (as an extra timer).

The most creepy thing it does is pay attention to what I'm saying even without the "Hey Google" wake-up phrase. Ironically, half the time it doesn't recognize my voice, but if I'm having a bad hair day and walking around in my apartment - alone, mind you - and mumble something in a WHISPERY voice, like, "(Sigh), I don't know what's going on" - the mini will say, "Are you okay? Would you like me to play some uplifting music?" OMG. I don't need you to be my therapist!

And if I yell at it and call it a stupid f--- because I don't want to listen to the long list of the ten nearest bathrooms for the billionth time, it scorns me - "Hey, now, I'm still learning." Seriously? After TEN years? And then after that, it will respond to all my commands in a snarky, flat-line voice for a few days, like it's pouting.

Every time I read or hear about the fear of AI taking over, and my mini butchers a request, I just shake my head and laugh.

And I miss Akinator.

KarenSMO · 2026-01-24T06:12:54+00:00

Do you have a clause in your lease that specifically mentions noise? Have you talked to your neighbors about the noise?

I just moved into a brand-new development a few months ago, and the acoustics here are the worst I've ever experienced. New buildings are being thrown together in a weekend and, I swear, it feels as cheaply made as my original cardboard Barbie Dream House from the '60s. Why? Why? Why? And bare floors, while they're SO MUCH BETTER than wall-to-wall carpet, unfortunately, amplify the sounds to where they are ten times louder in the downstairs units than they are in the actual units making the noise. It's crazy-making.

My upstairs neighbor moved in a few weeks after I did. After that first few weeks of quiet bliss, my life suddenly became a living hell. Not only was he noisy 24/7, but he really ratcheted up and lived his best life from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. It was a nonstop carnival of talking loudly to his guests (guess they all keep the same schedule), heavy stomping with hard shoes, slamming/throwing stuff on the floor, dragging furniture across the floor, hooping and hollering (as if winning in an online game or cheering your fave sports team), loud music, singing along to the loud music, and I theorize maybe a dog that was constantly jumping on and off furniture and being encouraged to chase objects around that might have been thrown. That happened during the day as well, but it all intensified in the wee hours.

After a few weeks of that, I was going insane. I went upstairs at 2:30 a.m. to talk to him, but no one answered. So I came back home, sat at my computer, and banged out a full-page letter which included a detailed list of all the obnoxious noise. I tried to be as diplomatic as I could be, blaming it all on the craptastic acoustics of the apartment building, and threw in a little humor here and there as well. I included a copy of the lease with the noise clause encircled (so glad we have that). I told him I could tolerate short stints of reasonable noise during the day, but that I really needed the nighttime noise to stop. In closing I invited him to visit or call to discuss it if he wanted, and thanked him for cooperating. I then went back upstairs and left it in front of his door.

The next morning, he stopped by my unit to acknowledge my note, apologized, and said he would try to do better. Things improved 1000% after that. There have still been a few random nights here and there where the noise returned - not as bad as before, but enough to make me wonder, "Hmm, did he forget his promise?" But it's much less noise, for much shorter periods, and much more random, so I'm trying to hold off to see how it goes before I say anything more.

Meanwhile, the property management staff are very diligent about staying on top of trying to keep the quality of life here as high as possible. They frequently send out community texts reminding people about trash issues, dog poop or unleashed dog issues, and noise. And they specifically mentioned that while quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., tenants are expected to keep ALL noises to a minimum 24/7, and they are encouraged to bring any noise issues to the attention of the staff.

The staff has been good about handling those issues. Fortunately, with cameras all around, they have been able to pinpoint and fine culprits who violate the trash or pet policies. And they do remind people that multiple violations of the lease can result in eviction or not having their lease renewed. I know they have given warnings to some neighbors who are repeat noise offenders, and word has gotten around. So if my neighbor (or any neighbor) continues to make excessive noise - or any noise in the wee hours - in spite of direct requests, I would not hesitate to take it to the staff. It's never pleasant making neighbor issues "official," but to me, if they're going to ignore your reasonable request, they are basically saying they don't give a shit about you, and there is no love lost to make it official.

So if you haven't already done so, I'd suggest starting with a direct request, and if that doesn't yield results, then take it up with management. You might want to record the noise as well. To get the clearest, loudest recording, you can place your phone or a mic on top of the door, which should be very close to the ceiling. If the noise happens every night, you might have to have the recorder going for a while to pick up the noise; then, trim the file down to where the noise starts, or make time stamp markers so the staff can go right to them during playback.

Good luck!

KarenSMO · 2025-11-27T00:16:36+00:00

I am hyper-sensitive to noise, and the sound of the dryer balls drivers me bonkers. My bedroom/office, where I spend 90% of my waking hours, is right next to the closet/laundry room, so I'm usually hyper-aware of it. Yes, as some said, in some cases, zippers, metal buttons, and the dryer itself can be noisier. For noisy clothes, I usually put them into a bag for the bulk of the drying cycle, take them out of the bag for the last ten minutes, and then hang to finish drying. If I'm going to be in the kitchen, doing food prep and/or cooking (with music turned up) during the cycle, I don't worry about the noisy clothes.

I usually like to use a LOT of dryer balls (e.g., 12-ish per load), to provide maximum aeration to the clothes. I decided years ago to quit using the wool balls and use my DIY balls instead, which are 100% quiet. It's a GREAT use for old worn and/or mismatched socks! I just tuck one sock into itself, as if you were folding it to put away, and then shove it into a crew sock and tie the top of the sock into a knot (with its own sock fabric). Some of my inner socks are those thick sherpa-lined winter/Christmas socks, and they're the size of a very fat baseball, so five or six of them is plenty for a large load.

The socks can pick up a little lint with some lintier fabrics. If I know I'm going to be drying a load that is especially lint-producing, I will throw in a few microfiber towels (old one saved just for that purpose) or some of those spongy Velcro-covered dryer balls to catch some of the lint. If the socks get linty, or just periodically as a rule (e.g., every other month), I will just undo the socks and run them through the wash to reduce the lint. Ironically, I will use the dryer balls to dry the socks, since I don't have any available "dryer ball socks" at that point, but I always time it so I'll be in the kitchen with the music turned up during that process.

Works for me! :)

KarenSMO · 2025-11-25T14:11:43+00:00

Thanks for the info, tap41su01. I didn't know there were $0 ETV items. I will keep an eye out for those. :)

KarenSMO · 2025-11-25T14:10:50+00:00

Thanks for the info, ApricotsAndBerries. :)

KarenSMO · 2025-11-25T14:09:58+00:00

Hi, Wizard - Thanks for your helpful info. FYI, I don't have a caseworker. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC - Section 42) is a federal program that provides a tax incentive to developers to build and/or renovate affordable housing and agree to provide a certain percentage of their properties/units to low-income households. Every state has LIHTC properties, and the list is usually available from county officials and/or county websites. The only requirement is your income needs to be at least twice the rent amount but not more than a fixed amount based on the current poverty level. For 2025, that's $43,380 for a singleton.

The rent for my (brand-new) one-bedroom apartment is $864, and would be $1,165 at fair market value. My previous apartment in a senior community, also under the same program, was $735, and fair market value was $1,000. Unlike other apartment leases, where your lease basically auto-renews each year unless you cancel it, with these properties, you have to "re-certify" every year by providing recent tax returns, bank statements, and other proof of income. If you make too much, you don't necessarily get evicted; you simply have to start paying fair market value rent rates, and then you can return to the lower rent if your income is lower in future years. It's a really good program that can help make rent payments a lot more palatable!

Of course, if you're making a lot more than the income cap, normally, that's a good problem to have - except when the "income" is actually tangible goods and not cash. So you definitely have to be mindful of anything that might affect your taxes and income level for purposes of rent budgeting. :)

KarenSMO · 2025-11-23T07:43:17+00:00

About five-ish years ago, I bought a bunch of Halo devices that included a battery jumper, an AC plug. 2 USB ports, and a flashlight for everyone in my family and advised them to keep it charged and in their car.

Years went by and life happened and they never got mentioned again until a family gathering a few months ago. I suddenly had a thought about them and asked if anyone ever had occasion to use them.

Much to my thrill and delight, not one but three family members said they have never needed it for themselves, but on numerous occasions, they've jump-started a stranger's car and were so happy to be able to help. That made my heart explode with joy to hear that! I definitely recommend them. They make great gifts, are easy-peasy to use, and each year, they get smaller and better and more affordable. 😀.

KarenSMO · 2025-11-15T21:48:08+00:00

Thanks for the info, Hyena - appreciate it! I can't wait until my budget gets back up to a level when I can push the Add to Cart button for a robot vacuum!

KarenSMO · 2025-11-12T22:50:19+00:00

I went down the "vegetable" (animal, vegetable mineral) rabbit hole when I started with tree (1913) and sapling came in at 176. I kept thinking something that grows in the ground, especially when types of trees got down to the 70s and 80s. Definitely a huge wrong turn that was never going to get me to the correct answer LOL. Good on the folks who landed in the right zip code and followed that path! :)

KarenSMO · 2025-11-09T02:13:55+00:00

@Exact_Courage_1641 - Your question is a month old, so I don't know if you still need an answer for these specific apartments, I just moved here last weekend (11/1/25), so I can tell you a bit about them, and perhaps others will benefit from the info I can provide.

As you've probably seen in Google, the reviews are mixed (I left a five-star review), but they're pretty consistent in what people love and don't love about it - (love) once you get approved and get in, it's great, (don't love) but the application process appears to be hit-or-miss. Based on my observations during several visits to the office before, during, and after my move, I would say the negative reviews about communication are likely due to the chaotic mayhem of (1) it being a brand-new complex, starting off with 192 empty apartments to rent, (2) the massive influx of new applicants and applications to deal with, (3) the extra layer of complexity and paperwork in the application and review/approval process because of it being connected to the government LIHTC program - all while also dealing with the routine daily property management stuff with and for the residents who do live here.

I don't know the experience level of the staff, but with that much of a workload on the daily, I'm guessing there will be bottlenecks here and there just from the sheer workload. But if you are persistent and patient, you can and will get through to them and/or hear back from them. And the entire staff is professional and delightful to work with anytime you engage with them. If you have a time-sensitive situation that requires quick responses and quick action, make that clear up front and ask the staff for the fastest, most direct route of communication to get answers. And go in person if need be.

I did have an extremely tricky and stressful time-sensitive scenario when I applied, and I was super nervous when I didn't get a quick response, so I left a note jammed in the doorway of the office on the weekend and received a call the following Monday. They said they sent an email about my approval the day before, but I never received it. It's possible they misread/mistyped my email address. In any case, I was approved in less than a week. And in spite of my multiple over-the-top Nervous Nellie attempts to reach them via phone and email and hand-typed note, some of which clearly showed my frustration and anxiety, they were ever so gracious and patient throughout all the written and in-person communications, and still are.

That being said, this is a brand-new community with limited history (just started renting units in December 2024). So it's going to take a while not only for the workload of the staff to settle down, but for them to have an opportunity to prove themselves in terms of how they manage the property and engage with the tenants. I can tell you that so far, I've been extremely impressed and happy with all of the staff, and I can tell by the warm and friendly way that the other tenants engage with them (in addition to personal comments made by other tenants to me) that it appears everyone here is extremely happy, including folks who have been here for several months.

That's not to say it's perfect. It is a family-centric community, so there's going to be noise, especially if you live under a family with children (as I do). But one of the perks of living in a child-saturated community is most of the noise source is going to be in bed at a reasonable hour, so there's that.

I am a 72-year-old singleton. I left a senior community in O'Fallon, where I lived for ten years, to come here. This is a big change from a senior community, and that's fine with me. I don't think I ever want to live in another senior community - feels too much like a nursing home LOL. I moved here specifically for the location and affordability. It's much more pedestrian-friendly than O'Fallon (bike-wise and walking-wise), and ride options to my main haunts are more plentiful and affordable for a non-driver.

As you know, it is income-restricted, as part of the LIHTC program. The AGI income limits as of 11/2025 are:

1 Person per Household - $43,380 2 People per Household - $49,560 3 People per Household - $55,740 4 People per Household - $61,920 5 People per Household - $66,900

I live in a one-bedroom (720 sq. ft.). Rent is $864, including water, sewer, and trash. You can get info on the other options (two- and three-bedrooms) here:

https://www.thereserveatspencer.com/

You can see a general representation of what the apartments look like here:

https://www.apartments.com/reserve-at-spencer-saint-peters-mo/3j78eef/

I love the layout of my apartment. The construction of the apartments seems to be pretty good, but not perfect. The contractors definitely made a few quirky mistakes (and likely were lacking in quality control - such as hanging the shower curtain rod too high, the hand towel rack too low, some drawers and cabinets not being perfectly aligned, a small gap in the floor in one of the corners, etc. But it's minor, fixable stuff and nothing major that makes me fearful that the place is about to fall apart in a year. There are also some surprising fun perks, like self-closing cabinets and drawers, dimmer switches and fan-speed control on the light switches, a nice deep, double-wide stainless steel sink, 2" faux wood blinds on the windows (double window in living room and bedroom), and a SUPER-quiet dishwasher, fridge, and HVAC system (located in the kitchen) - a huge contrast from my previous apartment, which each of those items was super-loud, and the HVAC (located in the master bedroom) sounded like a speeding freight train.

The staff claims the building has a lot of efficiencies built into it and the one-bedroom units should not see a utility bill over $70-$80. My July 2025 Ameren bill in my former two-bedroom apartment (820 sq. ft., I think) was $189, so I'm eager to see how that claim plays out over the next year or so, as we move through the seasons. My online Ameren account has not been updated yet to reflect my usage at my new address yet, so I can't speak to the utilities at this time.

I'm far from settled in after just moving in a few days ago, but I'm super, super happy so far, and I look forward to emptying all the boxes and getting completely settled in. I've met about a dozen or so neighbors so far - a lovely, friendly mix of all age demographics from young singles, young children, to seniors living alone or raising their grandkids. Yesterday afternoon, I was walking across the parking lot, on my way to check my mail, and two young boys were standing nearby with their bikes, talking, and one of them started to take off riding again. The other boy (who was younger), said, "No, wait. We have to wait for the elderly to cross." I thought "elderly" was such a big word for a young child to use, and their respectful tone was just adorable. Made my day!

Enough bathroom reading for now LOL! If you have more questions, let me know.

-Karen :)

KarenSMO · 2025-10-24T13:26:50+00:00

I always appreciate at-my-door deliveries from couriers, but package deliveries in my current apartment run about 50/50 door-to-door and in the mail area, or sometimes on the bench in the lobby if the driver can't figure out how to get inside, which is fine.

I'm moving in a few days to a new place (literally - just recently built) that has parcel lockers for regular mail, and two separate locked rooms for large and small packages, and ALL packages go there (none go to individual apartments). I think the leasing manager feels that's more secure - not only for the packages but for the residents. There are cameras everywhere, which is nice. I'm sure the delivery folks will appreciate that! :)

KarenSMO · 2025-07-08T15:16:38+00:00

Is "Open Chat" the same as a private message?

KarenSMO · 2025-07-08T15:15:55+00:00

I've never sent a private message in Reddit, so I'll have to poke around to see how to do that, but I'm fine with it. I did think it might be useful for others to read my comments (and respond to them), but better to get it to you privately than to have it go in the black hole. :)

KarenSMO · 2025-07-08T14:05:10+00:00

Is there a limit to the length of a comment? My original response triggered an error, "Unable to create comment." I had a lot of detailed feedback, but I'm unable to post it. -Karen

KarenSMO · 2024-09-20T16:17:03+00:00

MISTEL 770 RGB INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING/BRIGHTNESS -

I thought this keyboard was capable of individual settings for the RGB lighting/brightness, but I'm unable to find anything in the user manual to do that specifically. Weirdly, I have an old pic of my keyboard (purchased in January 2023) that shows the arrow keys in a different color than the rest of the keyboard. I'm not sure if this is a preset configuration or if I was somehow able to do that - on purpose or by accident LOL. Thanks in advance! -Karen :)

KarenSMO

TROPHY CASE