Congratulations!! you just bought yourself another house that you’ll have to clean. Here you’re thinking you bought this amazing floating condo, but it does not come with its own maid service.
Cleaning: Since anything that goes down the drain eventually goes through the bilge and pumped out the side of the boat, you need to be very mindful of what you use to clean. All of our cleaning products from dish soap, hand soap, toilet and shower cleaner, are from a company that sells non-toxic, environmentally friendly products (Melaleuca). Reusable cloths for mirrors or dusting are great so you have less waste. I wish I could tell you that I’m the anal retentive, OCD type that must dust and vacuum every time we leave the boat….but remember, I have TWO children!! Not gonna happen. But, I do make sure to wash and dry all dishes, gather dirty linens, make the beds and clean the toilets all on the day we leave. You will forget to clean the head (toilet) 1 time only. The smell of not just a dirty toilet, but one that has been sitting for weeks is enough to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. So you must factor cleaning the necessities, into your time, for the day you leave the boat.
Dishes: I could write a whole blog just on this, but I’ll spare you as many of boring detail as possible. The basics….
- Types of dishes, pots, kitchen utensils, etc. Our best investment we’re nesting pots/pans and nesting bowls. We bit the bullet and bought the Magma nesting pots/pans. They’re stainless steel and have a removable handle. Nesting or collapsible bowls are also a must have because space is limited. I have both plastic plates, and Corelle plates. Plastic bowls with a rubber ring on the bottom for cereal or snacks. We have been in some rocky seas and these babies stayed put. Cups and stemless wine glasses are plastic as well. We have a few hanging real glass wine glasses, but reserve those for fancy guests on board. We use stainless steel insulated mugs with lids for coffee, tea or dark and stormy’s 😉. Lids keep this precious cargo from spilling. Any gadget thats dual purpose is your friend. We have a microwave that was mounted where an oven would be and a stove top. So we bought the smallest toaster oven we could find and it’s great for toasting bread, crisping frozen potatoes or chicken nuggets, or even roasting veggies. Who needs an real oven? Besides less load on ol’ Jenny (our generator)
- Washing dishes. We have a sink indoors and one on our back sundeck. We use the back deck one for cleaning raw meat off plates and greasy hands from boat maintenance. Inside, we reserve this for regular dishes. When have a 50 gallon water tank so we need to use our fresh water sparingly when out at sea. I “try” to do dishes every day so they don’t pile up and so it’s easier to turn water on/off to save water. The dish soap I use is non-toxic so I feel safe having this run down the drain. Remember anything that goes down the sink drain goes into the water/ocean you’re in. So put all food particles bigger than a grape into the trash and don’t dump a 1/2 gallon of un-used milk down the drain, like I did. Learned my lesson when Capt Steve told me the water around our boat was all white….oops.
Laundry: We are fortunate that we have a combo washer/dryer on board. However, It can only do a small load and even at the lowest timed settings, still takes 1.5 hours from start to finish for 1 load. Also, it really boggs down our generator so we only use it when at a marina hooked up to shore power. Most, not all, marinas have a washer and dryer. Some take bills, some only coins, and some are always being used, so again, you have to be resourceful. Keep both liquid and pods on board because some marinas only use one or the other. Liquid is always good to use for an emergency sink wash too 😉. We all use the same towels throughout the whole trip. Hanging them up to dry in between uses. I have 1 spare sheet and pillow set for every bed on board. Dirt, sand, drool and yes, sometimes pee, are enough reasons to change the sheets right then and there.
