Author: solbeeparkk

Week 14: Free Blog Post 8

by solbeeparkk

Before I begin my last blog, I want to quickly thank everyone who took the time to view and comment on Bee Clean. I have learned so much from your comments and feedbacks; i will definitely continue to work on developing my web skills. I’ve read each individual comment and I hope Bee Clean taught you a little something about cleaning.

  1. Great work! I really like your voice and how you describe your website, expect your more blogs!

Today I wanted to share a little disaster that happened in my house this past week. My family recently moved into a new house and we are still adjusting to living in it. With that being said, we haven’t been able to get the chance to properly install a recycling and trash bin in our living room. Just some brief background information; I enjoy drinking several beverages throughout the day, including sparkling water, coffee, and matcha lattes. When it comes down to trashing the cups/cans into the appropriate trash bin, I usually like to rinse the inside and let it sit on the corner of my kitchen island. Although I thoroughly wash these cups/cans, it seems like there were little amounts of juice left in some.

After a few weeks, I started to realize we were finding several ants around our kitchen island. At first it was one, then it was two, and before I could do anything, we had a terrifying amount.

Here’s my game plan and how I’m working to eliminate this ant invasion.

Why do we get ants/pantry bugs/other bugs in our pantry & kitchen?

According to howtomurderpests.com

  • a dirty kitchen and kitchen pantry
  • you don’t store your food properly
  • you buy food packs that already have pantry pests and you bring them home
  • there are entry points in your home that allow pantry pests use to sneak inside

food wastes, food stains, and food crumbs make your kitchen dirty…which means higher risk of pantry bugs, ants, etc.

I did what any paranoid person would do; I did a quick Google search and this was the most recommended solution.

So I immediately went into Amazon and ordered 12 bait stations.

After 1 day: couple ants were caught

These bait stations are still sitting in my kitchen as I am writing this blog. I’m impressed at how many ants were trapped inside and I can’t wait for this miserable time to come to a close. With that being said I want to share with y’all how you can start improving your food storage today to make sure you don’t end up in the same situation as me.

PROPERLY STORE ALL FOODS

Air-tight containers are great to keep your ingredients fresh and away from pantry bugs. Instead of sealing an opened bag with a bag clip, try investing in glass air-tight containers, like these.

REGULARLY DISPOSE TRASH

Make sure to dispose of trash as soon as it appears, especially those that are sweet!!! Sugary drinks, fruits, and foods will attract ants & bugs like no other.

Week 13: Free Blog Post 7

by solbeeparkk

How YOU can make money by cleaning

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Ever wanted to make extra cash during the summer? Or looking to find a flexible, manageable part-time job? If you enjoy cleaning your friend’s room for fun, you should definitely consider applying as a part-time housekeeper. Recently I learned of various cleaning companies that allow normal people, like you, to apply and start making money by cleaning private homes. For example Care.com has a really easy application process, where you can apply and start working immediately. Care.com will distribute and promote your profile to thousands of people around your area who are looking for housekeepers. This can range from a one-day job to a long-term job. This is what makes this job so exciting; it requires no resume and you can work wherever and whenever you want.

Here is an example post from Care.com.

As you can see, a mother is looking to hire someone who can help with house chores. There is an application button that directs you to a simple questionnaire.

The process is straightforward. Include your account information and it will lead you to upload a profile picture, include basic information, and start building your overall profile.

Week 12: Free Blog Post 6

by solbeeparkk
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Cleaning Products You Should NOT MIX

Something that I’ve learned over these few years is that not all cleaning products are meant to be used together. Have you ever watched a cleaning TikTok or Youtube video, scrolled through the comments, and saw that there are always comments criticizing the person for mixing cleaning products? Well there is a reason why. Here is a list of products you should definitely NOT be mixing together.

  • baking soda and vinegar
  • hydrogen peroxide and vinegar
  • ammonia and bleach
  • vinegar and bleach
  • bleach and rubbing alcohol

Why can’t these be mixed together?

There are several reasons why these products do not like each other.

  1. They can “cause unsafe fumes or other chemical reactions” says Nancy Bock, Senior VP of Education at the American Cleaning Institute.
  2. Mixing products can cause the solution to bubble, rise rapidly, and sometimes explode
  3. glass and window cleaners contain ammonia, which means they should never be mixed with bleach

As much as it is important to keep your space and surfaces clean, I encourage you to always wear gloves and even a mask when you are dealing with harsh cleaning products. If you ever find yourself with shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing, please step back from wherever you are cleaning and take appropriate precautions. With that being said, I wish you all a safe cleaning session.

Week 11: Commercial Blog Post

by solbeeparkk

When I was searching for summer classes, this project was something that really convinced me to join this class. I’ve always wanted to create my own podcast and I thought this was a really great opportunity. Whenever I am doing chores or driving, I enjoy turning on my favorite podcasts. I guess it’s the “listener” in me that enjoys listening to people talk about honestly anything. And I think it also roots from the fact that I really cherish my conversations with people. Podcasts allow people to go back three years and remember every word that was spoken in a conversation, and I think that’s really beautiful. I went into my Notes app and started writing down ideas for my commercial. I was looking for a more peaceful, ASMR-style commercial rather than something too obnoxious and pushy. I chose words and phrases that I can comfortably say without using too much energy. During this planning process, I imagined myself talking over the sounds of spa music and I think it worked out really well. Originally I intended on just recording a normal commercial, with just my voice and some spa music. But I got the sudden idea to use one of IMovie’s background images. I found a serene video underwater and decided to keep it throughout the entire podcast.  To add another touch, I was able to add fading words that introduced my podcast and my name. I am very pleased with the outcome. This entire process was relatively easy and I didn’t run into any major problems. I did use IMovie which made it quite difficult to play around with the audio. Unfortunately there isn’t a feature that allows me to fade in or fade out audio in IMovie. So what I did instead was split up the audio into smaller sections and lowered the volume for each one. This explains why my fade in and fade out may not sound as natural. I think it sounds alright and I definitely want to find a way to work through this in the future. Overall I had a really fun, easy experience making my commercial. 

Week 10: Powerpuff Blog Post

by solbeeparkk

Making this Powerpuff cartoon was super easy and fun! It reminded me of when I used to play dress-up games on my little IPhone during middle school. I used to download every beauty and makeup-related game I could find and this experience certainly sparked some nostalgia. The process was very straightforward and I liked the different features I could play around with to customize my cartoon. I kept my cartoon fairly simple but I do want to try experimenting with some fun colors and outfits when I get the chance!

Updated picture

Week 9: Free Blog Post 5

by solbeeparkk

For today’s blog post, I wanted to talk about something slightly different from what you are used to. For those of you living Bergen County of New Jersey, you may have heard the news that there has been E-coli detected in water. Now what do we do?

The only course of action is to ensure that we are consuming and using water that is safe for us. This can be done by using bottled water or boiled water that has been cooled down for drinking water, brushing your teeth, etc. My family has been using bottled water for everything, including making food, brushing our teeth, and obviously for drinking. As of today, the boil water advisory has been lifted at around 3pm. Find more information here.

Week 9: Meme Blog Post

by solbeeparkk
Picture borrowed from knowyourmeme.com

This picture right here is called the “I Don’t Believe In That Nonsense/So True” meme. As I was scrolling through the website, I couldn’t seem to be interested in a particular meme and for most, I thought was not funny or offensive. But this one. This one made me giggle because I know someone like this in my life. I love her with my entire heart but every chance I get to talk to her, she has to bring up the Myer-Briggs personality test and that she had already predicted my response to everything because of this one thing. Now I definitely believe in this test and I think it is a great way to describe different people and their different personalities. But this friend is deeply passionate about it and it is getting to a point where it’s slightly concerning me. Anyways I thought this meme really captured that feeling for me and I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. It’s a great meme and I got a good laugh from it.

Week 8: Free Blog Post 4

by solbeeparkk
Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Have you ever had a couple lemons sitting in your fridge- and didn’t know what to do with them? Well for today’s blog, I want to show you guys how you can turn lemons into cleaning solutions, scrubs, and many more. But before we start I did some research to reassure you that these natural cleaning products will indeed clean those dirty surfaces.

“While they may not be as powerful as commercially formulated products in eliminating bacteria, natural sanitizers inhibit bacteria growth. They can reduce it to undetectable levels, mainly if used regularly. When it comes to natural cleaners vs. store-bought, the store-bought will likely be more immediately effective. Still, you should ask yourself whether you need such an intense approach, given the potentially damaging side effects.”

Cited from thisoldhouse.com

When you think about it, nothing will ever be 100% clean. By cleaning our dirty surfaces with wipes, we are simply making them clean before they get dirty again. That is why it is important to not only clean frequently but also efficiently. Some cleaning products can be very intense and can cause side effects, especially when dealing with more sensitive spaces, like the kitchen sink. With that being said, let’s get right into how lemons can help your sustainable cleaning habits.

Here are some everyday ingredients that can be easily made into cleaning products according to thisoldhouse.com

  • baking soda
  • white vinegar
  • lemon
  • olive oil
  • soap nuts
  • castile soap
  • essential oil

How to create a lemon all-purpose kitchen cleaner

  • You will need vinegar and water
  • Mix EQUAL parts of vinegar and water in a container
  • If you would like, add a few drops of essential oil to customize the scent of your cleaning spray
  • Slice up a few lemon peels and you can even add a few drops of lemon juice.
  • Transfer into an old spray bottle or a reusable bottle
  • Now you have an all-natural cleaning spray! Make sure to label with a marker or sticker that indicates it is a cleaning spray. Here are some labels I found on Amazon.

Week 7 : Hyde, et al., Discussion

by solbeeparkk

Today’s reading reminded me of many thoughts and feelings I had throughout this blog-making process. Let’s start with a quote from the section “The People Formerly Known as the Audience”.

If all would speak, who shall be left to listen? Can you at least tell us that?

pg. 13

This quote here is the way I felt going into this blog-making process. When I opened the Webliography for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the numerous types of websites that were being made. I couldn’t seem to settle on just three because many interested me. This made me wonder about this quote about having someone to listen. If we are all busy making our individual blogs, will we be able to hear out what the other classmates are presenting. Or are we too fixated on our own project? How are you listening?

Week 7 : Promotion Post

by solbeeparkk
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

For this week’s blog I will be talking about social media platforms I think will effectively promote my website. I’m sure many people have mentioned this platform, but I believe that TikTok will be able to spread my content in the best way possible. Why? Because almost a billion people are on it. TikTok has quickly grown to become the most popular social media app since the global pandemic. When we were stuck at home in quarantine, I can guarantee that many of us found TikTok and its unexplainable addicting charm. Each TikTok video ranges from about 15 seconds to a minutes, which is very different from, for instance, Youtube that utilizes short to very lengthy videos. The ‘For You’ page allows users to mindlessly scroll for hours and hours without realizing that so much time has passed. Personally I went through a horrible phase of just binge-watching Tiktok, and there were multiple times where I would literally spend the entire day in my bed. Thankfully I have grown to learn how to control myself, but it is still difficult to stay away from it.

The nature of my website deals with fun hacks and tips for how to clean properly. I feel like TikTok would open doors for my website because it’s a great place to make short, catchy videos. Because of TikTok’s large audience, it would be much easier to reach as many people as I can in a short time.