Dear FlyLady,

First of all I want to say thank you for your wonderful website and system. I found you 7 months ago and have been on and off since then (chronic pain, on-and-off depressions, and big marriage crisis just now). I must admit there have been days that I neither shined the sink nor did anything else. But still my home is in much better shape, than it has been in the last 5 years! I am ashamed to say I have great difficulties figuring out how to declutter, but I am getting there. Your essays about the different ways clutter manipulates us in keeping it have been helping me a lot. During all this time even when I was not able to do more, I have always read your e-mails and the attitude adjustment is working, slowly but visible. I am beginning to think differently of my clutter, and have actually started to throw away a number of things. And I am so proud that I can! I feel like I need extra small babysteps, but I am getting there!

Anyway, I read Cathy’s message about shining her sink when the water is very hard. Where I live the water is very hard also, and I have found a wonderful solution that works for me. I use vinegar based bathroom cleaner I purchase in the supermarket (homemade vinegar cleaner will be fine too). I figured, if it works with calcium stains in the bath, it will work in the kitchen as well. I chose a lemon scented cleaner that does not remind me of bathroom scent. I spray it on the sink surface and wait 3 minutes, and then I just wipe the calcium stains away with (almost) no scrubbing.

Thank you so much again for all you do. You are a blessing to us FlyBabies all over the world.

Berlin FlyBaby