If you’ve got a kitchen table, TV trays, or a counter where you eat, or anything like that, you need to get a rag and some soap, depending on the surface, and wipe it clean. Most surfaces will clean with a wet rag, but sometimes you’ll need to bring in the big guns. But remember:  Use appropriate chemicals for appropriate surfaces. You don’t want to ruin hardwood furniture with abrasive chemicals. Try to use a microfiber towel when you can. Stick to water and a little soap when and where you can. Dusting will give your room a much cleaner appearance, and help improve the air quality. It is one of the most important elements of keeping a clean house. Depending on how much time you have, you can choose the extent in which you will dust. Consider:  Use microfiber towels when you can. Dusting the surfaces of furniture, like desks, a TV stand, bookshelves, and more. Dust ceiling fans. Dust and remove cobwebs from crown molding. Wipe down the surfaces of electronics with microfiber towels. Now that your surfaces are clean and better organized and your floor is clear, it’s time to vacuum. Vacuuming will help remove dirty, dust, and dog or cat hair from the room. It is an essential part of any clean. Most rooms can be vacuumed in under five minutes, if you’re in a hurry.  Start at the back of the room and systematically move toward the entrance. Make sure to vacuum along the baseboards, behind and under couches and other furniture. Vacuum couches, chairs, and loveseats if appropriate. Be careful though, try to avoid damaging delicate fabrics. If you’re going to spend a little bit more time, try to vacuum over an area 3 or 4 times. Mopping is essential in removing dirty and grime from your floor, and all you need is some soap and a bucket. This is a must, so you won’t want to skip it. But, if you’re in a hurry, there are a few ways to save time:   If you want to save time, invest in a swifter or something similar. Another way to save time is to get a wet soapy towel, and to walk around the room with it. This won’t be as effective as actual mopping, but you’ll be able to pick up a lot of dirt and grime and save time. If mopping the old fashion way, make sure to sweep the floor first. Sweep from the back of the room toward the entrance, working systematically, and picking up your dirt/debris piles as you move toward the entrance.  After sweeping, start mopping from the back of the room toward the front. Mop 3x3 or 4x4 foot sections and then rinse your mop with fresh water. Slowly and systematically move toward the entrance of the room. After you've mopped, make sure to take a good look around the room and make some final adjustments if you need to. This is your chance to spend a couple minutes getting to the little things you might have neglected because you were in a hurry. Also, there are some finishing touches that will help your room look and smell clean:  Open the windows to let fresh air in. Turn on the fan, this will help the floor dry and will spread the clean air from outside around your home. Consider lighting a candle. If you're confident in how clean the room is, open the blinds and let some more light in.
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One-sentence summary -- Clean surfaces of hard-to-remove dirt and grime. Dust the room. Vacuum the room, if you’ve got carpet or if you want to vacuum your tile/hardwood. Mop the room, if you’ve got tile or hardwood. Look around the room.


Separate the egg yolks and combine them with the salt and sugar in a bowl. With a fork or electric mixer, whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and pale yellow, and falls off the whisk in thick ribbons. Optionally, add another egg yolk for an extra-rich ice cream. Fill a large bowl partway full of ice and cold water. Place a medium bowl inside the larger bowl, nestling it in the middle of the ice. Set this aside in the refrigerator to use later. Stir the milk and vanilla extract together in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the first small bubbles form. This should only take a few minutes. Evaporated milk contains much less water, so your ice cream will have fewer ice crystals to break up while churning. If you use ordinary whole milk instead, you'll need to spend more time churning the ice cream as it freezes. Pour a very thin stream of milk into the bowl of eggs and sugar, whisking constantly as you pour. Adding the milk too quickly may cook the eggs, which ruins the recipe. If you are concerned about ruining the recipe, let the milk cool until it is safe to touch. This may increase the cooking time. Return the milk and egg mixture to the saucepan and turn the heat to low. Gently stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom. Remove the mixture from heat once it forms a thick custard, and coats the back of the spoon when you lift it out. Take the pot off the stove right away if you notice any lumps of cooked egg. Strain these out before you continue. Pour the custard into the dry bowl in your ice bath. Leave this to chill while you continue to the next step. Whisk until the cream has doubled in volume, but not so long that it forms whipped cream. This will take a minute or two in an electric mixer, or several minutes of hand whisking. Wait until the egg mixture is cold to the touch. Fold the cream into the custard until they form a smooth mixture. Transfer the ice cream base to a freezer-safe container. If the cookie dough is ready, you can continue to the next section. Otherwise, leave the ice cream in the freezer for no more than 2 hours, while you wait for the dough. Stir the ice cream vigorously every 45 minutes to break up ice crystals as they form. Freezing for too long will make the ice cream difficult to combine with the cookie dough.
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One-sentence summary --
Whisk egg yolks, salt, and sugar. Set up an ice bath. Heat the milk and vanilla. Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Heat and stir. Cool the custard in the ice bath. Whisk heavy cream in a separate bowl. Combine the custard and cream. Store in the freezer.