Easy Solution to Stinky Smelly Kitchen Sponges: Soak in Hydrogen Peroxide.

Love those cellulose sponges in your kitchen but can't stand the way they start to smell stinky after a while?

I've tried the microwave trick, but that stinks up the whole kitchen.

I've tried soaking them in bleach or tossing them in the top rack of the dishwasher, but that shortens the life of the sponges. (Chlorine is very corrosive to cellulose.)

Now I soak them in hydrogen peroxide for a while.

> Wash and rinse-out the sponges & squeeze dry.
> Put them in a small container or canister and slowly pour hydrogen peroxide over them until it about covers them.
> Let soak (a few hours or overnight).
> Rinse them out.

Presto! Very effective, easy and inexpensive. It appears to kill most of the microbes, and it deodorizes the sponges quite well.

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To help keep them from getting smelly so quickly in the first place, don't lay them flat. Stand them on edge.
(The increased surface area exposed to air will help them dry out much faster, impeding the growth of the microbes that cause the smells.

Retired post: Dell Optiplex 755 for sale

Hi! This particular post is for those in the area of SE Pennsylvania. K. Thx. Bye. :)

Dell Optiplex 755 (refurbished)

(Note: Photo is from Dell’s website. My PCs look like the largest PC shown, only used.)

Specifications:

Hardware:

PC, power cord, USB keyboard, mouse.

PC:

CPU: Intel Core2 Duo @2.33 GHz

Memory: 4 GB @ 667 MHz (on 4 DIMMs)

Hard Drive: 80 GB SATA

USB 2.0: 8 ports (2 front, 6 rear)

Network: Gigabit ethernet (10/100/1000)

Optical Drives: 1 DVD-R/W burner and 1 DVD-ROM

Video: on-motherboard Intel-Graphics VGA port)

Upgraded Video Card: PCI-e 16x AMD Radeon HD 2400 Pro/XT with 256MB on-board RAM. (OpenGL 3.3 & DirectX 10 support.)

(Notes on the upgraded video card:

> It’s designed to run 2 monitors simultaneously. You can go with 1 or 2 monitors, but in either case, a splitter adapter will be required. For normal computer monitors, you can buy a DMS-59-to-dual VGA adapter @$5.00 or DMS-59-to-dual DVI-D adapter @$7.00.)

> If you plan to use a TV set for the main display you can buy S-Video cables @$3.00 or S-Video-to-RCA adapters @$6.00.

Software:

Installed Operating Systems (choose either one each time you start up or reboot the computer):

1: Microsoft Windows XP (note that Microsoft has officially ceased supporting Windows XP – I have installed Mozilla Firefox (currently still being updated and developed by Mozilla) and Google Chrome web browsers (Google has ceased development for its Chrome browser on Windows XP). I suggest using Linux for the most internet use because of its vastly better security features compared to Windows XP. (For general gaming, XP has the upper hand due to its better video card drivers; also many games are not available for Linux.)

2: Linux Mint (xfce Desktop, others Desktops easily added, e.g. KDE, Cinnamon, MATE). Based on Ubuntu Linux, support is strong and updates are regular and mostly self-installing – you will see a pop-up asking if you want to install updates – all that is usually required is your okay, much like Microsoft Windows updates.)

(I have divided the hard drive between the two Operating Systems – about 30GB for Windows XP and 50GB for Linux Mint. If you would prefer to have only Linux or only Windows XP on the computer, I can set that up for you.)

If you need a video monitor, I may be able to give you an old CRT-type display for free, or a more modern LCD display for $15 to $25.

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Upgradability (Internal upgrades) (easy-open & easy-lock chassis – no screws)

CPU: Intel Core2 Quad-Cores cleared by Dell for the Optiplex 755:

Q6700, Q9400, Q9550, Q9650

Memory:

8GB PC6400 @800MHz or PC5300 @667 MHz (4 slots, 2GB max per slot)

(Notes:

1: Dell strongly suggests installing memory DIMMs in matching pairs for optimal system performance.

2: If you add 800 MHz DIMMs without removing all 667 MHz DIMMs, the 800 MHz DIMMs will operate at only 667 MHz.)

Hard Drive: One extra bay including a slide-in bracket and power plug. External drives can be added via the USB 2.0 ports or NAS (Network-Attached Storage) or by buying and installing FireWire or eSATA or USB 3.0/3.1 add-in PCIe or PCI cards.

Floppy Disc Drive: There is no legacy floppy disc drive installed, and probably no desire for one, but there is an unused 3.25 inch bay under the DVD drives and a floppy disc data cable and power supply plug are inside the case already should you choose to add one. You could also buy a USB floppy drive.

USB 3.0 or 3.1: Install a card in the open PCIe 1x slot.

Network: If you have a WiFi network, you can plug in a USB-to-WiFi dongle OR install a WiFi card in one of the PCI slots.

SATA ports: internal ports. (3 are in use by the installed hard drive and the 2 DVD drives. You could take out the DVD-ROM and just use the remaining DVD-RW, freeing another space and cable for another 3.5” SATA hard drive with a 3.5” to 5.25” drive-bay adapter.)

Video card:

PCIe 16x FULL HEIGHT (currently populated by the Radeon card noted above). The power supply is rated 305 watts maximum sustained, so you may need to upgrade that as well if you plan to upgrade to a power-hungry video card.

Legacy PCI slots: 2 open

PCI-e x1 slot: 1 open

Optical Drives: either or both replaceable with Blu-Ray DVD-ROM or Blu-Ray DVD-R/W

Turn it into a television DVR: add

> a big hard drive,

> a TV or cable tuner, and

> the free MythTV software.

Note: If you want to install Windows 10, I only tried once with 8GB RAM, and it seemed very responsive. Supposedly Windows 10 runs acceptably with 4GB RAM, but I haven’t tried that. From what I’ve read, Windows 10 can be rather intrusive and potentially a greater privacy risk, but it did look pretty good on the Optiplex 755 with 8GB RAM. I’ve applied to Microsoft’s Certified Refurbisher program, but I haven’t heard back yet. If I get it, I could install Windows 10 (or 7 or 8) for you then at some sort of discount, but there’s no certainty. To buy a full retail license yourself costs anywhere from $20 (download) to $200+ (retail physical DVD) what I’ve seen on eBay.

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Other potential uses:

>Could be a great gift and learning “toy” for a curious young mind, but only for one who is aware and respectful of the dangers inherent in tinkering with potentially deadly electrical things.

>A family project for Minecraft gamers.

(I don’t mean to downplay the capability of these machines! With 4GB of RAM, they play full 1080p HD youtube video without breaking a sweat.)

>Turn it into a NAS box and/or family server.

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Designed for an office environment, these computers operate very quietly under normal loads. (I’m not a gamer or animation designer or video editor, so I don’t know how loud they may get when given a hard workout). In my experience, the large CPU fan with its massive heat sink is very quiet, and the power supply fan as well.

I have several of these available if you want to set up family or friends with the same machine you’re running so you can support them more easily.

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If you’re interested, please check ebay, etc., for similar systems. I think you will find this to be a very good deal!

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Cash or Paypal only – but I would consider trades for part or all of the cost.

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