Migros’s home delivery service is perfect during this period of icy, snowy streets

Since I live in the old town in Geneva, I walk everywhere. A few years ago, I had shoulder and wrist injuries from carrying too many heavy shopping bags, and ever since, I’ve had to do my heavy grocery and household shopping with a trolley. A couple of years ago, after regularly hearing the leshop.ch ads on WRS (formerly WRG), I decided to try and avoid pulling my heavy trolley, filled with milk, detergents, and other heavy products, up the hill from the Coop 2000 and the Boulevard Helvétique market to the Russian Church, so I tried leshop.ch. With the ice and snow on the streets over the last few weeks, home delivery can definitely be a godsend.

Online supermarket shopping, a luxury that fits every pocked

Although the leshop site is not the most user-friendly and not everything is translated into English, it is still quite functional for a non-French-speaker. The process is simple. Start by opening an account.  This allows you to have a shopping cart, which you can use just like a shopping list that you put on the front of the refrigerator, adding things as you run out of them (I just leave my leshop.ch shopping cart open on the screen and add things as needed). When you are ready to order, send it in before midnight, and it will arrive on your doorstep between 5 and 8 p.m. the next day.

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The Intermarché Mousquetaires and Ecomarché supermarket chain now offers home delivery in certain locations.

Unfortunately, the choice is more limited than that of leshop.ch in Switzerland, and it is not in English, but the photos are easy to follow, even if you don’t speak much French. You won’t find as much variety as at  the supermarket, but it can still come in handy when you’re in a pinch.

You can also do your shopping online in locations where delivery is not available, and then pick it up at the store, or if you’re traveling, you can order it and have it delivered so it will be there on your arrival. This service can also come in handy when you or your children are sick and can’t go out to shop, and for senior citizens who might have problems of mobility.

Payment is either by credit card or check.

To find out if the service is available in your region, simply go to the ExpressMarché site and type in your postal code either in France or Switzerland. If it is available in your area, a timetable will be displayed showing the days and hours the service is available (this varies widely from one location to another, so check it out carefully).

Cleaning vinegar: an ecological, economical multipurpose cleaning product

White distilled vinegar is still a standard cleaning product in Switzerland. It can replace many of the more expensive, name-brand cleaning products with all their “new and improved” claims and hefty price tags.

It’s not new, and it’s not improved, but it serves hundreds of purposes around the house.

You can buy it in any supermarket in Switzerland. You’ll find it in the cleaning products section, under the name Vinaigre de nettoyage. In France, simply buy vinaigre blanc in the vinegar section of the supermarket. Any Carrefour, Super U, Champion or Casino carries it.

Cleaning vinegar is not only economical; it is also ecological and non-toxic.

You can easily pour it into a spray bottle for easier use.

To remove odors

Wipe down inside of refrigerator with vinegar to remove odors. Mix it with baking soda to remove odors from garbage cans. It can generally be used to remove odors of all types, including mildew and musty smells.

To remove build-up of lime or corrosion

Put vinegar on a sponge or soft cloth to shine chrome sink taps. Fill kettle with vinegar and let it sit overnight to remove lime deposits.

To remove stickers and glue

On windows or other spots that have the left-overs of an adhesive hook, price tag or sticker, use pure vinegar.

To clean windows

Use vinegar and old newspaper to clean windows. Newspaper works much better than paper towels, because it leaves no white paper traces.

To remove grease

Vinegar is also good for removing grease on exhaust hoods and oven grills.

General cleaning

Cleaning vinegar is good for removing the film that forms on kitchen cabinets, cutting boards, and stovetops. To remove tea or coffee stains from porcelain or china, soak in vinegar, mixed with either soda or salt. After cutting onions or garlic, clean your hands with vinegar to remove the smell.

WARNING: Vinegar is an acid, so it should never be used on marble.