Laundry Detergent 101

I've been a terrible blogger this year.  I know i have to apologize every time I come back to blog again.  Its been a busy year already.  However, I dug out some time to make something I have been meaning to get around to forever...my own laundry detergent.  It may seem silly to make your own, but I don't care how it seems.  I enjoyed it and it makes for a great money saver!  Always a bonus point for an activity.  

Once again Pinterest was my muse!  Isn't it always?!  There are about 100 different recipes for DIY laundry detergent; therefore some decisions must be made.  Liquid or Dry?  All natural or Semi-natural?  Etc.?  I decided on dry and all natural.   

My ingredients of choice:

Borax:  A natural laundry booster.  $2.98

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda:  A washing specific baking soda.  ~ $3.50, maybe less.

Bar of Fels Naptha Soap:  A laundry specific soap.  .97 cents

You can use any soap you wish.  Some sites I read while doing research used Dr. Bonners Lavender Bar Castile Soap from Target, Ivory, Dove.  Whatever you have lying around will work.  Don't consider the scent when making your choice.  It won't last past the rinse cycle anyway.

So all in all, ingredients less than $8.  The washing soda and borax are large boxes and will make a large number of batches.  So a single batch is a guesstimated less than $1.50.  Maybe even less.  A batch will complete approximately 40 loads according to the websites I read.  I haven't tested the theory yet as I haven't completely used my first batch. 

Next task after gathering your ingredients:  Grate the bar of soap.

I have an older grated from a garage sale I used.  This is a bit time consuming.  Like 30 minutes or so if you are going slow and watching Teen Mom like I was.  Be careful at the end when the bar of soap is small that you don't grate your finger like my husband did.  Not a pleasant experience.

After grating is complete, place the gratings in to the canister of your choosing.

Add 2 cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda.

Final addition is 2 cups of Borax.

Shake to mix.

Voila.  Your very own homemade laundry detergent.

I have loved it.  I place a tablespoon scoop into each load.  I use this old coffee scoop I had lying around.

As you can see, I didn't make a large batch.  I wanted to make sure I liked it before I spent anymore time on it.  Next time I would double or even triple the batch so I won't have to remake it for a months and months and months.  Although this single batch I made is going to last us a pretty long time.  We have been using it for a month and it barely looks used.  We don't make as much laundry as some of you, but between the 3 of us, we make our fair share.  Yes 3 of us.  Paisley, although she is a dog, creates her own laundry after baths and walks in the rain in particular.

I do however, love when my laundry smells yummy.  And that is not a possibility with this all natural recipe.  The clothes come out clean, but unscented.  So I add a tiny sprinkle of Downy UnStoppables!  Its merely a scent booster.  I sprinkle it on top after loading the clothes in and my clothes come out smelling super fresh!

UnStoppables are not necessary a cheap option, but I love them too much to care.  I always buy them when on sale and preferably on sale with a coupon.  I also only use about a 1/4 of what the bottle recommends.

I hope you get inspired to create your own reicpe.  There are so many possibilities.

DIY Swiffer Refills

Welcome to Day 2 of my new clean 2012 self.  If you missed my first post on cleaning my kitchen, you can check it out HERE.

I love my swiffer.  Granted I don't use it as much as I should, but that's a given.  I don't clean as much as I should.  The absolute worst though is when I am in a cleaning mood...those are real and very important when it comes to cleaning...and I go to the closet and dust off the old swiffer wet jet.  Lo and behold there is no swiffer juice!  Ugh!  Oh well.  Guess it won't get clean I tell myself and go back to watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Well now, I have given myself no excuses after a long while of the swiffer being empty.  No I didn't want to pay full retail price for the refill.  Not important enough to me.  Like I said, cleaning isn't my most favorite skill.

I made my own swiffer solution and refilled the bottle myself.  

Duh, your 90's trained brain says, that must be so easy.  Au contraire mon frere.  Swiffer is a smart company.  They don't want us refilling our own bottles.  Too easy.  Too much money lost.  So there is a trick to removing the lid on your swiffer bottle.

Heat a mug of hot water in the microwave for two minute.  Turn the empty solution bottle upside down in the hot water for one minute.  

Then refill the bottle with the floor solution of your choice.  Ammonia and water.  Pine sol and water.  Whatever is to you liking.  I chose to fill the bottle with half water and half vinegar.  I added half a fresh squeezed lemon for a little extra yummy citrus smell.  

I'm not gonna lie.  Vinegar is a strong smell.  However, clean is clean.  I'll deal when it cost me like 25 cents max to refill the bottle.  Like I said in my first cleaning post, you are welcome to drop some dollars on the lavender essential oils.  I'm just too cheap to care.

Once refilled, simply return the cap to the bottle.  Pop the bottle back into the swiffer main frame.  A little tip I learned during research said it would be a good idea to pop the bottle back off when you are done cleaning and return it to an upright position to avoid excessive evaporation.  So I did.  You are welcome to test the theory and leave it on the frame afterwards.

Hope some of you will try it out.  It took all of 4 minutes to do.  Faster than running to your favorite grocer for a legit refill.

2012 Started Off Fresh & Clean

Okay so I didn't exactly start off 2012 on a blogging bang.  Sorry guys, I've been reading the Twilight series 4 years later than the rest of you, so I have been a bit busy hiding under the covers speed reading.

I was off work for an extra day to start off 2012.  I hope that is a great predictor of what is to come this year.  However, the long weekend wasn't all pillows, rest, and pajamas.  We had to get a little accomplished on our rare time at home.  I decided a good cleaning was in order.  So I hopped on over to Pinterest for a little inspiration.

I had 3 conditions...I wanted something cheap.  Homemade.  And Natural.
Who doesn't love to save money.  Although I don't live my life in full embrace of the organic and natural lifestyle mostly due to the my first condition...cheap, I do believe it is important.  I don't want my first born, Paisley Blue, to be licking bleach off the floor.  It just can't be good for her.  And homemade just feels good and it is the best way to save money.

While doing research pre-project I learned a lot about natural cleaning.  Thanks in part to the Pink Pistachio I learned about a few simple ingredients I needed to gather.

Baking Soda -- Cleans, deodorizes, and scours
White Vinegar -- Kills 99% of bacteria and 80% of viruses, cuts grease
Citrus -- acidity is antibacterial and anti-fungal, bleaches, removes stains
Soap -- cleans, cuts grease

I also needed a few handy tools.
Empty spray bottles -- If you are really green, you could upcycle some old bottles you are no longer using.  However, if uniformity if important in your obsessive compulsive brain like it is in mine, you can pick up a few bottles at the Dollar Tree for guess what? $1.
Sponges -- I chose Scotch-Brite greener clean sponges.
Rubber Gloves -- Baking Soda paste is hard on hands.

I chose to tackle the kitchen first.  I made a simple all-purpose solution to use to clean just about every surface in my kitchen, from countertops to appliance fronts.

DIY All Purpose Cleaning Solution:  1 Tbsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp. dish soap, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar.  Combine in a spray bottle and shake.  Let it rest.  It will need it because the chemical reaction is crazy and bubbles fill the bottle in no time flat.  Fill the remainder of the bottle with warm water.  Add 1 Tbsp. of fresh lemon/orange juice for a little extra bam and a nicer scent.

I'm not going to lie, the spray smells of vinegar, but who cares, its clean and the smell fades in a little bit.  If you are really worried about the smell or just can't handle it, buy some of that expensive essential oil and toss in a drop or two.  I'll stick with my cheap fresh squeezed lemons.

Cost = like cents.  I can't even do math that small.  Oh wait, I can and I did.  Like 4 cents for a 24 oz bottle.  I could pick that much off the floor at the grocery store.  So like FREE!

Next on the battle plan, the microwave.  Oh what a battle it was.  You know those things you have been meaning to clean for some time.  Every time you see them, you think...I really should clean this soon, but you are too busy or hungry in this case to do it right then.  Yea, I had been thinking that for a long while with this microwave.  I am going to be brave and show you pictures.  Judge me all you want .  If I cared I wouldn't show you the picture.

Here is the before...

Aaaaahhhhhhh!  I know its scary.

Here is how I got it clean.

1.  Put one or two cups of water in a large, heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl.  Add 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar.
2.  Microwave until about half the water is evaporated.  (I just kept checking every few minutes.)
3.  Wait about 10 minutes and don't open the door. This allows the steam to penetrate the baked-on nastiness and the water can cool off a bit.  Be careful the water will still be hot when you remove the bowl.
4.  Scrub the walls of the microwave with a sponge sprinkled with a bit of baking soda.
5.  Wipe down the microwave with a reusable cloth dampened in clean water and the oven will be sparkling clean and odor-free.
Voila.

I still smile every time I open the microwave door.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on DIY swiffer refills.

Trim Your Tree In Thanks

Last year I made a Halloween tree with cute and creative Caity Shinnick!  

(I love to use alliteration with her name!!)

But this year after hours of searching, my tree was present and my ornaments were not.  Sad day.  So I began anew with a brand new focus.  A fall/Thanksgiving tree that I could keep up for both October and November.  My sister Candace was in town so we decided to make a project of it.

Base Supplies:

Small flower pot...ours were terra-cotta, approximately 8-10 inches in diameter

3 Branches, ideally with lots of small branchings off of them

Floral foam to hold your branches at just the right angles

Moss to cover the unsightly foam

Decorations:

Stickers

Pom pom balls

Scrapbook paper cut outs 

Candy corn 

...or Candy Pumpkins would be so cute!

Foam shapes

Whatever strikes your fancy in the wonder world of Micheals or Joann's...like these...

Miscelleanous supplies:

Glue Stick, Hot Glue Gun...basically your adhesive of choice.

Thread in colors of your choosing

Big Needle

Glitter because every craft needs it!

Assemble your base.

Shove a big piece of floral foam into the terra cotta pot.  I also cut some small pieces to shove along the edges of my circular pot to stabilize the big square chunk I cut to place the branches in.  Hold up your branches and decide how you want them to look.  Then with a little umph...shove them into the foam.  Its nice to have a partner who can hold two of the branches in their correct positions above the foam while you place first branch and so on.

Get your craft on!  Make as many ornaments as you want.

To make garlands, thread your needle with your favorite color thread and simple thread the needle through pom poms of varying size, color, and sparkliness!  Make as short or long as you like.  Its your tree...do what you want!  

Or you can add letters to spell out your favorite holiday saying or perhaps a monogram!  Are you nodding your head like I am?  No?  Oh.  Guess I'm alone.

 

I will admit that my Cricut made this project especially fabulous!  If you do not have a cricut, there are a variety of options out there you can purchase pre-cut or if you have a way with scissors you can make your own.

And don't forget...Crafting is messy.  Just enjoy it.

 We had fun!  Even Cara got in on the crafting.

But no craft session is complete without a little Cubby cheer!

Our finished products!

Candace's:

 Mine:

You still have plenty of time to make one for your Thanksgiving celebration!  Get your craft on ladies and gents!

May I also suggest having small leaves or pumpkins or tags in a dish my the tree with your favorite pens close by.  Your family can write what they are thankful for this season and place them on the tree for everyone to enjoy.  

What a wonderful way to share in the joys of the season!  God has truly blessed us all!

Part 3: No-Sew Fabric Flowers!

I'm super excited about our last day of the fabric flowers tutorials.  If you didn't catch the first two days, you can find them here and here.  I loved making this kind because its new, super easy and super cute!  However, I know some of you are just excited the fabric flower craze is ending today.  I guess in the end everyone is happy.  Some of you with your new fabric accessories and some of you with your i-hate-flowers-and-tutorials sanity back.  So let's dive in.

Part III:  Rolled Fabric Flower

Supplies:
Fabric of your choice
Hot glue gun
Felt
Scissors
Headband, brooch pin back, or bobby pin

Let the rolling begin!

1.  Heat up the glue gun.

2.  Tear a 1"-ish strip of fabric.  I used the scissors to start a small cut and then I tore.  I'm NOT a good tear-er.  I can absolutely N-O-T  tear a straight line, but no worries.  It didn't seem to effect the flower in the end.

3.  Fold the 1" piece of fabric in half like so.  I placed a dot of glue inside just to hold it.

4.  Begin rolling the flower like you are rolling up a ribbon.  After you have secured a tight center place a dot of glue to keep the fabric in place.

5.  Continue to roll as you gently encourage the fabric to roll out.  I didn't find that that there was a simple clean way to do this.  I just rolled with the punches and kept twisting it out.  Every so often place a dot of glue between the ribbon and the forming flower to make sure all of your hard work stays together.

6.  Keep on rolling until you run out of fabric or you reach the flower size of your choice.  I made all different sizes.

7.  Something mine ended up looking like a cone, especially if my fabric was too wide to start with.  So I just cut it off.  DIY is all about improvising right.

8.  Cut out a circle of felt and use your glue gun to place it on the bottom of the flower.

9.  Adhere the accessory of your choice.

I place a piece of felt over the base of the pin as well.  Basically only because that's what the crafty Caity Shinnick told me to do.  You should totally check out her new website!  It's amazing!  I love all of her stuff!

All done!  Wear them with pride.

 I made this one out of an old t-shirt that needed to be thrown away.  So I decided to upcycle it!  Worked perfectly and it was FREE!

I made a trio set to wear together on a white tee or as individuals.

You can find a more professional tutorial here if you want more details.  I don't take the best pictures I know.  I hope you guys and gals are inspired to whip out some fabric flowers.  Who needs to sew when you have a glue gun?  That's my philosophy.

Soon I will post about my GRADUATION (picture me saying that like Oprah because I am!) and one of my favorite and more frustrating new DIY project.  See you soon!

Part 2: No-Sew Fabric Flowers

Part II of the No-Sew Fabric Flower tutorials.  If you missed the folded fabric flower from yesterday you can run back and read it here.  

The  Button Flower

Supplies:

2 Fabrics of your choice (if you do one like mine)

A pretty button

Hot glue gun

Felt

Pen for tracing

Scissors

Headband, Bobby pin, or Brooch pin back

1.  Heat up your glue gun.

2.  Cut a nickel or quarter size circle out of felt as your base.

3.  Cut out 4 large circles and 4 medium circles, as shown above.

4.  Fold a large circle twice until it forms a triangle.  Place the newly folded circle on the felt like a pie-piece using your hot glue.

5.  Continue placing the larger circles until the "pie" is full.

6.  Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the medium circles.

7.  Place button of your choice on top!

Now, show off your new flower in your hair, on your bag, on a pillow in your den...wherever!

Key to making adorable fabric flowers...just relax and just your imagination.  As you can see I don't stress over perfection in my flowers.  I'm sure its driving some of your CRAZY, but its more fun to just chill and slap on some glue.  Now to using your imagination.  You can do anything.  What's great about crafts like this is making it your own.  You can use multiple buttons to stack for some added piazzazz!

Or you can do only a single layer for a more simplistic look.

Or use a fabric covered button or a rolled flower as the center.

(We will learn to make rolled flowers in part 3.)

Endless possibilities!  Hope you have fun making them like I did.