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.

Deck the Halls

Its that time again!  Can you see the big cheesy side smile on my face?  Its there!  Its time to deck your halls with boughs of holly!  Yes I did have to google the lyrics so I would know if it was bales or bells or bowels.  Whatever a bough is, its time to get it out.  Or if you are at my house it was time about 2 weeks ago.  I love to decorate early, but this year my husband is Father Christmas himself.  He started pulling things out before Thanksgiving begging to put up the tree.

Its crazy how many decorations we have.  And this pile is from last year when we decorated our 750 square foot little duplex.  Imagine what this pile will look like when I'm 80 and I've accumulated a lifetime's worth.  

We attempted a family photo because we were so excited about Christmas coming!

We took our decorations from 1 room last year and spread it to 5 rooms this years.  A little glitter goes a long way!  Let the sparkling begin...

First tree goes up.

 Can you tell he was excited?

Paisley was excited too!

 Tree all decorated.  A glitter explosion!  Just how I like it.

Finally the house is all decorated.  And I was done, but my husband was not.  

He needed to fulfill his life's dream...have the best Christmas lights on the block.

Didn't he do a great job?!

Sorry cell phone picture.

I hope your holiday decorating went well.  Remember...just use what you have and make it work folks!   

On the Hottest Day in June...

On one of the hottest days in June, we decided to landscape our poor un-landscaped house.  Luckily, we had my Dad's help.  I'll admit the boys did most of the work and I was more of a foreman doing other little spray paint projects while they worked.  Imagine me and spray paint...I've been becoming a little obsessed with it.  But back to the bushes...The boys went all out to do it correctly and not skimp on any corners.

Landscape paper and pins and all.

3 loads of mulch.

The brick walk way has been begun...

We have a friend who owns a landscape business and he recommended this concrete glue.  We got ours at Lowe's for like $3.96 a tube.

Using a guide line the edging went in perfectly.

The outside of the house is finally done!  Well mostly minus the sidewalk but I call that done compared with where we started.

Painting is Not for the Weary

Brandon and I with the help of my family thought it would be a good idea to tackle the biggest project we've ever attempted by painting the exterior of our house.  Yes the e-n-t-i-r-e outside of our home...with paintbrushes.  You heard me.  No spray gun (couldn't figure out how to work it).  No rollers (didn't work well with the textured siding).  3" Paint brushes.  Sure we live in a small place but it was a crazy undertaking folks.  Luckily I have the best parents in the world who happily joined us on several occasions to help.  

Sorry to be graphic once again but as a reminder...
The Before:

Side bar:  Please note the beautiful gingerbread decorative molding on the porch.  I say with deepest regret that it is no longer with us.  It lived a good life but did not withstand the pressures of being transformed with the house.  I hope to one day pay homage to it by returning new decorative molding to the porch but alas now I can only mourn its loss.

Choosing the color:

Our house was painted in these stripes for at least a week.  You would think it would be embarrassing for the neighborhood.  Let's just say on hand it was and on one hand we fit right in.

Painting is messy.  But lucky for us, everyone embraced it.  When you decide to paint an entire house with paintbrushes, its all hands on deck.

Sure... when you get my family together for any project, monograms start flying everywhere.  So I should of known when Cara decided it was important for the mailbox to get a make over as well, she would assign Camille the task of monogramming it.

She free-handed it.  Pretty talented sis I've got, huh?!

The finished exterior paint:

Minus the porch.

Next....for the landscaping.  You thought the difference between 

...

these two are huge.  You just wait for the landscaping.