Miracle Laundry Whitening Solution It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted ANYTHING about laundry! I’m going through withdrawals! :-) I’m one of those strange people who likes laundry. And one of the things I like MOST about it…is the sense of accomplishment when something dirty comes out CLEAN. I guess I also like the “challenge” aspect of it as well. Turning dirty, dingy, grimy and stained into white, bright, fresh and clean. So when I came across this “recipe” for whitening whites in the comments section of a post at Homemade Mamas, I knew I had to try it. Katie JoMar commented: HOT HOT HOT water1 cup of laundry detergent1 cup powdered dish washer detergent1 cup bleach1/2 cup borax After filling the washing machine with HOT water….I also dumped in a large-sized pot of water I had brought to a boil on the stove. Another thing to remember is to add the above ingredients to as small a load size as possible. Let soak for as long as you can stand it! This is what the mattress pad looked like before “treatment”.
Best of Curbly: Top Ten DIY Organization Ideas of 2011 Nothing says "Happy New Year" like cleaning and organizing your home. Every new year, I think of one particular Chinese tradition that requires each family to thoroughly clean their home in an effort to sweep out the bad and make room for the good fortune that every new year promises. This year the Chinese new year doesn't begin until January 23rd, so we have a little time to get our ducks in a row. 10. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. To see the rest of the best of 2011, check out the Best Of 2011 page here. Tagged : organization, storage, best-of-2011
17 Tips To Make Your Life Easier - Aimless Direction - Aimless Direction I received this as an email and instead of saving the email, I decided to post it here so that I know I always have these great tips on my site. I plan on trying every single one of them too. I actually just tried the dryer tip (#17) at the bottom, so we’ll see how that one works out. 1. Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. 2. Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. 3. When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. 4. To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated , place them in a microwave with a cup of water. 5. Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. 6. Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily. 7. Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. 8. To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. 9. 10. 11. 12. Hate foggy windshields? 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
8 DIY Teeth Cleaning Tutorials Do It Yourself By Monica | Everyone of us likes a smiling face. Homemade Tooth Polish DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to theartofdoingstuff.com Homemade Natural Mouthwash DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to savvysugar.com Homemade Cinnamon Toothpicks for Clean Teeth and Freshen Breath DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to doterrablog.com Homemade Toothpaste DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to wildflowerramblings.com Peppermint Sage for Clean Feel in Your Mouth DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to diynatural.com Homemade Teeth Whitening DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to inspirebeautytips.com Oil Pulling for Plague and Detox DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to livingthenourishedlife.com Coconut Oil Toothpaste DIY Tutorial and Photo credit to sarahwilson.com.au
Brand Name Laundry Detergent’s "Last Stand" This post is brought to you by Amazon where you can get deals on household cleaners! So a couple of weeks ago I had HAD it! I was FED UP! I could not bring myself to buy ONE MORE bottle of over-priced, wastefully-packaged laundry detergent. I just couldn’t do it! Now, I’m no eco-nazi (far from it), but buying those big bottles of laundry detergent, lugging them home and then turning around and throwing them away was definitely starting to get to me. Not to mention the COST! It was about this same time that I just happened to come across a picture someone posted on Pinterest.com of their “Homemade” laundry detergent! The first batch I made…I followed this recipe from The Rachel Berry Blog. Liquid Laundry Soap-Family Sized Batch 1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap 5 gallon bucket 1 cup washing soda (Again, Arm and Hammer) 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax 4 1/2 gallons water I use approximately 1/2 – 1 cup per large load (depending on how dirty the clothes are!) Worked out great.
How to Remove White Heat Marks on Furniture During the holidays we had some friends over for a dinner party. We served an extra hot meal that night and after everyone left and the dishes were cleared and the table linens removed, I discovered foggy white marks all over my beautiful new table. This one was the smallest, though brightest mark. Before I had a chance to freak out too much, my husband did some googling and we discovered that on some pieces of furniture if moisture (usually from the steam condensation on a hot dish) gets under the finish, white splotches called heat marks will appear and will stick around until treated. You'll be surprised to learn, as I was, that to remedy heat marks, you apply... more heat and moisture! Weird, right? I have no clue why my table looks so dark here. It was like magic and the heat marks disappeared (though in these photos I can see I missed a spot that doesn't show in person). **A little disclaimer: this trick worked for me, but I guess a few other readers have not had success.
All-Natural DIY Dusting Spray For some reason I have had a LOT of requests for a homemade dusting spray lately. I think I have been dragging my feet on it because on the big list of household chores, this is probably one of my least favorite…if not my VERY least favorite! It’s not even that hard to do, I just have such an aversion to it. Go figure. While a microfiber cloth all by itself usually will take care of the dust in my house, there are occasions when a dusting spray is called for. Like when there are streaks of grease or dirt MIXED IN with the dust. Plus, I just really like the nice citrus smell. :-) What You’ll Need: 1 cup water1/4 cup vinegar (cuts through grease and grime & disinfectants)2 tsp olive oil (shines and protects wood)10-15 drops of Lemon essential oil* (makes your home smell naturally fresh and clean!) *Grapefruit, wild orange, tangerine, or bergamot essential oil work well too! Directions: Combine all ingredients in spray bottle and shake well to mix. To use: Never miss a good thing!
Homemade Laundry Soap!! Sick of buying laundry soap?? Me too. This stuff is awesome because it is way stronger then the store bought laundry soap. You only have to use 1 Tablespoon per load. This recipe makes a huge cookie jar full of soap and is going to last a life time, well maybe not quit that long. I originally made mine in July and I still have a ton and I do at least 8 loads of laundry ever week. Here is what you need: 1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle 1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot) 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle. (this is optional, I added it into mine because I have pretty messy kids and the cleaner the better) Linked to: