i recently made a facebook post regarding laundry detergent.
it went an little something like "i made some laundry detergent today. it smells good"
little did i know that that little tidbit would pique so much interest!
so i'm going to write a little bit about my household cleaning supplies, and my you never need to buy expensive, scary chemical based cleaners ever again.
first off, you need a few staples:
vinegar
borax
baking soda
keep these on hand all time and you're pretty set.
other goodies to have handy:
lemons or lemon juice
coarse sea salt
essential oils (orange and lavender are really useful; orange oil is really good at removing adhesives, like price tags and other sticky stuff, plus bugs have an aversion to citrus and lavender is a pretty decent disinfectant, among other things. there are many different oils that have many different uses, and i'm not getting into them here, but do some research. we have a small arsenal and they're great)
hydrogen peroxide (a non bleach whitener and disinfectant)
so laundry soap...
what you'll need:
4 cups baking soda
3 cups borax
2 cups soap flakes (or about 2 bars glycerin or castile soap)
a bout a tablespoon of whatever essential oil you like.
we use bars of soap, 2 does the trick. the easiest way to grate them is to shop the bars into small bits and toss them in a food processor or blender. (our blender has a little processor attachment. it does the trick.) though you can grate it by hand with a cheese grater. that method sucks, by the way.
basically just mix all the components together and call it a day.
you only need to use 1/8 cup per load, so it's cheap, easy, great for sensitive skin and lasts forever.
if you're feeling really ambitious (and have a big bucket) you can double or triple the recipe.
i usually keep an all-purpose cleaning spray handy
old spray bottle
1 tablespoon borax
vinegar (enough to fill half to 3/4 bottle)
a few drops lavender oil
enough water to finish filling the bottle.
mix it all together and shake the hell out of it to get the borax to dissolve. if there are still chunks don't fret, let it sit, they'll dissolve eventually. (but be careful because those chunks will clog the sprayer.)
give it a good shake every time you use it to re-mix the oil.
i use this to clean stuff in the kitchen and bathroom
drain cleaner
baking soda
vinegar
dump a bit of baking soda into the drain (a half cup or so)
follow it with some vinegar (at least a cup)
it'll get all foamy and fizzy.
let it sit for at least 15 minutes and rinse it with some very hot water.
doing this from time to time will help keep drains clear and stink free.
to clean my floors i fill a bucket with hot water, a 1/4 cup borax and about 4 cups of vinegar and some a couple drops of orange oil.
not only do i get clean floors but my house smells AMAZING
just plain vinegar and old newspapers replaces windex.
scrub pots with borax or baking soda and lemon.
running your washing machine empty (smallest load setting) with a cup of lemon juice will get rid of any funky smells (sometimes yuck builds up, you know that weird smell...)
that's all i have right now because life is distracting me.
hopefully this is helpful
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
just a little tidbit...
spring is here!
...FINALLY!
so now...i want to garden!
but it's still to muddy and wet so i have to wait.
a lot has been going on in my little home...i've been devoting my time to spring cleaning projects and jewelry making so i haven't had much time to post.
naughty naughty, i know.
though early, we have been formulating a plan for the backyard (which needs a complete overhaul thanks to my pitbull's "landscaping" escapades last year) so look forward to an adventure in cheap backwoods landscaping! whoo hoo!
-actually, it will be an adventure...i've never tackled a project like that before, so it should be interesting...
coming up soon i'll also share some inside crap i've been up to.
we're sprucing up the spare bedroom and converting it into a work room (and not just a place to pile laundry!), with a "desk" and shelves and room to actually use our sewing machine.
and then maybe i'll even figure out HOW to use it!
but until i get to those, i'll leave you with some of the most important things i've learned about keeping a home tidy:
if it isn't being used for it's intended purpose, get rid of it!
for instance, there was a bench in my kitchen...i had originally put it there as a place to take off/put on your shoes and to provide the ONLY seating in the kitchen.
but guess what? no one sits in the kitchen! so the bench became a buried under a mountain of jackets and god knows what else. i was constantly cleaning it, it was a huge pain in the ass and i hated it.
so i got rid of it. (ok, i put it out on the porch where is actually used for seating)
no more clutter. because there wasn't a receptacle for clutter.
-now, don't get me wrong, most of the things in my house are not used for their "true" intended purpose, but they serve MY purpose, so it works. get it? of course you do.
so needless to say i've been getting rid of a bunch of shit that has been giving me grief. and it feels good.
so there.
...FINALLY!
so now...i want to garden!
but it's still to muddy and wet so i have to wait.
a lot has been going on in my little home...i've been devoting my time to spring cleaning projects and jewelry making so i haven't had much time to post.
naughty naughty, i know.
though early, we have been formulating a plan for the backyard (which needs a complete overhaul thanks to my pitbull's "landscaping" escapades last year) so look forward to an adventure in cheap backwoods landscaping! whoo hoo!
-actually, it will be an adventure...i've never tackled a project like that before, so it should be interesting...
coming up soon i'll also share some inside crap i've been up to.
we're sprucing up the spare bedroom and converting it into a work room (and not just a place to pile laundry!), with a "desk" and shelves and room to actually use our sewing machine.
and then maybe i'll even figure out HOW to use it!
but until i get to those, i'll leave you with some of the most important things i've learned about keeping a home tidy:
if it isn't being used for it's intended purpose, get rid of it!
for instance, there was a bench in my kitchen...i had originally put it there as a place to take off/put on your shoes and to provide the ONLY seating in the kitchen.
but guess what? no one sits in the kitchen! so the bench became a buried under a mountain of jackets and god knows what else. i was constantly cleaning it, it was a huge pain in the ass and i hated it.
so i got rid of it. (ok, i put it out on the porch where is actually used for seating)
no more clutter. because there wasn't a receptacle for clutter.
-now, don't get me wrong, most of the things in my house are not used for their "true" intended purpose, but they serve MY purpose, so it works. get it? of course you do.
so needless to say i've been getting rid of a bunch of shit that has been giving me grief. and it feels good.
so there.
Friday, February 25, 2011
why i love thrift shop blankets....
i don't know if i mentioned this before, but i have cats.
naughty cats.
and dogs. big hairy dogs.
so some time ago we replaced out carpet with laminate. i wanted wood, but laminate was cheaper.
so be it. it's actually holding up pretty well and looks like rustic board so i really have no complaints.
but carpet is nice, warm and soft.
that's where one turns to rugs.
-but then we're back to the cats. and the dogs.
my nice, relatively expensive rugs were getting destroyed.
i needed a plan.
i was using those dollar rag-rugs, sewing them together to get the size i needed.
but they are difficult to wash, and sewing them takes time.
bummer.
what to do...
now, i don't know if i mentioned this before, but i have a little addiction to crocheted blankets.
luckily it's a cheap and practical addiction, they cost only about 1-5 dollars at thrift stores and garage sales, and i use them for everything from guest room bedding, dog blankets, throws to a cover for my tatty sofa cushion.
one fine day, upon realizing the replacement for my sofa cushion was too small, i set the blanket on the floor.
neat. i just bought a new rug.
as it turns out, most blankets are the perfect size and shape for my living room.
and since i have a large coffee table to anchor it down, i don't need to put a non-slip mat underneath.
and when they get dirty...toss em in the wash.
a bit worn and tattered...into the dog kennel.
it's probably one of the most efficient way i could be spending $2, when it's all said and done.
plus, being that cheap, i have no reservations about switching them out as often as i like.
this is my living room now, with the "rug" i bought for $1 a day ago, ant the other blanket workin hard as my sofa cover.
i also wanted to change up the dining room table, (though i was given specific instruction not got get too "springy" from the love of my life who, apparently, enjoys wallowing in the misery of wisconsin winters) so into the cupboards i went, found an old bottle and butter jar, a table runner, an antique glass pitcher from my grandma and an antique book in some language i can't read.
all i needed was a candle, a stick from the lilac bush outside and a couple old christmas decorations (and owls, of course) and i was in business.
done.
the butter jar held egg-shaped chocolates (which are now gone, thanks to the above mentioned winter wallower. perhaps that's how he's staving off the winter blues) and the candle got plopped inside the pitcher.
simple, easy, free.
ooohhh...
naughty cats.
and dogs. big hairy dogs.
so some time ago we replaced out carpet with laminate. i wanted wood, but laminate was cheaper.
so be it. it's actually holding up pretty well and looks like rustic board so i really have no complaints.
but carpet is nice, warm and soft.
that's where one turns to rugs.
-but then we're back to the cats. and the dogs.
my nice, relatively expensive rugs were getting destroyed.
i needed a plan.
i was using those dollar rag-rugs, sewing them together to get the size i needed.
but they are difficult to wash, and sewing them takes time.
bummer.
what to do...
now, i don't know if i mentioned this before, but i have a little addiction to crocheted blankets.
luckily it's a cheap and practical addiction, they cost only about 1-5 dollars at thrift stores and garage sales, and i use them for everything from guest room bedding, dog blankets, throws to a cover for my tatty sofa cushion.
one fine day, upon realizing the replacement for my sofa cushion was too small, i set the blanket on the floor.
neat. i just bought a new rug.
as it turns out, most blankets are the perfect size and shape for my living room.
and since i have a large coffee table to anchor it down, i don't need to put a non-slip mat underneath.
and when they get dirty...toss em in the wash.
a bit worn and tattered...into the dog kennel.
it's probably one of the most efficient way i could be spending $2, when it's all said and done.
plus, being that cheap, i have no reservations about switching them out as often as i like.
this is my living room now, with the "rug" i bought for $1 a day ago, ant the other blanket workin hard as my sofa cover.
i also wanted to change up the dining room table, (though i was given specific instruction not got get too "springy" from the love of my life who, apparently, enjoys wallowing in the misery of wisconsin winters) so into the cupboards i went, found an old bottle and butter jar, a table runner, an antique glass pitcher from my grandma and an antique book in some language i can't read.
all i needed was a candle, a stick from the lilac bush outside and a couple old christmas decorations (and owls, of course) and i was in business.
done.
the butter jar held egg-shaped chocolates (which are now gone, thanks to the above mentioned winter wallower. perhaps that's how he's staving off the winter blues) and the candle got plopped inside the pitcher.
simple, easy, free.
ooohhh...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
(way too early) spring fever
yeah, it's unseasonably warm.
but it tricked my weak brain into believing spring is on it's way, and i got a bad bad case of cabin fever.
so to satisfy my outside urges, i removed the pine boughs from the front yard (and the christmas tree i arbitrarily tossed out there. i know, classy) and hauled them into the back...by my fire pit deck.
oh, how my mind reeled...
"these things have been drying for months...what great kindling they would make!" whispered the squirming voices in my spring- drugged mind.
-oh yes, i built the start of a fire.
i'll need to pick up some wood, ours is currently soaked, but i believe that tonight after our weekly wednesday venture to our favorite tavern for tacos i'll be wandering home to have a little fire out back.
that said, spring has polluted my mind indoors as well.
much to my fiancees dismay ("you're too early; it's still winter") i've taken to incorporating some brighter touches here and there. you know, trying to sneak them in...unsuccessfully.
-look, i get bored staring at the same things for long periods of time, and considering that it is winter in northern wisconsin and we are not a wealthy family, we spend a lot of time inside our home.
and though i don't mind it at all, i feel a bit more sane if at least i can change the scenery up a little bit (or completely) from time to time.
a couple of cheap things ive done in the past week or so:
recently the cats destroyed one of my bookshelves (cats are awesome. so awesome, in fact, you should take mine and experience the joy firsthand), so i dug up an old fruit crate i had laying around (yeah, i have stuff like that lying around) and stacked my books in that.
it is actually bigger and more sturdy than my old bookcase, and it works better as an end for my little bench (a ceder lined bench i salvaged from the curb). i actually like it better than the old bookcase, and it has a rad little moon drinking orange juice on top. who can resist that?
my coffee table was looking a bit drab and wintry, so so i foraged around the house and found a bunch of old blue canning jars of various sizes, cleaned them up, plopped tea lights in them, and reveled in my thrifty genius.
(oh, and my coffee table, it's an old trunk with a piece of plexiglass on top.)
it's not much, but it at least brightens it up a little.
oh, and a dog on the sofa is essential.
i know spring is still a couple months away, but i can at least make the wait a bit more pleasant inside. and enjoy a winter fire with a warm beverage outside.
but it tricked my weak brain into believing spring is on it's way, and i got a bad bad case of cabin fever.
so to satisfy my outside urges, i removed the pine boughs from the front yard (and the christmas tree i arbitrarily tossed out there. i know, classy) and hauled them into the back...by my fire pit deck.
oh, how my mind reeled...
"these things have been drying for months...what great kindling they would make!" whispered the squirming voices in my spring- drugged mind.
-oh yes, i built the start of a fire.
i'll need to pick up some wood, ours is currently soaked, but i believe that tonight after our weekly wednesday venture to our favorite tavern for tacos i'll be wandering home to have a little fire out back.
that said, spring has polluted my mind indoors as well.
much to my fiancees dismay ("you're too early; it's still winter") i've taken to incorporating some brighter touches here and there. you know, trying to sneak them in...unsuccessfully.
-look, i get bored staring at the same things for long periods of time, and considering that it is winter in northern wisconsin and we are not a wealthy family, we spend a lot of time inside our home.
and though i don't mind it at all, i feel a bit more sane if at least i can change the scenery up a little bit (or completely) from time to time.
a couple of cheap things ive done in the past week or so:
recently the cats destroyed one of my bookshelves (cats are awesome. so awesome, in fact, you should take mine and experience the joy firsthand), so i dug up an old fruit crate i had laying around (yeah, i have stuff like that lying around) and stacked my books in that.
it is actually bigger and more sturdy than my old bookcase, and it works better as an end for my little bench (a ceder lined bench i salvaged from the curb). i actually like it better than the old bookcase, and it has a rad little moon drinking orange juice on top. who can resist that?
my coffee table was looking a bit drab and wintry, so so i foraged around the house and found a bunch of old blue canning jars of various sizes, cleaned them up, plopped tea lights in them, and reveled in my thrifty genius.
(oh, and my coffee table, it's an old trunk with a piece of plexiglass on top.)
it's not much, but it at least brightens it up a little.
oh, and a dog on the sofa is essential.
i know spring is still a couple months away, but i can at least make the wait a bit more pleasant inside. and enjoy a winter fire with a warm beverage outside.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
dress yourself, ladies!
sorry i've been off the radar for a while.
after the madness of the holidays and these damn feather earrings i;ve been laying a bit low.
but it's the earrings and other ideas i've been tossing around for my in-the-works etsy store that has got me writing, if only briefly, today.
so, instead of writing about fun and funky home stuff, i'm gonna share some ideas for easy, cheap ways to spruce up your wardrobe. seeing as cash is tight for almost everyone i know, finding ways to breathe new life into what you've already got seems lie a really superb idea.
first off, if you really want to look like a million bucks you'll buy some of my junk i'm making (yes, shameless self-promotion). the feather earrings and hair accessories are fabulous, unique and demand attention, plus they are made from as much recycled material as i can get my hot little hands on (like that feather duster you never use? yeah, i want that.) and as soon as i get some material i've got some very neato ideas for some goodies made out of recycled lace. as soon as i get enough stuff put together i'll get the site up and rolling, until the, if there is something you want let me know and i can custom make a piece.
if you haven't been paying attention to my incessant facebook posts, here is a little sample of the feather stuff...
-but, enough with that nonsense.
i was also doing a little online window shopping and i stumbled upon something called shoe clips.
these things have been around forever it seems, but they are totally new to me! they come in a gazillion different styles from felted flowers to sparkly brooch-looking things, and they just clip on to your shoes like little clip-on earrings.
-which got me thinking...why couldn't you just use clip-on earrings? they are unbelievably abundant and inexpensive at flea markets, antique stores and rummage sales, and a little press with pliers to flatten the backs and you're in business! what a great way to spruce up those boring flats (that i have absolutely no lack of)!
i was smitten.
got a brooch and a ribbon? then you have a lovely headband! and you can switch it up; it's great!
actually, i have an addiction to gaudy glittery vintage brooches, and never ever wear them as intended, but feel guilty for just letting them sit. this totally solves that problem. you can also attach the brooches to hairclips which i am quite fond of doing.
and lastly, collect items you never wear and do a clothes swap with your pals. i just did, and it was awesome. i got to spend some time with the girls, unloaded unwanteds and scored some amazing items i actually WILL wear. and when we were done what was left unspoken for got donated to the thrift store. a total win/win.
after the madness of the holidays and these damn feather earrings i;ve been laying a bit low.
but it's the earrings and other ideas i've been tossing around for my in-the-works etsy store that has got me writing, if only briefly, today.
so, instead of writing about fun and funky home stuff, i'm gonna share some ideas for easy, cheap ways to spruce up your wardrobe. seeing as cash is tight for almost everyone i know, finding ways to breathe new life into what you've already got seems lie a really superb idea.
first off, if you really want to look like a million bucks you'll buy some of my junk i'm making (yes, shameless self-promotion). the feather earrings and hair accessories are fabulous, unique and demand attention, plus they are made from as much recycled material as i can get my hot little hands on (like that feather duster you never use? yeah, i want that.) and as soon as i get some material i've got some very neato ideas for some goodies made out of recycled lace. as soon as i get enough stuff put together i'll get the site up and rolling, until the, if there is something you want let me know and i can custom make a piece.
if you haven't been paying attention to my incessant facebook posts, here is a little sample of the feather stuff...
-but, enough with that nonsense.
i was also doing a little online window shopping and i stumbled upon something called shoe clips.
these things have been around forever it seems, but they are totally new to me! they come in a gazillion different styles from felted flowers to sparkly brooch-looking things, and they just clip on to your shoes like little clip-on earrings.
-which got me thinking...why couldn't you just use clip-on earrings? they are unbelievably abundant and inexpensive at flea markets, antique stores and rummage sales, and a little press with pliers to flatten the backs and you're in business! what a great way to spruce up those boring flats (that i have absolutely no lack of)!
i was smitten.
got a brooch and a ribbon? then you have a lovely headband! and you can switch it up; it's great!
actually, i have an addiction to gaudy glittery vintage brooches, and never ever wear them as intended, but feel guilty for just letting them sit. this totally solves that problem. you can also attach the brooches to hairclips which i am quite fond of doing.
and lastly, collect items you never wear and do a clothes swap with your pals. i just did, and it was awesome. i got to spend some time with the girls, unloaded unwanteds and scored some amazing items i actually WILL wear. and when we were done what was left unspoken for got donated to the thrift store. a total win/win.
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