Dryel Starter Kit Giveaway + Wal-Mart Freebie

I have to say Dryel has got to be one of my top laundry discoveries…ever!
Dryel revolutionized how we clean our dry-clean only clothing. Way back before I had husbands or kids, I worked in the “corporate” environment and I wore a lot of “dry-clean only” clothing. I was young. I never thought to read the cleaning label before I bought anything. I just bought what I liked, wore it and tossed it in the washing machine with everything else.
After a few ruined suits, I quickly learned to read those labels before I bought…or at least before I tossed it in the washing machine! sheeesh! Talk about a lesson learned the hard way!
With Dryel, I can launder my dry-clean only clothes from the comfort of my own home. This is great considering the dry cleaner is 70 miles away! Finally, clean clothes without the hassle of the dry cleaner! Thank You Dryel!!!

Back to School Cleaning Routine

Back to school season triggers a whirlwind of activity and chaos with the shopping, coordinating childcare and transportation, and generally adapting to a new daily schedule for the next ten months. Back to school generally triggers another round of Spring-like cleaning for me. Here are a few things on my back to school list you might or might not have thought about:

• Carpet cleaning. I try to do this twice a year: when school starts and near Spring Break. My living room carpet is a light color so it doesn’t take long before it needs a deep cleaning. (A dirt colored carpet would be AWESOME!)

Unclogging Drains the Cheap Way!!!

Be sure to pop over to MIFS today to see how easy and inexpensive home made drain cleaners are!

This worked on my completely backed up kitchen sink so I know it’ll worked on slow running drains too!!!

See you there.

NEVER Prewash Your Dishes Again!

We have really hard water which means lots of cleaning products aren’t as effective as they are in other places. My dishes are usually plagued with streaks, spots, or the dishes just don’t come clean. I’ve tried using home made dishwashing detergent, vinegar rinses as well as a variety of commercial products. I have found the Cascade gel packs work well but BOY they are expensive! They ain’t green for my pocket book or mother earth!!!

In an ironic twist of fate, The Eco Store USA contacted me about doing a product review of anything in their store. Wanting a better, cheaper dishwashing detergent, I chose their Auto Dish Powder.

My first surprise: You only use 1 tablespoon per load! WHAT? Is ONE TABLESPOON really gonna clean my dishes??? I had my doubts!

Double Duty - Outdoor Products Brought Inside: Household Cleaning Made Easier

Friday’s Clean Like a Man segment on the Today Show featured some cleaning tips from Elizabeth Mayhew. I started thinking about all the outdoor products you can use indoors to make you household cleaning tasks easier. I love products that pull double duty and in a few cases, some pull triple duty. It is easier on my wallet and helps me keep the house cleaner longer! A win-win situation, if you ask me!!!!

Nasty Bathroom Elves, Cleaning Fairies, & Scrubbing Bubbles (Giveaway)

I can attest to the GROSSNESS of a busy bathroom (especially the toilet area) with three boys in the house with one of them fairly new to the whole “go on the potty” routine! There’s plenty of hits, misses and near misses! {I shutter, shake, and choke back a little vomit as I write this!} I often wonder how the heck the bathroom can get in such bad shape SO QUICKLY!!!
 
I discovered a small mystery during my bathroom investigation.

When trying to uncover the perpetrator(s) leaving the revolting bathroom messes…AMAZINGLY…

NO ONE did it! I. mean. NO. ONE. It was denial from the tallest to the shortest of my bunch. I’ve concluded we must have nasty little bathroom elves that come in during the night to leave disgusting gifts for me to clean!  I just wish there were cleaning fairies to help get rid of the mess!

I may not have bathroom fairies or a magic wand to clean those disgusting toilets but I do have the power of Scrubbing Bubbles. Scrubbing Bubbles has two great products designed for easy cleaning. The Toilet Cleaning System and the Toilet Cleaning Gel have chased away those pesky bathroom elves!

Spring Cleaning to Simplify Your Kid's Life

Do you ever find the kids like the box better the toy that comes inside?

Mine do! Maybe it's the simplicity of the box that's so appealing. With nothing more than their imagination the plain ol' shipping box transforms into some pretty awesome adventures.

Race cars. Forts. Spaceships. Dog houses. Doll beds. Playpens. Club houses. Kitty jail. The list goes on forever!

This is why simple is fun! Forget the complicated toys, things with batteries and noise making gadgets. Simple is the way to go.

Two weekends ago, we thoroughly cleaned out the kids' bedrooms. Earlier that week, it finally dawned on me "They have so much stuff serving no other purpose than taking up space!" Over the past couple of years it slowly became a constant battle to get the boys' bedrooms cleaned. Literally, "stuff" was everywhere. Happy Meal toys, outside toys that made their way indoors, broken toys, toys with missing parts, toys they've outgrown, activity and coloring books with all the pages colored or torn out, broken crayons, pens, and pencils, broken remotes, missing wheels, broken wheel barings, etc. Stuff stuffed under beds, in corners, beside the beds.

Hand Soap - Semi Homemade Style

Last week I shared this idea with the readers of Make It From Scratch where I contribute every Monday. This week, I thought I'd share it with all my readers who may not have seen it.

We traveled quite a bit last summer for hubby's doctor's visits. We stayed overnight at various hotels because hubby couldn't physically handle the long road trip back home. Thankfully he's better and we're no longer traveling so much but it's left me with a rather large collection of hotel soaps. What to do with them???

Here's a nifty little project you can do with hotel soaps or any bar soap bits you have lying around the house.

1. Grate soap bits with a cheese grater into a glass dish or double boiler.
2. Add boiling water and stir till all the soap is melted.
3. Add optional scented oil.
   
4. Allow to cool overnight in a glass dish.
5. Stir well.
6. Transfer to soap pump with a spoon and large funnel.

I used one grated hotel soap bar and a half pint of boiling water. If the consistency is too thick for your needs, place the glass dish back in a pot of boiling water to re-melt the soap. Mix more boiling water, allow to cool, and stir when cooled.

It literally takes less than ten minutes and the kids can be great help with this project!

It's that simple to have your own hand soap, semi homemade!

Tweet the Sheet Contest -> Ends Oct 2nd

Don't forget to Tweet often for chances at daily prizes from Purex.

You can even win a YEAR'S SUPPLY of products for FREE if you post the button on your blog or website

Don't have a blog or twitter? You can win by emailing friends.

Click the image below to get the details and grab the button! Plus there is a great coupon you can download and print!

Home Cleaning Tips & Tricks

Spring has finally arrived in my part of the country so it's time for a little Spring Cleaning. Here are a few cleaning tips and tricks to make this process easier for you!

• RainX-Use RainX (or a similar product) on all your glass, window, and mirrored surfaces. This works wonderfully on glass table tops, shower doors, and windows (both indoor and outdoor surfaces).
• Car Wax-Lightly coat wood surfaces with car wax to help keep fingerprints, dirt, and dust from accumulating on these surfaces.
• Aluminum Foil Scrubbie-Keep your outdoor grill in tip top shape by cleaning the cooking grate with used balled up foil. This scrubbie also works on other unfinished metal surfaces.
• Foam Shaving Cream-Prevent bathroom mirror fog ups by wiping it down with foam shaving cream (not the gel shaving cream).
• Hip Trash Bags-Make cleaning a room easier by attaching a plastic grocery bag to your pants belt loop. When you come across trash, toss in the bag. After you're done, snip the handle loose from your hip and toss with the regular trash. I also put on on my vacuum cleaner's handle to make vacuuming easier.
• Clothes Basket Organizers-Use several clothes baskets to organize things as you clean a space. Designate one basket for each child or whatever your needs are and then just drop items in as you go through a room.
• Natural Home Deodorizers-Plants act as an air purifier and also help add humidity to a room. We have very low humidity in my area so static build up was a real problem until I started adding more plants to our home. Now we can sit on our couch without an electric shock!
• Dust Sucks-Use your vacuum cleaner's upholstery attachments to suck dust away as opposed to stirring it up with a feather duster. My end tables have lots of grooves and funny lines in it's design making it a nightmare to dust and clean. My vacuum cleaner's attachments makes cleaning my end tables so much easier.
• Baby Oil Goo Remover-Baby oil safely removes goo and adhesive on many surfaces. Goo Gone works great but why buy it if you already have baby oil on hand?
• Baby Oil Polish-I haven't tried this one but, have been told by a friend of mine who uses baby oil to clean & polishe stainless steal appliances.
• Foil Liners-Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven after you've cleaned it to catch any future spills.
• Disinfectant Spray-Mix 2 tablespoons of alcohol with 32 ounces of water to disinfect many surfaces safely.
• Shower Head Cleaner-Mix one quarter cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar (watch out for foaming) in a sandwich bag. Place the bag over the shower head so it is submersed in the solution. Tape the bag to the shower arm and leave for a couple hours. Remove the bag and turn the shower on for a few minutes to clear the deposits and solution from inside the shower head. Use the left over solution to scrub the bathtub!
• Dishwasher Maintenance-Run an empty dishwasher through a wash cycle with 1/4 cup baking soda followed by a vinegar rinse cycle. This should help clean the inside of your dishwasher. Also don't forget to check for debris stuck in the drain traps. Check with your dishwasher's user's manual for other maintenance tips.

What are some of your favorite cleaning tips?

Tips from the Kitchen

Here are some hard learned lessons from the kitchen I've learned over the years. You may find some of these helpful then again, you may have heard of them all before!

General Tips

• When thawing frozen meat in the refrigerator, place package in the dish you intend to prepare it in. The dish will be ready when you begin preparing dinner and it'll catch any blood that may otherwise seep out of the packaging.
• Keep a sandwich baggy in your margarine or shortening tub. Use a sandwich baggy as a glove to grease a pan with margarine or shortening. It'll keep your hands clean and make greasing pans faster. Use a pony tail holder or rubber band to help secure it to your wrist if the baggy slips off.
• Use empty salsa glass jars to store bacon grease. It's the perfect size and a spoonful of bacon grease adds great flavor to green beans and other dishes without adding too much fat!
• Strain any type of grease (pork, beef, etc) by securing several layers of cheese cloth with a rubber band over the mouth of a glass jar. Pour the warm grease over the cheese cloth to filter all the unwanted bits.
• Do NOT store fruit in the refrigerator. Fruit continues to ripen once picked so go for fruit that is slightly under-ripe to get the most bang for your buck.
• Use empty spice jars for you own custom spice blends, powdered sugar, toothpicks, paper clips, push pins, etc.
• Use a tall plastic powdered creamer jar for an easy pour sugar container you keep on the counter or near the coffee pot.

Cleaning Tips

• Keep an oversized bowl on the counter for trash, peelings, etc. It'll keep your messes contained and clean up easy
• Use a baking soda/vinegar paste to scour pans, counter & stove tops without removing paint or non-stick coatings. Be careful, the baking soda foams when first mixed with vinegar.
• Be sure to load dishwasher according to manufacturer's instructions and use minimum amount of dishwashing detergent to gain optimum results w/minimal price.
• Use vinegar in dishwasher rinse cycle instead of pricey Jet Dry. You'll get the same drying effect for more than half the cost.
• Quickly wipe down counters and appliances with a vinegar/water solution to cut grease, remove dust, freshen the room.
• Clean the inside of the microwave by nuking a sponge soaked in 100% vinegar or a small bowl of 100% vinegar for 2 minutes, allow microwave door to remain closed another 5 minutes then wipe clean with paper towel or sponge. The heated vinegar puts off moisture and fumes that help break down the gunkiest gook so it simply wipes away. (The idea MAY work in an oven but, I have not tried it yet)
• Run straight vinegar through your coffee pot once followed by 2 fulls pots of clean water to remove any residue or calcium buildup.
  

Cooking/Recipe Tips

• Make spreadable butter by whipping slightly softened butter and vegetable oil together. To prevent butter from softening too fast during the mixing stage, place bowl with butter/oil mixture in another bowl slightly large with ice water. It helps maintain the cool temperature needed so you don't use too much oil. Make flavored spreads by using olive oil, honey, garlic salts, oregano, parsley flakes, etc. Use empty margarine tubs for storage.
• Substitute powdered milk for regular milk when baking or cooking.
  
• Make your own flavored coffee creamer with powdered milk, sugar, and flavoring or extract. Add small quantities of sugar and just a few drops of flavoring to a cup of powdered milk, blend together in blender. Add sugar and flavoring till you get a combination you like. Store in a jar or old coffee creamer container.
• Extend the life of a can of coffee by grinding coffee grounds into a very fine powder. You'll get a stronger brew using less coffee. This also works VERY well to increase the flavor of inexpensive coffee or store brands. You can use a coffee grinder, food processor, or magic bullet (my personal preference).
• Use double strength beef stock and highly concentrated tea as a natural meat tenderizer. Tannin in tea acts as a natural tenderizer.

I hope you find these Kitchen Tips helpful, I know I sure did when I started cooking! What's you're favorite kitchen tip?

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

Before you get started:

This is a homemade laundry detergent recipe I've personally used for quite a while now. It is non-foaming non-sudsing detergent. My laundry is cleaner and softer than when I used commercial products. There has been no damage to my machine or my clothing when washed according to tag instructions. When making soap of any kind, take precautions. The ingredients used in the recipe are chemicals and can harm you if not handled properly. Some common sense and a pair of rubber gloves will easily ensure your safety. Also, there's been many debates over the safety of using these products in home cleaning. These products have been used in home cleaning for many many decades. If you are looking for a “green” or eco-friendly detergent then this is not the one for you but there are plenty recipes available online. This recipe is simply a cost effective solution to the high price associated with washing clothes. I tweaked the original recipe so it works with the extra hard water in our area. Feel free to alter the recipe as needed for your water requirements.

Ingredient List

• Plenty of hot water

• 1 bar of soap (Ivory, Fells Naphtha, Irish Spring, etc)

• 1 cup Borax

• 1 cup Washing Soda (aka: Soda Ash, Sodium Carbonate NOT Sodium Bicarbonate or Baking Soda)

• 1 cup Water Softener optional but necessary in hard water areas

• 1 cup Oxyclean optional

• Essential Oil optional

Equipment List

• Large Pot

• Long Wooden Spoon or Paint Stick works well

• Cheese Grater

• Measuring Cup

• 3 Gallon Bucket or Container

• Sturdy Rubber Gloves (ex: yellow dish washing gloves)

Directions

Heat 6 to 8 cups of water Med-Low heat on the stove top. While water is warming, grate one whole bar of soap with a cheese grater. I used Irish Spring.

Add the grated soap to the pot stirring occasionally till all the soap bits are completely melted. Add borax ¼ cup at a time, each time thoroughly mixing till dissolved. Repeat with washing soda and water softener. If you choose to add Oxyclean, mix 1/8 cup at a time but BE CAREFUL Oxyclean FOAMS a lot when it's mixed with a liquid. Make sure you have plenty of head room in your pot or there will be a huge mess. Personally, I just add Oxy to my washing machine directly. At this point the mixture will become a thick as all the ingredients combine. Feel free to add some hot water to make it easier to stir. You may also add your essential oil at this time. Once all your ingredients have thoroughly combined and all the powders have dissolved, CAREFULLY pour the mixture into 3 gallon pail. Add enough hot water to fill the pail and stir till evenly mixed. There will be a thin top layer of foamy bubbles. Allow the mixture to cool overnight, stirring it periodically. The mixture will gel once cooled and eventually becomes lumpy or goopy after several stirs-the bottom far right picture is what you want your mixture to look like.

Store the detergent in a sealed container. Ideally, a washed out commercial laundry detergent bottle. Just give it a shake or stir before using. Use ¼ cup of detergent in each load of laundry.

TIP: Adding a cup of Vinegar to the rinse cycle works better than commercial fabric softener but DO NOT use when bleaching laundry as the fumes can be harmful.

TIP: This can also pull double duty working as automatic dish washing detergent. Use 2 tblsp for clean dishes. Don't forget to add Vinegar to the rinse solution chamber for crystal clear glasses.

Homemade Cleaning Products

Always on the lookout for the best way to cut my budget, I kept hearing how people were making (aka: hacking) their own cleaning products. At first, I was skeptical anything made at home would work as well, much less better, than any product made commercially. Face it, all those big companies have teams of researchers and tons of money to find the best ingredients, even if I couldn't pronounce them! I resisted what I'm calling the "Home Hacking Movement" for as long as I could. When gas prices soared well past $4.00/gallon, I had no choice but to join the movement!

My first task was to switch from commercial spray cleaners (409, Fantastic, Windex, etc) to a vinegar/water solution. To my surprise, it worked better than the others without the nasty odor. A big plus-I didn't need a different cleaner for each surface. Vinegar works on glass, mirrors,walls, sinks, counter tops, stoves, microwave, floors, and many other surfaces. Vinegar has become my universal cleaner/disinfectant/deodorant. Making the switch to vinegar saves me at least $20 a month in commercial spray cleaners. It saves me time since I no longer shop for all those different products as well as space in my pantry. I've been full on board the home hacking train ever since.

Most recently I switched to homemade laundry & dishwasher detergent. We have extremely hard water in our home which makes it difficult to get anything clean. The built in water softener helps but I found only the most expensive brands of detergent were working. We simply can't afford the astronomically high prices of products like Cascade or Tide if I can make a product at home for pennies on the dollar that work just as well or even better. After a little research and chatting with many folks who've worked out the bugs, I gave it a whirl. To my husband's shock and surprise, our clothes and dishes are cleaner and brighter than before. It works so well, I bring my detergent with me when we travel. My family absolutely loves the luxurious soft feeling my detergent gives their clothing. Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try.

The one tip I should mention regarding automatic dish washing & laundry detergent-Read the owner's manual for those machines-particularly the dishwasher. Many dishwashers only require a small amount of detergent, generally a couple tablespoons. Often times we're using too much detergent filling up the wells in the doors assuming that's the required amount to clean your dishes. Too much detergent can leave your dishes cloudy, too little and they don't get clean so be sure to read the manual to find the right amount for your machine.

I'm hacking all sorts of products now. I'm making my own gel air fresheners next week plus a few other similar items. I already have non-abrasive heavy duty cleaner, home-hacked febreeze, carpet stain remover and carpet freshener in the pantry. Next on the list is hacking convenience foods-you know Pop Tarts, Hot Pockets, Potato Chips, etc.

I'd love to know what kind of products you've hacked or which ones would you want to hack?

Defeating the Sock Monster

While folding a load of laundry today, it occurred to me how much of my time is actually spent matching and folding the socks. It's soooooo aggravating and makes doing the laundry a bigger pain in the "you know what" than what it already is. Most of us can whip through a load of laundry in no time flat, it's just the tedious task of matching all the socks is what takes up so much time. This is the HUGE reason I put off doing the laundry. Today, I came up with a crafty solution to deal with the nasty sock monster...a pillowcase! I'm giving each member of the family a Sock Bag (an old pillowcase modified with either a zipper, snaps or buttons). Instead of throwing them in the over sized laundry basket where they get lost or eaten by the washer and dryer, the socks are placed in the sock bag. After a few days, the bag is closed and goes in the wash. Once it's dry, it should take no time to get the socks matched up and put away! The only problem I foresee is getting my crew to actually USE the sock bag! Since I haven't gotten the pillowcases modified yet, the family hasn't actually started using them. Now that will be the real test of the process: Will hubby and the kids actually use the sock bag??? Something tells me that will be the biggest obstacle to over come on my quest to conquer the sock monster! I'll be sure to keep you posted on the battle!

I'd love to hear any of your ideas for getting rid of the sock monster!