I have been inspired lately to try some do it yourself housecleaning products.
When it comes to cleaning products, my motto has always been keep it simple, keep it cheap. For most house cleaning projects -kitchen and bathroom- I use ammonia, comet, and dish liquid. All of these products can be purchased for about $1.00 or less. My one exception is concentrated Lysol liquid (the brown stuff) which smells like my childhood, and I am convinced will snuff out any germ known to mankind.
I decided to try out some recipes for housekeeping, and let you know my opinions here. I do love that they are not made with chemicals, so I have a clean house without any negative side effects for people or pets.
1. All Purpose Cleaner The simplest recipe I could find was a half and half mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. What I liked about this cleaner was that my counters were really, really clean!! I never really realized until then that the Fantastic or 409 or whatever was on sale leaves a soapy film on the counters. There was no film at all. This cleaner worked equally well on windows and mirrors and didn't leave any streaking. My faucets were shiny. However.....I admit that I had a hard time with the vinegar smell. My daughter said it smelled like Easter eggs gone bad in the house. I, too, wanted a fresher smell. After all, we have been raised on commercials that make you think that your house needs to smell like a pine forest. After a little internet surfing, I came across this site:
http://www.jamhands.net/2011/07/diy-citrus-vinegar-cleaning-solution.html
This is the same idea, only it the principle of soaking citrus rinds in the vinegar for a lemony scent. This is a concentrated recipe, that you later mix with water in a spray bottle. I figured worth a try. Results? basically the same solution as before with a slightly less vinegar scent, more lemony, but not exactly lemony-fresh. Because I really like the way my counters feel, and both vinegar and lemon are natural disinfectants, I'm going to keep using this formula in the kitchen. I may add a drop or two of citrus essential oil in my next batch, though. Also, the recipe states to keep this formula in the refrigerator. I haven't, and it has been just fine keeping it stored in a cool, dry, place.
2. Homemade Oxy-Clean: Creativelydomestic.com lists a recipe for homemade oxy-clean
http://www.creativelydomestic.com/2009/06/homemade-oxyclean.html
Basically, mix together 1 cup water, 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 cup baking soda. Soak soiled clothes over night, or add directly to your washing machine.
Since it's not softball season in my house, I had no overly soiled clothes, so I just mixed up a batch and added it directly to my white wash. I have an HE washer, and it didn't affect the washer at all. Results: I do think that my clothes were brighter, but I'm anxious to try it out on red-clay soiled softball pants.. I think you could make a paste and apply directly to stains. Keep in mind that hydrogen peroxide is a natural lightener, so I would be leery using this on colored clothes. ( BTW, hydrogen peroxide works great for getting bloodstains out of fabric- even dried blood.)
3.DIY carpet spot cleaner: If you have pets and children like I do, then a good carpet cleaner is a must. this recipe involves 1 tablespoon dish-washing liquid, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water.
http://elizabethbryant.blogspot.com/2011/02/magical-carpet-cleaner.html
This does work well on most of your run of the mill stains. I'm not sure how it would work on pet urine. I mixed up a batch and put it in a spray bottle. I sprayed the soiled areas, and used a stiff brush on the carpet. Then I sprinkled the area with baking soda, and let dry before I vaccummed. Carpet spot cleaners are expensive, I will keep this recipe on hand for future carpet stains.
4. Cleaning Sterling Silver: This recipe had the biggest wow factor for me. I hate cleaning silver. Silver cloths don't work, and let's face it- silver polish is smelly and requires too much elbow grease! I was very skeptical about this recipe, but was amazed at the outcome!
You can find directions and a tutorial here:
http://crafted-love.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-cleaning-cleaning-tarnished.html
The basic recipe is to cover the tarnished silver with baking soda and boiling water and let soak, but the secret ingredient is crumpled tin foil! I don't know why it works, but it does! I cleaned a tarnished pair of earrings, a chain and pendant, a bracelet, and a small trinket holder. All of the items returned to looking shiny and new! The directions said to put the items into a glass or plastic container, but I somehow missed that and used a baking pan. As a caveat, the pan looked better than it had in years! So I crumpled up some tin foil and used the magic formula on my skanky looking muffin tin.....and wow! Not perfect, but 1000 times better than I've seen it!
This DIY is definitely a keeper! Imagine the possibilities- there are always tarnished items at thrift stores and yard sales...this recipe might make an heirloom out of a yard sale find!
My final opinion is that overall, these DIY recipes are definitely worth a try. They are not too much effort to mix together, and they save you from breathing harmful chemicals inside your home. I think next I will try out some of the recipes for DIY beauty products and personal care!
Check out these websites for additional uses for vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda:
131 Uses For Vinegar
http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/homemaking/vinegar.html
Using Hydrogen Peroxide
http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/
75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking soda
http://lifehackery.com/2008/07/22/home-4/
Do you have any DIY cleaning tips that work for you? I'd love to give them a try! Leave me a comment with your ideas.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
We Downsized our Home to Upsize our Life
Most people around here think we are crazy, for sure. We gave up our nice, spacious home in the relative safety of the suburbs and moved to a small, cozy, urban abode. Most people are dying to get out of the city- we couldn't wait to get in!
When we decided to send out children to the Catholic High School, we knew it would involve some sacrifice, and a thirty minute travel time each way. We knew in our hearts this was the right place for the children to go, so we were ready to make the financial and travel commitments.
What we didn't count on was that our children would become so involved! What started out with Friday night football games evolved into clubs, sports, and friends. Pretty soon, most of our time was spent running back and forth to the city. It made sense- if our lives were going to be in the city, maybe we should be, too.
Truth is, while we loved our "country home", my husband and I had both grown up in a more urban setting, and we were definitely missing some of the things the city had to offer: in the country, we could only ride our bikes round and round our neighborhood- we had to depend on our car to get everywhere. In the city, we ride our bikes to actual destinations- the farmers market, restaurants, the library, and even to church on Sunday.
In the country, everything was fifteen minutes away. In the city, everything is close to our home. Our country house had sounds like cows, and birds, and even the occasional pack of coyotes. At our city house we can hear the school marching band practice, church bells, and train whistles.
There are other advantages to our smaller house: our country house had four bedrooms, three bathtubs, plus two half baths. That's five toilets to clean! The city house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms- more than enough room for us. There is no designated "guest room", but when guests come, we make do just fine.
Our country house had a big yard with a pool. It took us most of a day each week to care for the yard during our long, southern summers. Our city home has a very small front yard, and the back yard is a brick patio with a pine-straw area for the dogs.We joined a community pool in the city, and let someone else worry about the maintenance. .
Half the house means half the cost to heat and cool. Living in the city, our trash pick up is included in our taxes.
I used to fill my car up with gas at least twice per week, to accommodate all the driving. Now I drive for a week and a half on one tank of gas.
We were a little worried about how the kids would adjust to the new, tighter, living quarters, but they have weathered the change just fine. If they ever start to complain, they quickly remind themselves of the days when they had to leave the house at 6:30 a.m. for morning Mass on game days. Most days, they aren't even awake at 6:30...and blessedly, neither am I.
When we decided to send out children to the Catholic High School, we knew it would involve some sacrifice, and a thirty minute travel time each way. We knew in our hearts this was the right place for the children to go, so we were ready to make the financial and travel commitments.
What we didn't count on was that our children would become so involved! What started out with Friday night football games evolved into clubs, sports, and friends. Pretty soon, most of our time was spent running back and forth to the city. It made sense- if our lives were going to be in the city, maybe we should be, too.
Truth is, while we loved our "country home", my husband and I had both grown up in a more urban setting, and we were definitely missing some of the things the city had to offer: in the country, we could only ride our bikes round and round our neighborhood- we had to depend on our car to get everywhere. In the city, we ride our bikes to actual destinations- the farmers market, restaurants, the library, and even to church on Sunday.
In the country, everything was fifteen minutes away. In the city, everything is close to our home. Our country house had sounds like cows, and birds, and even the occasional pack of coyotes. At our city house we can hear the school marching band practice, church bells, and train whistles.
There are other advantages to our smaller house: our country house had four bedrooms, three bathtubs, plus two half baths. That's five toilets to clean! The city house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms- more than enough room for us. There is no designated "guest room", but when guests come, we make do just fine.
Our country house had a big yard with a pool. It took us most of a day each week to care for the yard during our long, southern summers. Our city home has a very small front yard, and the back yard is a brick patio with a pine-straw area for the dogs.We joined a community pool in the city, and let someone else worry about the maintenance. .
Half the house means half the cost to heat and cool. Living in the city, our trash pick up is included in our taxes.
I used to fill my car up with gas at least twice per week, to accommodate all the driving. Now I drive for a week and a half on one tank of gas.
We were a little worried about how the kids would adjust to the new, tighter, living quarters, but they have weathered the change just fine. If they ever start to complain, they quickly remind themselves of the days when they had to leave the house at 6:30 a.m. for morning Mass on game days. Most days, they aren't even awake at 6:30...and blessedly, neither am I.
Our Southern Living style country home
Our little Tudor-style Midtown cottage
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