Inexpensive ways to clean

Found this on my yahoo site, thought it tied in to my post a last week. Great stuff!
Clothing


1. Remove red wine stains. Saturate the stain with table salt ASAP and let it sit for a couple of hours, then wash in cold water. Another trick is to pour some white wine on the stain and wash accordingly.
2. Remove coffee stains. Scrub the stain with baking soda paste. To make baking soda paste, just mix baking soda and water.
3. Remove grease/oil stains. Blot the stain with dishwashing detergent. If the stain has soaked in, mix one part vinegar with two parts water to make an all-natural cleaner. Apply to the stain and wash. By the way, did you know vinegar can replace 30 household products?
4. Remove ink stains. Spray the stain with hairspray or rubbing alcohol and blot the area. Repeat until most of the stain is gone, then wash.
5. Remove lipstick stains. Treat lipstick stains the same way as ink stains (spray-blot-repeat), but follow up by scrubbing with dishwashing soap. FYI, your top of the line lipstick will be more difficult to remove because of the greater depth of pigments.
6. Remove blood stains. First, make sure your stained item doesn’t bleach out. Then, pour some regular, drugstore hydrogen peroxide and let it soak before washing it in cold water.
7. Remove body odor. Spray the problem area (usually the armpits) with a 50/50 dilution of alcohol and water, and then hang it up to line dry. You want to kill the bacteria without damaging the garment.
8. Remove moth ball odor. Try dry-hanging your clothes out in the sun first. If the moth ball smell doesn’t dissipate, seal your clothes in a plastic bag with some dryer sheets or dry lavender, a natural moth repellant. So the next time you put your clothes into storage, use dry lavender instead of moth balls. These methods are safe to use on 100 percent cotton or cotton/synthetic blends, but not all of them are applicable to all fabrics. For more comprehensive tips, check out Cornell's stain removal guide and 16 ways to make your clothes last longer.
[See 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used]
Carpets and Floors
9. Clean mud off carpet. Let the mud dry completely, then remove as much as possible with a knife. Mix one quart of water with one-quarter teaspoon of hand or dish soap. (Make sure the soap doesn’t contain bleach of lanolin.) Pour the solution into a spray bottle: spray, rub, blot.
10. Remove rust stains off carpet. Mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle, spray the solution onto the stain, and let it sit for a few minutes. Clean the area with a brush or sponge using warm, soapy water. For really tough stains, spray on a good amount of lemon juice (but don’t wet the padding underneath), let it sit for five to six minutes, and blot with a paper towel.
11. Remove grease/oil stains off carpet. Remove as much as possible with a knife and blotting. Pour rubbing alcohol onto a clean white cloth (or white paper towels). Blot until the stain is removed. If the stain is small, be sure to blot in one direction only so the stain doesn’t spread.
12. Clean wood laminate floors. Sweep up the loose stuff first. Then, add two to four tablespoons of vinegar to a small bucket of warm water. Wet two terry cloths in the solution, wring them out, and lay them flat on the floor. Step on the cloths and walk across the floor in sweeping motions and scrubbing with your toes where necessary. Let it air dry or walk on microfiber towels.
More Cleaning Tips
13. Clean the stovetop. Boil water in a kettle. Dribble a very shallow layer of water over the entire stovetop and it sit for about five minutes. Scrub, wipe with soap, and rinse. This method may not work for all stoves. If you own a ceramic or induction stove, be sure to check the instruction manual and other documents.
14. Clean grill racks. Heat up the grill until it’s super hot to make it easier to scrap off the clumps. Cut an onion in half and attach the round end of a half-onion to a fork. Point the flat side of the onion facedown and rub the grate.
15. Clean windows. Make a cleaner by mixing three teaspoons of vinegar to one quart of warm water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray onto the glass, wiping it dry with crumpled newspapers. To prevent streaking, don’t clean while the sun is on the window.
16. Remove crayon marks off painted walls. Apply baking soda paste onto the crayon mark, rub gently with a clean cloth, and wipe clean. If that doesn’t work, you can also rinse the area with a sponge soaked in liquid dish soap and water, then scrub in a circular motion. Be sure to first test the cleaner on an inconspicuous spot (like near a corner or behind a door).
17. Remove mildew smell from towels. Put the towels into a washing machine and add one or two cups of white vinegar. (Don’t add any other products at this time.) Run the washer using the hottest water setting available. When it’s done, leave the towels inside and wash them again at the hottest water setting -- this time with laundry soap (but no fabric softener or other products). Dry the towels in a dryer using the high heat setting. If the towels aren’t completely dry, run the dryer again, or hang them up outside in the sunlight.
18. Clean vinyl or plastic shower curtains. Take off the rings and put the curtains in a washing machine. Add one cup of bleach, one cup of detergent, and a few dirty towels to help scrub off the soap scum. Run the washer on the gentle cycle with either warm or hot water. Right after the spin cycle, take the curtains of the washer, shake it out gently, and let it drip dry. Don’t worry about the wrinkles: Hot steam from a couple of showers (plus gravity) will smooth out your curtains in a day.
19. Clean soap scum. For the soap scum buildup in your bath and shower area, spray it with vinegar and wipe off with a damp sponge. You can also sprinkle baking soda, borax, or powder laundry detergent onto a damp sponge and scrub.
20. Clean cloudy glassware. To remove hard water deposits, scrub cheap, white toothpaste all over the glass and rinse thoroughly.

Fourth of July Bubble Wands

Great Idea From Better Homes and Gardens!

 

Display in a pot with flags until ready to use.

What You Need:

• Star-shape cookie cutter
• 40-inch piece of 20-gauge wire
• Wire cutters
• Electric drill
• Spray paint in desired color

Use different sized cookie cutters
for variety.

Instructions:

1. Fold a 40-inch piece of wire in half. Starting at one point of the star, bend the wire around the cookie cutter to form the star outline. When the wire meets, twist to secure.
2. Straighten the ends of the wire and trim them with wire cutters to make them an even length.
3. Insert the trimmed ends into the chuck on an electric drill and tighten the chuck. Hold the wire taut and rotate the drill until the wire is twisted to the desired tightness.
4. Loosen the chuck and remove the wire. Trim the ends again.
5. Carefully remove the star from the cookie cutter. Spray-paint the star. Let the paint dry.

More Ideas:

• Decorate your deck for the Fourth of July with the wands.
• Transform the bubble wands into napkin holders by wrapping the handle around an empty paper towel tube to make a ring.
• Wrap the containers of bubble liquid in red and blue construction paper to complete the holiday atmosphere.

Thank you to my very good friend Kristen at her Blog for this info!

 

White Cane Glimmer Sugar Scrub

1 cup - Domino® Granulated Sugar
1 cup - vegetable oil
Oil from 1 vitamin E capsule
1 or 2 drops - of essential oil, lavender or orange
1 16oz. - glass container with lid

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Using a spatula, transfer mix into the container and secure lid. Contents will settle, mix before using. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Home Made Houshold and Beauty Products!

Thanks to Tara and her Blog! She has some GREAT Ideas for home made cleaning and household products!

Health & Beauty

Face Wash: I have this split between two small bottles. One stays in the shower, one stays on my counter. I also just bought regular unsalted almonds and put them through my food processor. 
-3 oz honey (cleanses) -4 oz finely ground almonds (gentle exfoliant) -2 oz apple cider vinegar (toner) -2 oz water -6 drops Lavender Essential Oils (anti-aging and anti-acne)

Face Lotion: Apricot Kernel Oil after washing my face. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil any other time.

Body Lotion: EV Coconut Oil. I've never really been a regular body lotion user, because I hate the feel of lotion, but I love how coconut oil makes my skin feel!

Deodorant: Instructions from this blog. Super easy, though is quite the work out, haha. Works really well.

Toothpaste: Currently not crunchy! Thinking about using just plain baking soda once the tube I have runs out. I'm open to suggestions, lol. Prefer homemade and simple, over organic store bought products.

Hair spray: I use the water and sugar recipe from this blog. And, yes, it really does work!

Household

All Purpose Cleaner: The bigger the spray bottle, the more EO you need to use.

-1 part water

-1 part white vinegar

-20-30 drops of EO (I used lemon)

Disinfectant: Smells great! Love using it.

-2 cups water

-1/4 cup white vinegar

-1/4 tsp Lavender EO

-1/4 tsp Tea Tree Oil

Carpet cleaner(spot cleaning): Spray the following combo, let sit for a few minutes. Follow up with a sponge or brush and soapy water. Works every time:). This spray can also be used when cleaning your veggies.

-1 part water

-1 part white vinegar

Toilet bowl cleaner: I sprinkle 1/4 cup of baking soda all over the inside of the toilet, and follow with 1 cup of vinegar. Let fizz for awhile and follow with just the toilet brush.

Dishwasher detergent: Love this one! Have it in a container and just scoop it in. Recipe says to use 1 tbsp per load, but I fill my detergent cup.

-1 cup Borax (find in laundry aisle)

-1 cup baking soda

-1/4 cup salt (I used sea salt)

-1/4 cup citric acid (2 unsweetened lemonade kool aid packets work)

Home Made Laundry Soap!

 Hello All! Long time no post! SORRY! It has been a little crazy here in the Deno household! I am hoping to get on here a bit more regular.

I have had some requests lately about what recipe we use to make our own laundry detergent.  We literally spend about $8.00 a YEAR on our laundry detergent, so it is very worth sharing!  I get our recipe from The Grocery Chart Challenge, a GREAT blog!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I double this recipe and make it in a 5 gallon bucket but I'm going to post the original recipe and you are welcome to double it on your own if you like.

What you'll need...

• 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap
• 1/2 cup Borax powder
• 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• a bucket
• water

(If you live in my area, the ONLY place I've been able to find all the ingredients is at Meijer.)First, grate 1/3 of the soap and put it into a saucepan. (I use my food processor to grate it finely so it melts quicker.)

Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts.
Add the washing soda and borax, stirring until it is dissolved.

Pour 4 cups hot tap water into your bucket.


Add your soap mixture and stir it together.

Add another 22 cups of water and stir to combine.

Let the soap cool and set up for about 12-24 hours. The finished product jells up. It won't have a normal consistency. Part of it will be like jello and part will remain liquid. It's all the same thing and dissolves in the laundry tub. No need to try and break it up.
Each load takes about 1/2 cup of laundry soap.
And to let you know the purpose of each ingredient....
Borax cleans, deodorizes, disinfects and softens the water.
Washing soda cuts grease and neutralizes odors.
Fels Naptha is a stain remover.

Make Your Own Reusable Produce Bags!

What a simple idea! I believe we all need to try to make little steps to try to save the world.  Because all those little steps make a big difference! Check out Smashed Peas and Carrots, she has a great tutorial on how to make you own reusable produce bags!

-Mary

I need to find my camera!

Am I the only person who loses there camera as much as I lose my mind? I mean seriously, I have 3 kids a big family, activities and a blog site. I REALLY need to keep track of the thing.  I have a whole bunch of tutorials on there and ones I need to create, and my lack of equipment is keeping me back! AArrrgghh!

Tutorials you will be seeing once I find my camera:
-Making Stock
-Kneading Bread
-My Story Stones
-Turning an old sweater into a scarf
-Making leg warmers for the home

So that's the plan!  It will be Chris and my mission tomorrow to find it.  Woke up with a killer sinus infection today, so not sure if much will get done.
Have an awesome day!
-Mary