Reusable Swiffer Pads

Hey Y'all!

I recently re-purchased a swiffer.  I'm not a fan of buying all the chemical laden products that come wiht it, and buying the pads constantly.  I have 5 kids... imagine the messes that come with 5 little ones who spill, smoosh, squish, and oh yeah- can leak a diaper....

Anyhoo, I did something that I'm rather proud of.  Of course, Pinterest to the rescue with how to make reusable swiffer pads.  After reading and of course modification, I made my own version:

I used microfiber cloths (bought some in bulk from Sams Club to use specifically for cleaning, but made these pads out of them!).  That's it.  No velcro.  Since the underside of the Swiffer is hook velcro, it easily attaches to the microfiber without any assistance.  These pads are technically reversible, they can last even longer than the type that you do sew the velcro to!

word.

So dimensions:
11"  x 4 1/2"   -two put together.

Stitch around the edges with a zig-zag stitch.  TADA!  you're done.  How easy was that?  I have made 4 pads so far- mainly because my hands hurt so badly right now that I can barely move them to type this.  No really, I was taking a hatchet and helping my husband cut up trees that were cut down on our property this weekend, so I'm aching.

Oh, if you want to see what it would look like if you used terry cloth (btw, recycle some old towels!  Don't go out and buy new just for wiping up your floors with!) I used this tutorial here to get the dimensions.  She seems to know what she's doing because it it totally worked!

I will be making some out of terry cloth too as the microfiber tends to be a little hard to push on the ground.  May be because I'm sore but we'll see!

dishwasher rinse aids

If you use their product your dishes wll sparkle and shine and water spots will be beaten into submission and afraid to appear on your glasses.  And such a bargain, at only $4.00 a thing, right?

WRONG!

1 simple household ingredient that (if you read my blog) you have in your house will take care of it!  Want to know what it is?  I betcha do.


Here it is:

Wait for it-

White vinegar.  TADA!  Fill that rinse pocket full and wash your dishes until your heart's content!  That's it, seriously!

Try it.  My dishes have never been more super-sparkly, unicorn glitter friendly!  Shining like diamonds in the sun, or some other analogy they come up with.

Oh, did I mention it costs  you less than a penny?  No really, you need to fill it up somewhere around 3 times to make a penny.  BOOYAH!  How's THAT for a bargain?

Dishwasher detergent

I absolutely enjoy saving money!  I enjoy it even more when I buy things that people use on a regular basis and yet don't think "hmmm, could I make this at home and save money?"

Surprisingly, you don't need dishwasher super-sparkle elegance finishing touch after wash rinse in your dishwasher.  The reason?  The dish detergent that you use is too harsh for your dishwasher.  awesome, huh?  it is typically too hard on your dishes actually making your water harder, and can etch your glassware.  How much does that suck?

Well, I've found that with this recipe, it makes your water softer, getting your dishes cleaner with less soap.  SNAZZY.

How to make it:
1c. borax
1c. washing soda
1c. kosher salt (the coarser the salt the more chunks coming off, but you can use iodized if that's all you have)
4 pks. lemon kool-aid.  (I used the walmart version for .12c a packet.  Why do you use this?  the citric acid and the lemon scent- makes them awesome!)

mix all together and store in a container.  Yes, I typically triple or quadruple the batch (it takes exactly the same amount of effort, why not?!).

How much to use?  depends on your dishes. Typically a Tablespoon will take care of what you need, especially if you use the rinse aid I wrote about.  If you need to use extra, fill up both reserves, the time-release one (with the lid) and the other one that would give you the soap in the pre-wash.  I would not use more than 1/4 cup at a time.  1, it's just wasteful and 2, you could damage the machine or  your dishes and I'm not responsible for that. :)

enjoy and let me know if this works for you!

Liquid dish soap

After much internet searching, I have found an amazing homemade SUPER FRUGAL dish soap- NOT for dishwashers- the dishwasher detergent will be another post.

What you need for this:
1T finely grated soap flakes (use your favorite, it's not like you're going to be eating it.)
1T distilled white vinegar -you have it on hand for every other recipe of mine anyway!
1T washing soda
1 1/2 c. HOT water.  Why hot?  you need to dissolve everything.
essential oils such as lavendar, lemongrass, lemon, orange, rosemary, eucalyptus, etc.  "kitcheny" scents.

Ok, in a heat-safe bowl, pour in your dry ingredients, followed by vinegar and then stir until dissolved.  Let sit for about 24 hours and stir randomly throughout the day, to ensure that everything is staying dissolved.  (it will, just make sure you stir to keep it from clumping).

Once everything is said and done, add some essential oils to your liking.  Personally I'm a lavender junkie, but Rosemary and Lemongrass would smell amazing.  So would a citrus dish soap! (traditional, no?)  You could even make a floral with lavender, rose, geranium (which is a type of rose), etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Pour into recycled dish soap bottle or other squeeze-type bottle.

TADA!  Dish soap that cost you MAYBE 6 cents for the whole bottle.  Compare that to the $3.00+ (with tax) that you're paying now and THAT is Smart and Savvy for this Diva!

Oh, btw, you CAN use this is the homemade soft scrub recipe that I posted before.

Quick tip, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda too to help soften the water and soften your hands!

Stripping diapers today.

For all of you mamas with babies in diapers I would REALLY encourage you to check out cloth diapering.  In fact, I'm going to post more about that in my next diaper post.  My main reason for cloth diapering is this:  I wouldn't allow my children to pee and poo all over my entire living room furniture (including TV) just to throw it out, but when you use disposables that's how much money you're spending from birth to potty training.

Kinda hits home doesn't it?  4 grand.  That's 1/4 of your car.  btw- that's per child!  I have one in diapers now and I'm expecting 2 more in just 2 months.  Can you imagine throwing out 12 grand?  12,000?!  that's a new car.  That's a down payment on a house.  That's ridiculous!

So, what I'm doing to the diapers today:
Nate got a horrible diaper rash a few months ago, and I think it was a combination of things.  1- he wasn't being changed enough. (my fault!) 2- he wasn't getting enough air to his little bum.  3- he wasn't drinking enough water.  4- the diapers needed to be stripped.

The first 3 I understood, but what did stripping diapers mean?  I had never heard of it.  Long story short:  uric acid can build up over time in the diapers and when it meets with the sulfide agents in the washer, it holds on to them.  Well, this can cause a slight burning sensation on the skin when it gets wet again.  hence the vicious cycle of diaper rash.

In my cloth diaper research, I found that vinegar helps neutralize the acid in the urine.  Whoulda thunk?  I keep gallons of vinegar on hand because of how much I clean with it.  Anyhoo, that worked for a while and then his diaper rash came back with a vengeance.  So, my wonderful husband put desitin on him.  Desitin is a petroleum based product and shouldn't be used on cloth.  Yeah, I know that now.  Not to mention it has fish oil in it (which explains why my hands itch EVERY time I used it on all 3 of my children!) and that fishy smell gets stuck, (no, S-T-U-C-K!!!!) in cloth diapers.  talk about nasty.

So I read MORE about stripping diapers and someone recommended Dawn dishwashing liquid because it's a little stronger and cuts grease.  **ding** light bulb moment!  greased up desitin cloth diaper, meets dishsoap. So, it's in my washer right now on the hottest setting.  I plan on washing these diapers anywhere between 3 and 5 times today to make sure there is no soap left, with extra rinse cycles if I have to, but these diapers WILL be clean and stripped today.

Now to "normally" strip a diaper there are TONS of videos on youtube on how to do it.  It's my firm belief you can find just about anything on youtube.  That should get you started in the right direction!

Blessings!

homemade faux-breze!

We all LOVE the idea of a fresh smelling home.  We love it even more when it's ours that smells fresh, particularly if you have pets or children, or hard-working husbands.

So here's what I did:
I used a dollar store spray bottle of fabric refresher.  There was maybe a tablespoon left and I didn't really like the smell, so it got dumped.  I rinsed out the spray bottle and added 2 3/4 c. HOT water, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda.  I shook like a madwoman until it was dissolved.  I then added 1/4c. downy fabric softener.  (more on THAT later!)  Again, shake.

Spray on your fabric- and that's it.  Now you can use any fabric softener that you like in any scent that you prefer.  I use downy because it was the cheapest.  The BEST part:  for the entire container of downy, cost me like $4.00  to make this, it cost me maybe .10 cents!  WAY awesome.  OH, and the baking soda made it a deodorizer as well.  I sprayed my son's mattress (has seen better and ... dryer... days -er, nights.) and it smells fairly fresh.  Oh, you can also "boost" your scent or change it by adding a few drops of essential oil.

Floor Cleaners

Not all floor cleaners are created the same.

Most on the market now are chock FULL of chemicals that you wouldn't bathe your children in and yet the ones that are little are on the floors touching it, putting things in their mouths that have touched it, etc.  We are not thinking about what is really on our floors and what we're putting in our bodies.

So, you all know I'm all about natural cleaners, but I'm also about saving money.

Here's two floor recipes that you'll just LOVE to use- and TOTALLY natural.  BEST part:  if you re-use your swiffers, you can easily refill the container, OR you can put it in a spray bottle and do the same thing, OR you can use it with a steam mop for a little extra boost.

Floor cleaner for linoleum, tile, non-hardwood floors:
1/4 c. vinegar
2 cups HOT water.

mix together and use like you would either a spray or your swiffer refill.  and when the mixture cools, that's ok too!  just keep using until gone.  I like to start off with hot water just because.  No rhyme or reason, I just like it!

Floor cleaner for sealed hardwood floors:
same as above, except add 1T olive oil.  shake each time you spray because the oil WILL separate from the water/vinegar mix.

Please note, I am not responsible for you using anything on your floors.  These are just suggestions and NOT my responsibility for your home. :)  With that being said, it's sad that that has to be said because I'm sure someone somewhere would destroy their floors and then come after me as if I were the ones who twisted their arms to do it, or they'd do the recipe wrong and then come blaming me.  no thank you- anything listed on here is absolutely your creation, I am just the one giving you the idea to do it, you're the one doing it yourself.

Hope they work for you, the vinegar/water one works for me in my bathroom and kitchen.  Otherwise, my home has carpeting.

All Purpose Cleaner

Hey everyone!  I found the BEST all-purpose cleaner, and what's even awesomer (yes, it's a word- I just made it up!) you can use it with regular towels or microfiber towels or paper towels (but that not only wastes, it's basically money thrown in the trash, though I DO recommend paper towels for cleaning off most surfaces of the toilet.  That's one area I don't mind throwing out for.

So, here it is.  You will need:
spray bottle
2 drops dish soap (some recommend dawn, but most cut grease!)
1 c. hot water
1/4 t. baking soda.

pour hot water into spray bottle.  Add baking soda and dissolve, shaking if necessary.  add 2 drops of dish soap and shake to incorporate.  cleans just about EVERYTHING!  Yes, you can double this recipe if you need to.  How cheap is that?!

Let's see, you'd pay (according to Walmart.com at the time of this writing, for Formula 409, you'd pay $1.98 for 22 fluid oz.  you figure, $2 doesn't sound so bad right?  I mean, it's only $2.00... (you didn't factor in not only your time, but the gas you just spent to get to the grocery store)  Tripling this recipe will give you 24 ounces.  (oh, did I mention you can use a recycled bottle or even an old mason jar?)  This recipe will cost you:  baking soda- .0002 for a tripled recipe and dish soap- 6 drops of dish soap may cost you almost a penny- if that?!  So, you're paying almost a penny for all that you just made.  For the formula 409 that is a 2000% markup from what it actually costs.

So yeah- those $2.00 are valuable!  That could be spent on chocolate for you!

How to get rid of your stuff in 3 easy steps.

I have been a self-proclaimed hoarder.  Well, not so much a hoarder as someone who just "likes" her stuff.  Now I have come to terms with letting go with a lot of things I loved but it wasn't enough.  Our orders to PA got cancelled (and I won't go into why just know it's not our fault, but someone who lied and tried to ruin my husband's career).  so now we're moving to Alabama.  Right after the twins are born.

Did I mention I'm on bedrest?  Oh yeah- I'm supposed to pack up a house from the "comfort" of my tush.  sigh.

So here's now to declutter your stuff in 3 easy steps.

You will need:
1 large kitchen trashcan (with extra bags)
1 large give-away box
1 laundry basket.
1 kitchen timer set for 15-30 minutes at a time.

pick up your first item and answer these questions:
1- have you used it in the past year?  SERIOUSLY, have you USED it in the past year?  if yes and you love it, it's a keeper; dust it off and put it back.  if it's no, is it still usable?  yes- give away box, no- trash.
2- Do I LOVE this item?
3- am I holding onto this because it was given to me and I'll have guilt if I get rid of it?
4- am I holding onto this only because I feel I've paid too much and giving/throwing it away will cause me guilt?
5- is it usable?  (if so, see question 1)
6- does it work with my decor?
7- does this hold sentimental value
8- do I have room for it?

now the answers to these questions and where things go are like this:
1-  yes- proceed to number 2.  no- see number 5-  yes- give away, no- trash.
2- yes- proceed to number 6.  No- see number 5- yes- give away  no- trash
3- yes- proceed to number 5.  Yes- proceed to number 6*-  no, trash.   *yes- go to #8.  no- give away box.
4- (follow steps for question 3)
(5 and 6 are pretty self explanatory.  if you haven't figured out where it should go, it most likely belongs in the give-away box.)
7- if yes- repeat question 1. if no, repeat question 2.
8- if yes, and all the other questions apply that you "need" then it's a keeper.  if no- then decide to give away or trash it.

This is a HARD thing to do.  Getting rid of your "stuff" can seriously be nervewracking!  this is why so many people have a hard time letting things go, but do NOT allow yourself to be bogged down in guilt!  Guilt over what? Is the person who gave that item to you going to never speak to you again if they're alive?  Are you seriously going to be shunned?  Is that item the actual person, or are you holding onto it for the memories you have of that person?  Will a picture NOT provide you with the same sentiments?

I hope this helped and if you have any questions, I'm always here to answer them!

Laundry updated!

Hello everyone!

I am working on making a TON of new "recipes" for homemade cleaners and such, but I wanted to update you on my new laundry recipe.

1 bar of yardley lavender soap (bought at the dollar store- but you can use anything that is SOAP, not a beauty bar)
1c. borax
1c. washing soda  (again, NOT baking soda.)

finely grate bar on smallest setting of box grater, -OR- grate on the "regular" setting and pulse in your food processor.  Please note, fancy gadgets are NOT a necessity for this recipe, but they sure do make life easier for us!  Still just around .02 for a load of laundry!  How Smart and Savvy is that?!

Mix all together in a container. (I use an old recycled coffee creamer container)  use 1 tablespoon on super soiled laundry, or 2 teaspoons on "regular" laundry.  If you cloth diaper, for an entire load, use 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon, depending on the size of the load and the grossness of the "dirt" in them.

Still only costs about 2 cents a load and MUCH easier to deal with, considering it also saves a TON in space!  I also triple the recipe and make it every 4-6 months depending on how much I have to wash.  Typically I need to do more in the summer.  Judah is very hard on clothes in the summer with all the exploring and dirty stuff that boys just HAVE to do. :)

**Borax and washing soda are found in the laundry aisles of your store.  If you can't find them, google them and Arm and Hammer will tell you where you can buy washing soda locally.  Borax is typically found anywhere laundry stuff is sold.**

Be blessed!
Heather

Chores vs. Blessings.

My home is chaotic.  Sort of.  Well, let me put it this way:  2 years ago, I divorced my husband (long and irrelevant story but kind of part of this, so that's all I'll say.)  and I moved a 3 bedroom house into a 2 bedroom apartment.  we have paths, to say the least.  Well, I've been decluttering and reorganizing but the kids are fighting me.

My current (and last!) husband and I are moving to PA in about 6 weeks.  I am in full panic mode.  I have SO MUCH STUFF, that I "love" and want to keep, but there's no reason for it.  So, I started to get stuff to declutter and deep clean so I don't have to pay extra when we move out of the apartment.

Anyway, to my subject line:  The kids and I have been fighting each other over "chores".  To them, (and honestly to me) it sounds like "heavy, burdened, boring, back-breaking work."  That's a LOT to fit into one word.

ding!  Lightbulb moment.  First, it's my job to teach them that there are things that we "have" to do just because we have to.  For example, I have to have the dishes washed so the kids can eat off of clean plates, right?  Well, instead of doing the boring, depressing, trudging work of washing dishes (yes, our dishwasher sucks; it leaves grit over everything!  I think it's circa 1988 or something- whatever it matches the wonderful piece of engineering that is our antiquated fridge.)  I am BLESSING my family!

I enjoy the fact that I can bless my family and when I get to bless my family, it's not a laborsome "chore" that I'm obligated to do, but it's a joy and a blessing that I GET to do for my family.

Well, intro this concept to the kids.  My children took to it like ducks to water!  They were absolutely excited that they got to help mommy by blessing her!  Shoshi (not her real name) my 7 y/o cleaned the kitchen floor for me yesterday as I did dishes.  Jubu, (not his real name either) my 5 year old was my gopher. Everything I asked him to go for, he did, and he also dried dishes for me, while Shoshi put them away.

They blessed me by doing something that I would normally have to do.  They didn't look at it as laborious, they looked at it as something nice to do for mom.

Because of this, we have officially changed our word "chore" to "blessing" and it's making all the difference in my home.  Another reason for that is because we get to bless others with the toys that we have but never use anymore.

Blessings.  They're awesome!

clean up that cat pee...

Well, I'm here the day after going into my husband's old home, and I've been scrubbing to my heart's content there. Long story, but his ex wife, their daughter and his ex MIL were living in that house until 2 days ago. I went in to clean it and was bowled over by the stench of cat urine. talk about gross. Well, I'm not here to bash the choices that were made by his former family, but I'm going to tell you how I got the mold, and cat urine out of 2 rooms, and I'm going back for more today.

I used an entire bottle of a popular pine cleaner on the floor of the MIL's room. it didn't get the smell out. After running out of floor cleaner, I figured it was time to go with something I have on hand. I used my baking soda mixture (if you haven't read my previous blogs, it's right here: homemade baking soda scrub)  and a toothbrush.  Calm down, the toothbrush was only for the corners and the edges where the tile met the baseboard, on the rest off the floor, I used a scrub brush.

the trick to this is:  when your water gets really foamy from rinsing the floor, dump and refill.  My husband did this, as I was moving along pretty quickly, and had 2 buckets, he kept making sure I had plenty of clean hot water. 

cat pee is gone from my stepdaughter's room and her grandmother's.  I will, be going in the day before to do a quick mop and make sure that everything else was taken care of, and just to be sure that I don't have any last-minute cleaning.

I am not putting this to test on carpet.  I think my steam cleaner would be taxed a little too much, but I will definitely use baking soda.  it's the best!

plumbing joys!

It never ends.

I was awake at 4 in the morning today for some weird reason. Well, fast forward to 6, and my hubster comes out in uniform (every girl's dream!) and tells me "sink's clogged."

still used it for shaving though, didn't ya?

well, my 3 year old son force-fed toilet paper (as much as his little hands could get ahold of into the poor unsuspecting tube of my sink drain. Of course, he didn't tell anyone either. poor thing. it never had a chance.

Well, I'm SO glad that the place I live in- the maintenence crew has installed screw-off type of "s-trap" in the bottom of the sink. Insert bucket to catch the yuck, and unscrew until my little hearts' content.

If you've never done this before, let me tell you- it's an interesting experience. weird goo comes out, along with water of every scent imaginable, hair, chunks of black stuff, all come out. If you're a girlie-girl spend the money on a "professional" to come get the TP out of your sink. spend the 200 or suck it up.

anyhoo- with the ever popular butterknife (an all-purpose utility tool) I was able to scrape out the soggy mass into the bucket on the bottom. (a crucial element in this was the bucket. as soon as I started unscrewing, it started leaking, so in order to avoid an even bigger mess, I put the bucket down first)

after all clear and yuck into the bucket, (which gets flushed, btw) I reassembled, tightly screwed in the s-trap again, and ran water just to be sure. no leaks, it drained well, and all is right in my world.

professional: $250 for an hour's worth of work.
DIY: free.

saved $250! This is both savvy and smart! though, having my hands in gunk doesn't qualify this for "diva" status, does it?

well, maybe next time.

baking soda. the SSHD's best friend!

So, there are like a billion uses for baking soda. From a mild and gentle facial scrub, to a non-abrasive surface cleaner, to something I scrub my engagement ring with to make it bright and shiny!

Yes, baking soda is my bff in the home.

how I make a non-abrasive scrub (much like the commerical kind but without being harmful to you or the environment. So, my recipe is as follows, and no divas, I really don't measure. **please note that this is MY recipe. If you have one and it's similiar to yours, great! We think alike- I really didn't jack your recipe I made it up myself. Also, if you like this, please link others to my SSHD blogspot and follow me!**

hardware:
1 butter knife
1 pint mason jar.

software:
baking soda
dish soap (I prefer a clear one that from palmolive- my skin blisters if I use different ones)
a little water.

Okay, so put the baking soda and fill the jar 3/4 of the way to the top. add some soap, a little at a time and stir with your butterknife. add more soap until thick and keep stirring, but don't foam it up. add water a little at a time, until you get a creamy paste consistency.

I use this typically with a toothbrush but it will work well with a sponge on your counters too!

cost: about 35 cents for the whole batch, not including the jar. cost for commercial: 3.79 in my area. Now, THAT'S savvy!

Laundry, Mountains and Mountains of laundry!!!

So I was climbing mt. washmore the other day (flyladyism) and decided that there has GOT to be a way to save money. I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. ;) Well, I made laundry soap the other day and it's amazing, it's super easy, my clothes are clean and it cost me approximately 2 pennies a load to use!

I grated 3 bars of soap. (used ivory but am going to use something else next time. I like the scent of yardley's lavendar
2 cup washing soada (found at kroger)
2 cups borax (in the laundry aisle)
lavendar essential oil (because I LOVE the smell)

my mistake was I tried to melt the soap in water on the stove which did NOT work, and then add it and the other powders to a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with water. yay, liquid laundry soap, right? WRONG! it congealed... sort of... and I have to stir it every time I use it, so after doing some research, I found it's better to keep it in powder form and use a tablespoon at a time, so when my bucket-o-suds is done, (at this rate should be the middle of june!)I will make more but keep it in powder form.

What I will do differently: I'm going to finely grate the soap on the littlest form on my grater, (using a different soap) keep it strictly powder and possibly put it all in a blender to make a superfine powder. The good thing about it is not only do I only need a tablespoon per load, it takes up SO MUCH LESS space in my laundry room.

If you're worried about it not getting as clean as commercial cleansers, let me assure you that I have NO problem with it, and my husband is in the army with all the dirt and grime that domes along with his job, and I have 2 children ages 3 and 5 and they also come along with a certain amount of dirt, and the clothes come out smelling clean and fresh every time. I don't even pre-treat.

once my dryer sheets are used up, I will be using a homemade fabric softener, though I have to say with the borax and the washing soda, my clothes come out pretty soft anyway.

Well, off to tackle the monster that my dirty laundry has become. I just wish I had an outdoor clothes line to dry them on. sigh.