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!

I've been making cards!

So, I've been making my own cards lately.  I haven't posted anything on here in a while, I've been really consumed with my pregnancy and discomfort that it brings. 

So, a typical card costs around $2.50 for a "good" one.  Yes, you can get them at the dollar store for like .50 each, however they are impersonal and you run the risk of not finding anything good.

So, check out my blog over there and feel free to follow- www.paper-junkie.blogspot.com