Easy Shower Cleaning

Here's a quick cleaning post based off of an idea I found on Pinterest.  I can't find the original pin, so here's a look at what other people are doing.   It is SO simple and yet has made a big difference in keeping our master bathroom shower clean.

Behold... one of those dish-scrubbing wands filled with one part dish soap (my favorite) and one part vinegar.  We keep it in the shower for when we have a few extra minutes in the morning to scrub down corners or walls.  Doing a little bit each time we are finished showering means that the shower is always pretty clean and nobody has to get in there for a deep clean & scrub.  In our shower we have tile, plastic, stainless steel knobs, and glass walls.  This cleaning concoction works great on all of them!

Speaking of showers, I made a recent impulse buy when walking past an Origins last week... the same shampoo and conditioner I used to have in middle school!  Gifts from Origins were big among my 7th grade friends and I always used and loved this shampoo.  Welcome back to my hair, Origins.

Happy Friday, readers!  Stay clean and stay homey!

A Cleaning Tip from my (Often) Messy Kitchen

Happy Election Day, readers!  I have already cast my absentee ballot but Jesse is on his way to the polls right now.  It's exciting to see all of my friends' Facebook pictures and posts about voting this morning and I am excited for the rest of the day!

Speaking of exciting, here's a little cleaning tip I picked up from Jaisa's mom when I was visiting Jaisa & Charlie in Maine this summer.  My Hungry counterpart had just made some sort of cheesy bread concoction and the pan was totally crusted with baked on cheese.  After some futile scrubbing, we filled up the pan with soap and water and left it for dead left it to clean in the morning. Jaisa's mom came into the kitchen and pulled out her Dawn Oxi dish soap.  This magic stuff claims to take 5 minutes to clean off what usually needs an overnight soak.  And it really works

(Please forgive the cell phone shot... I can't find my real camera)

Anyway, as somebody who usually tries to keep it green (I only use Seventh Generation & equivalent cleaning products), this stuff cleans too well to ignore.  I picked up my own bottle when I got back from Maine and Jesse and I use it now for tough messes that would otherwise call for a scrub-a-thon.

Just thought I would share this huge cleaning news from Jaisa's mom.  Don't be too surprised by my grainy picture and lack of understanding of the science of how Dawn Oxi works - all opinions are mine and we were not compensated by Dawn to write a review.  But even for those who try to clean green, like me, a few drops of this goes a long way and saves lots of time (& water) on cleaning.  Give it a shot and stay homey!

Make Your Own Laundry Soap

You probably know that most popular laundry detergents are made with derivatives of petroleum and all sorts of other chemicals.  While the smell of Tide is synonymous with fresh, clean laundry in my brain, I knew I wanted to switch to something more natural.

I started with Seventh Generation laundry detergent but I was moving through the bottles very quickly, and they weren't cheap.  I switched to Seventh Generation laundry powder but after some use was wondering if there was an easy way to make laundry soap myself.  A quick Google search came up with a ton of options, all containing the same ingredients - Borax, soap, & washing soda.

I found everything I needed on Amazon...

You can obviously make as much or as little as you want, but I decided to start small to make sure I liked how it cleaned our clothes.  I started by shaving the castille soap (I used lavender scented Dr. Bronner's)...

...until I had 2 cups.  Just under one bar.  Jesse thought it was cheese.  Luckily he has some self control and didn't reach for a handful like I would have.

Then I added 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda...

...and mixed everything together.

I use 2 1/2 tablespoons of the powder per load.  I let the soap and clothes soak in hot water in the washer for 10 minutes before washing (I did this with store-bought detergent anyway) to help melt the soap.

I LOVE how it cleans!  The lavender scented soap doesn't make that much of a difference smell-wise (after the laundry is done... it smells amazing before it's used) so I may go with Fels Naphtha or Zote (two brands usually used for making homemade laundry detergent) next time I make this.

Stay clean, stay green, & stay homey!