Grout Scrubbing

I have been cleaning the bathrooms.  It's horrible work, especially when parts just don't seem to ever look clean.  For example:

Ewww.

This is a picture of the icky, possibly sentient, black line along the base of the tub in my children's bathroom. The caulk there is old, and it's just not coming clean.  If only I could get it at least a little closer to its old, white self.

Wait a sec.  Didn't I just totally remove a bad stain (like a boss) from my mattress? Why, yes. Yes, I did.  I wonder if the same peroxide and baking soda combination would work here.   Let's try it!

DIY Soft Scrub

There's pen on my table.  There is PEN on MY TABLE.

THERE IS PEN ON MY TABLE!  THE TABLE THAT I SLAVED OVER AND REFINISHED MYSELF!

I blame the toddler.

@#%$.  Now what?

Hm...a few of my go-to cleaning mavens recommend Soft Scrub.  Let's see.  Should I add another $6 or so bucks to my next grocery trip?  Or just try to make something myself?

What do you think my answer is going to be?

Clean Pee from a Mattress

I love curse words.  Especially on days like today.

I realized in my addled, early morning state, that the Toddler of Doom had a Pull-up failure during the night.  

Next to me.  

In my bed. 

$%^&*#@.

But wait!  We have one of those expensive, ultra-protective mattress pads!  Thank goodness!

Oh...what do you mean it's in the laundry?

$%^&*#@.

NOOOOOOO!  Not the Stearns & Foster!

'No Poo" Saved My Hair

I HAVE FINALLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF MY FRIZZY HAIR!

Don't believe me? How about some before-and-after pics?



Seriously.

So what did I do? Did I find some new shampoo? Start some crazy beauty ritual? Did the olive oil treatments start really paying off?

Nope. I stopped using shampoo.

Seriously.

Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner

Remember yesterday when I cleaned the stove with home made spray cleaner, baking soda, and a washcloth?

Well, it worked so well, that I decided to see how the combination tackled another horrible kitchen mess: the "stainless" steel sink.



Yuck. This happened because I fell behind on dishes and my husband chose not to bail me out like he usually does. Dang.

To the rescue:

Scrubbing the Stove

I have three friends with babies due in the next 4-6 weeks. Know what that means? NESTING!

I remember when I was nesting with each of my cubs. It was awful. I hadn't learned how to make my own cleaning supplies, so I was dealing with harsh cleansers that made me queazy, or made my hands itch and sting, or my eyes and throat burn. Now I'm convinced more than ever that those harsh cleaners are a pointless, toxic waste of money.

I'll prove it. Today, I'm tackling the stove.

(The stove was a mess when I began, but since it is white, the pictures didn't really come out.)

There are a lot of chemical cleaners out there that would do the job and do it well. We used to use Clorox Clean-up, or Formula 409, or any one of a number of things. They run between $3 and $4 per bottle.

I can do better.

I used my home made spray cleaner, a wash cloth, and some baking soda.

I've had a stressful week, so I used the frustration energy to get to every little crack and crevice. I even took the nobs off and attacked the grease built up behind there. Here's how it looked before:

Saving the Mugs

A friend of mine was crowing about the great deal she got on new dishes - under $50 to replace all of them. (Deals are always a topic that gets my attention). Unfortunately she said that she really liked her old dishes but the plates and mugs were too stained to keep.

Hold on.

We have a cleaning problem.

I didn't want to tell her this, but she just wasted her cash.

There is a magic trick that I do for under a penny that saves my dishes and mugs from stains.

Behold: one of my befouled mugs.

To be clear, this mug was CLEAN in that I scrubbed it for several minutes with the scrubby side of a sponge and some water, then ran it through the dishwasher. These were true, honest stains that had no plans of budging.

Here's what you do: get a washcloth, and grab your baking soda.

Wet the cup, sprinkle some baking soda in, then give it a little scrub.

(I have no idea why this image is sideways on my preview. I think iPhoto and Blogger are trying to teach me patience.)

See how the stain is already coming up onto the baking soda paste? Maaaaagic!

After about a minute, I rinsed the mug and took my 'after' picture.

THAT'S WHITE!

It was so clean and white and shiny, that I couldn't take a flash picture like I did with the 'before' shot. After turning the flash off...

So pretty! Now I want to fill it up with something dark and delicious that will probably stain it.

I do this with the mugs and plates every couple of weeks as needed. It costs me a couple of cents of baking soda, and saves me $50 of new dishes.

Homemade Deodorant

Hello, all! I'm so sorry I dropped out of sight for a while. We are trying to get a lot of stuff done over here in preparation for the school year, and my return to teaching.

It's August. It's hot. I really think that the muggy August heat is God's way of making sure we won't be too sad in September when the summer slips away.

I have noticed a problem this August. I have been getting a rash under both arms. Using my Google-Fu, I began to suspect that my deodorant was to blame. I tried switching brands, but the rash was still there, and the new brand didn't actually seem to work as well.

TO THE INTERNET!

Over at Our Homemade Happiness, I came across a really easy homemade deodorant recipe. Not only is the recipe simple (only 3 ingredients), all of the components are supposed to be good for your skin: coconut oil, baking soda, and corn starch. Easy peasy.

Here's the recipe exactly from Our Homemade Happiness:
Homemade Deodorant
5 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or corn starch
essential oils (optional)

Mix the ingredients together with a fork until well combined.

It took about a minute to make. Since it was warm in here, the coconut oil was mostly melted and everything blended lickety-split. I put it into a disposable snack container with a snap-on lid. Perfect fit!

But does it work?

Oh, yes. Yes it does.

I tried it that day, having not put any deodorant on yet. It felt nice, and even kept working through a gym workout.

The next day I at a ton of onion laden foods, and my deodorant STILL worked.

The day after, I went to my son's preschool graduation and sat in direct sunlight on a 90 degree afternoon for almost two hours. When I got home, my husband assured me that the deodorant was still working.

Through all of these challenges, I never had to apply the deodorant more than once a day. Yesterday, I applied it very early in the morning, as I was going to work. By the time I woke up this morning, it was STILL working - a full 24 hours later!

It's been the better part of a week, and the rash that had been under my arms for the last month or two is GONE. Also, know how your underarms look sort of gray after you've washed off deodorant? That's gone, too. YAY!

The only drawback is that every time I open the container it smells so wonderfully of coconut oil that I really want a Mounds bar. Possibly an Almond Joy.

Well, at least I smell delicious.