Quick and Simple Laundry Hint

Some friends came over this past week to help me sort and wash baby clothes.  We had lots of fun  talking and sharing, as we always do.  We were able to get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time, and I now feel comfortable and less stressed about baby #3's arrival because everything is ready.  After they left, I was removing the last load of laundry from the washing machine and putting it in the dryer when I noticed the detergent cup was with the load (still trying to use up all my store bought detergent to continue making my own).  At first I thought my friend had lost her mind...I mean why would the detergent cup be in the washing machine?  Then the bulb went off in my head.  I realized my friend was brilliant!  What an easy way to clean out the cup and not waste any detergent!  I had been buying the huge bottle of detergent, but refilling a smaller bottle because I hated washing out the cup to the huge container (plus I felt like I was wasting small amounts of detergent each time I rinsed the cup).  I wish I had thought of this hint.  Maybe some of you already do this.  I just never thought to think outside the box...I just always poured the detergent into the dispenser of the machine.  So to my brilliant, wonderful friend (you know who you are)...Thank you, thank you!!! 

Flour Sack Towels

Does your family go through lots of paper towels?  It seemed like every time I turned around, I was replacing the paper towel roll.  All those paper towels in the trash...adding to the landfills...ugh!  Not to mention the cost!!!  So, I decided to try a friend's recommendation of using flour sack towels rather than paper towels.  At first, I was skeptical because all I could think of was how much it was going to add to my laundry pile (I have two kids, I have enough laundry!).  My friend has three kids, so I thought if she could do it then so could I.  I bought my towels at Wal-mart, I think I got 5 towels for $4-5.00, and bought 10 towels total.  I washed them and placed them near the paper towel roll, and told my husband (who rolled his eyes) to try to use them for everything (spills, drying dishes, etc.) rather than the paper towels.  We still use paper towels on occasion, but have quickly adapted to not using them.  It really was not a bad transition.  In fact, I prefer to use the flour sack cloths for just about everything.  They are very absorbent at cleaning up spills and drying dishes, and dry quickly.  We have been using these towels daily for the last few months, and I have barely spent any money on paper towels (I love being frugal!).  While we have not entirely gone paper-less, we are definitely using less paper towels and not adding as much to our landfills.  You really should give this a try!

DIY Shower/Bathroom Cleaner

As you may have noticed, I have been missing in action the last few weeks.  I am going to blame it on being 31 weeks pregnant and having what my husband calls the third trimester blues.  I haven't been feeling the best, the baby is getting bigger (ergo, I am getting more uncomfortable) and more active (especially at night), and chasing the other two children has made me very tired.  I am currently working on future posts so that when the baby does arrive, I will have some unpublished posts handy to post post-partem and will hopefully not get behind again. :)

Now for the BEST shower/bathroom cleaner...it really is better than Kaboom at removing soap scum and it is safer!  I found this recipe on Pinterest from http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/, but I know that there are other pins from various blogs that also have this recipe.  You can mix up as much as you desire, and keep it stored in a spray bottle for as long as you want.  I usually make my batch and store it in the bottle for up to a week or two, depending how often I wipe everything down and how big of a batch I make.  I have been using this cleaner for our showers/tubs, the bathroom sinks, the toilets (the seat and outside parts), and the kitchen sink.  It really is great and safer than many bathroom cleaners out there!  Here is the recipe:

-Pour 1 cup (or less if making a smaller batch) of vinegar into a microwave safe cup (I use my Pyrex measuring cup).  Heat the vinegar for two minutes.

-Pour vinegar into a spray bottle.

-Pour 1 cup of Dawn (the original blue Dawn is the best!) into the spray bottle. Gently swish and mix. 

I usually let the cleaner sit a few minutes before I put the lid on so that there is not too much pressure within the bottle from the vinegar being heated.  Super easy!  To make a smaller batch, just simply mix equal amounts of vinegar and Dawn.  As you can probably tell from my picture, this batch of cleaner has been used to clean our bathrooms a few times this week.

Now you are ready to clean!  I will warn you that this makes lots of bubbles, and a little amount goes a long way.  Also, if you don't care for the smell of vinegar, you will want to have the windows open, the vent on, or light a candle.  Frankly, I use vinegar in almost all my cleaners so the smell does not bother me.  I actually like the smell of vinegar because to me it smells clean.  I am sure you could add a few drops of essential oil if you prefer to smell the vinegar.  This cleaner will make all your fixtures sparkle, and remove all your yucky soap scum.  Happy cleaning!