Works for me... Washing curtains!

 Usually, I would have posted a Works for Me post on a Wednesday, but this week has been a little unusual. I washed most of my curtains on Tuesday. The curtains are all room-darkening shades, and it has taken me a while to figure out how to wash them. I used to just put them in the washer, but they would get stuck together, and look like this on the inside...

And they are not so room-darkening with spots that the sun shines through...

So I had to figure out a different way to clean them. One year I vacuumed them, but they still seemed dirty to me. My hubby suggested this method the following year and I have done it several years since.  Normally I would wash all of the curtains in the house with my Spring Cleaning, but this method needs warm temperatures and lots of sunshine.

We have room-darkening shades in ALL of our bedrooms upstairs, so it can be a bit of a job. I began with two sets from my older kids' rooms first. After they were dry, I did two sets from my bedroom. I still need to do two sets from my younger daughter's bedroom, but like I said, it's been an unusual week.

Anyway... here is what I do.

I put the curtains on my clothesline, and make sure that the inside layers do not touch each other.

Then I wet them down with the hose and the sprayer. I have a nice area that can get wet and soapy under my clothesline and still be okay. This also works well because it is not humid in my area of the country, so they will dry pretty quickly outdoors.

Then I take a scrub brush and a bucket with soapy water in it. I used one or two drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use the scrub brush and brush the soap onto the curtains. I scrub any spots and make sure to clean the top of the curtains where they are usually dusty.

Lastly, I rinse them off with my hose, and let them dry for an hour or two on the clothesline. When they are dry, I just take them inside and rehang them. It is pretty quick and easy. They always look so much nicer to mean when they're not dusty anymore!

All clean, dry, and hung up again! 

Do you have another method to clean your curtains? I don't want to dry clean them ($$) and I think it is important to clean them since we have lots of seasonal allergies in our house.

Let me know if you use my method and how it works for you!

Psalm 18:24
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

New cleaning job

 A few months ago, I was talking to this older couple I know, and they were having a hard time with their cleaning lady. She did a decent job, but she was on her phone so much. They had asked her repeatedly to not use her phone so frequently, and she would be a little better, and then revert back to her phone-using addiction. I told them that I could come to clean their house, and they could pay me less. I could use the money since our oldest daughter is getting married soon.

I began cleaning for them in September, on Friday afternoons. My Fridays tend to be slower days, with not a lot going on in the afternoons. It has been fun to get out of my house and earn a little money. The couple is very sweet, always happy to see me, and so are their two dogs. The dogs are funny because one is very gentle, mild-mannered, and almost never barks (and old).  The other dog is younger, barks a lot more, and snores when she sleeps. They are cute. 

I usually chat with the man when I get there for a few minutes while I clean. I use all of their cleaning supplies, but I bring my own rubber gloves. They use a lot of Norwex products, and we do too, so I am already familiar with them. I usually clean the kitchen, then the bathrooms, then dust (some weeks), sweep,  and spot mop the wood floors, and then I vacuum the carpets in the bedroom and living room. I also clean the glass & mirrors and wipe the doorknobs and light switches. Some weeks I will wash the wood floors, dust high shelves, clean cobwebs, clean the bathroom floors, vacuum the furniture, etc.,

Sometimes the couple even takes a nap while I am there. One week I left and they were both sleeping. They are hard of hearing, so they just turn their hearing aids off and they can even sleep through the vacuum!

This is their sweet, gentle dog named Saki. He is the only dog I have ever really loved. He is 16! He sleeps a lot when I am there too!

They are happy to have me clean for them. I know that I always do the job well since they taught me how to clean when I was a child. If you haven't guessed by now, the older couple is my own parents! I enjoy seeing them and chatting with them each week when I am there and seeing their dogs too.

They always tell me that I work so fast. I can get the whole house clean in 2 or 2 1/2 hours. The first 3 weeks that I came, my mom gave me books. I do not have as much time to read as she does, but I took the books. I've only read one of them so far! Maybe I can read more in January after our daughter's wedding and Christmas.

The only two weeks that I have missed are when we went to state with the marching band, and the other time was the day after Thanksgiving. I just make up for it when I clean the next week. A lot of times when I clean I think that their house is so much cleaner than mine, but it is also a newer house. It is a privilege to help my own parents. They are a joy to me, and so sweet. I know this job won't last forever, so I treasure the days I see them now. God has blessed me with wonderful parents!

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

In the practice of frugality, I read several library books years ago, and wrote down various recipes for home cleaning. I have saved them in a yellow folder in my cookbook shelf, and pull them out when I need to make more! I like the idea of buying a few basic products and making them on my own. Here are several of the common ones I make...

Homemade Glass Cleaner
1 c. rubbing alcohol
1 c. water
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Place in spray bottle, shake. Great on chrome, mirrors, tiles too! You can add blue food coloring if you want.

OR

Window Cleaner (from Grocery Shrink)   Cost: 1 cent!
4 cups water
2 drops Joy dish detergent
1 drop blue food coloring

Mix in 32 spray bottle, shake to combine.

Dry carpet cleaner
2 cups baking soda
1/3 cup corn starch
1 Tbsp ground gloves

Store in jar with tight fitting lid. Shake and sprinkle on carpet, leave on overnight. Vacuum up next day.

Carpet Cleaner (non-greasy spills)
1/2 tsp dishwashing liquid
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup warm water

Mix and blot on stain, rinse.

Disinfecting spray cleaner (from Grocery Shrink)    Cost: 59 cents!
This recipe is based on castille soap and an awesomely healthy cleaner. Just a touch of borax makes it disinfecting without becoming a toxin. You can change the scent by adding a few drops of essential oil, or by buying the castle soap that is already infused with essential oils.

1/4 cup vinegar (4 cents)
2 tsp borax (less than 1/2 cent)
1/4 cup liquid castille soap (Dr. Bronner's is the best brand, we like peppermint, any flavor will work.) (55 cents)
2 cups hot water
1 drop food coloring (optional)

Swirl all ingredients together in spray bottle. Shake before using.  Spray and wipe. Ideal for countertops, table tops, stove tops, high chair trays, etc.,

Soft Scrub
Works on greasy stuff, baked on around burners or around stove hood.

Make a paste with baking soda and hand washing dish detergent. Rub in a stiff brush or non-scratching pad. Rinse well.

Adding water to this to clean really dilutes the cleaning power. Save water for the end.

Toilet Cleaner  Cost: (from Grocery Shrink) 27 cents!
Add one cup borax to the toilet bowl and leave overnight. (Protect pets and babies from the toilet!) Swish with brush in morning and flush!

---------------------------------------------------------------
You can read more about Grocery Shrink in this blog post here.  Some of the other cleaners are from The Complete Cheapskate by Mary Hunt.

I've found inexpensive spray bottles at the dollar store, but they don't always last. My favorite spray bottles are the old ones that my name brand glass cleaner/ disinfectant came in.

Do you have any homemade cleaning recipes that you make? Please feel free to share!


Psalm 18:20
The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

New Laundry hanger

Some of my long-time readers may remember my other clothesline that I had been using, you can see it here and here. I was using the same two-line clothesline the first part of this summer. I worked great. One week, a neighbor said, " We have a laundry hanger tree in our backyard that we don't use, if you want it..." I said, "of course I want it!" And he promptly brought it over for me. Within a few weeks my hubby put the pole in cement in our backyard, and I've been using the new laundry tree for a month!

 It is nice because it is secluded in the backyard where lots of neighbors can't see. I can hang underwear on it, instead of needing to separate the "private" laundry in the backyard from the rest of the load on the front yard. I also like that I can hang my laundry while standing in the shade of the tree. The "tree" rotates so I can stand in one place. I can put more than one load on the tree if the first load is not all dry yet. The week I took the pictures I was drying swim towels on the line in addition to a color load. I tried to hide the underwear on the inside lines so they couldn't be seen in the pictures! :-D

 The lines are a little close together so I don't use them all at the same time. There are plenty of lines so I can skip every other one and still have plenty of room. My hubby helped me tighten the lines so they don't hang down so low.  I'm so thankful that my neighbor offered it to us, and that we got it in the ground!

What about you? Do you hang laundry outside during the summer months? What system do you use? I'd love to hear about it!

Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Luke 17:17
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

My cleaning routine

I have a monthly rotation of my cleaning routine that I do and I decided to share it with you. There are several cleaning routines which happen each week:

-My older daughter cleans all of the bathrooms (wipes sinks, toilets and counters, cleans toilets, and mirrors)
-My son sweeps the kitchen floor and I spot-clean it
-My 5-year-old cleans all glass and mirrors downstairs (computer screen and tv screen included)
-My 3-year-old and I each take a bleach wipe and wipe all doorknobs, lights witches and many surfaces used often (i.e., phones, stair bannisters, front door etc.,)

Then I do one job from my rotation or zone:

1. Clean the kitchen counters/ microwave/ sink- I clear the counters, wipe behind the flour and sugar canisters, move the toaster oven and clean behind it, wipe the outside and inside of the microwave, and the outside of the fridge/ freezer doors. I use a recipe for kitchen cleaning found here, I had to sign up for the newsletter and she emailed me some great cleaning recipes. It has peppermint oil in it and it smells so good!

2. Dust and vacuum- I dust the living and family rooms, around the computer, moving what I can and rid the rooms of visible dust. (I've heard that there is a lot of exfoliated skin in dust...YUCK!) I also dust our bedroom, and sometimes the kids' bedrooms. Then I vaccum (or my hubby will) the carpets, and oftentimes the couches and cobwebs (if I think of it!)

3. Wash the kitchen floor- I move all of the kitchen chairs, stools, rugs and trash can out of the kitchen. Then I sweep thoroughly in the kitchen and front hall. I begin furthest away from the sink, using diluted Pine-Sol in a spray bottle. I spray the floor and wipe with a wet rag. This is the cheapest way to use floor cleaner, and I know the floor is clean because I always have at least three buckets of gray water from rinsing my rag! (another recipe from groceryshrink.com)

4. Wash sheets, rugs and towels, bathroom floors- I don't wash the kids' sheets each month, unless they haven't been done for a while. I try to switch off whose sheets get washed each month, besides our own. I wash all hand towels, bath towels and floor rugs too. When they get musty, I add baking soda and vinegar to the wash load, and that helps a lot.


This is what works for me. Many other people do these jobs more often. I will too, if I feel like they need it. But I do one chore each Saturday morning and it takes me about an hour. I don't feel like I am cleaning all the time using this method, but feel like my home is clean enough to be happy and healthy! If we have sickness going around, I will walk around with a bleach wipe and clean everything that gets touched by little hands.

I also do spring cleaning where I wash my curtains, iron and re-hang them. I wipe all winter-time cobwebs in the spring, clean some (mostly downstairs) of the windows, window tracks, and screens. I scrub out my shower three- four times a year, and clean the refrigerator thoroughly twice a year. This includes removing the shelves and drawers and washing the walls. I need to clean my freezers more often, though!

I hope this helps someone find a new routine for cleaning which may work for you!


Hebrews 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 10:22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

2 Peter 1:8-9

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Faithful Friday: Thankfulness!

No recipe this week... I need to take more pics when I make something new!

I may make more thankful Fridays, and transfer some of those ideas into Faithful Fridays--I'll have to see! Today I wanted to post something that made me stop and think this week, I found it on Pinterest here.

Isn't that just so true? We do need to be thankful for so many things-- taxes, tight clothes, sunshine, chores, walking, government (although election season is my least favorite time of year!), singing in church, hearing, laundry, alarms... so many things that we tend to grumble about when we really should be thankful. I hope this can change your attitude today, and make you think, as it caused me to!

Philippians 2:14-18

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,  so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Ephesians 5:4

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

1 Timothy 1:5-6

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 

Tough week...

(This post is spoken in second person, quite tongue-in-cheek.)

I have had a tough week. On Monday, the lady of the home took me from my prominent place and tossed me into the washer. I was tossed, twirled, soaped, rubbed, scrubbed, cleaned and spun. Then the woman took me out of the washer, and took me outdoors. I was excited to be in the backyard, because I rarely get out. But it was a tad bit cloudy out there, and I was quite unsure of this arrangement. After a sudden cloudburst, just as I was partially dry, I became quite drenched again.


I was left outside to dry all night. The next morning, I got poured upon again. My house-wife in charge left me to bake with a generous dose of sunlight. That evening, I was finally dry. The boy took me into the home and placed me back in my comfortable spot. I was most happy to be there, as my spot was clean and so was I.


I served my purpose there for about 15 hours when, much to my chagrin, the independent small girl spilled soy milk on me. And she didn't wipe it up. After a few minutes, the "mom" discovered my predicament and wiped me with a dry towel some, but I was still somewhat moist. After being used for a bit with a damp spot, I got tossed into the washer. Again. 


This time however, my housewife-owner brought me out to the front of the house to dry in the sunshine. There were some clouds, but they didn't open up with any precipitation. I became scorched once again. I hope I remain moisture-less this time. I enjoy being in my spot, even though I mostly get stepped on by all types of feet, big and small. Shoes, barefoot or be-socked. Any time of the day or night. 


For I am you know, the red kitchen cushiony rug.

Thankful Thursday #4: Laundry

This week, I am thankful for laundry. After our trip out of state, there was lots of it. Several weeks ago, I bought and installed another clothes line to dry clothes on. I was so excited to have two lines so I could dry a whole load outside at one time. Seems kinda silly to be thankful for laundry, but it is a major thing to do in our home of six busy people.

In my laundry room, I have written on an index card this thought:  Worship God in the Laundry Room! (from The Mentoring Mom)  Give thanks for each person that the dirty clothes represent! PRAY!
Worship= thanks that can't be restrained. "Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thess. 5:18

So I have turned my laundry time into worship and prayer time. "Thank you God for each member of my family and these fine clothes that you have given us. Even when our clothes wear out and the children grow out of them, we have plenty more to wear. You are SO good to us, God. Thank you for the busy, playful children and their dirty clothes that can be made clean, just like our souls are made clean through Jesus' blood. Amen."

A few items from my thankful list about laundry:
11. Laundry to do- dirty and clean clothes
37. Sunshine to dry clothes
167. Towels on the clothesline

Here is a printable that I found through Pinterest, you can find it here to print, frame and enjoy as it brightens your own laundry room!

The Mentoring Mom is a book by Jackie Kendall that I have been slowly working through for a while. It is a great read, I have enjoyed what I've read about modeling Christ and thankfulness to my children. You can find it on Amazon.com here.

Here are some verses that I really enjoyed about clothes...

Romans 13:14
"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

Colossians 3:12

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Ephesians 5:25-27

"Husbands, love your wives...²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

Hope that gives you some food for thought next time you do laundry!

NEW laundry soap recipe!

I had posted my laundry soap recipe a while back, and I have been using and making it for a while. It was a good recipe, but I noticed that my whites were not as white as I wanted them to be, just dingy looking. I asked a friend who makes her own laundry soap, and she gave a similar recipe to me. Also, I was looking at some other blogs recently, and found this recipe below. You can see her post here. I tried it and I have been liking it more!

The main difference is...

OXI-CLEAN!!

But there is also 1/2 cup more Borax. 


Here is the recipe:
1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Oxi-Clean (optional)

Use 1 tablespoon detergent per load (2 Tbs for heavily solid loads) 


I used Oxi-Clean that I had on hand, and I think it has made a big difference for my whites. I think I will keep using this recipe! I was disappointed that the cost of my detergents used in my recipe were raised, but I think it is still cheaper than buying any other detergent on the shelf. The above blog link where I got this recipe has a wonderful $ break-down. I checked her prices at Wal-Mart and they were correct! This recipe is still a money saver!


Do you make your own laundry detergent? It is a great way to save money!
Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear your review!

Thrifty Thursday- clothesline

In our "old" house, we had a clothesline. My wonderful husband hooked up a line for me on our back deck, which was very hot in the summer time, and got great afternoon sun. I had a hook on the line, and an O hook on the fence, and a little 3/4 hook on the house, and then another O hook to clip onto the other fence line, so it was like a V. I used it a lot in the summer time, when it was not rainy/ cloudy, and got "free" dryer service! It is a great way to save money!

We moved into our new house in the end of last June, and I was so busy with moving in, that I didn't use a clothesline last year. When the weather finally got warm here just a few weeks ago, with no hint of rain, I talked my hubby into hanging a new clothesline for me. The pictures below are what we rigged up, and it worked great!

 These two pics show the hooks, and how they are hooked around a post on our porch, and a tree.

My sister posted on Facebook that she was jealous, she wants a clothesline too, so I took pictures for her and posted these (below) there. One of my aunts saw them and was appalled that I'd hang clothes in the FRONT yard! Our cul-de-sac has only 5 houses on it, and one is nearly deserted. It is a pretty secluded area, and the front yard gets lots of sun, so... that's where the new line went! The fences in the backyard are the neighbor's, so we didn't think we should pull on them with the weight of clothes on a clothes line.

A friend also commented on Facebook that she has a retractable clothesline-- that's what I want when I get my next one! The one I have is a cotton cord, and it stretches a bit when it is wet. If I were to do it again, I'd be sure to buy nylon cord for it. It really is easy to hook up and easy to hang clothes outside. My aunts said their favorite thing to hang on the clothesline was sheets. I don't do that often because of the allergies in our family, I don't want allergens clinging to our sheets. Maybe I will later in the summer.

I have the clip=type clothespins, and they are easy to use. I made myself a nylon bag for them when the plastic bag gave out. It is easy to clip on the clothesline for the pins. I hang lots of jeans and shorts by the pockets, since you won't notice the bumps from clips there. I hang shirts upside down, and I put the *ahem* "unmentionables" on a wooden drying rack on the deck in the back yard. I also put socks on that since they are smaller. I don't overlap the clothes too much because I don't want them to have wet or damp edges. I may try overlapping them some when it gets a lot warmer here later this summer!

One problem with drying clothes this way is that the garments are sort of crispy. My remedy for that is to put fabric softener into the wash load, and that seems to help a bit. I get the generic fabric softener if I don't have a coupon for that, of course! At the very least, you could hang rags and kitchen towels outside, and it doesn't matter if they get kinda crispy! :-D

Let me know if you have a clothesline, how often you use it and where or how your's is hung. I'd love to hear about it!

Thrifty Thursday: Grocery Shrink

Here is my first edition of "Thrifty Thursday!"

Some of you may know that I am frugal, and I have been making my own laundry detergent for a while. You can find that recipe here. It is really very easy, a great way to save money,  and I only make it every 6 weeks or so.

A few months ago, I heard about this gal named Angela Coffman, who won a contest by Dave Ramsey by saving money, and began a business called the "Grocery Shrink". I signed up for her newsletter and have enjoyed her homemade cleaning recipes. Recently, I bought supplies and made a few of her cleaning recipes. When I run out of what I have, I may try to make more recipes. I am particularly interested in her recipe for dishwashing detergent, since I think most name brands are expensive, and don't do a real great job!

You can find out more about Angela and sign up for her newsletter here: http://groceryshrink.com/
She teaches people how to cut down your food budget and save in lots of areas. She has authored a few books, which you can find in her store.

One of her e-books that you can buy on her website!

I bought these three bottles at the dollar store, and have made two cleaners so far.
The green is kitchen cleaner and the blue is window/glass cleaner- both work well!

I watched her make some recipes on a twitter link to CBN's 700 Club, and was impressed with the recipes enough to try them. Here is the video if you want to watch it. Her all-purpose cleaner costs just 60 CENTS for a bottle to make, instead of over $3.50! Her window cleaner costs ONE PENNY OR LESS to make, instead of about $3.00 a bottle! Her grocery budget is $200 a MONTH! I think that is amazing, and I think I can always look at more ways to save.

So if you are interested in finding new ways to save, I encourage you to check out the Grocery Shrink! I am going to be checking out some recipes on her website soon!

Cleaning Fruit and Veggies

So here is something I feel strongly about... How clean are the veggies & fruit that we buy at the store? Not as clean as you think! Many years ago, I heard someone speak on a TV show about cleaners around the home, and how kids can get sick from their use and non-use. The higher incidence of organic produce contributes to this awareness more nowadays. But many moms I know are not aware of this, so...

There are lots of pesticides and sprays used on trees and vines/ plants today. The growers want to sell more produce and will do nearly anything to get better fruit or vegetables. This includes risking the health of consumers with the terrible toxic substances they use on their fruit and vegetables. I am not totally sure what produce is sprayed the most or with the worst things, but I do know what I see in my own home.

I clean all the fruit and veggies before we eat them. I used to just rinse things, but when I first bought FIT rinse, and used it, I saw the GRAY residue on the counter and knew that it was better to use it. FIT is sold in in spray and refill bottles in the produce section of most grocery stores. I find it at City Market/ Kroger here in Grand Junction. I've also made my own, and it works well too.

I spray the rinse on the food, wait a minute, and rinse it off with tap water while smearing it around in my hands. Yes, this cleaning process takes longer, but it is worth it to me, for the health of my family. I'm always telling my kids to wash their fruit before they eat it. Even the apples from our own tree, which was not sprayed this year and should have been. But there is bird poop on them, (yuck!) and lots of earwigs, worms, squirrels and who knows what else in the tree and yard. Fruit is so good for you, adding lots of fiber and vitamins to our diet, but I don't want my family getting sick from eating it!

With grapes, I leave them in small bunches after I rinse them. They don't spoil as quickly this way. My kids love grapes and we have them in our fridge almost year round (except when they're $6 + for a bunch!)

This is such a great time of year to have fresh fruit, just don't forget to make time to clean it!

Here are my homemade FIT rinse recipes:
1/2 vinegar to 1/2 water
I use this to fill a sink if I've got lots of apples or tomatoes to clean.


2 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup water
Mix and spray on produce. I have doubled this before and it works great! Sometimes it clogs my sprayer though, so it has to be mixed very well.

How to make your own laundry detergent

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (found at most City Markets, King Soopers too maybe)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

 

Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For a light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons. Makes 3 cups of detergent.

Alternate recipe for baby/ kids' clothes:
Substitute Ivory soap for the Fels-Naptha soap, all else is the same! (Ivory soap sells 3 for $1 at $1 store!)

Frequently Asked Questions:
Is this really worth it?
Yes! This saves me quite a bit of money each time I make it! Everything costs about $6 and lasts for about a month. Before I made this, I was spending at least double the cost!

What if I have sensitive skin?
Use the recipe for baby/ kids clothes.

How often do you make it?
I make each batch about once a month. Since I use less than regular detergent, it lasts longer.

Regular detergent

Baby/ kids detergent

Are you crazy?
Nope, just trying to save money! :-D Try it- it really is not that hard!

Thoughts on cleaning...

Here are some of my thoughts on cleaning...

I know, you all think that since I am a stay-at-home-mom, that I must clean all the time. Haha, lol, rofl, hehe... That's funny. I am not a big fan of cleaning. I'd rather read, craft, blog, play with my kids, etc., Since I am a homeschooler, I don't have tons of time to clean. Homeschooling is like having a part-time job. But cleaning is necessary. Why? you say... It just gets dirty again. Well, it is better for the health of your family to have a clean house. It is easier to have guests over anytime if it is reasonably clean most of the time.

Over the years of my being a wife and housewife, I have done lots of different theories of cleaning. I have tried Zone Cleaning, where you clean one zone a day. A list like this would be:

Monday- Baths
Tuesday- Kitchen floor
Wednesday- Dust
Thursday- Laundry
Friday- Kitchen counters, cupboards, micro, etc.,
Saturday- Vacuum
Sunday- Day of Rest

But I never really felt like I needed to clean my house that much, unless we were selling it. When our house was for sale, we cleaned it thoroughly once a week on Saturday, which is what my Mom did. Before I had kids, I would switch off cleaning things each week, kinda like zone cleaning. But I did baths every other week (unless company was coming). I kept a schedule like this for a long time:

Week 1: Dust & vacuum/ baths
Week 2: Kitchen floor
Week 3: wash sheets, towels, etc., /baths
Week 4: Clean kitchen, sweep & spot mop the floor

I liked this because it wasn't so overwhelming or necessary to clean everything each week. I would only clean for about an hour each week. If you have a dog or cat, you may need to vacuum and sweep more often. Now I have my two big kids help me. My DS (7 years old) sweeps the kitchen floor several times a week. He also gathers the trash daily. My DD 11 y.o. cleans the bathrooms each week, and loads the dishwasher each morning, as well as drying dishes after dinner. They also have to pick up their rooms each Saturday (I help my 7 y.o since it is still overwhelming for him). My DH vacuums for me each week. We have done it this way for 2 years now (except my DS sweeping) each week, and I think we will do it this way for a while. The house needs to be cleaned each week with all these people around. Also, after one of us is sick, I walk around with a rag & disinfectant, or a Clorox wipe and clean the phone, light switches and door knobs.

There is a great book that I like, my sister turned me on to it. It is called Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson.

Amazon.com has it here.
She has a lot of great tips and thoughts about cleaning, and how to do a lot of jobs, i.e. folding a fitted sheet, how to wash dishes, etc., I think of it as the Joy of Cooking, but for cleaning. A great manual, a great book to refer to.

Another book that I like on cleaning is called, How to Clean Practically Anything by Monte and Marjorie Florman.

You can find it on Amazon.com here.
It is a great reference guide for general cleaning, and it is small too! I've found it at Goodwill for cheap!
So there you go...

Hope that helps!

Cloth diapers

Hi, my name is Jill and I use cloth diapers. TODAY. "Isn't that a thing of the past?", you ask. No, actually there are a lot of moms I know that use cloth diapers. After the initial investment, it is a great way to save money. I have enough diapers that I wash them about once a week. I have a diaper pail that we got when Rebekah was born, as a gift from an Aunt & Uncle that sold Amway. It is a nice pail because it has a lid & a handle, as well as a place to put a scented refill for a little scent pad. It helps a little bit. I tried diaper service, and it was similar-- putting the diapers in a pail/ bag and changing them out once a week. I thought, I could do that. The smell has never bothered me much. My mom used cloth diapers on us when we were kids, and she used diaper pins. But today the diaper covers all have velcro, are easy to fold & place inside the cover. I bought a lot of covers online when Rebekah & Caleb were babies. All four of my kids have worn them. Diaper covers come in a variety of sizes & colors. In my photo you can see some of the ones I have. I had a lot of people give me some that they were not using or were done with, so I have a LOT. I figure I save 10 cents each time I use a cloth diaper, and they are better for the environment- reusing, right?