Cleaning the Kitchen...Fun?

Okay, so today while I was watching Kyle, I was looking over a few cleaning supplies recipes for the kitchen. I wrote down ones that I think are worth trying and will share them with you all. All of the ingredients are pretty simple and easy to find, as long as you know where to look :) Most of the ingredients can be found at Whole Foods or Sprouts--you know, the natural store.

For me, making my own cleaning supplies, makes cleaning a little better, since I got to choose the fragrances of them and all. Essential oils are the key to a great smelling cleaner, so you should experiment and choose the scents you enjoy the most. My favorites are lemon, lemongrass, orange and lavender--together, they make a wonderful scent.

Dishwashing Blues Blend
I found this really funny because in it's description it says this is to lift your mood while washing the dishes.

• Liquid Castile Soap
• 10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
• 6 drops of Bergamot Essential Oil
• 4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
• 2 drops of Orange Essential Oil

1. Fill a clean 22-ounce squirt bottle with castile soap
2. Add oils
3. Shake well before each use
4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid soap to hot water and wash as usual.  

Dishwashing Tips

1. For very greasy dishes, add 1/2 cup of vinegar or lemon juice to dish water. 
2. To loosen baked-on food from pots and pans, immediately add some baking soda and wait for 15 minutes before cleaning. 

Lavender Lift Automatic Dishwashing Powder

• 2 cups Washing Soda
• 2 cups Borax
• 20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

1. Mix ingredients together in bowl
2. Store in plastic container
3. Use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes

Basic Sink Cleaner

• 1/4 cup of Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup of Vinegar 
• 3 drops of Lavender or Orange Essential Oil

1. Combine all ingredients
2. Rinse sink well with hot water
3. Pour cleanser in the sink and wipe with cloth or sponge
4. Rinse again with hot water

Lemon Blast Cleaner

(good for kitchen appliances) 

• 1 teaspoon Liquid Castile Soap
• 1/8 cup of Vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice
• 2 cups of Water
• 6 drops of Citrus Seed Extract
• 4 drops of Orange or Lemongrass Essential Oil
• 1 teaspoon of Borax

1. Combine all ingredients in spray bottle
2. Shake well
3. Spray generous amount and wipe with cloth or sponge
4. Dry with towel or cloth

Citrus Floor Cleaner

• 1 gallon of Hot Water
• 2 tablespoons of Liquid Castile Soap
• 15 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil
• 8 drops of Lemon Essential Oil 

Remember, if you don't like the scents in the cleaners you make, just change the blend of essential oils. It could take a few trials to figure out exactly which scents you like together. 

Yay, kitchen cleaning! 

Is it the Weekend Yet?!

This week has been so long, I can barely remember what day it is or what I did yesterday.
I'm in the third week at my new job and I love it so far, but, I'm tired! I answer phones for the majority of the time I'm at work, so I'm used to thanking people for calling--that is normal for a receptionist, right?

Today, when my cell phone started ringing, I answered it and said, "Thank you for calling," then paused...thought about what the heck I was doing and that I was using my own cell phone, "Emily's phone, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." I pretended to be my very own voicemail. That is so lame! Thankfully it was just some random telemarketer, but really, I laughed for a good ten minutes after that.

I've been helping my sister and her husband with their son, Kyle, a few days out of the week so they don't have to put him in daycare. Let me tell you, I love my nephew more than I thought was ever possible. He is just awesome, so face it!

 Whenever I'm having a pretty bad day, I come hang out with this little guy and, whoosh, I'm better :)
I should find a picture of him where you can see his cloth diapers.  Amanda decided to go green and she ordered cloth diapers and had my mom make cloth wipes and cloth wet bags (to put the dirty diapers in). Now, I was really irritated by the idea because there were just SO many steps to follow to change a dang diaper, but I have to say I have come around to liking them--especially since they're more glamorous than normal diapers. The only down side is...his bottom half looks four times bigger than his whole body because it's a lot of cushion, but, he's still my favorite.

I'm actually very proud of Amanda and Chris for sticking with this green thing, it's tough and at the end of a hard day, I would probably cave and pull out the disposable diapers, but they stick to their laundry and cloth diapers. To tell you the truth, I'm just proud of them for the parents they are. He's almost 3 months old (OH MY GOODNESS) and they've been such a great team and it has been a pleasure to see. Kyle has been the best thing that has happened to our family since Randy passed away in November.  He has brightened all of our lives, more than I think he will ever understand. I believe that Randy is Kyle's guardian angel and that's why he has done so great, especially after his surgery. I also think that's why Kyle is already on the verge of laughing and that he makes crazy eyes--those were the most memorable things about Randy for me. I know Randy is with us and this baby will know him, because, we'll talk about him all the time. I thank God for this miracle every day.

I could obviously talk about Kyle all night, but since I have to watch him in the morning, that's all for now!

Random Vinegar Fact # 2: Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with white distilled vinegar. Watch out for West Nile my friends--confirmed death this morning.

Vinegar Smells so Bad but Cleans so Good!!

Over the past several months, I've entered the world of vinegar.

My sister, Amanda, decided to go all "natural" on me and started making her own cleaning supplies. The first thought that went through my head was that she was crazy and that I was content spending $4 on a bottle of 409.  Little did I know that my big sister would change my very closed minded views on cleaning supplies...using Vinegar as a primary ingredient.

Now...if you've never really smelled vinegar...it smells completely awful. I don't even like to cook with vinegar for that very reason. But, for real, vinegar can clean almost anything. Add baking soda into the mix and you'll be so WOWed by the effect.

With that being said, I will be posting cleaning recipes that include vinegar, as well as other things. I really love lemon/citrus-y cleaning supplies, so I've found the right mix of essential oils to make the vinegar not overpower everything else. I also will post recipes for natural, cost effective household items, including (but not limited to) cleaning supplies, baking and meal recipes as well as beauty products.

I downloaded an app on my phone entitled "Vinegar" (because it was free and I was really bored and curious one night) which lists the most random facts about vinegar.

Random fact #1--Prevent cats from eating your plants by spraying the leaves with a solution of white distilled vinegar and water. Problem solved.