By Madison Tripp

Save your money… and the environment.

In light of Earth Day, I have decided to remind you all that there are five great cleaning items which you may already have around your house, that are safe and effective for cleaning and removing most stains. If you don’t have them already, you should consider buying some the next time you go shopping, since they have a multitude of uses and go a long way to save you money.

Do you use Baking Soda? Just about everyone knows that keeping a small box in their refrigerator helps eliminate odors. Baking soda deodorizes not only your fridge, but your drains, carpeting and upholstery as well. It also cleans, scours, and polishes without scratching. And yes, it can also remove stains.

What other uses does White Vinegar have? Besides being a key ingredient in dying Easter eggs, white vinegar is a great spot remover when used undiluted. Combined with lemon juice, the solution will remove hard water scales, remove gummy buildup and remove dirt from wood surfaces. Grandma also always used straight vinegar as an antibacterial product to kill bacteria, mold and germs.

We always have lemons around the house. Why? Lemon Juice is an all natural bleach and disinfectant. Lemon juice and sunshine can remove many stains – be careful though, since it can have the same affect as bleach. Works like a charm on baby formula stains - use to pre-treat laundry just before washing.

Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) works for removing stains on white clothing. It is especially good for removing fresh blood stains. Combine a ½ cup with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle and spray on mold and mildew prone areas of your bathroom. A word of caution: In both cases, laundry and bathroom, make sure that you are using the peroxide on surfaces and materials that will tolerate its bleaching effect (you shouldn’t use it on brightly colored towels, for example).

Borax has such a wide range of uses around your home, that it deserves a page all its own! Borax has been used for ages, as a laundry booster. Keeping to the subject of stains, it will remove tea stains from cottons and linens by soaking the item in a solution of borax and water (1 tablespoon of borax per cup of warm water). For tougher stains, a paste of borax and warm water, worked into the stain before laundering may do the trick.

The items mentioned are just the basics. Keep in mind that when it comes to stains, there are too many variables to use just one solution successfully. Different fabrics or surfaces require different treatments, depending on the type of stain. You need to apply the right chemicals to get the reaction you want without any damaging effects.

For more information on cleaning and stain removal, visit LaundryGoddess.com, your resource for the latest laundry tips and valuable clothes-saving information.

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By Rachel Paxton

Description: Recipes for making your own homemade facial scrubs and masks.

Make a paste from a little oatmeal and water. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mash 1/2 banana and add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Two tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with enough water to make a thick paste makes a great inexpensive facial mask. Gently apply to face and wash off.

In a food processor or blender, combine 1/2 cucumber, 1 tablespoon yogurt, a few strawberries, and 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and allow to dry. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Grind 1 tablespoon almonds into a fine meal in a blender or food processor. Mix almond meal together with 1 tablespoon honey and 1 egg white. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

To loosen blackheads, combine equal parts baking soda and water in your hand and rub gently on your skin for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Mash half of an avocado and apply to entire face. Let set for about 20 minutes and then gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Soak 1 cup dried apricots in water until softened. Puree in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons skim milk powder. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Puree 1/2 peeled, sliced cucumber in a blender or food processor and add 1 tablespoon yogurt. Apply to face and let set about 20 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Crush a handful of strawberries and mix well with 1 teaspoon honey. Apply to face and let set for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, the juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and 1 small carton plain yogurt. Stir in 1 whipped egg white. Apply to face and let set about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

By Rachel Paxton - rachel@creativehomemaking.com

Description: Recipes for making your own household cleaning products.

Have you ever wondered what people used to clean their house before so many different kinds of cleaning products were so readily available on the market? Many of these ideas are not new and have been around for a long time.

I have made every attempt to only include instructions that include easy to find, relatively inexpensive ingredients. Please use a little caution and a lot of common sense when trying these preparations out:

Instead of buying expensive antibacterial sprays for the kitchen, just put about 1 tablespoon of household bleach in a spray bottle filled with water and use it to disinfect around the sink and counters, especially when you’ve been handling or packaging meat.

When your drain is clogged with grease, try pouring a cup of salt and a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a generous amount of boiling water. This will usually dissolve the grease and clear the drain.

Use a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol, club soda, or white vinegar to give your stainless steel a brilliant shine.

Club soda makes a good instant spot remover. Pour a little on the stain, let it set for a second or two, and blot with a damp sponge.

A mixture of 1/2 cup mild dishwashing liquid and 2 cups boiling water makes a great spot remover for carpets. Apply with a damp sponge.

Black marks left on your floors from the heels of your shoes can be removed with a pencil eraser.

Water rings or spots can be removed from wood furniture with a mixture of toothpaste and baking soda applied with a damp cloth.

To clean all types of wood work, make a mixture of 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons white vinegar, and 1 quart warm water. Apply with a soft cloth and dry with a separate, clean cloth.

To clean the stubborn stains in your bathtub, make a paste of hydrogen peroxide and cream of tarter. Use a toothbrush to rub it into the stains and rinse thoroughly.

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

By Rachel Paxton - rachel@creativehomemaking.com

Description: Tips for using baking soda as a household cleaner.

1) Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub on insect bites to relieve itching.

2) Remove coffee and tea stains by scrubbing pots or cups with baking soda and a plastic scouring pad.

3) Add 1/3 cup baking soda to a wash cycle as a bleach booster or to the rinse cycle for cleaner smelling laundry.

4) To remove black scuff marks from floor, rub them with a paste of baking soda and water.

5) Clean fiberglass showers and tubs with baking soda sprinkled on a sponge. Sponge clean and wipe dry.

6) Soak sour smelling dishcloths and sponges in water and baking soda solution.

7) Use a solution of water and baking soda to clean and deodorize the inside of your microwave.

Put a few spoonfuls in a cup of water in the microwave, boil for two minutes, then wipe down the inside with a sponge.

9) Sprinkle a little baking soda into the laundry hamper to minimize odors.

10) Remove crayon marks from walls by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water.

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

By Alan Kenyon

Who hasn’t experienced house cleaning as an assault on the senses? Blame it on those harsh cleaning compounds that emit strong odors and fumes. But did you know that by using the principles and ingredients of aromatherapy, we can make our most wearisome household chores pleasant and invigorating?

Formulating your very own household cleansers isn’t complicated at all. In fact, it can be an enjoyable undertaking and a money-saving one at that, especially if you mix your solutions in bulk.

Label your homemade cleansers and fresheners properly, the way you would your regular chemicals. Store them beyond the reach of children and pets. Even non-toxic substances can cause sickness when ingested in large quantities.

Make your own air freshener by putting drops of your favorite scent in a pot full of water. Let the mixture boil on the stove for several hours without putting the lid on. The scent of citrus rind will invigorate the members of your household as it wafts across the rooms in your house. Try other essential oils beside citrus.

Freshen up your bathroom by placing a few drops of essential oil on the cardboard that holds the toilet paper in bathroom. Smell the oil’s fragrance as it is released with each pull on the paper.

Use your old chemical cleansers without leaving a harsh smell by making a rinse. Mix your favorite essential oil with plain water. Pine, lemon, wintergreen, eucalyptus, lavender and other scents make good fresheners. Use a ratio of four drops of oil to a pint of water. For your final rinse, squirt your mixture from a spray bottle. Keep it in a dark place if your bottle is clear.

A few drops of tea tree oil and lavender essential oil mixed with water make a good countertop cleanser with anti-bacterial action. Spray on kitchen tops and other surfaces you want cleaned and disinfected. For the more major operation of stamping out mold and mildew, add 50 drops of oil into a bucket of water.

Use this recipe to make a homemade carpet freshener:

• 4 cups cornstarch or baking soda
• 25 drops rosewood essential oil
• 35 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 30 drops lavender essential oil

Procedure: Mix these ingredients in a bowl, breaking apart clumps as you stir thoroughly. Sprinkle your freshener from a shaker bottle on carpets approximately 15 minutes before vacuuming. You can create your own set of oils to mix in place of the ones listed above.

Use the following mixture for cleaning floors:

• 15 drops orange essential oil
• 8 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 gallon hot water
• 2 tbsp liquid soap

This concoction is effective on tough cleaning jobs and is fresh-smelling besides.

A towel with a smidgen of essential oil is as good as the dryer sheet you purchase from the supermarket. Use this towel as you normally would a regular dryer sheet, adding it in the dryer together with newly washed clothes.

For a night of sound sleep, spritz lavender essential oil onto your bedsheets a few moments before you retire.

For more tips and information on Cleaning and Freshening Your Home with Essential Oils visit Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Guide, a popular site on the health benefits and other uses of pure natural essential oils. Discover how aromatherapy works and how it can benefit you and your home.

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By Charles Kassotis

Don’t you love coming home to a clean house? Whether you live in a two-room apartment or a sprawling ranch, the air just feels fresher when the place is clean and neat. Although some busy folks hire a housekeeping service to come in every week or two to make things right, most of us fend for ourselves and bravely tackle the dirtiest household chores when we can’t bear the grime any longer.

Cleaning your home doesn’t have to be a dreaded task, however. With a few arrangements ahead of time, you can be ready to go and get the work done in no time flat. All it takes is a little bit of organization and preparation, and you can whisk through those weekly duties pronto.

1. Stock cleaning supplies. Use the most natural and non-toxic products you can find. Or consider making your own. Clean the toilet bowls with Alka Seltzer, for example, by tossing in a couple of tablets, letting them fizz for an hour so, and then scrubbing the bowl to remove lingering debris. For counter space and bathroom fixtures, use a paste made of baking soda and water and apply it like cleanser. Rinse each surface thoroughly, and you will be surprised to see how effectively this works. Try a half-cut of vinegar following by a cup of hot water to clear a clogged drain. You can find many types of homemade cleaners and fresheners that will save money and cut fumes as well as protect your household materials.

2. Get organized. Keep all supplies and cleaning equipment in a specific area so you can find them when needed. Wash or replace cleaning rags, and don’t forget to buy paper towels. Replace your mop head and broom every three to six months, or as needed, to keep these tools working effectively. Choose a certain time slot and try to follow it each week for doing the general cleaning. For example, this could be Thursday evening, Saturday morning, or another time when you can get the housework done without interruption.

3. Work efficiently. Start at one end of the house—the one furthest from the center—and work your way back. Put a clothesbasket or paper bag in each room to receive items that need to be moved to another area, such as discarded newspapers, shoes, or dishes. Train the kids to return items like these to their proper locations at the end of each day.

4. Go light to heavy. Start with dusting, wiping, or surface tasks first. Then move on to the sweeping, vacuuming, or mopping, as well as windows or other heavy-duty tasks that remain to be done. Open the windows, weather permitting, to bring in fresh air and let out contaminated air. You’ll love the fresh scent unless you live in a heavily polluted area.

5. Clean up thoroughly. Put everything away where it belongs, cleaning supplies included. Pick up magazines, toys, and other discarded items. Place fresh-cut flowers in a vase on the table, or bake muffins for supper. The delicious aroma will add to the wonderful clean feeling of your home.

Make a habit of keeping the house tidy each day. Put things where they belong. Do the dishes after each meal. Put away groceries when you return from the store. Then you won’t have as much to do when cleaning day rolls around.

Tap into the astounding array of available information about housekeeping and cleaning when you visit Cleaning Facts.com at http://www.cleaningfacts.com

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By Elizabeth Smith

Confession: I’ve always dried my clothes in a dryer. Even as a child, my family had a well-utilized laundry room with no outdoor clothesline in sight. There really was no excuse for this as we lived in a very temperate area of Northern California, where the summers are typically sunny and warm and the winters are quite mild. I think it really all boils down to laziness and lack of knowledge.

Recently I was faced with a serious laundry dillemma… our dryer ran out of gas and my two children and husband were simply running out of clean underwear and socks. While I waited on my husband to have the gas tank filled, I was pondering what to do about this situation when my lightbulb went on.

We are having an unseasonably warm and dry winter in Northern California and, although if we don’t see some rain soon, we will surely be facing drought conditions in the summer, I decided to use this Spring-like weather to our advantage and created a makeshift drying line that would hence dry our clothes.

For an entire week my children and I were forced to hang dry our clothing, which is precisely how long it took my husband to get the gas tank filled. But we enjoyed the experience so much that eventhough I now have my dryer back, I haven’t even been using it.

What did I learn in this eye-opening experience? Yes, it is more time and consuming. But it is really quite simple and there are so many positive reasons for drying your clothes outdoors on a line rather than in a dryer. I’ve done a bit of research and here is what I’ve discovered.

The average household will spend approximately $100 - $200 dollars per year on drying clothes in a dryer. Thus, using a clothesline saves money. It also saves a significant amount of energy and reduces pollution. Your clothesline-fresh wardrobe will smell better, feel more natural, be wrinkle-free (no matter how long they hang out) and will actually last longer as well, since they are no longer being subjected to a harsh, hot and tumbling dryer.

Hanging your clothing outside also gives you a great opportunity to expend some your own energy, ie. get some exercise, and enjoy being outside soaking up some sun at the same time. In addition, it is an activity that you can enjoy with your kids. I know my 4 and 7 year-olds had a great time helping me to hang our clothes out, then collecting them at the end of the day. We felt like a family in Little House on the Prairie! It has been a nice learning experience for the whole family and truly is worth the extra time and effort. So, unplug that dryer and Hang “Em Dry!

Liz Smith is Program Manager at ModernSage.com a leading women’s health and wellnes community offering New Traditions for Living Well. Looking for some health and wellness camaraderie? Blog with Liz at ModernSageOnline.com

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By Tiffany Washko

Is cleaning your washing machine important? It certainly is! The inside of your washing machine is constantly being subjected to dirty water, mineral deposits, detergent deposits, and if you launder cloth diapers it is especially important to keep your machine clean and in tip-top condition. Much like dishwashers, sinks and bathtubs get dirty even though they are meant to clean things, your washing machine can become a mess in no time. Though, most dirt and soil is washed out with the water, dirt, soap residue and other unidentifiable grungy objects can be left behind and you actually have to get rid of this dirt yourself. Every time you wash your clothes, hard water and detergents cause build up to accumulate also, inside the tub, pump and hoses. This build-up reduces the ability of your washing machine to perform and mineral build-up can be abrasive to your cloths and diapers you are washing, causing them to wear faster. Cleaning your washing machine eliminates these problems.

First, run a cycle of hot water along with two cups of vinegar or lemon juice to loosen up soap and grime. Remove the fabric softener receptacle and soak it in hot water and detergent. Clean the bleach dispenser with a spray cleaner and paper towels and Q-tips. Don’t forget to clean the top rim of the wash bucket as it is up and under where it can’t usually be seen easily and becomes dirty. Run the washer empty on a hot cycle one more time.

While this is going on you check all your hoses for leaks. Over time, the water hoses that came with your washing machine may leak or burst. It’s a good preventive maintenance practice to check these hoses from time to time for any sign of wear or weakness. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the hoses every 5 years. Make sure your hoses are not a disaster waiting to occur!

Once you’ve soaked the fabric softener receptacle, replace it and polish up the outside of your washing machine with vinegar and a cloth towel. Your washing machine now looks better and will run better as well!

Happy washing!

Tiffany Washko is president of Jelly Bean Diapers - a cloth diaper manufacturing company, The Diaper Jungle, http://www.diaperjungle.com and Nature Moms, http://www.naturemoms.com.

After working several years in corporate healthcare marketing and public relations, she took time away to be a mother. This new pursuit lead her to a new passion, helping new moms make the decision to return to the basics and use cloth diapers.

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By Susan Godfrey

I am always trying to cut down my grocery bill and Breakfast can be one of the most expensive meals of the day…depending on what you serve. Here you will find some inexpensive breakfast ideas that are good and healthy for your family.

1. Cut out all prepared, cold breakfast cereals. Instead use Oatmeal, grits or other hot cereals. These are better for us and are really easy to fix. Your family can “decorate” them to their tastes and your family’s budget. My family loves oatmeal with butter and jelly or grits with butter and a bit of grated cheese.

2. We don’t use expensive juices. We use frozen juice concentrates. This saves a lot of money for us every month. I also only allow juices to be drunk at breakfast and 1 serving per person. This way the juice will last 2-3 days for my family of four.

3. Plan a menu with the same few breakfasts repeated through out the week. You can then stock up on ingredients when they are on sale or buy in bulk.

4. If you can buy some chickens and have some homegrown eggs! We have an abundance of eggs most of the time so we eat a lot of egg based meals. Eggs are high in protein and most kids love them. We mostly eat them for breakfast scrambled or hard-boiled.

5. We buy our bread at the day old bread store. We get 3 loaves for $1.00 that way. We use the bread to make toast for breakfast, topped with butter, jelly or peanut butter and sometimes cheese.

6. Grow a garden, plant fruit trees, or gather what you can from your property. Pretty much anyone can grow a garden. I have a friend who lives in an apartment, and she grows container gardens on her balcony. We have wild mustang grapes that can be made into raisins and jelly, prickly pear cactus (we make jelly out of the cactus pears), mesquite beans (we make a jelly out of them), 2 peach trees (for fresh peaches in season and jelly), and wild pecans. I’m sure there are more items around our property that can be used, but this is what we’ve found so far. We’re also continually adding fruits, berries and nuts to our place. Use fresh when you can or freeze and can for when you can’t use fresh.

7. We make breakfast from left over rice. Whenever I fix rice for dinner, I make enough for breakfast the next morning and put in the refrigerator or freezer. I warm up the rice and add butter, sugar and cinnamon. This is one of my husband’s favorites. Rice is really inexpensive. I don’t use instant rice, but I use long grain brown rice. It has to cook for around 20 minutes.

8. I make milk from powdered milk. My family hasn’t noticed the difference since I did it gradually. I did it like this…I at first made 1/2 whole milk, 1/2 prepared powdered milk, and then kept watering down the whole milk with prepared powdered milk. By doing this, my family has gradually gotten use to powdered milk and now will drink it without any problems. We’re planning on getting a milk cow some day soon, so then we’ll be drinking raw cow milk and also using it to make butter and cheese.

Well, I hope you have found these tips helpful! These have been things that I have done to help trim my grocery bill down and I hope you can use them to help lower your grocery bill too!

~ Susan Godfrey is a Christian wife, mom and homemaker. She is also the owner of Homekeeper’s Heart, http://www.freewebtown.com/homekeepersheart, a Titus 2 Ministry to encourage Christian women to be the wives, mothers and homemakers that God wants them to be! She has her own blog at http://www.susangodfrey.blogspot.com and also is the owner of the Homesteader’s Heart Blog at http://www.homesteadersheart.blogspot.com where she shares homesteading, gardening and country living articles.

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By Kathleen Wilson

Decorating our walls seems to be a huge dilemma to most home decorators, but it need not be. Here are some quick and easy ways to dress up your walls, on a budget!

The most common mistake most people make in decorating their walls is to sprinkle things around just to fill empty space. Instead, draw an imaginary rectangle on the main focal wall in the room you wish to dress up. Now fill that rectangle with a grouping of related art, such as portraits, plates, or clocks. This makes much a better impact on the room than the “sprinkle” effect.

Try to hang larger scale items to make your rooms seem bigger. This doesn’t mean you have to run out and spend hundreds or thousands on a large painting! Hang a rug or a pretty quilt. Create a dramatic wall hanging with a large piece of plywood, some paint, and one inspirational word in large letters. Faith, “Believe” or “Dream” are great ones. Paint a simple border and background in neutral colors. Then sketch on your word in blocks with pencil, and fill in with paint.

Try setting off a special portrait or a wall collection by painting a background “frame”. Make the frame at least 4-6 inches larger than the art, tape off with painters tape, and fill in with a darker version of your wall color.

If you have dozens of different frames and pictures, tie them all together by painting the frames all the same color. Black gives an elegant touch to any style décor. White is very fresh, and a bright color can be fund in a contemporary design.

Consider using stencils to add detail and design to your walls. It’s easy, relatively fast, and inexpensive. Pick up a simple design to wrap around windows and doors, or to add detail to your painted “frames” around your wall art groupings.

Finally, look at unconventional items as wall art. A weathered piece of driftwood accents over a doorway, or an old wooded box can hang as a curio cabinet. Simple wooded blocks can be attached to the wall as candleholders or display shelves. Your children’s christening dress can be hung as memory art, or you can frame a piece of the maternity dress you loved while you were pregnant with your youngest. Use your imagination!

Decorating walls doesn’t have to be daunting, just use these easy ideas to get you started!

Kathy Wilson is an author, home decorating columnist for LifetimeTv.com, and editor of several popular home and garden websites. For hundreds of free do it
yourself home and garden ideas, please visit her websites
now at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com, and
http://www.TheGardenGlove.com Also visit her work at home site at
http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com, where ANY woman can learn to make money on the internet!

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