Category Archives: Cleaning

Sep 3 2012

Laundry Secret

Are you ready for the biggest laundry secret of all time?

This little secret will change the way you view the task of laundering.  It will solve your overflowing laundry room problem.

Honest.

I promise you, that if you take this advice, you will rarely have loads of unfolded laundry sitting in the dryer or on the floor just waiting to be folded and put away.

What I’m about to tell you works.

I’m living proof of the magic of this laundry secret, I launder clothes for a family of six and this secret works.

Ok.  Are you ready for the all-time laundry secret?

Small is the new awesome!

That’s the secret: only wash small loads.  Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone I told you, it’s pretty magical!

Never – never – ever wash a medium or large load again.  Set your knob to small and leave it there.  If you have an extra small load setting USE IT.

That’s all I’m going say.   Try it for a week and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

Apr 20 2012

6 Tidy-up Tips

I am privileged to be a part of a blogging group called the High Five Moms: Five mothers, five bloggers, sharing encouragement and tips.

This week we’re sharing on Hospitality.

If you’re anything like me, I prefer a spotless home when entertaining guests, however, with little kids that just isn’t always possible.

I have learned that my house can appear cleaner than it is if I do a few key things before my guests arrive.  I want to share them with you so you can be ready the next time company drops in!

1. Empty your trash cans

An empty trash can give the illusion that you’ve cleaned.  I focus on kitchen and bathroom trash cans the most.

2. Clear off the couch

A couch free of clutter makes it easier to sit down which can create an atmosphere of conversation.

3. Fragrant Hand Soap

Every guest will most likely use your bathroom at least once, have nice hand soap available and a clean hand towel.  This can leave a big impression on your guests!

4. Air Fresheners

If you’ve ever walked into a model home, the room most likely had a nice fragrance of clean; it’s inviting when a room smells fresh.  We love the air freshener Citrus Cilantro from Pier 1.

5. Vacuum

Before guests arrive, vacuum!

6. Empty Kitchen sink

Do your best to have an empty sink when your guests arrive.  It may fill up throughout the course of the night but that’s to be expected.

A spotless home is not practical
nor is it necessary.

Piles in the corner are not usually noticed by guests, and toys on the floor are natural if you have children.  After you’ve tidied up some, spend your time focusing on your guests, they are there to see you and enjoy your company just as much as you want to enjoy theirs.

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13

 

For more Hospitality ideas be sure to visit the High-Five Mom Blogs below!

The other High Five Moms are:
Brandy from TheMarathonMom.com
Jasmine from PonderThePath.com
KeriMae from KeriMae.com
Sep 17 2011

Homemade Laundry Soap

I have been making my own laundry soap for awhile now, it’s easy, natural and saves money.  I wanted to share the recipe I use with you.

Homemade Laundry Soap

  • 12 cups Borax
  • 8 cups of Washing Soda
  • 8 cups of Baking Soada
  • 8 cups grated Bar Soap – this came out to about four bars of soap, I use Ivory, although any brand of soap would do.

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.

Use 1/4 cup of powder per full load and 1/8 for a small load

I spend between $10 and $13 for all the ingredients; the price varies depending on what store you go to.  The Washing Soda is usually the hardest to find, it is found on the laundry detergent asile in most mainstream grocery stores.

The average batch I make lasts 4 – 6 months. If you’ve never made your own laundry soap I encourage you to try, you’d be surprised how large a quantity it makes and how much money you’ll save!

Aug 10 2009

Laundry Soap


As most of you know I make my own laundry soap as well as all of our cleaners. It’s much healthier for the wee ones running around and it’s much cheaper.

Last week I made a new batch of laundry soap this time it’s all powder, I like it much better! The other recipe I was using was more tedious and it would clump up a lot. The powder rocks my friends – you must try it!

For pics, go here.

Apr 17 2009

I’m quite ill…

WOW, I’m currently very ill with Spring Fever.  It has hit me hard and for some reason, when the bug hits me, I go crazy! I am ditching stuff left and right.

Thank God I have a husband who can tell me when enough is enough and I really need to keep something.
It’s one of my Frugality goals to declutter my home, and I’m certainly attaining that goal very quickly!

I love the site, Buttoned Up, they have so many useful tips on being organized, so I thought I’d share some!

Are you overwhelmed and wondering where to start? Are you too busy? No matter the excuse, we’ve put together a list of ten simple things you can do to get you on your way to a neater, more organized life.

1. Enlist the Troops
Learn the power of delegation. Enlist the help of family members or roommates by using a laminated calendar and dry erase markers to list out chores/errands/tasks for each person to do each week.

2. Use the “One-A-Week” Goal
Focus is a powerful thing. Pick one, and only one, area of your home per week to spend an hour or two reorganizing or cleaning.

3. Take a Commercial Break
Anytime you’re watching TV, take the time during the commercials to tidy up one room of the house. You will be amazed what you can accomplish in just 2 minutes and 2 seconds.

4. Start a Family Agenda
Have one central family “appointment” book where everyone in the house writes in all of their commitments.

5. Set up a Mail Center
Set up a mail center in your foyer, hallway or the kitchen. The most essential part of your mail station: a stylish recycling bin for junk mail. Try a mail depot with different compartments for each member of the household, plus a separate one for catalogs and magazines.

6. Can the SPAM!
If you have email and you haven’t set up your spam filters, you could save yourself at least 5 minutes a day (and 30 hours a year) by eliminating or at least seriously curbing unsolicited emails that you have to deal with.

Go to getbuttonedup.com for the other 4 tips and for more organizing ideas!