These super homemade cleaning  ingredients are given by:  http://arealhousewifeandmommy.blogspot.com

  OXICLEAN:

• 1 part baking soda 
• 1 part hydrogen peroxide
• 2 parts water

Mix it all in a container to spot treat or just add straight to laundry if presoaking. (I've tried it on a couple things and it works AMAZING!) You just have to shake it before you use each time.

  I am BIG into couponing, and while I think  I am a master at finding great deals, laundry supply deals are very hard to find. I just happened to find a recipe to make my own laundry soap, fabric softener, and stain remover that no coupon, sale, or ANYTHING can beat...and I couldn't be more excited! (And of course I did use coupons to get the items needed)

LAUNDRY SOAP:

• Borax
• washing soda
• natural bar soap ( I used fels-naptha, but ivory and zote work too)
• essence oil if desired (I did not use)
• five 1 gallon containers

  

I like EASY directions (no need to elaborate on simple things) Grate the soap bar in a pot, add 4 cups water and cook on low until the soap dissolves. Then add 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda, stir until dissolved and then divided equally among five 1 gallon containers. Fill the rest of the way with water and overnight it will thicken. Use 1/4 cup per load like normal laundry detergent.

I like this one better than the powdered version because I know the soap is disolved in every load.

How-to-clean-cooked-on-gunk-from-stove

Another great idea from:  http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2012/04/how-to-clean-cooked-on-gunk-from-stove.html
Lets get this out of the way first: Yes, you should just clean up the messes on your stove top before they dry and cook and turn into greasy mystery gunk of unknown vintage.  Of course you should do that.  But you don't.  Or at least I don't. Not every time.

I had tried virtually everything to remove the little cooked on spots around the edges of my stove burners, and everything seemed to help a little, but nothing really worked well.

 Until I discovered hydrogen peroxide and baking soda!

Mix some baking soda in a small bowl with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste.  Use a scrubby sponge and the gunk comes off surprisingly easily!  I recommend wearing rubber gloves, especially if you have sensitive skin.

There were a few stubborn spots, but they are hidden by the edges of the burner drip pans.

Ah.  So much better.  I love simple and thrifty solutions like this!

Oh...and on a somewhat unrelated note...Did you know that the top of your stove probably lifts up for easy cleaning? 
I was cleaning my stove once after a giant oatmeal overflow and lifted the stove top to clean under it and blew my husband's mind.  Apparently, he had no idea that most stove tops lifts up like a car hood for easy cleaning. And just in case he isn't the only person who didn't already know that, I decided to snap a picture and share it with all of you! 

The stove top will be hinged at the back and have posts to keep it from falling.  Once you've removed your elements and drip pans just gently pull up on the front of the stove top and it should lift right up, allowing you to wipe up any spills or bits of food that have fallen down there.

If it doesn't open, don't force it...your stove may not have this feature!  And as always, use caution when cleaning any household appliances.

5 Things That Make A House Look Cleaner Than It Is

This tip is taken from:  http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2011/01/5-things-that-make-house-look-cleaner.html

1. Smell.  It doesn't matter how clean your house really is, if it smells bad it doesn't feel clean.  The fact is, however, that a few kids, a hardworking husband and a pet or two can sure do their part to make sure your house smells more like a public bus terminal than an inviting haven.  My favorite tip to keep my house smelling fresh even when it isn't?  Spray the entry mat with fabric refresher spray so that when guests wipe their shoes they will kick up a pleasant smell!

2.  The Floors.  Clean floors go a long way to making your house look, feel, and even smell clean.  So go ahead and mop them.  Daily.  Stop laughing, I'm serious.  There are days that I fail to do this, but I always regret it later when I get a slimy wet cheerio stuck to my sock.

3.  Empty the Garbage.  An empty white trash bag in the bathroom garbage can turn an ordinary bathroom into a hotel-like luxury spa.  Well, not quite....but almost!

4.  De-cluttering.  Any ten year-old can tell you that all you need to do to make a room look satisfactorily clean is to shove everything you own under the bed.  Even a very clean house feels messy when there is stuff everywhere.  I'm not really suggesting that you shove everything under the bed, but do try packing away half of you pretty little decorative doo-dads and see if your house shines just a little bit more.   I'm certain it will.

5. Light. Don't fall for the urban legend that says dimming your lights hides the mess.  It doesn't.  Dark houses look dirty.  Open the shades and turn on some lights.  Your home will thank you.

Homemade Carpet Powder

This article is from:  http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2011/07/homemade-carpet-powder.html#.

Carpet powder is one product that I can't do without.  Even though it is a reasonable price, I buy so much of it that it works out to be pretty expensive.  Plus, it doesn't always work as well as I like.  

Homemade carpet powder to the rescue!!  It's cheap & it has not met an odor that it doesn't take care of.  


All you need is baking soda & orange essential oil.  You can use other essential oils if you like, but I like the orange. 


It is also nice to have an empty Parmesan cheese container, or some other shaker.

Mix the baking soda & several drops of the orange essential oil together in a bowl using a whisk.  Then, spoon the mixture into your shaker.  

Sprinkle onto your carpets - let it sit for about 15 minutes, then vacuum up.  

Simple, thrifty, & works like a charm.