My friend, Darlene Schacht, has written a book that will help women to step into their roles as their husband’s helper.

I love Darlene. She has been someone dear to my heart for years. I know that when she puts her heart and mind to something that it is going to be grand. This book is no different.

Darlene will take you back to a time most of us only recall in movies: a time when women were confident enough in themselves to give their all to their husbands, their children, and their home. A time when even if you had a career you still cherished family above the “other stuff”. I hate to say it but this has sort of become old fashioned thinking. That is sad. Women can be all that God created them to be (career, ministry, hobby, craft) and still be able to be a helpful companion to their husband and a loving, present mother to their children. A lie we’ve been sold is that we have to choose one or the other.

Let me be clear. Having a career does not make you a successful woman. Staying home and taking care of your family does not make you a successful woman. What makes you a successful woman is wholeheartedly surrendering yourself to God and walking in what He has for you in every season of life. That is what Darlene teaches us in this book.

She shows you how she prefers to do things in her home and gives scripture references as to why she chose those things. She encourages you to seek Him for yourself to do the same. Find out what His plan for you is. How can you be the best helpmeet for your husband?

You can pick up a copy of the book here: The Good Wife’s Guide.

Are you looking to get out of debt? Was that one of your New Year’s commitments? If so, this book may help. Barry and Stacy Myers have written a helpful book on removing the burden of debt from your life and freeing your marriage to thrive in the process. It has lots of good, insightful approaches to eliminating debt and ways to get ahead even in the midst of life’s unforeseen circumstances.

You can get a copy here: For Debtor or Better.

TAX TIME and Blogging

Yes, it is that time again: tax season. If you make money from your blog or small business and you are uncertain about how to proceed for tax purposes, this is the book for you. Nikki, who is a professional bookkeeper with a degree, has answered all of your burning tax questions in this new ebook.

Can you claim your internet service? What if you buy craft supplies to make a craft for a post. Can you claim that? What forms do you fill out? What is the limit you can make without claiming it on income taxes? Should you be claiming your review products and giveaway items as income? Are blog conferences a write-off?

All these questions and more are answered in Nikki’s new book: Your Blogging Business, Tax Talk and Tips from a Bookkeeper Turned Blogger.

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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I love being Cajun but goodness can it ever get messy when you consider that rice can be a staple of our diet:  jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, and stuffed anything all contain rice. Can I tell ya, rice and toddlers don’t mix.

They drop it on the floor. They throw it at the table. Basically they get it everywhere but their mouth. And cleaning up rice is a pain.

But, don’t worry. Cajuns also know a thing or two about making cleaning a breeze and my mama taught me how to clean up rice with no problems.

The solution: use baby powder.

It really does work.

Simply sprinkle the rice with a bit of baby powder and let it sit for a minute. The baby powder absorbs most of the moisture from the rice and makes it broom friendly.

Just sweep it up and toss it out. It’s a no mess, no fuss way to clean up sticky rice.

Removing Pet Hair

Pet hair is another trouble maker for my home. The problem with it is that it is so thin and light that it usually just floats somewhere else when I’m sweeping. I finally found a solution for that. I use the Eureka Quick Up Sweeper.

I first saw this little beauty in the salon where I get my hair cut and styled. They use it to get all of the hair off of their floors and I figured if it worked for them then it should work for me. And does it ever! I love this thing. I do not ever want to go back to the days before it where I had to basically get on the floor and wipe up the piles of dog hair since the broom and dust pan didn’t do the job effectively. I just use my Eureka Sweeper and all is well in my world!

For mopping I prefer a basic solution. I don’t make this ahead of time because there is no need to. I just make it as I need it. It is simple enough to do that.

Floor Cleaner

• 1 gallon hot water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup Borax
• 10 drops of essential oil (I use Pine and Eucalyptus or Citrus Fresh oils)

Add all ingredients into a mop bucket. Stir to combine. Mop as usual. No need to rinse. This solution is not sticky. Yay!

Wood Floor Cleaner

• 1 gallon of hot water
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 15 drops of lemon essential oil

Add all ingredients into a mop bucket. Stir to combine. Mop as usual. No need to rinse. Allow the floor to air dry before walking over it. It will shine beautifully and won’t be sticky!

Carpet Cleaning

For basic spot cleaning on our carpets, I use the natural All Purpose Spray recipe. I just spray it on. Give it about 3-5 minutes to soak and then blot it out. If the stain is oily then I sprinkle baking soda on the spot first. Then I vacuum it up. That usually removes most of the oil. Then I go on and spray and clean with the all purpose spray.

Other posts in this series: Homemade All Natural Cleaning Products

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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You can also find me posting today over at RooMag by Candace Cameron Bure. I’m talking about repurposing items.

And, I’m speaking today at the Social Online Conference. My session is at 11am CST and I’ll be talking about how to find your niche in this online world.

If you are hopping over from the conference, you can find the materials I mention here: Handouts for Social Online Conference.

And if you happen to be looking for the rest of the 17 Days of Natural Cleaning series, it is coming. I had to take a break to tend to broken fingers, 2 babies with flu, and a major announcement that I’ll be making on Monday!

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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Ahhh. Don’t you just love cleaning the bathroom?

Especially a boy’s bathroom. I know you just cringed because if you have boys you know exactly what I mean.

I have tried everything I could find in the cleaning aisle to get rid of that smell. They would work for all of 20 minutes and then it came back. Now, I really believe the smell never left. I think the cleaners just interfered with my sense of smell and that made me think it smelled better. There is some research on that to back me up. They actually do deaden the nerve endings in nasal passages. (source)

When I started using natural products I made an amazing discovery. Baking soda and vinegar completely remove boy bathroom smells.  The vinegar (acetic acid) liquefies the odor-causing urine salts to neutralize its odor and remove stains. I’ll tell you specifically how I do it.

First, because boys are unaware of how to aim anything but bows and arrows, slings, rubber bands, and hunting rifles, you will have to remove the left over evidence caused by this lack of knowledge. I just sprinkle some baking soda over the area and let it soak up the evidence. After a few minutes I sweep it up. At that point I spray my boy-bathroom cleaner on the floor and base of the commode. I let that sit while I clean the rest of the bathroom, about 5-10 minutes. After I am done with the rest of the bathroom I simply wipe it up. That’s it. Really. You thought it was going to involve a bulldozer or tile replacement, didn’t you?

Another tip for you if you have tile is to use an oil to place on the grout. This prevents the urine from penetrating the grout. I just pour some melted coconut oil into a cup and use a paintbrush to put a thin layer on the grout around the commode. I wipe the excess off and it is good for about a month. You’ll know it is working because you’ll see beaded up boy evidence on it from time to time. Be forewarned, this does cause some discoloration on the grout but since the urine does too I don’t care. I’d rather oil discoloration than urine discoloration. I know I could seal it with a commercial product but since I am trying to stay away from that and because there is absolutely no ventilation in the boys’ bathroom, I’m not going to do that.

Homemade Boy-Bathroom Cleaner (can also be used as after shower spray)

• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup distilled water
• 10 drops of essential oil (I use Thieves oil)

Add all ingredients into a spray bottle. Give a soft shake to combine.

To use simply spray onto affected area. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Wipe clean.

Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup Castile soap
• 3 tbsp. washing soda
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 20-30 drops of essential oil ( I use sage and lavender)

Add baking soda into a large, deep bowl. Slowly add vinegar. It will foam up as it reacts. This is a harmless event. Add remaining ingredients into bowl. Mix well. Spoon into a small container.

Before using this solution I spray my all purpose spray over the area I want to clean. This solution helps to break down any hard water residue which will make it easier to clean the soap scum. To use, add a layer to the bathtub or shower. Allow it to sit for a few minutes. Scrub off. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.

NOTE: I feel it is important to note here that after using commercial cleaners for several years you will have a build up on your tub or shower. I thought that I was getting my tub clean with those cleaners until I used this homemade solution. The homemade cleaner caused the buildup of  residue from the commercial cleaner to come off revealing a clean tub like I had not seen in years! The reason it works so well is because the molecules in soap include a “free end” that is attracted to fat molecules. Soap attaches to soap.

Soap scum is broken down soap molecules which consist of soap and the fat that was used to make it. Soap scum is worse in hard water. To sum it up, if you use soap and fat to clean with then it removes the left over soap and fats. Awesome, right?

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner

• 1 cup distilled water
• 1/2 cup Castile soap
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 20-25 drops of essential oil ( I use tea tree and any citrus)

Add baking soda into a large, deep bowl. Slowly add vinegar. It will foam up as it reacts. This is a harmless event. Add remaining ingredients into bowl. Mix well. Funnel into a container. I use a BPA free toilet bowl cleaner container from a natural cleaner that I had. I wouldn’t use the commercial ones just because plastics leach chemicals.

To use squirt around the rim of the commode. Allow the solution to work for 5-10 minutes. Scrub with a toilet brush. Flush.

Shower head Cleaner

• 1/3 cup of baking soda
• 1 cup vinegar

To use, remove your shower head and place inside a large, deep bowl. Add baking soda. Add vinegar. Allow it to foam up and work its magic. Let it sit for an hour or so.  Rinse well. Replace shower head and run water through it for a few minutes to remove left over baking soda and vinegar.

Download Boy-Bathroom Cleaner, After Shower Spray, Homemade Bathroom Cleaner and Toilet Bowl Cleaner Labels

For best results, print on mailing labels or Avery sticker paper. After adhering to bottle, use contact paper over the label to give it added protection.

Clean Modern Label

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Vintage Antique Label

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Classic Natural Label

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Shabby Chic Label

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Funky Fun Label

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Traditional Contemporary

• Bathroom Cleaner
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Simple Earthy

• Bathroom Cleaner 
• Boy Bathroom Cleaner
• After Shower Spray
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Other posts in this series: Homemade All Natural Cleaning Products

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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 Welcome to this weeks Carnival of Homeschooling!

I want to take a moment to tell you about a fabulous giveaway I have going on. I have one copy of the Times Tales DVD to give away to one lucky commenter. My boys did extremely well using this DVD. It works like no other product we’ve tried.

I have four boys from toddler to teen and even the toddler was saying the numbers when prompted. My teens did not know most of their upper multiplication facts by memory. They spent lots of time skip counting for homework. I have used flash cards, games, software, you name it, and I haven’t had the results Times Tales gave us. I was very surprised to see how well the concept works!

The program provides memory keys  through animation so it is easier for kids to learn their 6-9 multiplication facts. A story is told to reinforce the recognition. In less than one hour they were shouting out the correct answers to the times tables. I drilled them again the next day and they remembered all but 4 or 5 of them. We watched the DVD again and what do you know, when they were drilled days later they got all of them right!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment. The giveaway will end on Friday at midnight.  I will randomly choose a winner and notify them via email.

 ______________________________________________________________________________

Misty presents If you’ve ever wanted to learn a little sign language . . . posted at Homeschool Bytes, saying, “Add some foreign language to your homeschool day with this great ASL lesson site.”

Alasandra presents A Christian Nation? Be Careful What You Preach posted at History Is Elementary.

Barbara Williams presents 10 Different Monsters that Scare Children posted at Find A Babysitter, saying, “There’s something uniquely human about our need to scare ourselves silly. As far as anyone knows, no other species goes out of its way to invent reasons to wet itself from fear. Children have the best imaginations, of course………………………….”

nak presents Shakespeare and the Starlings posted at Sage Parnassus. Come see a fascinating sight of a “murmuration” of starlings.

education

Credit: Miss Nirvana @ Nirvana Homeschooling

Jamie Gaddy presents Effective Spelling Strategies posted at momSCHOOL, saying, “Spelling can be a tricky subject to get your kids excited about… trying something that is non-traditional can make it easier for all of us.”

Miss Nirvana presents Weaving A Pot Holder With a Loop Loom posted at Nirvana Homeschooling. This is a terrific handy craft for elementary students.

Melanie Grant presents Nutcracker on Ice and Homeschooling posted at Mel’s Mouthful on Mothering. How you can turn The Nutcracker on Ice into an educational experience and branch it off into a unit study.

Melanie Grant presents How to get your child to read posted at Mel’s Mouthful on Mothering. Creative yet simple ways to motivate and encourage your child to read.

Melanie Grant presents How to Journal: Get Ready posted at Mel’s Mouthful on Mothering. A fabulous, general tutorial on creating a journal and teaching your children to how to fill one.

Melanie Grant presents Homeschooling Room of Dreams posted at Mel’s Mouthful on Mothering. Inspiring home school rooms to get your creativity flowing!

majellamom presents Teaching Textbooks and Xtra Math posted at Waiting for Charlie…. In need of a free online math drill program? See what Majellamom has to say about Xtra Math.

Lisa Nehring presents Educational Influencers posted at Golden Grasses. Come see a wonderful list of people and companies who have helped shape the home school families and community through ideas of educational methods and concepts.

Amy @ Hope Is the Word presents Read Aloud Thursday?music edition posted at Hope Is the Word. A wonderful list of read-alouds you don’t want to miss.

Judy Aron presents No Child’s Data Left Behind posted at Consent Of The Governed, saying, “If you have ever given information to the local or state government school system then you ought to know about what will happen to that information.”

Kelly @ The Homeschool Co-op presents Featured Friday ? Christina Pilkington on A Life of Passion, Adventure & Connections posted at The Homeschool Co-op. Come read an interview of how mom to 5-year old twins, Christina, shares her home school life with Kelly’s readers. She lends practical tips and ideas you don’t want to miss.

 

Carol J. Alexander presents More on Marble Tracks | | Everything Home with CarolEverything Home with Carol posted at Everything Home with Carol. Some fun ideas on simple ways your young children are learning physics (without even knowing it).

Linda Dobson presents I Feel Sorry for Kids In School. Every. Single. One. posted at PARENT AT THE HELM. Some sobering facts about the public schools and government.

Laura Grace Weldon presents Better Test Scores Don?t Lead To Success posted at Laura Grace Weldon, saying, “The fuss over testing makes no sense. Boosting test scores doesn’t boost individual success. It also doesn’t improve national competitiveness. Crazy?”

Chris Shaw presents Part 2: Teaching Economics in the Home School posted at HomeSchool vs PublicSchool, saying, “Once you have a basis for understanding how economics work in your home it is time to look at how they work in your community. What we buy, how we spend our money, and what we save impacts the lives and businesses around us. We can improve our local economy by working with in it and promoting the well being of our neighbors.”

Mama Squirrel presents Traveling the Underground Railroad posted at Dewey’s Treehouse, saying, “Resources for a fifth-grader’s short study of the Underground Railroad”

Katherine presents Baking Success posted at No Fighting, No Biting! , saying “Baking my own no-knead bread was so simple and easy, I wanted to share the recipe.”

 

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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The main reason most of us would want to stop using chemical cleaners is to prevent toxins from being released into the air we breathe. Unfortunately, toxins are released by other things in our home: furniture, fabric, varnish, and home decor. Pollutants can also come inside the home from the clothing we wear. As anyone who doesn’t smoke can tell you, if you walk into a cloud of the stuff you will walk away smelling like a cigarette. The same thing happens when we go to the workplace or out shopping. Toxins can attach themselves to clothing and hair.

Commercial air fresheners and disinfectants are highly toxic. In fact, when I read up on the ingredients of the most popular brand, Lysol, I nearly choked. I could not believe the stuff I had been subjecting my family to. It contains carbon monoxide (yeah, that is lethal in large doses), and of course, the “fragrance”.

When you see the word fragrance listed in the ingredients of any product, run. Run fast. Fragrance in air fresheners consist of acetone (yeah, like, nail-polish remover), limonene (an oxidized citrus oil / source),  chloromethane (refrigerant), and dioxane (ether).

I’ll just be blunt. Don’t subject your family to this stuff. And the smell good –mountain fresh, linen, holiday cheer, and tropical paradise– scents are worse!

While at least 14 countries have already banned this stuff, recent tests here in the US prove they contain hormone disrupting phthalates and that includes the ones that were marked as “natural” or “unscented”!  Why don’t they just ban it? Here is quote from the report:

Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals that can be particularly dangerous for young children and unborn babies. Exposure to phthalates can affect testosterone levels and lead to reproductive abnormalities, including abnormal genitalia and reduced sperm production. The State of California notes that five types of phthalates—including one that we found in air freshener products—are “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm.” Young children and pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid contact with these chemicals. (source)

Okay, enough of that. We know it’s bad so what can do instead? I’m glad you asked.

We talked about many ways to clean the air of toxins in the post How to Detoxify Your Home so after you do that, here are a few ways to make the air smell good. These will not remove toxins but they will make the air smell better.

1. A teaspoon of baking soda and 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil in a small dish will absorb odors in the room.
2. Put one vanilla bean (cut down center) and the remains of an orange or apple in a small pot and simmer. You could also use cinnamon and apple.
3. Grind lemon, apple, orange, or other fruity remains in the garbage disposal. It gives off the best smell and cleans the disposal blades.
4. Make your own potpourri with dried herbs and flowers. When their original scent fades add some essential oils of your choice and make your own potpourri!

I use vodka in my air freshener spray because ethanol (vodka) has been proven to be a green, natural way to clean the air of pollutants. It also destroys odors and because it dries quickly, it does not leave residue on furniture or electronics. A bonus is that it also deters insects!

Homemade Air Freshener

• 3/4 cup of distilled water
• 2 Tbsp. vodka
• 40 drops of essential oil

Add all ingredients into a spray bottle. Give a soft shake to combine.

To use simply spray into the air and on upholstered furniture.

Download Homemade Air Freshener Labels

For best results, print on mailing labels or Avery sticker paper. After adhering to bottle, use contact paper over the label to give it added protection.

• Clean Modern Label
• Vintage Antique Label
• Classic Natural Label
• Shabby Chic Label
• Funky Fun Label
• Traditional Contemporary
• Simple Earthy

Other posts in this series: Homemade All Natural Cleaning Products

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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I don’t know about you but I fell right into the hype the FlyLady started many years ago. I just knew that if my neighbors came over and saw that my sink was not sparkling then chances are they would know I was a failure. That got me started down the road of clean sink fulfillment. I went through a container of Comet every two weeks. I did this for years and over time the results of it became evident. My hands started cracking and peeling at the cuticle.

You might be wondering why I didn’t just wear gloves but the fact is, I did wear gloves! The residue commercial cleaners leave behind can do just as much damage as being directly exposed to it. Every time I filled the sink with water to rinse the dishes, I was in fact putting my hands in a sink full of left behind commercial cleaner.

These days I still scrub my sink but my hands aren’t at all damaged like they used to be. Simply switching the ingredients has given me a clean sink and healthy hands. Not to mention we are no longer ingesting the left over residue of Comet from it being on our dishes. It is because of these experiences that I want to teach you how to clean your house naturally.

This recipe is simple and you will likely use lots of it. It is easy to double or even triple the recipe and it is still less expensive than the harmful stuff.

Homemade Scouring Powder Recipe

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup sea salt
• 1 cup Borax
• 3 packs of True Lemon

Add all ingredients into a large bowl. Combine well with a whisk. Use a funnel and pour into a one quart jar or container. To use, sprinkle on surface, scrub clean with wet sponge or brush, rinse completely.

Download Homemade Scouring Powder Labels

For best results, print on mailing labels or Avery sticker paper. After adhering to bottle, use contact paper over the label to give it added protection.

• Clean Modern Label
• Vintage Antique Label
• Classic Natural Label 
• Shabby Chic Label
• Funky Fun Label 
• Traditional Contemporary
• Simple Earthy

Other posts in this series: Homemade All Natural Cleaning Products

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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So what kind of shots have you taken lately?

If you want to join along with me I have a link up ready for you to to link to. This should be lots of fun! We will do this every Wednesday so mark your calendars and be sure to follow the feed so you can share and learn along with us!

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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The dishwasher soap recipe was easier than I thought it would be. I’ve used other commercial cleaners in my dishwasher and never been quite as happy with them as I was with one particular brand. That lead me to think I’d never be happy with a homemade dishwasher soap. Thankfully, I was wrong.

The main problem I presumed I’d encounter would be spotty dishes. Then, I read the ingredients on the back of most of the commercial rinse aids. Guess what the ingredients included: vinegar. Mmmm, hmmm. Look for yourself. So, I figured I’d skip the added chemicals and just use the real thing. The results: spotless dishes.

One thing I questioned when contemplating whether or not I’d make my own dishwasher detergent was, if the dishes are thoroughly rinsed before they come out then aren’t they chemical free? Short answer is no. Long answer is that even though the trace amounts that are left as residue are very minute, the true hazard lies in the fumes that are dispersed from the dishwasher while it is in operation. I had never considered that. Once I realized how much harm that would do, the decision was easy.

If you happen to wash dishes by hand or if you use dish soap for every day hand washing, I have a recipe for that too. This one works great as an everyday soap. If you have greasy dishes then it is best to use baking soda as a degreaser. Just sprinkle the baking soda on the dishes and wipe it off. The grease goes with it. Then, you can wash as usual.

Homemade Dishwasher Soap Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups of Borax
• 1 cup of washing soda
• 5 packs of True Lemon
• 2 packs of True Orange
• 1/2 cup of baking soda

Add all ingredients into a large bowl. Combine well with a whisk. Use a funnel and pour into a one quart jar or container. To use, add 1 tabelspoon to both soap containers.

Natural Dishwasher Rinsing Agent

• Vinegar

Once the commercial rinse aid has run out, fill the rinse compartment with undiluted vinegar.

Homemade Dish Soap

• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of castile soap
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tbsp. washing soda
• 27-30 drops of essential oils

Add all ingredients into measuring cup and mix well. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into a squirt container or foaming pump bottle. Use as normal.

Degreaser

• baking soda

Sprinkle a light coat of baking soda over the greasy area. Wipe clean. For dishes: follow up with dish soap. For surfaces: Spray with DIY homemade natural all purpose cleaner spray and wipe to remove any residue.

Download Homemade Dishwasher Soap and Dish Soap Labels

For best results, print on mailing labels or Avery sticker paper. After adhering to bottle, use contact paper over the label to give it added protection.

Clean Modern Label - Dishwasher

Clean Modern Label – Dishwashing

Vintage Antique Label - Dishwasher

Vintage Antique Label – Dishwashing

Classic Natural Label – Dishwasher

Classic Natural Label - Dishwashing

Shabby Chic Label – Dishwasher

Shabby Chic Label – Dishwashing

Funky Fun Label - Dishwasher

Funky Fun Label – Dishwashing

Traditional Contemporary – Dishwasher

Traditional Contemporary – Dishwashing

Simple Earthy – Dishwasher

Simple Earthy – Dishwashing

Other posts in this series: Homemade All Natural Cleaning Products

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

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I am going to host an online book club and we will discuss this book in depth. Over the next 10 weeks (starting February 7) we will meet once a week on Tuesday at 11am CST for one hour. I am providing the software. We will not be discussing personal financial information but rather general ideas as to how we can benefit from the information and tools Crystal provides us in this book. I also hope that this will be a good way for us to support one another through this great adventure! If you cannot attend live then you can watch the recorded version.

As an added bonus, Crystal will be joining us for one of the meetings! Isn’t that awesome?

If you would like to participate simply sign up here for the Money Saving Mom’s Budget Newsletter. This is ONLY for this book club. You will not receive anything else by subscribing to this newsletter.

Join the Money Saving Mom Book ClubEmail:

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I have two copies of Money Saving Mom’s Budget to give away. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here. The contest will be open until Friday, January 27th at 11:59 pm CST. The winners will be notified by email so be sure to put your email address in the space provided when leaving a comment. If you are the winner you will have to provide a snail mail address so the book can be shipped to you.

Please take a moment and visit my sponsors to see how they can benefit you!

• True Simplicity in Life: Truly inspiring ways to simplify and be content in your home.
Simply Clean: Guide to Homemade Cleaners!
• One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)
• Feasts in 15: One of the best "quick cooking" cookbooks around.
• Tell Your Time: A revolutionary way to get more done!
• List Plan It: Get life in order.
• The Fresh 20: This is the service I use...FABULOUS!
• ProBlogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

Print this entry