Shiny Faucets
-Kari

For brilliant shine on faucets, buff with olive or vegetable oil using a dry rag. Rinse oil with club soda and wipe dry.

Before:



After:

Powdered Laundry Soap
For a lot cheaper, same, clean results as my All and Tide Liquid detergents.
-Aubrey

3 bars of Ivory soap (about $1 at Winco for all 3)
1 1/2 cups Borax
1 1/2 cups of Washing Soda by Arm and Hammer (not baking soda)

1. Grate Ivory Soap.
I used my Kitchen Aid Grater and then used my fingers to farther break apart the pieces and that worked great.



2. Mix Soap, Borax, and Washing Soda together.




Use 1 Tbsp. of a light load and 2 Tbsp. for a heavy load.

You can use essential oils to give it a scent you want...I haven't tried it yet. I did notice that the grated soap floated in the water at first, but I checked back after a few minutes and it had dissolved.

Girl's Detangler
I have been using this for Kyla's hair--We love it!
-AubreyA

Spray bottle (.97 at Target)
Conditioner (I used Aussie's 3 minute miracle)
Water

Put a small amount of conditioner in bottle-start with a teaspoon. Fill the bottle with water and shake.

You can adjust the amount of conditioner as needed.

I have noticed that my conditioner will seperate and so I shake it before using.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
-Aubrey

Sprinkle Baking Soda in toilet.
Spray with vinegar (I got a squirt bottle for .97 at Target)

Close lid to toilet and let sit for 5 minutes. Clean toilet with brush.

Kids Bathtub Paints
My kids absolutely loved this!
-Aubrey

1/3 cup clear or white mild dish washing soap
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Food Coloring

Mix the mild dish soap and corn starch in a bowl. Spoon mixture into ice cube tray (about half full). I filled every other one to help keep the colors separate (at least for a little while). Mix in food coloring.



Let them paint!



I just used a wet paper towel to wipe down the tub and walls and rinsed it with water and all of the color was gone.

Homemade Baby Wet Wipes
Costco's Kirkland brand is $23.99 for 1000 wipes, At Walmart 8 rolls of Bounty (makes 16) was a little over $9 and gives you 56 wipes per roll. So 16 x 56 wipes=896 wipes...so you save a lot!
-Heidi



1. Cut paper towel roll in half..You need to use Bounty.
She used a knife. She said an electric knife worked well, too.

2. Remove cardboard Center



3. Add 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup water to 2 Qt. Rubbermaid container.

4. Add 2 Tbsp. baby oil and 1 Tbsp. Baby shampoo to water. Stir.

5. Place roll of paper towels in container. Turn container upside down.
Wait 24 hours to use.





Pull Towels from center of roll to use.

Cleaning Glass
-Kara O.

Use water in a spray bottle an wipe windows, mirrors, or other glass surfaces with newspaper.

She also used this to get rid of hard water spots on her shower door.

Unclogging Drains
-Julie

1/2 c. baking soda
1 c. vinegar

Pour both down the drain and plug immediately. Keep plugged until stops foaming. Rinse with hot water.

Lemon Dishwasher Detergent
-Julie

1/2 c. citric acid
1 1/2 c. borax
15 drops lemon essential oil

Combine and store in plastic sealable container. Use as usual in you dishwasher.

Febreeze (we use this a lot at our house and works great)
-Julie

32 oz spray bottle (I use my old febreeze bottles)
4 T. Ultra Downey Fabric Softener (if you use the ones with febreeze in it, it will almost exactly like real febreeze)
water to fill the bottle up

combine and shake.

Window Cleaner
-Julie

1/3 c. vinegar
4 c. water

Combine and put in spray bottle.

Fly Paper
-Julie

2 c. corn syrup
2 c. water

Bring to a boil on stove. In the mean time, cut brown grocery bags into strips. After mixture has boiled, dip strip into mixture. Hang.

Hard Water Remover
-Shellien


For those new to the area... use a pumice stone on the toilets for the hard water stains.

*Jessica added that these can be found at the dollar store next to WinCo.

Dish Scrubbers
-Shellien

Keep a small 10 cent foam paint brush next to your sink. It works wonders at getting food out of the seal on the tupperware lid.

When the white netting (tulle) goes on sale at Joanne's for 50 cents a yard I stock up for dish scrubbies. Cut a thick strip as large as you want your scrubbie. Scrunch it up and rubberband the middle. Fluff! Non scratching & can be bleached for multiple uses. ( Sometimes I even do colors for holidays.)

Cleaning Floors and Counters
(This is also great for wood floors)
-Meredith

Use 5 parts water to 1 part Vinegar.
Vinegar is a disinfectant.