DIY Febreeze, Wrinkle Releaser & Stain Remover

DIY Febreeze, Wrinkle Releaser & Stain Remover!

I am on a roll, let me tell ya :)

I love my DIY laundry soap, fabric softener and dryer sheets... so with the theme of laundry on the brain I started doing some research...

What are some other things in my laundry room that I could replace with a much more natural and less chemical version? And here's what I've found, AND LOVE!

3-18 OZ. SPRAY BOTTLES 

(I FOUND MINE AT WALMART IN THE GARDENING AREA)

YOUR DIY FABRIC SOFTENER 

ESSENTIAL OIL 

(THE SAME YOU USED IN YOUR FABRIC SOFTENER)

BAKING SODA

BLUE DAWN DISH SOAP

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 

DISTILLED WATER

I used chalk board paint to make my labels :)

Febreeze 

1/8 Cups of Fabric Softener

2 Tbs of Baking Soda

30 Drops of Essential Oils (the same you used in your fabric softener)

The rest Distilled Water

Wrinkle Releaser

3 Cups of Distilled Water

10 Tsp of Fabric Softener 

Stain Remover

2 Cups of Hydrogen Peroxide

1 Cup of Blue Dawn Dish Soap 

HAPPY WASHING!

Sloppy Joe's

Maybe when you think of Sloppy Joe's you think of those cans of manwich on the shelves at your local supermarket. I hope you also think of all kinds of additives and MSG -YUMM! So.. I have a solution, courtesy of the mid-west.

So now you've made your ketchup and mustard from scratch and you don't wanna just look at it sitting in the fridge, do you?

2 Tsp of Shortening 
1 Large chopped Onion
1 Large chopped Green Pepper
1.5 Lb of ground Beef or Turkey (I used turkey)
1 Cup of Ketchup (I used my homemade recipe)
4 Tbsp of Mustard (I used my homemade recipe)
1/4 Cup of Vinegar 
1/2 Tsp of Sugar (I used Stevia)
1 Tbsp of Brown Sugar

In a fry pan, brown meat with onion and green pepper. Drain and put in a sauce pan. Over medium heat add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Ketchup & Mustard From Scratch

DIY Fabric Softener & Dryer Sheets

 So, as many of you know, I am trying to go as chemical free as possible but being realistic with my expectations. If something just simply doesn't work, then to me its obviously not worth it. Since I am just so in love with my Homemade laundry detergent, I decided to take it a step further and go for fabric softener as well as dryer sheets. I know what your thinking, "isn't each of those only a dollar or two?" And yeah, they are, and for this project I pretty much broke even.

DIY Fabric Softener:
(Double the recipe if you plan to make the dryer sheets as well) 
1 Cup of distilled water
1 Cup baking soda
2 Cups of white vinegar 
25 Drops of essential oil (I used lavender purchased from Whole Foods)

In a large bowl, whisk water, baking soda and essential oil. Then SLOWLY pour in your vinegar. You will start to see the fizzle from the chemical reaction of mixing the 2 (think high school science fair volcano project). Once done fizzing, pour mixture into a sealable jar. After sitting a while, it will separate so  simply shake it up a little before using. 

DIY Dryer Sheets:
Take a package of coffee filters and separate them as best you can. Loosely put them in a container and pour your fabric softener over them until completely saturated. Wait about 15 minutes  for them to soak. Once time is up, ring them out as best as you can (you can pour what is left back into your jar to use as fabric softener if you want, don't wanna waste those essential oils!)  Separate them as best you can and lay them out on a cookie sheet to dry. It may take over night. Once dry, put them loosely in a large container and cover with a lid.

So, I have now been using both for over a month now. And it is lasting me a lot longer than I expected. When doing towels, pour your fabric softener in your downy dryer ball and it will sanitize and soften your towels. When drying clothes use 2-3 dryer sheets depending on the size of your load. When you take your laundry out, grab your shriveled up dryer sheet and stick it in a bag, you could easily get a second use out of them! Saving you a little bit more money :) As your sheets sit in the container they may change color a tad, simply due to the type of oil you use, but don't worry, it will not effect your clothing in any way.

And again:

HAPPY WASHING!

*Crock pot* German Potato Salad

Love my crock pot.

Love my German potato salad.

The end.

Here's my spin:

(Original recipe taken from my grandmothers high school cookbook)

10-12 Potatoes, Washed, Peeled, Sliced

8 Strips of Bacon, Fried and Chopped

4 Tbs. Corn Starch 

1/2 Cup of Vinegar 

21/2 Cups of Water 

1 Large Sweet Onion, Sliced

1 Tbs of Salt (To Taste)

1 Tbs of Pepper (To Taste)

4 Tbs of Parsley (Fresh or Dried)

1/4 Cup of Sugar (To Taste)

Wash, peel and slice your potatoes. I used my food processor and it got the job done pretty quick. 

Fry your bacon. I like it extra crisp. You want it firm enough to chop like so... Keep grease from bacon in fry pan.

 Over medium heat add to your bacon grease the chopped bacon and corn starch, stir. Next add your water and vinegar. the consistancy will begin to change.

Add sliced onions and rest of your dried ingredients. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. The Dressing will seem more syrup-like and the onions will soften.

Put Sliced potatoes in crock pot. Pour Skillet contents over and fold into the potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 4 hrs. Potatoes will be soft (but now mushy) when done. You could even slice up some kielbasi and throw it in there to make a complete meal.
Traditionally, you eat this dish WARM.

So why the crock pot? Well, I just feel so smart now being able skip the step of boiling the potatoes, waiting for them to cool, then slicing them....
*Pats self on back*
This was so good in fact, that I actually don't have an AFTER picture! I went that fast :) I will update the next time I make it :) ENJOY!

DIY Baby Wipes

Here's something I wish I knew about, oh.... like 6 years ago...! Sophia, baby number 4, has been no stranger to the evil diaper rash... as with all my kiddos, she too has that super sensitive skin. Baby wipes are made mainly with alcohol and can really ruff up a tushy, as well as dry out their faces after a messy meal. Being the faithful (addicted) pintrest adventurer that I am, I came across many different ideas for home made baby wipes. Here is my recipe, along with ingredients found at your local Walmart.

You will need 1 roll of Bounty paper towels
 (Trust me, they must be Bounty. I have tried the comparison brand and it just didn't hold up.)
1 Tbsp of coconut oil
1 Tbsp of baby wash
(I have never had a problem with Johnson's, but use whatever is best for your child during bath time)
2 containers with lids
(I found mine in the food storage isle. Make sure the roll of paper towels will fit snugly into the container)
1 1/4 Cup of distilled water
knife and scissors 

Find the middle and begin cutting in half. Using your knife, slice in the same direction  (NOT a back and forth motion)  Turn the roll of paper towels as you cut. It will look a little messy when done, but don't worry.

Using your scissors, trim off  the shredded pieces from cutting.
Now mix your water, coconut oil and baby wash in bowl. The measurements are for 1 container of baby wipes. If you are making 2 at a time, like I do, then double up the recipe.
Place each roll into their container. Pour  the mixed solution over top each one. Close with lid, and wait 5 minutes. 

After about 5 minutes, take the rolls out and turn them over. The rest of the solution will begin to move to the bottom of the roll.  Now you should be able to wiggle the paper tube out of the middle. Once you do that, find the end of the paper towels from the center and pull out.

Now to make a lid. Using sharp scissors, begin making an "X" 

My lid is made from a hard plastic, so the "X" wasn't flexible enough for the baby wipe to pull through, So I began to make more of a hole.

Put the lid on and pull through!

They smell awesome! And make the skin silky smooth! Since playing around with the home made baby wipes I have learned that a little goes a long way- unlike some store bought brands. I have tried Bounty "select a size" and actually liked the regular sized ones better. And as I said I also tried off brand paper towels and really just wasted my time (and money) as they just didn't hold up like they should. After purchasing your ingredients, which obviously you can/do use for other things, each tub of wipes will only cost you around 50 cents!