Fruit & Veggie Wash - Go Green

We've gone apple picking a lot this month.  On our last trip, we picked up roughly 15lbs of apples!  That's a lot of pies!! :)

As I'm sitting there staring at our fruit overload, I figured there had to be a better way to do bulk washing, so I went in search and came across this gals blog.  It was very useful and seemed to do the trick just fine.  I followed her instructions, but I did cut back on the vinegar because I have a farm house sink, so one side is much larger and deeper than the other.

Note to those of you whom also have farm sinks: I used the smallest side of my sink to wash the fruit, and used approximately 5 gallons of water to 1/2c of vinegar ratio.

Using her method really saved me a lot of time.  I hope it helps you out as well!


To start;

You'll Need:
Half Full Sink Water
1c. Vinegar
Hard Fruit or Veggie (not recommended for lettuces or soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries)

To start; Fill your sink with water and with your hand mix in vinegar:

 Remove all the stems/leaves from your fruit:

Add your fruit to the vinegar bath:

Sit for 10 min's, rinse well, and lay them out to dry:

 

That's it.  Now you can enjoy your fruit with ease, and better yet, it's GREEN!

I love simplicity!

Painting/Updating your Trash Can!

We have a very old, grimey, trash can, that has definitely seen better days.

It has been in our lives for at the last 9, 10 years, dating back to when we were living in an apartment.

About 8 years ago, we bought our home, and since then this trash can has been moved around from being the every day trash receptacle, to being the catch all for drywall, insulation, tile, and you name it.  Basically what I'm saying is, our entire house, has probably fit into this trash can at one time or another, so you can only imagine how the once crisp white, has turned more into a dull white-ish - grey color, yet it's still very functional, but it was time for some sprucing up!

If you have a trash can, or even a laundry hamper (!!!) that needs some updating; 

You'll Need:
1 clean trash bin
Paint (I used the FREE paint I mentioned about here)
Paint Brush
Floor Protector
Decals (optional)

With these simple tools,and some (wo)man hours, you can go from this:

Before

To THIS:

After

Now I'd say that's a vast improvement!  Wouldn't you?

Swiffer Refill

Did you know that you can REFILL the Swiffer Jet refills?! 

Neither did I, but it's such exciting news!!  

I have ALWAYS hated buying the refills for these.  In fact, I hate buying them so much, that my Swiffer has sat in our garage collecting dust for the last 6 months or so.   

Soooo...here we are...another DIY :)

You'll Need:

Swiffer Solution Bottle

Your favorite cleaning solution

Pot with boiling water

Towel

Funnel (optional)

Tap Water

To start; All you do is boil a small pot of water.  

 Holding the bottom of the Swiffer bottle with a towel, submerge the tip of the bottle into the boiling water for 15 seconds.  Doesn't take much.

Once the 15 seconds is up, twist off the cap with a towel

Viola!

Now to refill your bottle with solution.  I read the back of the bottle I was using.  

For floors, mine said to use 1/4c. cleaner to 1 gallon of water.  

I didn't want this to be an exact science, so using a funnel, pour the solution in up to the bottom of the label and then with water to dilute.  You'll probably have some bubble spillage.

 This solution smells so wonderful, is sooooo much cheaper than buying expensive refill bottles, AND it saves Mother Earth.  Win-Win-Win!

Homemade Laundry Detergent. Psst...No Grating!!!

When I stumbled upon this find here, I knew she was onto something grand!  Seriously!!  I have looked, and LOOKED, AND LOOKED, at these homemade laundry detergent recipes until my eyes have stung, but with ALL the work, and in all honesty - laziness, these recipes have never truly sang to me until now.

Jillie was seriously onto something here, and she really sparked my interest when she said "No Grating".  No grating?!  Did she truly just say those words out loud?!! 

Right then and there, I knew this was the one homemade laundry detergent I HAD to try!

Besides, what did I really have to lose?  Not much!

If you'd like to try out this no grating process, you've come to the right place!

Crafty Momma's concentrated version of Jillie's No Grate Homemade Laundry Soap:

You'll Need:
3 TBSP. of Borax
3 TBSP. of  Washing Soda
2 TBSP. of  Dish soap  - We used a mixture. 1 TBSP. Palmolive with Oxy Clean (to help fight all those 2 year old Oopsie's), and 1 TBSP of Dawn Hawaiian Pineapple Scent, so that it would smell fantastic! UPDATE:  Tried this the second time w/ Gain dish soap - Ah...Heaven in a cup!
4  Cups of Hot Water
Jug to hold the solution - I used an old Gain detergent bottle
Measuring Cup (optional)
Funnel (optional)

Pour 4 cups of hot tap water into a jug or measuring cup.  I chose measuring cup since it was my 1st time.  I wanted to see what I was working with!
 
Add ingredients to the water, and whisk or swirl until ingredients are dissolved in the liquid.

Let liquid cool.

 

Once the liquid has cooled, add to your jug.  I used a funnel to help me along the way.  This is completely optional, but I know I don't have the steadiest hand with a 2 year old typically climbing on me, and wanting to help, so this was the best route. :)

To wash clothes: Start maching machine as you normally would, then add 1/4-1/2 cup solution. I typically use just under 1/2c.  

I have done about 10 loads of laundry (so far) using this solution, and it has been great.  I truly have not noticed any difference (cleanliness wise) between using my all time favorite detergent (Gain) and this. The only thing I've noticed is the fragrance isn't as strong, so it's not like you're catching a whiff of meadow-y aroma when you pull out your clothes, like you get with Gain.  I'm thinking most of that is because I used 1/2 and 1/2 dish soaps.  One with fragrance and one without.  Next time, I'll make a double or triple the batch, and sub the more fragrance one for a portion of the Palmolive with Oxy.

Just like Jillie, I love this DIY detergent, because you can pick whatever awesome scent, but above all, the soaps I chose, have not bothered my skin what so ever.  My daughter and I both have very sensitive skin, so I was very pleased about that!

Additional Information:  This laundry detergent is thin.  Almost watery like, but it still does the job.  For real!

I guess those "20 Mule Borax" people know what they're doing since it's been around since 1891! 

FYI: This detergent is also low suds'ing, which means it is also great for those of you with HE washers!


Please let me know if you decide to try this homemade version, and it you have any additional tips/tricks! I'd love to hear your feedback!!