Laurie's Everyday Notions

Have you ever made a model volcano erupt?  The kids LOVE it. Even The Boy, who has seen many mom-made volcanic eruptions, still loves the excitement of waiting for the fizz. The simple concoction of baking soda and vinegar is also a magical cleaning combo. A couple of weeks ago I was rushing around the kitchen (like that's a surprise) and accidentally dropped the coffee filter basket (full of moist, used coffee grounds) on the floor. I pulled out the vacuum which picked up most the grounds but a brown stain remained on the carpet. I wish I had taken a before and after picture however it wasn't until the carpet started fizzing that I even thought about blogging this. I mean really, this is just every day life at my zoo. I just sprinkled baking soda on top of the stain and carefully poured the vinegar. Then watched the fizz. It's an exciting part of my day. I get really excited when the fizz turns coffee brown as it lifts the stain from the carpet. Pretty ...

Basket of cleaning supplies BAKING SODA (mega bag!) WASHING SODA BORAX FELS NAPTHA VINEGAR RUBBING ALCOHOL HYDROGEN PEROXIDE Add another bar of Fels Naptha and a few more gallons of vinegar and I'm covered for the year.  Cost of cleaning supplies (including laundry soap): Less that $40 a year The borax, washing soda and fels naptha, until now, have been used exclusively for laundry soap . Although I have rubbed stains with a wet bar of fels naptha before throwing the piece of clothing in the wash. I have also started to use borax in my "soaking pail" for cloth diapers. In a pinch I will use equal parts of washing soda and borax as a dishwasher det Baking soda is used for almost anything! Scouring my sink, removing stains from my white counter tops, removing stains from carpet, removing urine stench from couch cushions (preschool nappers...need I say more?), carpet deodorizer, armpit deodorizer, shoe deodorizer, etc. Vinegar can be used for drain cleaner, ...

Last week I was "detailing" my dining room. As part of my "LESS in 2012",  my goal is to get every room (even the laundry room) detailed clean and clutter free. Last week I picked the easiest room in the house. It's always good to feel a little success when the project before you seems a bit overwhelming.  While cleaning, I pulled out my homemade polish to shine up my pie safe/craft cupboard, my antique clock and my dusty plant.  The polish is simply olive oil and lemon juice.  I took a feather dust to my plant first but that did little in removing the dust. I poured a little oil on a polishing cloth and gently wipe the leaves.  The little crevices in my clock are impossible to get to with a polishing cloth so I grabbed a stiff painting brush, dipped it in oil and gently brushed away the dust! After dusting/oiling the crevices, I wiped the excess oil with the polishing cloth. With all my "pretties" dusted and shiny it was time to polis...