˚challenge˚ It Will Make you Happy!

Do you ever just feel blah? Like you need a little pick-me-up?

Try cleaning the fridge. Preferably right before you go grocery shopping.

Do you want to see my before and after pictures? It was bad. Really bad.

So I took everything out, including the shelves and drawers, and wiped them down with a solution of water and vinegar (about 1/4 c. vinegar in a gallon of water), using baking soda as a scrub when needed. And trust me. It was needed!

Ah. Much better!

My clean fridge made me so happy that I mopped the floor. Really!

So the challenge? Clean your fridge.

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˚tutorial˚ Ode to Scotch Guard and Mom

While we were prepping for the Vintage Picnic Wedding (check out some of the tutorials here...and watch for more throughout the coming posts), I couldn't keep up with Mom. 

She was project crazy. 

One second she would be working on wedding stuff and the next she was out scotch guarding the pillows, or washing her car mats (that one's coming up soon). I felt camera happy just trying to keep up with everything she was doing. 

And I thought I liked projects. This woman left me in the dust.

Here is a little tip that she shared. With 8 kids in the house growing up, she learned to love scotch guard. (She even took my wedding dress into the shower and sprayed that sucker down before I wore it for my bridals. And I bet you guessed that before the little sister headed out the door to her bridals, she whipped it out again. Never can get enough scotch guard.

Anyway.

Mom took off all the cushion covers (and used a marker on the inside tag to number them so she would know which cushion went with which) and all the pillow covers.  She washed them in the washing machine on cold. 

Then she tumble dried on low, ironed those suckers, put the cushions back inside, and took them out to be scotch guarded. 

She sprayed one light coat (holding the can about 10 inches from the fabric), waited for it to dry, and then did another. She says multiple light coats are better than one heavy coat. And I believe her. 'Cause clearly she's the scotch guard master.

And because she is project happy and I couldn't keep up with her, I only have an after picture. But you should have seen them before.

So there it is. And ode to scotch guard. And Mom.

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˚organizational tip˚ Throw Blankets

(Did you see the giveaway here? If not, make sure you enter. You better hurry though. It closes tomorrow at midnight. I hope you win!)


There is nothing like grabbing a cuddly blanket to hang out with on the couch. Read a good book. Talk to your kids or spouse. Watch a movie. Believe me, the possibilities are endless.

But...

If your house is anything like ours, these blankets often get left out and about. 

Instead of worrying about a carefully organized linen closet, we keep a hamper next to the couch where such culprits can be easily stuffed inside, or pulled out in a hurry. (Especially critical for fort building on a whim.)

It makes cleanup simple and stress free (not to mention a linen closet that is still carefully organized...if you even have one).

Did I just say simple and stress free cleaning? I sure did. Go grab yourself a good looking hamper and stuff those fort-building blankets inside.

And check out the giveaway....who doesn't love free stuff?

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˚cleaning tip˚ Smelly Sinks

A few days ago I kept smelling a horrible stench coming from our sink. When I stuck my nose closer to the disposal my eyes almost started watering. Needless to say, it was time for my favorite cleaning friends to come out and play.

Vinegar and Baking Soda.

First, I ran the disposal with water running to make sure I cleaned all the big gunk out that may have been stuck down there. Next I poured a heap of baking soda down the drain.

Down went the vinegar afterwards. I let is sit and bubble for about 15 minutes before I rinsed everything down.

Ahhhh! Much better. And just in case you need another trick, try grinding up your orange/lemon/lime peels every once in awhile. Gives it a nice citrus smell.

Happy sink de-smelling!

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˚cleaning tip˚ Clogged Drains

I really hate clogged drains. They are annoying and the thought of junk trapped in the drain kind of grosses me out. But this stuff is pretty toxic and expensive:

source

 (Not to mention the fact that you have to use almost the whole bottle for one fix.) 

Lame!

I thought I would share a cheap, non-toxic way to unclog drains. FYI: This does not work on really really clogged drains,but it works great for slow draining drains, and as a occasional remedy to prevent clogged drains. (Just do it every time you clean your bathroom and you will never have to use a plunger in the sink. Gross!)

source

Thats right folks. Vinegar and baking soda. just pour about 1/4 c. baking soda down the clogged drain and add about 1/4 c. vinegar and watch it bubble. You might have to do it twice, but even still, this remedy is cheaper and less toxic. 

And, there are about a million other things that vinegar and baking soda do well, but more on that to come later!

Happy Unclogging!

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˚laundry tip˚ Whiter Whites

Around these parts, our whites tend to turn yellow. That might be because we have owned the same clothing for years (don't judge). Regardless, do you want a trick for getting those yellowed whites to be a little brighter? Well...here you go!

You'll need:
1/2 c. dry clorox 2
1/2 c. dishwasher powder (granules)

Place your clothes in the washing machine basket (is that what they are called?) and fill with HOT water. Add the clorox and dishwasher powder and run the cycle for about 1 minute (just to mix the everything together). Let your clothes sit in the water overnight. Run a normal cycle the next day.

Enjoy your whiter whites!

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