Another furniture update

Would you believe we were given another free couch! Our sweet friends here in Jackson were getting a couch from her parents, and gave us their old one :) Which is probably the newest thing we have owned in our whole marriage, or maybe newest looking thing. :)

And a bookshelf on craigslist. I love how tall it is :)

We do feel truly blessed. A few months ago I remember all I wanted was to be able to sit next to Andy while watching a movie or a show. Not on the floor or on hard wooden chairs, just next to each other. Or how all I wanted was to sit at a table to eat my food, or read my bible. And the Lord has answered our prayers above and beyond, especially with our house starting to feel like home.

And though furniture is nice,  it is just stuff. We continue to pray that the Lord will fill this house with loved ones. 

¡Viva la Revolución!

We just switched to almost all homemade cleaning products!

Here is what I bought:

Here is what I made:

And here is all I need to clean my house:

Ingredients I bought:

liquid castile soap

bar soap

borax

baking soda

washing soda

vinegar

essential oils (optional)

microfiber rags

What I made:

laundry detergent

produce wash

all-purpose cleaner

toilet bowl cleaner

carpet cleaner

window/mirror cleaner

floor cleaner 

Yesterday I took my little blue basket around and cleaned my whole house, including dusting, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, the whole sha-bang. And it had not been clean in an embarrassing long time, too. And so far I am sold on making my own products. Everything worked really well. Except what I was using for the window cleaner (water and a microfiber cloth). Also I am just using a damp cloth to dust, so I'll need to find something for our wood furniture.  Also I would love to find an easy/good recipe for dish soap.

I made a list of all the product recipes and taped it to the inside of the cabinet with all the supplies so I won't have to go searching every time something runs out.

So more importantly why did I do all this? And is it worth it?

I like the idea of natural, safe products. I love that I don't have to go to the store when something runs out, but that I can make it at home. But what I LOVE is that it just makes sense, and cents as well :).  

The most expensive items are the essential oils and liquid castile soap. Both were between $8-15. However, I probably won't have to buy them again for a few years. That's right, I said years. And everything else cost less than $15 total (and that includes buying 2 boxes of borax, washing soda, and baking soda!) Again, with the exception of things I don't know how to make like dish soap, I don't need to buy cleaning products for almost a whole year! And if I do it will be the most used things like vinegar, and baking soda. So easy, and smart, and efficient, all things that I love.

So if you completely bored or have no desire to make your own products, stop reading here, but if you want the recipes/or what I used for each thing I'll post it below. 

Cleaning Recipe List

---

All-Purpose Cleaner:
3 tablespoons of distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of washing soda
1/2 teaspoon of castille soap
10 (or so) drops of essential oil (or 1/4 cup of lemon juice)
2 cups of hot water

All-purpose cleaner: * this is the one that I used
2 teaspoons washing soda
4 teaspoons borax
1 teaspoon castille soap
4 cups hot water
10 drops of essential oil

Laundry Detergent:
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar of grated castille soap

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:
Liquid castille soap
Baking soda or borax
Scrub with a toilet brush.
** I put the soap in a travel bottle and the B.S in a small mason jar with holes punch through the lid. To clean the toilet, I just add a few drops and sprinkle a little/or a lot of B.S depending on how bad the toilet is.

Floors:
¼ c vinegar and water in a bucket (add essential oils)

Windows/Mirrows:
I tried water and microfiber cloth, but it was too linty, here’s one I found but haven’t tried yet:
1 c. water
2 T. vinegar
2 T. rubbing alcohol
1 1/2 t. cornstarch

Dusting:
damp microfiber cloth

Oven Cleaner:
Dampen with water
Sprinkle liberally with baking soda
Leave 20 minutes, then scrub until clean.

Microwave Cleaner:
½ c. vinegar
2 c. water
Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash:
1 cup water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. baking soda
Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.

Drain Cleaner:
1 c. baking soda first
1 c. white vinegar second
1 gallon boiling water
Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.

Carpet Stain Remover: *** so far I have tried this once on a dirty stain, so far so good
1 part borax
10 parts warm water
Combine in spray bottle. Spray on stain, wait 5 minutes, blot with clean rag.

Carpet Stain Remover:
vinegar
baking soda
Mix vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Gently work into stain with a toothbrush. Let dry then vacuum completely.

**Still need dish soap :)

Mug'brownie

We had a mug brownie last. And it was delicious and SO easy, dangerously easy.

There are other recipes, that may be better but I liked this one because I've almost memorized it and I only need my measuring spoons, a fork for stirring, and a mug. I found it on Pinterest if you want to check it out.

Mug Brownie

4 tbs flour
4 tbs sugar
2 tbs cocoa
2 tbs veg. oil
2 tbs water or coffee
pinch of salt

Mix dry first, then add the liquids and microwave for 30 seconds at a time till it is done. Mine took only 1 minute!!

The result is a hot and gooey brownie, made even better with ice cream on top :)