Green of the Week Link Party #2

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HOMEMADE CLEANING PRODUCTS!

This week is all about Homemade cleaning products.  I HATE how costly cleaning products are.  I would say I am a pretty clean person & I use them often so it adds up pretty quickly for me.  There are still a few products I like to use for heavy duty jobs but for the basics here are some recipies that I use around the house.  To make them it costs about 1/10th the cost per ounce of product, saves you money and saves the planet!

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon of your favorite liquid detergent

3 Tablespoons of vinegar

2 cups of water

1 spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER

1 cup or more of baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER

1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups of hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH

1/2 teaspoon of oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup of vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLER

Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way.  I buy mine from the local health store or Body Shop.  Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.  I like the smell though!

2 teaspoons of tea tree oil
2 cups of water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER

Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

Happy green cleaning!  ADD YOUR LINKS!!

NEW BLOG PARTY!! Green of the Week #1

I have decided to start something new and fun here at Shaydes.  Since I love all things 'green', color and eco-friendly, I am starting a bi-weekly post party called

Though I do love the color green, this time I am referring to the eco-friendly kind.  Every first and third Monday of the month I want to show you something cool and 'green' you can do for your house, self, or family either by myself or from another awesome blog that I have seen. 

 To keep all the GREENESSS going I want all of you to link up anything awesomely 'green' you have posted about.  It could be something old you restored, something re-purposed, something you planted, or something you recycled.  It does not have to be something you just did, you could have done it 3 years ago, as long as its GREEN! If you don't want to link up, leave a comment about the green of the week, I luuurve comments!

I strongly believe in being GREEN and I always find accomplishment in giving back to the environment as much as I can.  I hope you will join me in recyclemania!

This week is....dun dun dun...

A Dresser Drawer Herb Garden 

My Aunt picked me up four of these super cute & simple looking old dresser drawers for FREE at a garage sale a couple months ago.  Unfortunately one of them was destroyed during the move to Florida but that is okay, I like odd numbers better anyway.  This week I decided to turn one of them into my new mini herb garden for my apartment (I will do the same to the other two when I live somewhere with more space).




This is what I used to have, worked fine but I have used most of the plants and needed to purchase more.

I went to Home Depot and picked up some new herbs.  I was only able to get Chives & Sweet Basil because it has been too hot down here for anything else to survive.  I will add Rosemary & Cilantro to the mix later, those four are the herbs that I use most.



To start I painted my dresser drawer a light teal-blue.  I didn't totally cover it in paint to make it look a little bit more weathered.  Gotta love the shabby chic!

I let it dry then added some cute butterfly knobs that I picked up for $3 on clearance for a set of four (I got two sets so I can add them to my other ones later).  I didn't screw any hole in the bottom of the drawer for water, it had some cracks/holes in it to begin with & that will be enough with how hot it is here.  Water drys up quick!  Finally I added the plants and some potting soil to the drawer....

Recycled herb goodness!  Not only is the planter re-purposed, but growing my own herbs is also a way to be self sustainable.  Now show me your GREEN GOODNESS!