Aug 3, 2011

Homemaking Fun

Each day God is instilling in me this great love for homemaking! I love my role in the home, and though it takes work, there is a lot of joy to it. The past couple weeks I found some great finds and recipes for the home!

This homemade fabric softener is awesome! It makes our clothes smell good too, and has been a good addition to my homemade laundry detergent :) It literally costs pennies to make. With some coupons, this could be free!


I went yard saling with a friend recently and found this metal rack for $3. It is in excellent shape, so I put in my laundry room. The top of it has my laundry essentials, and for now the bottom two are just tools and my husband's car-cleaning goods. I will get it more organized another time, but it's very functional which is key!

I made a bigger batch of homemade laundry detergent, so I no longer use the yogurt container to store it. Instead, I kept a couple of these large plastic ice cream tubs and they're in good use! The plastic bin I got for $1 at Dollar Tree. In the bin is my detergent, fabric softener, soap bars and conditioner (ingredients), mesh bag for delicate laundering, and any free detergent samples I come across. 

Another great thing I learned is the Swish & Swipe method from Fly Lady. I have been doing this everyday for a week now! Click on the link above to learn about Swish & Swipe - it is great! Here is my Swish & Swipe caddy. In it I have my cleaner (I use white vinegar) in a spray bottle, shampoo, and rags (I cut up an old t-shirt). This also costs pennies! 

I have also *successfully* found and made homemade dishwasher detergent using borax, washing soda and kosher salt. I made this in a large batch and placed in what used to be an oatmeal container. White vinegar is used as a rinse aid. I love how versatile vinegar is! No cloudy film and dishes come out sparkly clean!


Yesterday I found these silicone mini loaf pans! I've been wanting some mini loaf pans and when I saw these for only 99 cents each I had to grab them! I also found some organic canned pumpkin for only 99 cents each. I'm going to make some chocolate chip pumpkin loaves today - also to pack in hubby's lunches :)


And last but not least - some homemaking relaxation. I transformed this wooden tray into a bedside book tray. I fell in love with the Beverly Lewis book series The Postcard and The Crossroad. I just finished both of them! I also keep in here my Bible, index cards for memory verses and journal. Alongside are some fresh flowers and pillow mist :)

I have linked this post to the Homemaking Link-Up at Raising Homemakers! You can link yours too!

2 comments:

  1. Would you please share your dishwashing detergent recipe? I'm still not satisfied with mine! Even with a vinegar rinse, my dishes and flatware are sometimes a bit filmy. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi there! I have been using a recipe that calls for the following:

    1 Tablespoon of Borax
    1 Tablespoon of Super Washing Soda
    2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

    I made a larger batch (not the greatest at math so I had my husband do the converting)

    One thing that also helps is to every 1-2 weeks run your dishwasher empty on a full cycle. I fill the detergent cup and then sprinkle additional borax on the bottom of the dishwasher. This seems to also help! We have an older dishwasher and the dishes have definitely been the cleanest they've been since running an empty wash and using the above recipe. Hope this helps!!!!

    ReplyDelete