This week, Greg is ultra busy at work so I’m focusing my energy on organizing and deep-cleaning every room in the house before the 3-day weekend coming up. I’m tackling one or two areas of the house per day, and today I’m busy at work in the laundry room and half bathroom. So, while I haven’t had time this week for a DIY/decorating project of any sort, I’m getting stuff done. Fo sho. That being the case, I don’t have much time to chat, but I do have a short, sweet and helpful tip to dish out.
Earlier today, it was time to clean the microwave (which we keep on a rolling cart in the laundry room closet since we rarely use it), I planned on using the vinegar/water/bowl/sponge method seen fifty-eleven times on Pinterest. But. We were out of white vinegar. Imagine me saying, “Nooooooo…” and kneeling down to the floor in despair. Okay, not really.
Rather than running out to the store just for vinegar, I decided to improvise and use dish detergent. I put about 10 pumps of Dawn in a bowl of warm water and stuck it in the microwave for 1 minute. When time was up, I put a sponge in the now hot mixture and started scrubbing away. Easy peasy!
I hate to admit it, because I’m a clean freak, but there was some oatmeal that exploded on the top of the microwave that I didn’t realize was there for a while. So it was pretty cooked on. Gross, I know. But, much to my surprise, using this method, it came right off with a swipe of the sponge and the entire microwave was like brand new in a matter of minutes. Which, without a doubt, makes my clean freak heart happy.
I have to admit, I’ve never been one to be big on making my own dish detergent, laundry soap, toothpaste, etc. Even though we usually buy natural cleaning supplies (like Method and Seventh Generation), I’m one of those people who thinks it’s easier to just go to the store and buy it. I know, total slacker. However, little by little I’m exploring and experimenting with homemade alternatives like using a Dawn and vinegar mixture as a shower glass cleaner, dry mustard as a deodorizer or the thousand and one uses for vinegar. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about a homemade, non-toxic alternative to Goo Gone (that orange-y smelling stuff that gets the gunk from price tags and labels off of things). Little did I realize that products such as Goo Gone or Goof Off have a long list of warnings, including eye/skin irritation, unconsciousness if ingested (wow!) and high flammability. So, in an effort to attempting to try more homemade alternatives, I decided to give a natural, homemade solution a try. And… I loved it. I might even go as far as to call it brilliant. I was so excited about this stuff that I had to share it with you here on the blog…
To make this concoction, all you need are equal parts baking soda and coconut oil. I don’t know if it matters or not, but I used organic unrefined virgin coconut oil. Right out of the jar, it’s pretty hard (kind of like the consistency of creamy wax).
Because of the hard(ish) consistency, after I measured the coconut oil, I popped it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds then added the baking soda. To fill a 4oz canning jar, you’ll need 1/3 cup of each ingredient.While the mixture was still warm, I poured it right into the canning jar.
I let it sit out on the kitchen counter overnight (with the lid off) to solidify. Since I’m pretty much head over heals for this stuff, I decided to make a few more jars of the concoction to give to a couple friends and my Aunt Dee Dee – who is totally crazy about things like this. She makes her own…everything, haha.
Obviously, I immediately had to take this stuff out for a test run. I’ve been collecting glass jars for a while (for what, I have no idea yet), and some of them still have some of the sticky residue from the label on them. I took a bit of the mixture, rubbed it on the sticky areas, and let it sit. About five minutes later, I used a paper towel to rub off the “goo remover” and the label remnants started coming right off. I rinsed the jar using warm water and a bit of dish detergent, and it came out clean as a whistle. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised at how well it worked. It smells so good – much better than the weird orange smell of the other stuff. Greg even mentioned that he thinks it works better than Goo Gone. Go figure! Plus, my hands were super soft after I used it, haha.
Needless to say, being the label-lover that I am, I had to design a label for the jars. I also included the ingredients just in case my friends/family fall in love with this stuff as much as I did and want to make more. You can download the labels in four colors by clicking the button at the bottom of the post.
Overall, this is definitely a “baby step” I’m glad I took, and a jar of this stuff has found a permanent home under the sink.
As I mentioned in this His + Her post back in August, I’m kind of addicted to washi tape (also known around the blog world as paper tape). I keep a small bowl of my favorite designs (mostly stripes!) on my desk, and I reach over to use a piece or two a few times a day on average. It’s like an everyday necessity around here – like pens or Post-Its The main thing I love about washi tape is that it’s easily removable on pretty much any surface (even paper!) and doesn’t leave surface residue when you remove it. And… it’s pretty! ; )
A few days ago, I posted a photo on Instagram of my washi tape adorned keyboard (If you’re on Instagram, you can find me at 7thHouseBlog). After just a few minutes, there were 25 “likes”. That being the case, I thought it would be fun to do a quick post on 7 ways I’ve been using my beloved washi tape around the house. You know how we like the number 7 around here. Here we go…
1. iPhone Charger Label – With all of the iPhones in our family, it’s easy to get all of our chargers mixed up. When my little brother is in town, my iPhone charger seems to mysteriously go missing. To tell mine apart from the others, I just put a small piece of washi tape on the block. This will come in especially handy when the holidays roll around. It’s a simple, pretty way to say “mine” and prevent Abram from trying to swipe it. ; ) Psst… The Target brand paper tape is the perfect width for iPhone charger blocks.
2. Easy Gift Wrap – To me, wrapping a gift for someone is just as much fun as picking it out. Is that weird? A few weeks ago, I was wrapping a gift for a friend of ours and realized I didn’t have any bows. Plus, I was mailing it, so even if I had a bow, I wouldn’t want the bow to get smashed during shipping. So, my handy dandy washi tape came into play. It’s fun to create different designs and combine fun patterns.
3. Spruce Up Your Work Space - As I mentioned earlier, I randomly posted this one on Instagram a few days ago. It’s so simple, but it makes typing a little more fun — and pretty. The tape sticks on really well (I’ve had it on my keyboard for over a month!) and it gives the keyboard a quirky custom look. The MT brand washi tape is the perfect width for apple keyboard keys. The smaller keys (like the numbers and function buttons) may need a little trimming, but that can easily be done with a small sharp craft knife.
4. Make an Instant (& Removable) Memo Board - Before the end of the day, my desk is usually full of notes to myself, reminders, clippings, mail that needs to go out and so on. Now, instead of cluttering up my desk, I just use a piece of tape and stick it on the wall next to my desk. It gets the mess off my desk and up on the wall, where I’ll see it and be sure to de-clutter by the end of the week. I guess you could say it keeps my to-dos flowing. Since I tend to use a lot of tape for this, I like to use Target’s paper tape because it’s less expensive than other brands. You can find it in the Up & Up section of the office supply isle. It’s only $4.99 for 5 rolls.
5. Brown & Barkley Packaging – After a few months of trial and error, I finally found the perfect way to ship our Brown & Barkley prints while keeping them in perfect condition. First, I put the print in a cellophane bag along with a piece of chipboard the same size as the print. Then, I use a few pieces of washi tape to attach the print (and the enclosure card) to a piece of cardboard, also the same size as the print. The washi tape tightly secures the print to the board without leaving any sticky residue on the cellophane. If the customer bought the print as a gift for someone, they can easily lift the tape, remove the enclosure card (which is a thank you card with their name on it) and put the tape back in place. Easy peasy! Can you tell by now that I use the striped tape the most?
6. Dress Up A Notepad - I use notepads daily. You will literally find them all over our house. I’m a sucker for pretty notebooks, but I like using small notepads to make quick to-do lists or draw out an idea in my head. By adding a piece of washi tape, you can easily customize a notebook, then change out the tape whenever you want to (because it doesn’t leave any residue).
7. Calendar Notes - For important notes in my calendar, I use a piece of washi tape. If plans change, it’s easy to move from one date to another. It’s especially fun to use it for notes like vacations, since you can make it as long or short as you need to.
So, that’s 7 ways I use washi tape on a daily basis. If any of you out there on the other side of the screen have a washi tape obsession as well, be sure to share your favorite uses in the comments!
