Cleaning your kitchen just got easier, healthier and less expensive!

If  you look under your sink, how many bottles of cleaner are there? How much money do you have invested? Well, there are some really good things you can use to clean surfaces with that are safe, cheap, and probably already in your kitchen. The following are some things that I have found on the web, used myself, and continue to use because they really work. Elbow grease needs to be added, but the payoff is safer, healthier and less expensive cleaners.

Today we will start in the Kitchen. These are a few of my favorite things. With the exception of the essential oils, these are things most of us already have on hand. Lets take a look at them.

The most useful items in your 'natural' DIY arsenal are: 

• Vinegar, both distilled white and apple cider
• Baking Soda
• Lemon Juice
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Vegetable oil
• Borax
• Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree, and any other essential oils you want to use. Several have antibacterial properties.
• Water

Looks like quite a list! All or most of these items are already in your kitchen. They are non-toxic and do not pollute the air you breathe, or the surfaces you come in contact with. Harsh chemicals such as bleach, ammonia, and a lot of the additives in cleaners you may normally use give off toxic gases that can affect your respiratory and/or other organs as well as irritate your skin. They can also run up your household expenses. These items are all inexpensive (with the exception of the oils, but you are only using drops at a time). I try to buy in big quantities to save even more money. With these few, natural, inexpensive items you can eliminate just about all the cost and clutter under your sink!

Start with these easy switches to save money and live healthier:

DISHES: 

• I am sorry to say that I have been unable to find a liquid dish soap that is satisfactory. I have made some that clean very well, but don't last. I did make one recipe that did a wonderful job on the dishes. The glassware came out squeaky. I got used to there not being any bubbles. Contrary to popular belief, the bubbles do not do the cleaning! Unfortunately, it seemed that it lost its power quickly and I had to keep adding to it. I have tried some that don't work at all. I will keep looking and if I find one I will let you know. You can tell me if you know of one.
• Dishwasher soap is a different story. You can make really neat little ice cube sized nuggets that pop right in the dishwasher. To make these, combine 2 cups washing soda, 2 cups Borax, 1/2 cup Epsom salt, 1/2 cup vinegar and 10-20 drops of Lemon essential oil. Mix this all together and push into ice cube treys or some other 'mold' that fits in your dishwasher. Let these harden for 24 to 36 hours and pop them out. You can wrap each individually in waxed paper to keep it from sticking to others in the storage container. Just be sure they are in a water and air tight container. 

SINKS,  DRAINS AND FIXTURES: 

• Purchase a shaker jar with 1/4 inch holes in the top designed for cheese at a dollar store and fill it with baking soda. Keep it next to the sink so you can easily get to it. Shake some into the sink after washing dishes, wipe it down then rinse. Not only will your sink shine and smell fresh, but the sponge will too! Removes water spots from chrome and stainless steel sinks and fixtures. Be sure to rinse well. Add to the cleaning power by making a paste with baking soda, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Works to clean crayon off walls as well. A paste also works well with a wire brush to clean up messy, greasy grill.
• When you are done with the box in the fridge, use it to clean the drains. Dump half a cup down the drain followed by a pint of boiling water. If this doesn't get the drain running, try putting a half cup vinegar in with the baking soda and cover the drain. Give it a chance to 'fizz up', you may want \to leave over night. Then pour down the boiling water down the drain.  
• Mix half a cup of vinegar with a gallon of water to clean no-wax floors. This mixture can even be used on hardwood floors.
• Sprinkle some baking soda on a damp sponge to wipe out the microwave and fridge to leave them clean and smelling fresh

MICROWAVE:

• Place a bowl with about a half cup of vinegar and a half cup of water in your microwave. Microwave on high for two to five minutes. Let the bowl cool slightly. Dampen a sponge with the vinegar solution and use it to wipe out the microwave. You will be amazed at how easily stuck on bits of food come off. You can use the same sponge and vinegar to clean the front of the microwave as well.

STOVE/OVEN:

• Okay. One of my least favorite smells is ammonia. I hate that stuff. But, this little trick is worth the smell. Cleaning the burner pans on the stove is always a pain. This way is so easy. Just take the burner pans (you can do the same with the burners if necessary) and place each one in a plastic baggie. Add a splash of ammonia to each bag, seal it up and leave them in the sink over night. The next day, plug your nose and close your eyes (you probably want gloves as well)...open the bags and dump out the ammonia. Take out the burner pans and just give them a wash in the sink with dish soap. If you need added scrubbing, try a little baking soda/vinegar paste.
• Baking soda and a damp sponge work well to wipe the top of the stove. You could also use a vinegar/water solution.
• To safely clean glass top stoves, use a paste of 1 part baking soda, 1 part salt and 1 part water. Rinse well with clean water.
• To clean the oven, (one of my least favorite things), make a paste of 1 Tbsp Dawn or another liquid soap, 1 1/2 C Baking Soda, 1/4 C distilled white vinegar, and 5-10 drops of any essential oil you like. Paint this onto the inside of the oven (after removing the racks). You can use a small paint brush or pastry brush or whatever you have that is inexpensive and available. Let this sit for 6-8 hours to overnight. To remove this, use clean water and a sponge. It will take a bit to remove, you will need to change your water several times. (Then vow to do it more often).

CUPBOARDS, COUNTER TOPS:

• Clean really greasy surfaces, like under the stove hood, with a few drops of vegetable oil on a paper towel. Sounds weird, but it works. Then finish up with a vinegar/water solution or the disinfectant spray below.
• Use either a 1:1 vinegar spray or a damp sponge with baking soda to make counters shine. Remember, distilled white vinegar will kill 90% of mold and 99% bacteria. When using vinegar, keep in mind that the smell will go away when it dries. 
• A great way to clean wooden cutting boards is with plain distilled white vinegar. Use this alone to wipe off the board.

FRIDGE/FREEZER:

• Place an open box of baking soda in the fridge and in the freezer to eliminate odors. 
• Use a damp sponge sprinkled with baking soda to wipe out surfaces. Rinse well after with water.
• A vinegar/water solution can also be used to clean both inside and out. Use a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to get at tough spots inside and out.
• Vegetable oil can be helpful in removing 'sticky' residues.

ODORS:

• Shake some baking soda into the bottom of the garbage can to stop odors.
• Don't forget the box of baking soda in the fridge and freezer to remove odors. Works well in closets, other storage areas and shoes too! Great for campers. Mix a little with water to clean fishing gear. A little bowl with half a cup of Baking Soda and a few drops of your favorite essential oils works as well as any room freshener (and you control the scent). 
• Sprinkle some on dry carpets or upholstery and let it sit for a bit before vacuuming it up to freshen and deodorize. 

MISCELLANEOUS:

• An effective, Easy Multipurpose Disinfectant Spray can be made with one cup water, one cup vinegar, 3 tbls. liquid soap (like Castile, Dawn or Ivory), and 20-30 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Tea Tree Oil is an excellent disinfectant, and it smells good, too. If you really don't care for the smell of that try some Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint, Grapefruit Seed extract, Orange, Lemon, or Lavender essential oil or a combination of these to your mixture (about 15 -20 drops per pint). They all have disinfectant properties. This is a great one to have premixed in a spray bottle to use whenever you need to clean off a counter tops, stove fronts, or other surfaces around the house. Just remember to shake the bottle before you use it.
• Disinfectant Wipes can easily be made by cutting a roll of paper towel in half. Put it in a container, such as a coffee can that is waterproof and has a tight lid. Cut a flap in the lid to pull the towels through and add some of the disinfectant spray liquid to the can. Let it sit and soak into the towels.You will want to turn the towels so they soak up the solution from both sides. Be careful not to add so much that they are sitting in liquid or they won't keep their strength. You may have a more decorative idea for the container...Let me know!
• Fruit Flies and Gnats To trap fruit flies and gnats, place this mixture in a bowl and set it out in the kitchen: one pint water, 2 Tbsp sugar, two Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and a few drops of soap. Then start searching to destroy the source. Look for ripe fruit and vegetables, etc.
•  Ant Invasions can sometimes be controlled by wiping surfaces with distilled white vinegar. Wipe down cupboards, counters and floors.
• The best way to wash windows, glass surfaces, mirrors etc. is with 2 Tbsp. of distilled white vinegar in a gallon of water. Use newspaper instead of paper towels or cloth for a streak free finish.

This has turned into a very long and wordy post. Thanks for sticking with me! If you have any ideas to share, please leave them in the comments section at the end. I am also going to post some links to some of my

favorite DIY websites. As I said, none of these are my own recipes. I have found these and many more by surfing the internet. I just thought I would pull some of them together.

Links:
One Good Thing by Jillee
Crunchy Betty Blog
Fabulessly FrugalThe Daily Green
The Daily Green
Earth 911

Change of Pace: DIY Laundry Soap

Since I have been spending time getting ready for and demonstrating at the Threshing Bee (see Aug 21 post) I have not had time lately to dye any new wool. I am getting a little short on white wool, too. A shame because my copper mordant is ready and I have three plants (Mullein, Tansy and Goldenrod) waiting to be boiled up. I will hopefully be able to do them yet this summer.

I decided that since I have no new yarn or wool at this time I would share some of my favorite DIY Cleaning Recipes. I want to emphasize that these are things that I have found elsewhere on the web and have tried myself and found them to be a delightful and effective change from all the chemical cleaners I was using.

I will start with my laundry soap. This mixture cleans very well. It smells delightful and the clothes are soft coming off the line or in the dryer. I have been using this for almost a year, exclusively. I love the way it works and the $$ savings that it gives me! I only use one to two tablespoons per washload. I always wash a full load and have a large washing machine. If I have some particularly dirty laundry.....I add another tablespoon! 

Laundry Soap (Powdered)
    ( only the first five ingredients are required in
      each batch. Try a few different things to find
      what you like the best):

• Borax (4 lbs 12oz box)
• Washing Soda (3 lb 7oz box)
• Baking Soda (4 lbs)
• Soap (grated) choose from Zote, Castile,Felz Naptha, or other bar laundry soap. (roughly 16 oz)
• Essential Oils (15 drops) Lemon oil for sure and then whatever you like to make things smell good to you.

• Powdered Sun Bleach or powdered Oxyclean
• Softener Crystals
• Purex or Sun or some other brand you can find easily).

Some people don't like using Fels Naptha soap or prefer Zote. It doesn't matter which you use and the amounts are the same. This needs to be grated before it is added. A cheese grater or food processor works great. If you have soft water, you may not want to add the softener crystals. They do have an odor that gets on your clothes and that may not appeal to everyone. I add either the Sun or Oxyclean to assist in cleaning. The indredients listed are all easily available in drug stores, grocery stores, or Walmart. This makes about a years' worth of laundry soap and costs only about 4 cents per load. You can make smaller batches (just like cooking) by reducing the ingredients. It is important to find waterproof storage for this soap so it does not clump. I use ice cream buckets and they work well. You can of course put some into a pretty container by the washing machine if you like...It doesn't have to be that big as a little of this goes a loooong way

A Word about Essential Oils
When using Essential Oils for things you will be cleaning with, washing, or using on your skin, it is important to purchase pure Essential Oils, not fragrance oils. The difference is in the purity. If you are going to be 'wearing' the oil or using it to clean surfaces, you want it to be as pure as possible, both for safety and health reasons, and also because the antibacterial properties you are looking for are found in the pure essential oils from the plants. There are several sources on-line to purchase oils. Remember, they are powerful, you are only using drops at a time! They are more expensive than the fragrance oils, but the difference is apples and oranges. Some links are listed at the end of this post. You can also look for them at health food stores and natural food outlets in your area.

Drying clothes and saving a few dollars:
You have all seen my Solar Clothes Dehydrator (see July 2 post). That is, of course, the biggest money saver! If you find that the weather isn't cooperating, or you don't have a Solar Clothes Dehydrator, you can still save money drying clothes by using felted dryer balls.

These remarkable little balls, about the size of tennis balls, remove static, soften clothes and will even impart a scent if you like! To make these balls, simply start with a bit of roving. and needle felt it into a ball and keep adding wool until you have the size you want. Then, run them through the washing machine in hot water (you can do this while washing a load or two of clothes) until they are felted tightly. Remember, they will shrink conciderably when felted. I started with softball sized balls and the finished products are the size of tennis balls. Put a few drops of essential oil  on the balls before putting them in the dryer, (again, it will be in contact with your skin, so be sure it is a pure essential oil).

If you want to make these and you do not needle felt, you can also use roving and make a balls, put them into a nylon stocking and throw it in the washing machine in hot soapy water and let the machine do the work. Knot the nylon between each ball.

Put these into the dryer with a load a clothes and they will beat the static cling and wrinkles out of your laundry! They do not leave fuzz; they do not leave dye, be sure to use a color fast wool;  and they actually shorten the drying time.  While these little lovelies are going around in the dryer they will absorb moisture from the clothes and redistribute it for faster drying. They also leave clothes much less wrinkled, if at all, due to the motion of them bouncing around. If you choose to use them to scent the clothes you will have to reapply the essential oil every so often.

Hope you will give these a try. I was leary in the beginning. but am sold and saving money! Next time...Cleaning the Kitchen with DIY cleaners (get that mess of chemical stuff out from under your sink and save money at the same time!

Links to sites selling Essential Oils:
Young Living
doTerra
Mountain Rose Herbs
This is a short list, but it will give you a starting point. Again, I have to stress that where every you get your oils, you look for pure essential oils. There really is a difference!

Demonstrating at the Threshing Bee

Made it to the Threshing Bee in Rosholt, South Dakota last weekend. Seventh time in eight years that we have gone down. It is a highlight of my summer. I take my wheel, yarn and wool and do a spinning demonstration. It is so fun to talk to all the people and explain the spinning process. I love talking to people who come by the demonstration who are as passionate about fiber and art as I am. I always meet new and interesting people with interesting stories to tell.

This year, the town of Rosholt was celebrating its Centennial and the Rosholt Area Threshermen's Association (RATA) was celebrating its twenty fifth Threshing Bee. The parade was bigger than in other years and there were a lot more activities in town. For more fun information and photos, check out the RATA Facebook page here Threshing Bee.

  I set up next to the blacksmith shop this year 
outside with the pioneer tent. It was great being outdoors. It was hot and sunny but the breeze  was
cool and it kept the dust and smoke away.  Being in the pioneer tent this year was new to me. Kirk and LaVonne Akerson have the pioneer tent. It is set up alongside the blacksmith demonstration.

LaVonne spends the day cooking over an open fire and talking about the old ways with people
passing by. Kirk works next door in the Blacksmith Shop and their daughter, Hannah, keeps busy making hand cranked ice cream and butter and helping out the threshermen and anyone else who needs it.

 

                                                                           

    

    Every year there is a new cedar shingle designed and cut with the saw mill. This year there was a really nice design (as always). We had one for each year we were at the bee but unfortunately, the camper they were in burned in the fire we had last year so we have to start our collection of a buttons and shingles over. 

Each year we have been invited to park our camper by Donny Dahlman's shop. I want to thank Donny and Stacy and their boys for all the hospitality and assistance as well as the wonderful fun we had all weekend. Donny has a LOT of steam machinery! He has a large shop that he keeps it in and works on it during the year. During the Bee, everything is brought outside and displayed. He has a great collection. There are a lot of other people with big steam engines, tractors, and threshers. To see pictures go to the link above. 

There is really something for everyone at the Bee. RATA does a great job of pulling everything together to create a wonderful weekend of family fun. Neither my husband or I are from Rosholt, but every year feels like a family reunion. I wish I had taken more pictures. I was planning to, but there were a lot of people there and I got too busy spinning, talking, and selling yarn!

It's Green!

Looking around you outdoors, one would think that the most abundant natural dye color would be green. This is not the case! In fact, green from nature can be quite elusive. I have been trying all summer to get a shade of green, any shade of green, using natural dye stuff and alum mordant. I have a lot of beautiful, satisfying colors, but no greens. I have been working on a copper mordant with copper wire and vinegar, but it isn't ready yet. Copper should make it easier to get green.

Last weekend I got three jugs of dye bath from a friend who makes paper. We often trade back and forth. Results are always different, as she works with cellulose and I work with protein. Nonetheless, less, the results are always interesting. One the the jugs she sent had Withies and one had Withies with washing soda added. I mixed the two together and used it all at once. Withies are the new growth on river willows. They are the pliable branches used to make baskets. We had picked a bunch last fall and my friend had boiled down the leaves and some bark.

The dye bath was a beautiful reddish brown. The muslin that I used to strain it turned a beautiful dusty rose color. I was quite excited to see what happened to the wool. I simmered wool that had been mordanted in Alum and Cream of Tartar in the dye bath for one hour. Then I let the wool steep while it cooled. When I lifted the wool from the pot it appeared to be a nice golden yellow. I liked the color, but, it was another yellow. After the wool had cooled, I removed it from the dye bath and placed it in a pot of water drawn from the hose. The water outside has not gone through our water softener or rust remover. Our water is extremely hard with a lot of iron if not treated.

It was like magic. I watched the wool turn from yellow to green while it sat in the water. I moved it around in the pot and lifted parts out just to be sure! It was turning a wonderful Olivey green! What a surprise! I finished rinsing the wool and then washed it with Eucalan as I do with all my dyed wool. I dried it over night. The next morning it was still green! This photo doesn't so it justice. It doesn't show the depth of the color. But, trust me, it is a lovely green!

Sad Day or Success!

Today I put the first of my hand dyed, hand spun yarn up for sale. It was excitingly to hear the positive comments. The buyers were very impressed with the yarns. It was bittersweet however. I feel like my babies just left! I am so glad that I have samples of everything and information on each dye pot! All those pictures are now even more important to me.

I knew this day would come. I hope it is just the start. I have found several venues where I can sell my yarn. Even though it is hard to see it go, I am glad that it is. My joy is in the creating. I am not that avid a knitter. I do knit, but could not use up all the yarn I create. There are only so many hours in the day.  Once I start weaving I will be able to use more. For now, it is a wonderful feeling to create something someone else is interested in, excited about and actually willing to pay for!

The up side of all this......I get to make more!

If you are interested in purchasing any yarn, please email me at Arachneyarn