Caring for My Chaos

I know this has been on Pinterest a long time but I thought it was worth sharing. I have used this solution on numerous occasions and it works on just about anything! And doesn't hurt fabrics! I swear blue Dawn is the miracle cleaner! You simply use 1 part blue Dawn to 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. I add a little bit of water to it too. Simply pour it on the stain, scrub and voila! I've used it on couches, rugs, carpet, clothes, you name it. I have seen where others have added baking soda to the mix for added scrubbing power. I would think also for the added odor removal. This even works on red dirt stains, which we have a lot of here! Keep this in your cleaning arsenal!

**I received product in return for my 100% honest review. All opinions are my own.** If you have ever had a teenager and/or a husband, you know that clothes can get funky. I mean the ground in dirt, sweaty, oily, smelly kind of funk. You know the kind. And sometimes it takes a couple washings to get the stink out of the clothes if it's really bad. Enter Defunkify! This laundry soap was developed by a small group of scientists, inventors and chemists at the University of Oregon. They got together and came up with this soap that uses the newest in green clean technology. But, even though it penetrates deep into the fibers to get all the stink out, it's still gentle on them. So, of course, just when I need Hunny to be home to be my test specimen, he's not. I used the next stinkiest thing I could think of-towels. You know when the wet towels have sat in the hamper just a bit too long and they have that musty odor that nothing seems to really get rid of? I had a few of th...

Maybe it's just a problem in my house.

Here in my part of Virginia, we are looking at the first winter weather this weekend. It's still too early to tell they say, but we may be getting snow. In preparation for that, I thought some tips to keeping all your blankets soft and ready to snuggle might come in handy! Because what else is better than snuggling up on the couch with your honey wrapped in blankets and watching movies on a snow day? Tip 1: Read the labels! Different fabrics require different care. So first, read the label to see if your blanket is hand wash or machine wash. Tip 2: Washing by hand- use a fabric appropriate detergent, work up sudsy lukewarm to warm water, and gently press through the blanket. Rinse in lukewarm water. Tip 3: Machine washing- Simply wash in cold water on the gentle cycle. Of course, refer to tip 1 and if the label says otherwise, i.e. warm water, always listen to the label! Tip 4: The secret to the softest blankets is fabric softener. Nowadays, fabric softener not only soft...

My son plays baseball. He has since he was about five. For those of you who don't live in Virginia, you are not acquainted with the lovely red clay that we have here. I grew up in New York where we have brown dirt, so I didn't have any experience with this clay when I had children and had to learn to get these stains out. These two glorious things pictured are a Godsend. I have found the combination of spraying the stain well with Shout and then rubbing it with Fels Naptha takes ANY stain out! If you have not discovered Fels Naptha, you must go to your laundry aisle right now! It has been around since 1893, but I hadn't heard of it until I did a Pinterest experiment where I made my own laundry detergent. (That experiment did not work out so well by the way.) It is available in most grocery stores and for about 2$ a bar. A bar lasts me forever! I looked it up and it is said that Fels Naptha is good for getting out chocolate, baby formula and perspiration stains. I have fou...

  I was thinking the other day that there are things around the house that need laundering, but exactly how often? Take for instance sheets. How often do you launder them? I try to get them weekly, which is the standard guideline. But, I've heard of people going longer than that. I decided to look up the guidelines for laundering schedules of different things around the house and here's what I found-- Aprons- After 2-3 wears  Bath mats - Every two weeks (I actually wash this every week.) Bath towels - After 3 uses, maximum, but many people say more frequently (I actually wash after one use. I can't let them just dry and re-use. Just a personal thing) Bed sheets - Weekly  Blankets - Every month  Comforters and bedspreads - If used as a blanket for sleeping, monthly. If taken off the bed each evening before sleep than every 3 months.  Crib bedding - 2 times a week, including the mattress pad. Bumper pads should be washed monthly.  C...

I thought that picture was adorable. But, I wanted to share what my best friend, Lindsey, was telling me yesterday. Her hubby, Harry, works for a high end appliance business and has become quite knowledgeable in all things appliance related. Well, for Christmas, he gave Lindsey a really high quality washing machine which was just delivered yesterday. Boy, was she excited. I told her that we need to get out more with how excited we get over appliances. But, I'm missing my point. He was telling her that with washing machines, you should only use powder detergent. That if you use liquid, the residue builds up and cut the life span of your washing machine. I had never heard that! I asked if that was just the newer ones, since I know the HE machines and front loaders have many more things you have to do, but she said no, it's all washing machines. I have noticed I like how powdered detergents clean better than the liquid but I didn't know that I could be harming my machine! So...

My sister in law was asking me for advice today because my niece had left silly putty in the bottom of her hamper and she didn't see it until after the shorts came out of the dryer. So I researched it because I didn't know how and found this article on Ehow . Alcohol is the main ingredient on getting it out. Go figure!

On Ask Anna Moseley she has a cute free printable up that has all kinds of uses for vinegar in the laundry. I already add it to my towel loads since I don't put fabric softener in with those and vinegar helps keep them soft but she has a whole bunch of other uses on there! Go check it out!