| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| _Rebecca_ |
Posted - Jul 13 2006 : 11:02:25 AM
Thought I would share my accidental discovery. I had cooked some sausage the other night and when I sliced it up I put it in a dish and then I transferred it to the pan. Well, you know how gooey sausage can be when it's raw, yuck! I didn't want to use a dish cloth on it--so I grabbed a bit of plastic wrap and put some soap on it and used it as a disposable dish scrubber! It worked like a charm, then the dish was clean and I threw away the yucky plastic wrap.
I thought that I would share what a quick & great dish scrubber that plastic wrap makes. You just crumple it up a bit and put some dish soap on it and go to scrubbing!
That was my contribution for the day! 
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·.
Wife of Jonathan, Mother of Joel, Caitlyn, Elia |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Juliekay |
Posted - Jul 18 2006 : 10:32:58 AM
Thanks for the compliment Rebecca!!! |
| lvg4him |
Posted - Jul 16 2006 : 09:41:23 AM
Thanks for sharing Missy! Gonna HAVE to get that book now based on your recommendation!! :D |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Jul 16 2006 : 12:40:18 AM
Jenny, I like your idea of re-using the netting that some grocery store produce comes in. But neither they nor the plastic wrap that Rebecca recommends are biodegradable.
Your crocheted cloths are not only good scrubbers AND biodegradable, but they can be washed and re-used thousands of times before hitting your landfill's fabric recycling bin.
Another good thing to use for getting gunk out of pots is a fistful of really coarse burlap, the jute kind. It rinses out thoroughly and dries fast, so it doesn't get moldy, it's incredibly cheap, biogradable and it can be recycled when it wears out, or reused in the garden.
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| therusticcottage |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 09:47:35 AM
Regarding bleach -- I used to use it for everything. Now I only bring it out if I've been working with meat or chicken in the kitchen. I just don't trust anything else to get rid of that bacteria. Sometimes I also fill my kitchen sinks with hot water and a small amount of bleach to get rid of the stains. I too love the smell and think clean. But try this homemade cleaner recipe and I think you will break your dependence on bleach.
I choose faith not fear.
Lotion bars, linen water & more in my online shop! http://therusticcottage.etsy.com
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| therusticcottage |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 09:44:20 AM
Mom to the rescue!!!! The book is Herbal Homekeeping by Sandy Maine. You can buy it from her website at www.sunsoap.com. This is the best book that I have ever had for homemade cleaner recipes. It even has recipes for laundry detergent, flea shampoo, toilet cleaner, etc. Here's the recipe for the disinfecting soap. It is great!!! I have noticed hardly any bugs in my house since I started using this on counters and floors.
5 cups grated castile soap (I made my own but you could probably use a natural castile from the store)
1/2 cup baking soda
1 tsp borax
6 cups hot water
1 tsp eucalyptus essential oil (I used 1 tbsp lavender, 1/2 tbsp peppermint, 1 tsp tea tree -- I like the scent stronger)
Put grated soap into a 3 quart stainless saucepan and add hot water. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and add baking soda, borax, and essential oils. (NOTE: Here's the adjustments that I made to this recipe: Use a larger pot than 3 quart because when you add the baking soda and borax it will foam a lot (ask me how I know this -- had cleaner all over the stove). In fact, in my notes I wrote to let the soap and water cool for 10 minutes before adding baking soda and borax. I also am waiting to add essential oils until the mixture cools below 140 degrees, otherwise the essential oils will just evaporate from the heat.)
Store in a labeled plastic jug or squirt bottle. Shake before using (mixture will separate after it sits). I use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per gallon of water when cleaning counters, floors, fixtures, refrigerator, etc.
I posted the laundry soap recipes some time ago in another thread.
I choose faith not fear.
Lotion bars, linen water & more in my online shop! http://therusticcottage.etsy.com
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| lamarguerite farm |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 08:58:11 AM
For some reason I didn't write down the recipe, but my Mom has the book and I asked her to share when she gets a minute.
It works great full strength in a basin of water and gets rid of grime that other cleaners don't and I have had other people say the same thing. I also dilute 1-2oz. in water and put it in a spray bottle and use it as a countertop cleaner. Gets the faucets nice and shiny too.
I made some changes to the recipe. It calls for peppermint tea, but I prefer it with water and then at the end add 1 tbsp. sweet orange eo, 1/2tbsp peppermint oil eo, 1 tsp tea trea oil. It smells sooo yummy and fresh. You could also do lavender instead of the orange oil. It actually kills spiders. Both recipes are a bug repellant. After I get done cleaning I pour whats left int he basin in the toilet and clean that too.
She'll be posting soon!! Enjoy
Oh, also, I just read in one of my herb books(getting ready to harvest my mint) that crushed dry mint will deter mice, fleas and ants.I thought that was so cool.
Blessings,
Missy
If you have a dream, even if you don't feel qualified to accomplish it, just try your hardest.-Maggie Jensen
http://18happyhens.blogspot.com
http://LamargueriteFarm.etsy.com |
| lvg4him |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 07:41:49 AM
Missy, oh yes, please share the recipe and/or title of the book!!
Also, I just wanted to contribute a little to this. Sew a large button onto the end of your dishtowels to make a soft plastic scrubber. It works WONERFULLY and you don't have to switch from dishtowel to plastic scrubber when washing. |
| GaiasRose |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 07:25:41 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Mumof3
I have resorted to using crunched up aluminum foil for a scrubber. Never thought of plastic!
I was just going to suggest aluminum foil when I saw that you did, Karin. I do that too when I really need to scour something. We also use the plastic mesh bags that onions and such come in....they also make great homemade suet bags when you are done using them to scour.
"I would not interfere with any creed of yours or want to appear that I have all the cures. There is so much to know...so many things are true. The way my feet must go may not be best for you. And so I give this spark of what is light to me, to guide you through the dark, but not tell you
what you must see."
-Author Unknown
"Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth."
— Blaise Pascal
~*~Brightest Blessings~*~
Tasha-Rose |
| Mumof3 |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 05:11:09 AM
I have resorted to using crunched up aluminum foil for a scrubber. Never thought of plastic!
I hate touching raw meat so I stick my hands in Ziplock bags when I make meatloaf or hamburgers and I use tongs for anything else. I really scrub down anything that comes in contact with meat and I usually put my cutting boards out in the sunshine for a day to help disinfect them. But I have to admit, they are bleached first! :)
Karin |
| Fabulous Farm Femmes |
Posted - Jul 15 2006 : 01:58:47 AM
Missy, can I have that cleaner recipe PLEASE?! Sounds great.
No fair teasing otherwise.... |
| lamarguerite farm |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 7:47:31 PM
Instead of bleach I added peppermint and tea trea oil to a homemade cleaner recipe that I got out of a natural cleaners book. The tea trea oil is anti-viral and antibacterial and the peppermint is antibacterial and also a bug repellant. Works great for aphids and other bugs on garden plants too because it is made from castile soap.
Thanks for the tip on the scrubbers. Lots of great ideas!!
Blessings,
Missy
If you have a dream, even if you don't feel qualified to accomplish it, just try your hardest.-Maggie Jensen
http://18happyhens.blogspot.com
http://LamargueriteFarm.etsy.com |
| _Rebecca_ |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 7:09:29 PM
I have met Julie in person and she is a snazzy dresser! So, don't give her a hard time! *GRIN*
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·.
Wife of Jonathan, Mother of Joel, Caitlyn, Elia |
| Juliekay |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 5:58:06 PM
Oh Frannie! I don't wear pantyhose much, really just tights in the winter with my dresses and boots but I still hang on to a few pair of pantyhose "just in case"! I guess I was raised old school.
Julie |
| _Rebecca_ |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 5:31:09 PM
my mom always used the produce net bags too! I had forgotten all about that!
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·.
Wife of Jonathan, Mother of Joel, Caitlyn, Elia |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 5:09:12 PM
I tend to break out the bleach when it comes to raw meat stuff too...I use alot of white vingar for other stuff...but can't get past the bleach for that!!
For scrubbies ( I LOVE the plastic wrap idea because of it being disposable by the way) I use those little crocheted circles that are crocheted from net...like tulle...they work wonderfully and bleach out well...when I had a dishwasher I would run one through every couple days. I have a green one in my kitchen that has been going strong for 6 months now..If I couldn't bleach it I would sure not keep it that long. Sponges gross me out.
I like the idea of the net bags too...good idea. I bet you could hold them into a little scrubbie with a rubber band from the broccoli!!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 5:03:54 PM
I save the plastic net bags from onions, tomatoes, etc. and scrunch them up to make little scrubbies.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| katiedid |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 2:40:26 PM
I am having a hard time kicking the bleach habit myself...especially is one of my kiddos is sick etc... I used to use bleach for cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, in my laundry...to me the smell of clorox was the smell of clean. I have been using plain white vinegar, baking soda, oxyclean, etc...with good results but I still don't know what to use with the raw meat deal.
Kate |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 09:02:43 AM
doesn't the plastic just 'smear' the grease around? i gotta' try that!
and julliekay darlin' .. WHO wears pantihose anymore???
i think this is an excellent job for that 'single sock' we've been talking about that comes out of the dryer without it's twin!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Juliekay |
Posted - Jul 14 2006 : 04:51:43 AM
Rebecca,
You can also use old pantyhose after they get a hole in them. They work really well, just enough roughness to get the job done, then you can dump them.
Julie |
| Libbie |
Posted - Jul 13 2006 : 10:05:17 PM
That DOES sound handy for those really yucky jobs! Raw meat is a place where I am having trouble kicking the bleach habit completely. After I've washed a dish like the one you're describing, I do fill up a little bowl with bleach water, soak my dishcloth and scrubber in it after I've washed them, then use it to wipe down any cutting boards.
From what I'm reading around here, however, maybe hydrogen peroxide is a better option for this than bleach!!!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
