Natural Flea and Tick Repellent for Pets

In addition to Natural Flea and Tick control products you can buy, you can also make natural flea and tick repellent yourself, at home, using products you probably already have. That’s right! For easy homemade natural flea and tick remedies that are safe and really work, look no farther than your pantry.

Flea and tick defense for dogs and cats is no joke!! If you’ve ever had a flea infestation, you already know how bad it can be. And ticks carry all kinds of bad stuff such as Lyme’s disease, which can be devastating to people and pets.

I made this easy reference chart of what ticks look like, where they’re commonly found, which diseases they carry and who can be affected by them. Feel free to PIN it so you can keep it for reference!

Chemicals: Over-the-counter flea and tick prevention products such as drops and flea collars are very popular. Brand names like Frontline, Advantix, Hartz or Seresto may contain chemicals you probably don’t want to cuddle with! Over the years, there have been several products pulled from store shelves because of potential dangers to your pets and yourself. The poisons used in OTC flea & tick collars to watch out for are as follows: organophosphates (tetrachlorvinphos, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, diazinon and malathion) and carbamates (carbaryl and propoxur).

In short, making your own is much cheaper and safer than buying over-the-counter flea and tick protection.

Essential Oil Option: However, if you want natural tick prevention but don’t want to have to do it yourself, I’ve heard that Rose Geranium essential oil works very well. It’s safe for humans and animals (just keep away from eyes). It’s not the cheapest, but you only use a few drops per day so it will last a long time. To use Rose Geranium essential oil as flea and tick prevention: Put one drop between your pet’s shoulder blades and another at the base of its tail before heading out each day. While you’re at it, dab a drop on your wrists and behind your ears to keep ticks away from you as well! Thanks for that tip, Primally Inspired!

Do It Yourself Natural Flea and Tick Spray Recipe

To make this natural flea and tick home remedy, grab a spray bottle (I reused one). Then, in a spray bottle, mix the following ingredients:

8 oz. apple cider
4 oz. water
1/2 tsp. iodized salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

To use: shake up bottle and spray on pet. Brush through fur. Please note: You’ll still want to check regularly for pests, fleas and ticks and remove any you might find promptly.

How to Clean a Glass-top Stove {What Works and Surprisingly, What Doesn’t}

Clean-Glasstop-Stove_hero

How to Clean a Glass-top Stove {What Works and Surprisingly, What Doesn’t}

How to clean a glass top stove (glass stovetop). Find out How to Clean a Glass-top Stove {What Works and Surprisingly, What Doesn’t!}

Like it? Repin it on Pinterest!

When we moved into our current house almost 2 years ago the appliances were all new. Since the bank that owned the home put them in, I didn’t have any say on what kind of stove they got. I prefer gas ranges, but the one that came with our house is electric stove. Not only that, it’s a glass-top stove. You know the type, they’re flat top stoves with burners that are even with the surface of the stovetop.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful and I like the way it looks. Or, rather, I liked the way it looked until we used it. Once. ONCE! Yes, the first time I used it something boiled over and it’s been there ever since. Try as I might, I couldn’t get that burnt stuff off. And, believe me, I tried!

Tips for cleaning your cooktop:

Wait until it cools. Don’t try to spray cleaner on a hot surface. The cleaner evaporates and some weirdness remains that is even harder to clean than the mess you’re trying to remove.
As soon as it cools, clean it up right away!
Don’t rub too hard, the glass could shatter!

So, in conclusion, here’s what I found doesn’t work and what does. Let me know in comments below if you’ve found anything else that works well!!

Through trial and error, here’s what I found does not work to remove burnt stains from glass cooktops:

Magic Eraser: I was really surprised and disappointed that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers did not remove the burnt stuff on my flat-top stove. I scrubbed and scoured to no avail. In other applications, I absolutely LOVE Magic Eraser (even the generic ones are magical!) But, it just didn’t work here.
409 Cleaner: I tried scrubbing, soaking and I might have even cried a little. Nope. 409 did not remove the crap from my cooktop.
Products specifically for cleaning glass-top stoves are great for regular messes but don’t remove burnt-on food or boil-overs. It does work to clean and polish a mostly already clean stove. But, what good is that? lol From what I understand, this type of thing is good to use with the scraper I mention below.
Natural products such as baking soda, lemon and vinegar are great on cooktops. However, in my experience they couldn’t cut through the burnt-on stuff.

And, here’s what does work to remove burnt stains from glass-top stoves:

Razor blade or special scraper (recommended by your stove’s manufacturer). While this might seem a bit extreme, a razor blade can remove that burnt on stuff. But, you run the risk of scratching the glass. Stoves can cost $1200+ so that’s a big risk. I didn’t go that route and I don’t recommend it, but some say it works. Your stove’s manufacturer may recommend a special scraper just for this type of thing. Check it out!
BKF cleanser and polish. THIS is what I recommend!! It’s a lot like Comet or Ajax cleaner, but I tried them and they didn’t work. Bar Keepers Friend worked! You can find it in most stores or online at Amazon.com. Watch the video below to see BKF in action on my glass-top stove.

How to Clean a Glass-Top Stove

Watch as BKF wins this scrub-off to remove stubborn, burnt-on food from a flat cooktop!!

Clean-Glasstop-Stove-Collage

DIY Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe, Stain Remover, Fabric Softener & Refresher

A Non-Fictional Account of This Mom’s Attempt to Save…money on laundry, while being green.

Recipes for making homemade laundry soap, homemade stain remover and homemade fabric softener and more for a fraction of the cost. Plus, tips to save energy costs!

Love it? Repin it on Pinterest!

Do It Yourself Laundry Products

With major name brands such as Tide, Downy, Gain and Bounce costing a pretty penny, paying less than a penny per load of laundry sounds enticing. And when you use natural ingredients, it’s less harmful to the environment than the big brands. I’d call that a win-win!

Price Breakdown

So, what do the big brands cost? In my neck of the woods, Tide Ultra 50 oz is approximately $13 and claims to do 32 loads. The price divided by number of loads is $0.42 per load. Purex 100 oz claims to do 64 loads, and costs just under $5 (or $0.08 per load). How much does your brand cost? If it’s more than a penny per load, why not give our homemade laundry soap a spin!? It’s a great way to bridge the gap between extreme couponing sessions to find cheap or free laundry soap!

I first heard about making your own laundry detergent on my local Freecycle cafe (I talk about them a lot, huh?) I tried a variety of “blends” over the years – some work better than others. Mostly it works well, but it does depend on the stuff in your water as with any soap or detergent. If you have hard water, you may need to adjust slightly. Please feel free to comment below if you have had success with any specific combination.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

It takes about 15 minutes to make. Ingredients can be purchased from most grocery stores.

Ingredients:

3.1 oz bar soap – very small bar, or use part of regular size bar (cost approx. $0.25 – $0.50) TIP: If you prefer all natural with no additives, try Ivory soap or Fels Naptha works very well too. If you prefer specific fragrances, look for bar soaps that smell how you want
1 cup 20-Mule Team Borax (76 oz for $4.29 = 1 cup for $0.45)
½ cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz for $2.99 = ½ cup for $0.43) NOTE: This is NOT Arm & Hammer baking soda, although it’s almost the same and I’ve heard you can substitute it
Water (mostly free 😉 )

Tools:

5 Gallon container (we use a cat litter bucket)
Knife or cheese grater
Pot large enough to hold 5 cups of water
Long stirring stick/spoon (for 5 gallon container)

Instructions:

Shave (or grate) the soap into small bits and place in large pot with 5 cups of water
Bring the water just shy of a boil and stir until the soap is completely dissolved
Fill the bucket with 3 gallons of water and pour in the melted soapy water from pot
Stir in ½ cup pf washing soda until dissolved
Then stir in the cup of Borax

Optional: If you like fragrant detergent add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

Next, cover the container and let sit overnight. It will gel, but probably won’t look like the detergent you’re used to. No worries, it’s perfectly normal to be lumpy and watery. If you have empty containers from your name brand detergent, reuse them for easy dispensing.

Usage: ½ cup per load. Works well in high efficiency (HE) washing machines because it is low sudsing, but be sure to stir it first or it may not fully dissolve.

Yield: 442 oz @ 4 oz per load = 110 ½ loads of laundry = total cost $1.38 = total cost per load $0.01

Homemade Laundry Stain Remover

To get tough stains out of clothes, sometimes you need more than just laundry soap. Popular stain removers on the market include Shout!, Oxi Clean, Resolve, Clorox and Tide. Here’s our homemade version we think works just as well:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tablespoon dish soap
2 quarts water

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle.

Store in empty spray bottle (I reuse empty household cleaner and laundry stain remover bottles and reuse them)

To use: shake well and spray solution on stains. Let it soak in for a few minutes and wash as usual.

Homemade Liquid Fabric Softener

Liquid fabric softener goes into your washing machine when you’re washing clothes. Similar to Downy, Snuggle and Gain fabric softener, this homemade fabric softener leaves your clothes smelling great!

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups inexpensive hair conditioner, pick a scent you love!

DIRECTIONS

Heat water to almost boiling and add conditioner. Mix well. Add vinegar and mix again.

Store in a large container (I reuse empty fabric softener bottles)

To use: shake well and use 2 Tablespoons per load in fabric softener dispenser.

Note: Sometimes I also use just plain white vinegar (about 1/4 cup per load) which does not make the clothes smell like vinegar, but does leave them feeling soft and clean.

Homemade Dryer Sheets Fabric Softener

While I don’t think generic dryer sheets cost enough to break the bank, this is a nice alternative that does cost less. Commercial brand name dryer sheets such as Bounce, Snuggle, Downy and Gain cost much more than generic alternatives. But, our homemade version still costs less!

INGREDIENTS

1 capful of liquid fabric softener
Water
NEW sponge (or your batch might get moldy! yuck!)
Tupperware or Rubbermaid type container to store

DIRECTIONS

Wring them out almost dry and throw them in the dryer in place of fabric sheets. I tried this and it worked well. I think if I tried this again I’d do a smaller amount and mix up batches more often to avoid possibly getting moldy.

Homemade Fabric Refresher

If you love Febreze Fabric Refresher, Lysol Fabric Refreshers, Dreft Fabric Refresher or even a generic version, you need to try this simple trick!

Why? Not only is it much, much cheaper (name brands can cost from $5 – $12 and up!) it’s also natural. So it’s better for your family and the environment!

Believe it or not, a great thing to use in the laundry when you’re trying to remove odor is baking soda! It soaks up the odor and whisks it away, and really works!

My little girl played in the sprinklers at Disneyland in her favorite Cinderella gown. Apparently they feed the sprinklers from the sewer or something because when she got home I could not stand the smell of the bag containing her dress! I soaked it for 3 days in a baking soda and water bath, and the smell was gone!

To use: soak clothes in water with baking soda (approx. 1/4 cup baking soda per gallon of water)

Save a Bundle Drying your Clothes

A few years back, I asked on my local Freecycle cafe for tips on cutting laundry costs so I could write this article. Sometimes the most obvious answers are the most brilliant!

Save money on energy by NOT drying your clothes!

The tip? Save a TON – put up a clothes line! Line drying is something we always did when I was a kid, growing up in the country. But when I live in the suburbs of Los Angeles. A clothes line? I don’t know, it never crossed my mind. And, the thought of hanging my family’s undies out when my neighbor can practically reach them from INSIDE their house just did not appeal to me. So, okay, I didn’t hang out unmentionables. But, I did hang out my bedding and towels (things that take forever to dry!) And, even with L.A. just 55 miles away (think: smog) they smelled great! Not just great…. amazing! No fabric softener can touch how fantastic line-dried clothes smell. Even in the city!

When I put up a clothesline, the line itself was just a few bucks at Lowe’s Home Improvement. I could have strung it from one pole to the other on my patio and called it a day for under $3. But, I decided to put up a pulley system, so I spent about $12 total being fancy. 😉

Easy TIP: Keep a Clean House in 15 Min a Day

tip-to-clean-house

TIP: Keep a Clean House in 15 Min a Day

Not long ago my house was always clean, always clutter-free. Ahhh I remember those days fondly. After my daughter was born, it seems like there are toys everywhere! But, not only that, the new-found clutter seems to invite everyone else in the house to stop picking up after themselves too. It doesn’t take long for the four of us to cause our once-clean house to be cluttered and messy.

5 quick & easy steps to a clutter-free home in just 15 minutes a day. Busy? No time to clean? You’ll be amazed at how easy this is, and how well it works!!

Here’s one method I’ve found works for my family. I hope it helps yours too!

Be a Gatherer

The secret weapon: Your Empty Laundry Basket!

Grab an empty laundry basket and start at one end of the house.
Pick up anything that isn’t supposed to be in that room, put it in the basket.
Go to the next room and repeat, until you’ve gone through the whole house.
Now, quickly sort the basket into piles of stuff – one for each person in the house.
Call them to come and grab their stuff and put it away! (Obviously very young children will need help here.)

That’s it! I even skip the basket sometimes and use our stairs – each person gets a stair for their stuff, and they know when the stairs have stuff it’s time to put it away.

Make it a habit! Do this each night before you sit down to watch TV, or before you make dinner, or before you go to bed – whatever works for you. Pick one and stick to it.

Get the whole family involved! Since you’re making it a lot easier and more clear than just saying “pick up your stuff,” which is almost too big to tackle, you might be surprised how willing your family is to grab an already-picked-up pile of stuff. And, the incredible part is, after a few weeks of this they might actually STOP leaving their stuff laying around! Okay, that might be asking too much, but it does get them thinking! 😉

Related article: How to Get Kids to Help Clean House

Spring Cleaning Savings

pg-cleaning-products

Grab some EXTRA SAVINGS on CLEANING PRODUCTS!!

1. SUNDAY PAPER: Each month, P&G releases a new booklet of coupons, a majority of them are for cleaning products! Find them in your Sunday Paper.

2. SMART PHONE ecoupons/erebate: Sign up for ibotta for FREE right here Snag a free app for your smartphone and enjoy extra cash back on these items. These savings can be stacked with manufacturer coupons as well as store coupons!

3. FREE Printable Coupons: Don’t forget to print your coupons!

How to Clean a Plastic Cutting Board | Pinterest Exposed

How to Clean a Plastic Cutting Board

I had this old plastic cutting board that has gone through who-knows-what trauma and was filthy. However, it wasn’t the kind of dirt that actually comes off. No amount of scrubbing or chemical combinations I found suggested on Pinterest even made a dent in the stained ickiness that had become of this cutting board.

Repin it to save for later!

(and set everyone straight!)

How to Clean a Plastic Cutting Board An Pinterest search for how to clean a cutting board turns up all kinds of ideas, from salt and vinegar, or baking soda and vinegar, lemon, Comet scrub and a Brillo pad, hydrogen peroxide. All of the idea claim to work wonders. Well, I tried them all, and they did nothing for my sorry plastic board.

I found one site with tips to clean a wooden cutting board who lamented that cleaning a plastic cutting board was easy, just throw it in the dishwasher. Well, my stubborn stained plastic cutting board must be extra rebellious because several runs through the dishwasher did absolutely nothing. I even tried scrubbing by hand with dishwashing detergent (Cascade) to no avail.

Another site seemed to take the problem MUCH more seriously (like, to a militant level!) suggesting that you refresh an old plastic cutting board by sanding it. If your board has deep cuts and gouges in it, I could see that being a good idea – maybe once or twice. Mine was just stained. So, removing layers or thickness seemed extreme. I mean, how many times could a person do that before it’s nothing but a flimsy, flexible cutting board. lol

In summary:

To effectively clean your plastic cutting board, use…

1/2 – 1 cup bleach
1-3 gallons of water
soak plastic cutting board for 3-4 hours
rinse sink and plastic cutting board well after draining bleach water

Homemade Grout Cleaner – 3 Simple Ingredients & Works Great

If you’re looking for an easy way to clean grout between your tile, check out this all-natural grout cleaner recipe. Using items you probably already have in your home, you can make nearly a gallon of grout cleaner for just a few pennies. It’s easy, natural and it works great!

You’ll need a good brush to scrub. I found mine at the Dollar Tree for – you guessed it – a dollar! And, actually I’ve had ti for a while and have use it on many cleaning projects. I used a plastic bucket to mix the ingredients in. My plastic bucket is a recycled ice cream container. So, that didn’t cost anything either. I also reused a spray bottle I had from 409 degreaser cleaner. Just make sure to remove the label or write over it so you know what’s in there.

Price breakdown: each of the ingredients were things I had at home in larger containers (some were in bulk!) So, it’s hard to figure exactly how much this would cost to make. A few cents of each ingredients, and if you reuse a spray bottle to store it, you can literally clean your grout for one penny or less each time.

To mix up this awesome all-natural grout cleaner, grab a few simple ingredients you have around the house: 7 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup vinegar. You can pour it in a spray bottle (reusing an old bottle from Windex or Fantastic works great!) and spray your floor or shower, let it sit for a minute or two… then scrub with a brush. Or, you can leave it in the bucket and use it from there. Obviously, it will last longer if you use a spray bottle rather than dump out the dirty stuff in the bucket.

Since we’re not using bleach, you don’t have to worry about ruining your grout! Bleach works very well to clean at the time, but it’s harsh and can break down the structure of the grout making it absorb water and attract mildew and mold. Eventually your grout could crumble and fall out. I don’t recommend cleaning grout with bleach.

PIN it or REPIN to Pinterest

Shaving Cream to Clean Shower

I saw this on Pinterest and could hardly believe it would work so well! You can buy any type of shaving cream – even the super cheap shave cream.

Like it? Pin it or Repin it!

INSTRUCTIONS for cleaning Shower with Shave Cream:

Dispense shaving cream onto hand, a hand full as shown will cover an entire shower door
Rub thinly over shower glass
Let sit for 5 minutes
Use a wet rag or sponge to spread shaving cream to areas of door you may have missed, and to remove shaving cream
You’re left with sparkling clean shower glass!

Note: this works on ceramic tile too!

Top 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

chemistry-cat-two-men-walk-into-a-bar-232x300

Top 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Two men walk into a bar. One orders H20. The second says, “I’ll have some H20 too.” The second man dies.

REPIN this to save for reference!

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) — the stuff you buy at the drugstore or grocery store — can be used around the house for all kinds of things. In addition to cleaning and fighting infection in boo-boos, it can be used to whiten your teeth, your hair and your clothes. Hydrogen peroxide is considered the world’s safest, all-natural, effective sanitizer. Like ozone, it kills disease and microorganisms by oxidizing them. When hydrogen peroxide reacts with organic material it breaks down into oxygen and water.

The Hydrogen Peroxide we find at the drugstore or market is 3.5% Pharmaceutical Grade Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). This product is not recommended for internal use. It contains an assortment of stabilizers which shouldn’t be ingested. Various stabilizers include: acetanilide, phenol, sodium stanate and tertrasodium phosphate.

Only 35% Food Grade hydrogen peroxide is recommended for internal use. At this concentration, however, hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizer and if not diluted, it can be extremely dangerous or even fatal. Any concentrations over 10% can cause neurological reactions and damage to the upper gastrointestinal tract. There have been two known fatalities in children who ingested 27% and 40% concentrations of H2O2. So, keep out of reach of children! If ingested, call poison control or 911 immediately.

Dr. Akilah El’s Celestial Healing Wellness blog covers dozens of uses for Hydrogen Peroxide.

Top 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Fight infection & care for wounds — use to clean wounds and sores
Teeth whitening & toothbrush disinfectant — hold 1 cap full in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, rinse thoroughly; soak toothbrush in H2O2 to remove germs
Whiten clothes — use 1 cup per load of laundry in washing machine
Hair lightening — dilute 50/50 with water and spray on hair after washing
Household cleaner (use on mirrors for streak-free clean, use in dishwasher for no spots on glasses, use along with vinegar on wooden cutting boards to kill Salmonella — do not mix the two solutions!)
Clean and disinfect food (meat, veggies, fruit, etc.)
Detoxifying bath — pour 2 quarts in a tub of water and soak in it for 30 minutes
Fight foot fungus — each evening before bed, spray on feet, especially toes, and allow to dry
Douche — add two cupfuls in warm distilled water once or twice per week to remove even chronic yeast infections
Colonic / enema — add 1 cup to 5 gallons of warm water for colonic; 1 tablespoon to a quart of warm water for enema

Thanks Richard!

Natural Flea and Tick Repellent for Pets

Do It Yourself Natural Flea and Tick Spray Recipe

How to Clean a Glass-top Stove {What Works and Surprisingly, What Doesn’t}

Like it? Repin it on Pinterest!

How to Clean a Glass-Top Stove

DIY Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe, Stain Remover, Fabric Softener & Refresher

Love it? Repin it on Pinterest!

Do It Yourself Laundry Products

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Stain Remover

Homemade Liquid Fabric Softener

Homemade Dryer Sheets Fabric Softener

Homemade Fabric Refresher

Save a Bundle Drying your Clothes

TIP: Keep a Clean House in 15 Min a Day

Spring Cleaning Savings

How to Clean a Plastic Cutting Board

Repin it to save for later!

In summary:

Homemade Grout Cleaner – 3 Simple Ingredients & Works Great

PIN it or REPIN to Pinterest

Shaving Cream to Clean Shower

Like it? Pin it or Repin it!

Top 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Top 10 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Latest News