Cleaning products basics

I decided I was going to makeover my cleaning supplies bag (Organizing Utility Tote). I decided to do this because a) I have the best essential oils at my disposal and would like to get the most out of them and, b) my son has a fascination with the cabinet that mommy says "no!" to every time he opens it. For this tutorial you will be able to have a soft scrub, toilet bowl cleaner, window cleaner,  all-purpose spray and floor cleaner with less than 5-6 ingredients, all of which are very affordable.

What you need:
Baking soda
Vinegar
liquid castile soap
Borax

Essential Oils Wild Orange, On Guard, Melaleuca, Lemon, eucalyptus (optional), peppermint (optional), Lavender (optional)

Soft Scrub for Bath, Tile, and Toilet
Make in small batches for 2-4 uses. Store in an airtight container

3/4 rounded cup of baking soda
1/4 cup castile soap
1T water
1T vinegar
5-10 drops of Lemon essential oil

In a bowl, combine the baking soda and castile soap. Add water and stir. Finally, add the vinegar. Consistency should be a soft paste. Stir in essential oil.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
 This recipe is designed for a single use to be added directly to a half empty toilet bowl.

1/2 baking soda
10 drops of Melaleuca oil
1/4 vinegar

As it reacts scrub the toilet.


Window Cleaner

1/8 cup Vinegar
1 cup of water
10-15 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake. Spray and wipe clean.

All Purpose Spray cleaner

1/4 cup of vinegar
2 cups water
30 drops of Essential oils (see below)
1 tsp borax

• 15 drops each of Lavender and Lemon oil

• 10 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, and wild orange

• 30 drops of On Guard

Other options are also available

Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well to mix thoroughly.

Floor Cleaner
1 gallon hot water
2 T castile soap
15 drops Wild Orange
8 drops Lemon

In a large bucket, mix all ingredients. Use a mop to clean floors. Rinsing is optional.

Holiday Shopping is in full swing!

Here are a few great gift ideas ala Thirty One.

 Here's a great offer because the October special features the Super Organizing Tote-pictured here in Organic Poppy. Purchase the Timeless beauty bag (pictured in Black Pick Me Plaid with personalization), and a small zipper pouch (pictured in Natural w/Grey personalized with Lil Expressions) and get the Super Organizing Tote for 50% off !! Total cost of this traveler bundle $76 (before tax and shipping costs). Saving you $25

 Or this is great for just about anyone our Elite Retro Metro tote (in brown corduroy and personalized) paired with a Retro Metro wallet (in denim) with a nail file (in plum stripe). Add a small zipper pouch to bring along your chapstick or makeup and qualify to get the Elite Retro Metro 50% off. Total cost of this giftable bundle $69 (before tax and shipping costs)! Saving you $30

 Retro Metro Tote (pictured in grey pin dots and personalized) is also part of the October special and is paired with our silk scarf (in lavender pick me plaid). Add a Fold and Go Organizer to keep your shopping list handy to get the Retro Metro Tote half-off! Total cost of this giftable bundle $66 (before tax and shipping costs) Saving you $31

Other Great Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers

Cosmetic Bag in Purple Patchwork Paisley, add a nail file, and flat iron case for a Beauty Bundle Gift Set

 Great Teacher Gifts! Littles Carry All, Zipper Pouch (also comes thermal lined), and Mini Utility Bin. Pack them with treats, GC, or supplies for a great Holiday gift!

 No one better forget Grandma! What do Grandmas do BEST? Brag on their grandbabies. With the Lil Expressions on the Natural with Grey or Brown you can customize Grandma's grandbabies for a fabulous gift that she's sure to love! Lil Expressions is the same cost as our personalization with flat fee of $7!

Great Stocking stuffer ideas are: Thirty One Shuffle, Icon coin purse, mini (thermal) zipper pouch, double pinch top coin purse, soft wallet plus many other great ideas.

Get your friends together for a party to shop and socialize and get some gifts for free and get yourself a free or discounted gift for yourself!

Gluten-Free Flour mix

I have been toying with the idea of our family going completely wheat free and essentially gluten free. My DH has many dietary restrictions and over the last year it has been costly to try to only have him live this way. Not to say that it isn't costly as it is. The biggest food expense that DH has is bread with his lunches during the week and it's not even wheat free. So I have been researching gluten-free recipes and ran across Budget101.com. She has many great recipes on her site and I intend to check out more of them but for now I'm trying out her Gluten Free Flour Mix. I made a large mixture to have on hand. So here it goes

 You will need Rice Flour. I don't think it really matters whether it is brown or white rice but brown rice is better for you. I happened to pick up white this time around. You will also need Tapioca flour and Potato Starch. I'm fortunate to have a Wegman's so these things weren't too hard to come by at more affordable prices. Although the potato starch was sold out for two weeks I finally snagged some. I will be ordering this on my Amazon Subscribe and Save from now on.

 So here it all is: I found my entire sack of rice flour was about 4 cups so I doubled the small recipe available.

• 4 Cups White Rice Flour
• 2/3 cups Tapioca flour
• 1-1/3 cup Potato Starch (make sure this isn't Potato flour)

So for about $12 I have a flour mixture that is gluten free. I will be able to get plenty of more usage out of the left over tapioca flour and the potato starch for future batches- probably about 3 more of this size batch.

$225 Thirty One shopping spree!!

Hey there! I am going to be raffling off  a $225 Thirty One shopping spree! This will run like a 50/50 raffle, $200 will go towards the shopping spree and then you will also have the hostess rewards that include $25 in product credit, one item half off, and one Hostess Exclusive item. This will benefit the American Heart Association so $300 will be donated to the AHA.

Thirty One Gives partnered with The American Heart Association to help raise awareness of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and is so high that the numbers for the next 3 top killers combined don't equate. What most people don't know is that 80% of cardiac events can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. If you would like more information on a heart healthy lifestyle visit www.heart.org .

Here's what you do to win

1. You choose your numbers. If the number is highlighted then the number has already been selected by someone. 

2. The cost per number is $5. You will need to submit payment via the Paypal Donate Button

3. When all the boxes have been completed then I will submit the numbers to Rafflecopter and choose a winner.  The winner will be notified by email with the address which they used to pay for the box. I will also announce the winner on the blog to ensure that they are notified!

 

 

The photo above for the 50/50 raffle has been approved by Thirty-One Gifts CAGS Dept. This raffle is being conducted by an independent consultant. For any questions or concerns please contact the consultant at 31giftsfaith@gmail.com