#1, #2, #62, #64 + Household Cleaners Recipes

Here are a few new items checked off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list...

#1 - Wake up at 6am every day for 30 days in a row. This happened back in May, but I'm just blogging about it now. It felt SO GOOD getting up before the kids, reading my Bible, often working out and/or showering, cleaning the kitchen, etc. It was easy to do this challenge as the sun started rising earlier in the morning. Now that it's light around 4:30-5am, I've re-learned how to sleep in a fully lit room. ;)

#2 - Create a realistic housekeeping plan and follow it for 1 month. Every Saturday, I've continued to set my timer for an hour and have everyone help cross things off the household to-do list. I wrote more about it back in May, but it's continuing to work beautifully. Our weekends finally feel productive and relaxing!

I know this seems over-the-top, but I made a checklist for the fridge to make sure we're cleaning certain parts of the house regularly. Everything doesn't need to be done every week or even every other week, but it's been interesting to see the things I naturally procrastinate. Some weeks, I look at the list and prioritize what we focus on for the hour, based on what's been neglected.


#62 - Do a cleanse. I saw a coupon in the paper for $5 off a 14-day Jillian Michael's cleanse. And yes, I tried it. I have heard tons of disgusting stories of things that...um...exited people's bodies during their cleanse experience, so I was interested to see what would happen to me. I must eat too healthy and not have enough garbage backed up inside, because nothing out of the ordinary happened. I was more gassy than normal for those two weeks, but I didn't lose a single pound. Maybe I did something wrong - ? The box promised a 30-day, money-back guarantee, so I'm taking the package back to CVS for a refund.

#64 - Start using 100% homemade household cleaners. I listed all of my recipes in this post, but below are a few of them for quick reference. (I put the recipes on each squirt bottle with a Sharpie marker so I can refill them easily. This cute, crafty bottle below was a gift from a friend who gave me the recipe.)



All-Purpose Cleaner
1 teaspoon Borax (in the laundry soap aisle)
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon dish soap
2 cups water
2-3 drops essential oil (I use peppermint...a little goes a long way)

Glass Cleaner
2 cups water
1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1 to 2 drops of essential oil (optional)

Toilet Cleaner
Add 1 cup baking soda to the toilet, leave for one hour, then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.

Oven Cleaner (inside)
4 Tablespoons baking soda
1 quart warm water

Fabric Softener (washing machine)
1/2 cup white vinegar added at the beginning of the wash cycle reduces static cling and soften clothes.

Fruit/Veggie Wash*
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon baking soda
20 drops grapefruit seed extract (ask at your local health food store)

Directions: Spray on the produce and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse clean.
*WARNING! Combine these ingredients in a larger-than-you-need bowl, then pour it into your squirt bottle with a funnel. The white vinegar and baking soda cause a pretty cool, but incredibly messy chemical reaction if you mix it directly in the squirt bottle. Fizz. Everywhere. Ask me how I know.

Does anyone else have any go-to recipes for homemade cleaners???