Cleaning..the simple and "green" way!

Before I started researching ways to clean my house in an Eco friendly manner, I thought for sure that this was going to be quite the chore. I never really entertained the idea of "going green" when it came to housework. I thought that not only would it be harder and more time consuming (which I couldn't stand the thought of giving up even more of my precious play time with the kids!) but I also thought "you can't possibly have a clean house without chemicals!". I mean, how do you know that it is clean without knowing that all of those toxic chemicals have stripped every last contaminant off of that surface? Well, needless to say I was in for quite the surprise. I headed to the grocery store and picked up a few times that I would need to clean my house and not use a single chemical (I started to think how all of these chemicals could affect my family and I didn't like the thought that the chemicals could be hurting instead of helping). I found a few recipes on Pinterest and quickly went to work. I started with my dishwasher, it was in desperate need of help. I read online that you could clean your dishwasher with a simple packet of lemonade (yeah right!). So with only 15 cents and an hour of wash time to loose (since I had to clean the dishwasher already, if it didn't work I wasn't really worried). Jasmine watched as I dumped it in and laughed that this was how I was going to clean it, but then she thought it could work. After the cycle finished we popped open the door together and were shocked, it actually worked! My dishwasher was spotless! Needless to say, this started a chain affect and we became believers, so the next stop was the washing machine. The method I used was a little more time consuming but it was more waiting then anything. We filled the washer up with the hottest water it would allow and poured in two cups of white vinegar and let it set for an hour. After it had soaked we let it finish the cycle and filled it up again, this time adding two cups of Borax (an all natural bleach alternative that I couldn't survive a day without). We let it set for another hour and then put it through the normal cycle. It made most of my washer sparkly white, but there were still a few spots that I thought I would have to scrub, so I went and got my sponge and to my surprise (again lol) they wiped right out! I think that the results certainly speak for themselves. Since our day of experimenting we have happily traded in our chemical filled wipes and bottles for 4 simple cleaning supplies (aside from my laundry soap) that clean anything and everything. We have a box of Borax, s spray bottle of vinegar, a box of baking soda and home made dish detergent. Not only am I limiting the amount of chemicals we are being exposed to daily, we are saving a lot of money and it has actually made my cleaning routine easier. All of my green products clean better then any chemical I used to use and I uncluttered under my sink, finally! Here is a list of DIY cleaning supplies and the site that I found it on (always give credit where credit is due). I hope this helps to save others money, time and a few nose hairs. =D

To clean your washing machine: 

Fill with hot water and add 2 cups of vinegar. Let it set for one hour and then run it through the rest of the cycle. Fill it with hot water again and add 2 cups of bleach. *I use Borax because it is a natural bleach alternative, but you can use regular bleach if you would rather* Let it set for one hour and then run it through the rest of the cycle. If there is still build up in the washer, it usually wipes out pretty easily with a sponge. Here is the site that I found it on, she has some other great tips on there too! (Like how to clan your bath tub with a baking soda paste, and it actually works). http://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-clean-your-washing-machine/

To clean your dishwasher: 

Make sure that your washer is empty and put a packet of Lemonade Kool-aid *the generic works just the same, but this is the only flavor that will work* in the soap dispenser cup and run the cycle as usual. When it is all done it will be nice and sparkly clean and anything that is left on the bottom easily wipes out.

Homemade dishwasher detergent recipe: 

1 Cup "Washing Soda" *Such as Arm and Hammer* or Baking Soda
1 Cup Borax (It does everything! LOL)
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available at brewing places or Amazon.com. Or as an alternative you can use the same amount of Fruit Fresh or two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon and ONLY unsweetened!)
3 Drops and ONLY 3 DROPS of liquid dish soap (any more than that will cause the dishwasher to overflow).  *Add to each load, not to the mixture above*
Then splash 1/2 Cup of Vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher and start the cycle. This will help the dishes to shine. 
Use 1-2 tablespoons of the above mix with each load in your soap tray.
This will save a ton of money and works great!
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-revised.html
Tips for cleaning with vinegar: 
http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7

I hope that this helps (sorry if it is kind of long and overwhelming LOL). Enjoy!
~Susan 

Who wants to win something from 2NTM?

Oh yeah you read that correctly!!!! We have a challenge for you all....... A recipe off!!!

Do you have the best kept secret recipe in the whole wide world? Well here is your chance to share and possibly win a spice box from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop!!!

ENTRY RULES

We will be accepting 4 submissions for each category!
Categories are as follows:
Breakfast
Snacks
Dinners
Desserts

Submissions must be made to 2naturallytwistedmoms@gmail.com no later then Sunday April 1st @ 5pm

Your submission must be a full recipe and include a picture ( no more than 2 pictures please)  and in the subject line please put "Recipe contest: category" the category depends on your recipe if your recipe is a dessert it should look as follows : Recipe contest: Desserts

Please include your name, phone #, mailing address and email address in your emailed submission so we can ensure the winners get their prizes!!! ( We will only be posting your recipe name, your first name and your city and state with your recipe) Also please include a small photo of yourself!!!


All recipes will be posted on Tuesday, April 3rd.

Judging

Judging will be up to you and how many people you get to leave a comment with your recipe title and name on your recipe's category. (So tell everyone you know to get their vote in!!! and make sure they like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/2NaturallyTwistedMoms ) Voting will last until Friday April 5th at 12 midnight. Final tally of votes will be done on Saturday April 6th and winners will be posted that day around 5 pm.
This contest is not scientific!!!!
Winners will receive their prizes with in 2-4 weeks of close of contest.

Prizes

The winner from each category will receive a Spice box tailored to each category from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop. There is no prize for 2nd, 3rd or 4th places in each category. The winner will have a small bio written about them by 2NTM when the winner is announced!!!

PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR SUBMISSIONS QUICK AND EASY AND KID FRIENDLY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL THAT IS WHO EATS OUR COOKING RIGHT?!

PLEASE HAVE FUN AND LETS KEEP IT CLEAN AND BE GOOD SPORTS!!!! 

HAPPY COOKING ALL, BUENO APPETITO!!!

Let your leftovers and trash boost your gardens productivity

Spring is in the air!!!!! If you are anything like me all you want to do is be outside. I typically cannot keep a plant alive!!! BUT, I have a new found LOVE........Gardening! Who woulda thunk it?! Well being an "all natural/ Organic" mom, I decided to compost to ensure our veggies are truly organic!! So We started our compost project just a few weeks ago Here are a few tips and tricks I have found useful!!!

Keep a Tupperware container on the counter (make sure you have a lid on it to ensure you don't have flies roaming around your kitchen) As you make your meals or do your daily house chores instead of throwing things away put them in your Tupperware, at the end of the day you can add them to your compost bin outdoors. I tend to do this after dinner when I go out to water my plants.

 In Florida it is hard to get your compost to break down instead of rotting, We use a few cups of Lime (Garden Lime) in our bin every few days or as needed. We also add a few cups of Organic soil we have purchased at the local garden store once a week.

Make sure you have a place to put your compost bin ( we used a Rubbermaid storage box and drilled holes all the way around on every side/top/bottom) where isn't easily accessible by rodents!

Also make sure you keep it in the garden, this ensures when you are ready to use your compost in your soil that you wont have to move it!!!

Here is a list Ive found of great things to boost your compost:
1.  Dryer lint
2.  “Dust bunnies”
3.  The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
4.  The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
5.  Coffee grounds
6.  Coffee filters
7.  Tea bags/loose leaf tea
8.  Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
9.  Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
10.  Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow)
11.  Avocado pits (chop them up so they won’t sprout)
12.  Pickles
13.  Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
14.  Stale crackers
15.  Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
16.  Old breakfast cereal
17.  Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
18.  Seaweed/nori/kelp
19.  Tofu/tempeh
20.  Frozen fruits and vegetables
22.  Egg shells
23.  Old, moldy “soy dairy” and other dairy substitutes
24.  Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
25.  Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn’t make it)
26.  Old herbs and spices
27.  Oatmeal
28.  Peanut shells
29.  Booze (beer and wine)
30.  Wine corks
31.  Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
32.  Toothpicks
33.  Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
34.  Bamboo Skewers
35.  Matches
36.  Sawdust
37.  Pencil shavings
38..  Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
39. Paper towels 40.  Paper napkins
41.  Paper table cloths
42.  Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
43.  Crepe paper streamers
44.  Holiday wreaths
45.  Old potpourri
46.  Dried flowers
47.  Fresh flowers
48.  Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
49.  Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
50.  Toenail clippings
51.  Trimmings from an electric razor
52.  Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
53.  Newspaper 54.  Junk mail
55.  Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
56.  Old masking tape

So happy Composting Enjoy the fruits and veggies of your labors!!! 

 

~Opal 

Post Inspired by

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/80-items-you-can-compost.html?page=3