Cleaning with Oil Paste

Alright - so I set out today to do some heavy cleaning.  My house has been slightly neglected (read - VERY neglected) over the past few months while I try to figure out how to be a mom, student, wife, friend, business owner...etc. You know the feeling, right?

Anyway, the home we live in is a foreclosure. Or, it was, we own it now.  There have been several neglected projects that we keep meaning to do, but something else always comes up.  After a long weekend of cleaning and reorganizing the garage and storage space, I finally decided enough was enough, and set out to tackle some of those jobs I've been avoiding...namely - cleaning the kitchen cabinet faces from years worth of grime.

My mother used to make a paste of baking soda and water to clean surfaces like this, and I tried that.  No go.  The cabinets were covered with oil and grease from who knows how long ago and it just wasn't budging to my satisfaction.

It was time to get creative.

I remember from 8th grade science that oils will will help clean up other oils.  Think about it - water will run off of oil, not penetrating or getting through the icky sticky barrier.  Even with an abrasive substance mixed in, it still won't fully remove the residue.  In order to penetrate and get down to the base of the issue, you need to mix a like substance with it so it won't simply glide over the top of the molecule...

clear as mud?

I thought so.

Anyway, I created a paste of Borax and vegetable oil... (I was out of baking soda, and I like Borax better for tough jobs...)

Next I schmeeered it on the cabinet face...scrubbed and voila!  Clean! (sorry, no photos of this, apparently they didn't turn out. :( )

The dangerous part....I couldn't stop cleaning with it!  I cleaned the surface of my flat top stove...

(Note I only cleaned half so you could see the difference...)

Then....My stainless steel pans...

Last...the textured handles on my refrigerator....

(admittedly not a great photo, but if you look close you see the one on the left is

free of hand prints and grime! yay!)

Yes, I'm seriously happy about this new found cleaning paste.  I do believe I will be cleaning baseboards next.  This house has serious dirt to remove.  I'm even considering using this to clean the oil spots out in the driveway...I'll let you know if it works.

Happy Cleaning!

UPDATE!

So I decided to try it out on the oil stains in the driveway...and.....it totally worked!  I don't know what else this paste will clean, I just know I'm absolutely in love with it.

Litter Kwitter Update - Stage TWO.

So, Sly and I have moved into stage two of our Litter Kwitter journey. 

One thing I'd like to mention here - if you do intend to try out this Litter Kwitter thing - make sure that you know that your kitten is going to throw litter EVERYWHERE.

Also - make sure you have a slotted spoon you NEVER, and I mean EVER plan to use again (even when you have people over that you don't like. It isn't nice, or sanitary.)  in the kitchen because the small grooves in the pan make it next to impossible to get anything bigger than a small slotted spoon into it to clean out your kitty's business.

Anyway - moving on -

we've moved on to stage two.  The Litter Kwitter is still in stage RED (a solid ring that fits inside the toilet seat cover) but it has been moved up onto the toilet.

At first Sly was apprehensive.

Then he realized that he can kick and throw litter as hard as his little paws will allow and it hits the wall with a fun popping sound.

Yea, that's been entertaining.

He's also realized that because we have an elongated toilet, the Litter Kwitter doesn't exactly fit the whole hole...so the small one inch of space between it and the back of the toilet seat is PERFECT for his little paws to go thru and play with the water.

That has also been fun.

This stage is definitely not for the weak of heart - it is MESSY.  And keeping the thing clean is almost more work than potty training a three year old child.  BUT - at least it's a step in the right direction, and YES, he has used it today  - which is a positive step in the right direction.

I am just hoping he doesn't figure out how to get his arm underneath it and flip it off the toilet seat. 

Because yes, right now, that is my biggest fear.  That, and the dog remembering that she likes the litter box as well.  She's not quite as agile as a cat and well - that could only end badly.

The Litter Kwitter

Okay, I did it. 

I'm a gullible little pet owner that would have previously mocked this product on my other  blog - but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I.Bought.A.Litter.Kwitter.With.The.Intention.Of.Toilet.Training.My.Cat.

Wow, say that out loud and it really does  sound completely redonkulous doesn't it?

Okay, five minutes of public mocking and ridicule start: NOW.

Phase one of the master plan started yesterday when I moved his rather large, rather bulky litterbox to the bathroom from the laundry room.  A quick inspection of said box this morning confirmed that he was okay with the new location - and it didn't confuse him at all.  (The dog however seemed very annoyed as she has been using the litterbox from time to time for her own business, and to search for "kitty roca" as my friend Krista calls it...on another side note - ewwwwww!)

Today,  we moved on to phase two...removing the rather big, rather bulky litterbox and replacing it with this small-ish toilet shaped thing filled with 5 cups of litter, and then introducing him to it.

Believe it or not, he seemed pretty okay with it. He scratched around, sniffed, dug some more...so far he hasn't used it,but I can't force that, I just have to let nature take it's course, do I not?

Phase three is where I start to be concerned...see phase three through five cause issues for anyone else that might want to use that bathroom in the meantime, because the LitterKwitter replaces the regular toilet seat. And of course I just remembered we are hosting a Super Bowl party in a week and a half...this ought to be interesting...do I tell the guests to use the upstairs bathroom, or tell them to scoop out their mess when they are done...hmmmmm....)   At any rate, this should be interesting, and I promise to chronicle the progress here.  Words of support and encouragement are welcomed, of course - as is the public mocking. I know this is crazy. I am embracing that.  Who better to try something like this than me? Heh.

I potty trained five kids.  A cat can't be that difficult. Right?   Right????

Candlebreeze

The CandleBreeze.
I not only have one, but I wish I had one more!

If you like to cook with garlic, you’ll want one.

If you have pets, you’ll want one.

If you have kids (that often come with their own set of fragrances…)  you’ll definitely want one!

What is a Candle Breeze you ask?  It’s a flameless candle, that goes a little beyond a simple candle warmer.  It has an integrated fan that allows the scent to gently waft through the house…filling up to 2500 square feet with only one unit.

That’s right sports fans…2500 square feet.

And it’s perfectly safe.  (And since my recent house fire involving electric appliances…I’m even more paranoid than ever…but not about my CandleBreeze.)

My favorite scent (at the moment) is fresh peach, but vanilla sugar cookie is growing on me too…oh and fresh oranges and then there’s the cinnamon one…oooo and don’t forget the spiced wassail at Christmastime…On second thought, I have no favorite.  I like them all.

The candlebreeze costs about $50.00 for a a large unit and comes with one scent.  Replacement scents are about $7.00 each for the large units.  You can purchase them from their website at www.candlebreeze.com.

Tervis Tumbler

I love Arizona.

I love living here.

I even love the heat…except….

Sometimes the heat makes it impossible for me to enjoy a glass of ice water (or anything cold for that matter) unless I drink it very, very quickly – and we are talking superhuman quick here…Ice headache quick…and I’m just not willing to do that.

With Tervis, I don’t have to.

These things are awesome.

That’s right, they go beyond fabulous.

They are insulated so they stay cold.

They are double walled – so they don’t sweat (which is good, because I can never find a coaster when I need one anyway)

And…

Drum roll please…

The come in this FABULOUS Design…


This thing has just overcome fabulous and awesome and has reached Bodacious.

I have two – one in 16 oz and one in 24 oz.  They come with awesome travel lids, are super heavy duty, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and keep my drinks filled with ice water for hours on end…that is if I don’t drink it too quickly.

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (I had a COUPON!) But you can get them at http://www.tervis.com too.  The large cups sell for around $16.00 if you want one with a licensed logo, prepare to spend a little more.

The only thing that would make these perfect?  If they DIDN’T sell them with these on them…

Just sayin’.

Glad OvenWare

Ok, I have a big family.

Not 18 Kids and Counting  big, but still big nonetheless.

As you can imagine keeping them all fed and well-nourished can be a bit of a challenge sometimes.  Especially with a mom that has two businesses, writes this silly very informative blog, and occasionally likes her Thursday Girls Night Out evenings…

So, when I cook, I cook A LOT.  And I don’t cook a lot because my family eats a lot, but I cook large amounts – usually double portions – so that one full meal can be frozen for later heating and eating.

I USED to use all my glass casserole pans and large pieces of Tupperware (which are not oven-friendly and that is annoying) to do my fix and forget cooking.

Until I found these:

They come in 9x12, and 9x9 sizes and are perfect for my family’s needs.  They are oven safe, dishwasher safe, freezer safe, microwave safe – and completely, totally, loss proof…why?  Because they are disposable, so nobody cares if they don’t come home.

Not to mention the fact they won’t shatter like my $40.00 stoneware pan that got put into the HOT oven after coming directly out of the COLD freezer…no I didn’t do it, we don’t need to go there…

Look, these things are awesome, and they make my life as a mommy a little bit easier and more peaceful on nights where I’m pretty sure I might lose my mind if I add one more task to my plate.  With these things in my freezer full of yummy pre-made dinners, I don’t have to worry that cooking for my family is going to be the straw that breaks the mommy’s back on any given day.

Glad OvenWare cost about $6.00 for a set of two or three depending on the size. I found mine at the local Kroger store, but I know Walmart, Kmart and other discount outlets offer them as well.

Shark Portable Steam Pocket

Also found on our Humor Blog - http://someonewillbuythis.com - where there are products that aren't quite so helpful.
Have you ever cleaned your bathroom with a black light that is rated to see germs and bodily fluids?  If not, I actually do not recommend it.  You will find that what you think is a clean bathroom actually - - -well, is not.  It's icky.  Okay, well at least mine was.  Of course we are talking about the bathroom that my five children share - one of which is a 6 year old boy, but I digress.

I took these pictures for your shock and enjoyment.  (and much to my mother's utter disbelief and embarrassment - sorry mom.)

Yea, gross, right?

The thing is, this is AFTER I used a certain name brand spray cleaner to clean it up.

That's right, I said AFTER.  Apparently all it did was streak the icky mess downward.

So, I decided to heat things up a bit, and pulled out my Shark Steam Pocket.  I bought this thing not too long after my first steam cleaner machine pooped out on me.  Probably because I rarely used it, and it sat dormant for a while - I know - bad me.  Anyway - I filled it up and with some bursts of steam and a clean wash cloth (dry to wipe down with afterward...) this is the result...

Pretty stinkin' amazing right?  And all of this with just WATER.  My bathroom smells fresh and clean, my  toilet passes the black light test, and I did it all without harsh chemicals or fumes.  Anyway, I love my Shark Portable Steam Pocket.  It also does this to my kitchen, my carpet, and my walls and baseboards.  Clean and fresh like a daisy...the whole house.