Amazing Grout Cleaning

Amazing Grout Cleaner

  I used to be on this everlasting quest to find a good grout cleaner. As you'll see in some of the pics, I had given up on that quest long ago and decided to let the grout just become a constant dark brown instead of the light tan it was originally. I had tried every product and concoction out there. In fact I had tried everything I could think of, short of paying a professional.
So one day I saw a pic on Pinterest of a floor with half clean grout and half really dirty grout. I wasn't sure it would work on my grout because it's not sealed but I gave it a try.

Here's the formula:

7 cups warm water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/3 cup ammonia
1/4 cup vinegar

Now this much liquid didn't even close to fit into my tiny little spray bottle and it probably won't fit in yours either, so here is the recipe halved and quartered

 

Halved
3 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp ammonia
2 Tbsp vinegar

Quartered
1 3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ammonia
1 Tbsp vinegar

I used the quartered version for the pics below. I also wrote the formula on a piece of paper and taped it to the bottle. Make sure never to mix bleach with ammonia, you will die or something...

 

Friday, June 15, 2012

Amazing Grout Cleaner

I used to be on this everlasting quest to find a good grout cleaner. As you'll see in some of the pics, I had given up on that quest long ago and decided to let the grout just become a constant dark brown instead of the light tan it was originally. I had tried every product and concoction out there. In fact I had tried everything I could think of, short of paying a professional.
So one day I saw a pic on Pinterest of a floor with half clean grout and half really dirty grout. I wasn't sure it would work on my grout because it's not sealed but I gave it a try.

Here's the formula:

7 cups warm water
1/2 cup baking soda
1/3 cup ammonia
1/4 cup vinegar

Now this much liquid didn't even close to fit into my tiny little spray bottle and it probably won't fit in yours either, so here is the recipe halved and quartered.

Halved
3 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp ammonia
2 Tbsp vinegar

Quartered
1 3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ammonia
1 Tbsp vinegar

I used the quartered version for the pics below. I also wrote the formula on a piece of paper and taped it to the bottle. Make sure never to mix bleach with ammonia, you will die or something...

Here is the method:

First mix the ingredients and give the bottle a good shake.
Spray the grout (I started with 2 tiles at a time) and let the spray sit and absorb a little into the grout. Be generous.
Grab a grout brush, scrub brush, or tile brush with a handle and scrub the grout vigorously where the spray has been sitting. Don't get it in your eyes, trust me.
Use a clean damp rag to wipe each line of grout right after you scrub it to pick up all that dirty liquid, might be handy to keep a bowl or bucket of warm water nearby because you'll want to continuously clean the rag.
Depending on the color of your tile, you may want to mop the whole thing when you're done because the baking soda may or may not leave some white residue. Personally, I mopped and towel dried the floor.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies with Chocolate Chips

By: Hillary Congdon via Watch What I eat

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy
• 1/3 cup peanut butter ~ creamy or chunky
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder ** (can be made without, cookie will just be lower in protein)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp butter flavor extract ** (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal ~ uncooked (or use old fashioned oats for more oatmeal texture)
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (peanut, walnut, or your favorite)
• 1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips (**optional)

Directions:

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder & the extract(s) ~ mix again until all are completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal & nuts to the banana mixture & combine. (** add the optional carob / chocolate chips at this time if you want them mixed throughout)

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into rounds. (** if you just want the carob / chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, add now)
Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into rounds. (** if you just want the carob / chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, add now)
** I didn't add the protein powder, butter extract, or chopped nuts.**

D.I.Y. Oxiclean

Tight on money? Don't have time to run to the store? Don't have an extra car to get to the store? Etc. Try this homemade remedy for oxiclean. Check out A "Real" Housewife and Mommy to learn how to make it.

OXICLEAN:

1 part baking soda

1 part hydrogen peroxide
2 parts water

Mix it all in a container to spot treat or just add straight to laundry if presoaking. (I've tried it on a couple things and it works AMAZING!) You just have to shake it before you use each time.

Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

By: Hillary Congdon

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts, thawed
• 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
• 1-2 Apples peeled and grated
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 6-8 Slices of Bacon

Directions:

1. Peel and grate apples.

2. Combine BBQ Sauce, grated apples, and lemon juice.

3. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each piece of chicken.

4. Grease Crockpot.

5. Place Chicken in Crockpot.

6. Pour BBQ mix over chicken and bacon.

7. Set to low and cook for 8 hours.

8. Serve with Rice, veggies, and/or salad.

Cleaning Bath Toys

Some of us have young children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc that love to take baths and play with toys. Do you want to know how you can keep those toys clean and disinfected?

Visit this website We Love Being Moms. If you can't get to it here is how you do it.

Vinegar Cleaning

Vinegar is a wonderful natural disinfectant and is safer than bleach and so I gave this a try first. I mixed 1/2 cup of white vinegar with a gallon of water and let the toys soak for an hour. I scrubbed the toys down with a sponge and squeezed the water out of each toy and let them dry. This released some of the mold but not all of it so I repeated it again with the same results.

Bleach Cleaning

I also soaked the toys in 3/4 cup of bleach with one gallon of water. I let the toys soak for an hour, scrubbed them down and squeezed the water out and let them dry. This seemed to release more mold than the vinegar. I rinsed the insides of the toys multiple times to rinse the bleach off.

After spending a couple hours cleaning these bath toys I put a little bit of glue on the holes of each toy to prevent water from getting in them and me from having to clean them again. This has been wonderful!!! It has now been 3 months and the glue has successfully stayed on all but one bath toy. This is seriously the best thing you can do...I would do it as soon as you get a new toy and then you won't even have to worry about cleaning the toys!

Breakfast Pockets

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 1/2 tblsp yeast
• 1/2 c warm water (110 degrees)
• 3/4 c evaporated milk (110 degrees)
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 c flour

Filling

• 1 lb bulk sausage
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 c frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed
• 7 large eggs
• 3 tblsp milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Dough 

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in the water.
2. Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.
3. Add enough flour until it makes a soft dough but do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling

    4.  Cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until browned. Drain. Add the hashbrowns,

         eggs, milk, and spices. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle with cheese and keep warm.

Assembling the Pockets

     5.  Preheat oven to 350°.

     6.  Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces.

     7.  Roll each piece into 7 in circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling, fold, and pinch shut.

          Bake for 15-20 minutes.

To Freeze

     8.  Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a

          ziploc bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1

          1/2-2 minutes.

DIY: Cleaning Fruit & Veggies

Summertime means fresh fruits and vegetables. I love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables all the time. I found this amazing link that explains how to clean fruits and vegetables. I'm never sure if using just water always got rid of the bugs and bacteria, etc on the fruit. Then I found this D.I.Y. Solution and gave it a try. It really works and I couldn't believe how clean and shiny my fruits have been. It even helps them last a little longer.

Give it a try!!!

Here's How-To:

Make sure your sink is very clean.

Fill a sink halfway with lukewarm water.

Add 1 cup of white vinegar.

Mix.

Add your fruit. Don't over fill your sink with fruit.

Soak for about 10 minutes.

Rinse well.

The Result: Clean. Fruit.