Over the years, I’ve come across plenty of what I call home hacks.  Some work and some, ah not so much.  I’m going to share some of the hacks that I tried and continue to use because they worked for me and my family.  Here are my home hacks that work.

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LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Yep, I make my own laundry detergent.  I had been reading something, a number of years ago, and the person in the article had mentioned that she made her own laundry detergent because she had a family member that had extra sensitive skin.

This got me to thinking, because my husband had just said that he didn’t like the detergent we had been using for years because he thought it was beginning to make him itch.

What better time to try something new?  I tried a few different things and recipes;  the recipe I’m going to share is what I’ve been using for the last five years.  And it’s so simple, you won’t believe it.

Items Needed:

75 oz. liquid laundry detergent bottle (empty)

1 kettle of hot water

Borax

Washing soda (most expensive part of recipe, so I get it when its on sale)

Dawn

Essential oils

I put a teapot of water on to boil.  I use two 75 oz. liquid laundry detergent bottles that I had.  Making two bottles at a time, doesn’t take any more time than doing one bottle.  This way I don’t have to make it as often.

While the water is boiling, I use a funnel and put the following in each bottle:

¾ cup of borax

¾ cup of washing soda

The purpose of the hot water is to dissolve the borax and washing soda.   Once the water is hot (doesn’t have to be boiling); fill each container not quite half full and put the lid on.  The hardest part of this is, next.  With a towel, hold on to a bottle and start shaking.  You will have to do this several times and the better you shake and dissolve the crystals, the better in the long run.

After, I’ve shaken as much as I can, add more water, can be from faucet at this time but still hot.  Just don’t totally fill up the containers.  At this point you are just adding more water to help dissolve more of the borax and washing soda.

If you don’t get the crystals totally dissolved, they will sink to the bottom of the bottle and get hard.  When that happens, we just shake the bottle before we use the detergent.

When you think it is pretty mixed up, add the last ingredient, which is ¾ cup of Dawn Dishwashing Soap, then add water to an inch or two from the top.  At this point, you can also add a few drops of essential oil, if you want.  Give it a couple more good shakes and you are good to go.

To do the laundry, I use this mixture just like I would any store-bought liquid detergent.  I just use the lids that are on the detergent containers that I’m using.

No More Itching

I’ve not had another complaint about anyone itching.  Also, its much cheaper to make than what we buy in the stores.  I get a box of both the Borax and Washing Soda and it goes a long way before I have to buy them again.  And as far as the Dawn goes—I always have that under my kitchen sink.

Easy To Do Garden

I call this my no dig garden—kinda.  Instead of doing a lot of digging to plant flowers every spring, you just dig holes big enough to put an empty flower pot in the ground.  Then when you are ready to plant, just drop the new flower and container into the one you have in the ground already.

This method gives you a lot of opportunities for change or moving things around during the season.  If you have planted a plant in one place, but would prefer to move it elsewhere, then all you need to do is lift the flowering container, leaving the empty container behind.

Then just put your plant wherever else you want to give it a try, once you have already dug a hole and put an empty container in the hole.  For more garden ideas check out my Curb Appeal Article.

Kitty Litter and Peppermint Oil—Keep Mesquitoes Away

This hack is amazing and I got it from a friend of mine.  You just need terra cotta containers or buckets—anything that will look nice on your deck or patio.  I get them from the dollar store and set five or six around my deck.

The other two ingredients needed are kitty litter and peppermint oil.  (Can replace the litter with sand if you want.  It just won’t clump to make clean up easier).  Neither one of these items needs to be the good stuff either.  All you do is pour the kitty litter into each container you have and add three or four drops of the peppermint oil.  You can adjust the amount of peppermint until you find the right amount that works for you and your family.

Clean up is easy too.  You just have to get the clumps out, add more liter and oil and you are good to go again.

Sand And Solar Lights

I absolutely love this idea.  I love the little solar lights that you can get everywhere these days, but I’ll stick with the dollar store for them and the terra cotta plant containers.

We like to put those solar lights around the deck and different places around the house and gardens.  The only problem with them comes when it is time to mow the lawn.  My husband hates having to mow around them and I can’t say I blame him.

And here’s how to get around that and make mowing easier.  Put a few larger rocks in the bottom of the flower pots, then add  sand.  Push the light down into the sand which is much easier than trying to shove the lights directly into the ground.

Then when its time to mow, you just pick the whole thing up and move it.  When the mowing is finished you can again place the flower pot lights wherever you want.

Bra

Have you ever had to take your bra off and figure out what the heck is poking or scratching you?  Well, I have and I discovered that there was extra plastic left on the little plastic circles used to make our bras.  That is what was scratching the heck out of me one day.

Before I put it on again—I used an Emory board across that extra little bit of plastic until it was smooth.  And you know what?  No more poking or scratching.

Now, when I buy a new bra, I check out all the little mechanisms on it and if I see any extra plastic, I file it off.  WA LA—no scratching!!

Spray Can Holder

I don’t remember who told me about this little gem, but it was the best thing ever.  I do a lot of spray painting, but I have arthritis in my hands, so many times my fingers were done-in before I was finished. 

This “spray grip” or handle looks like a garden hose handle that snaps over the top of the spray can.  It lets you use your whole hand to pull on the can of paint instead of just one finger.

Spray painting isn’t that hard to begin with, but this one little tool made a big difference for me.  Maybe, it will for you too.  (pic above—looks like a gun and fits over the spray nozzle of the can)

Add Volume to Your Hair

When hair is dull and limp—try this little hack for a big volume booster.  Before washing hair, add a quarter size amount of baking soda to a dollop of your shampoo, then wash your hair, as usual.  Because the baking soda has negatives ions, it reacts with our hair’s positive ions to do a “prop up” on your hair.  This little technique should add just a bit of lift to your hair.

Wrap Up

Well, there you have it—my little tidbit of hacks to use around your home.  I like them and they work for my family, so give one or two of them a try and let me know what you think.  Do you have any good hacks you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear about them.

Stay Awesome,

Cher

Relevant Reading

Houseclean Like A Pro
Hacks to Live Below Your Means
Lies From A Mechanic

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