Organizing All the Cleaning

I wanted to organize all of the fancy lists on Pinterest (I know... even more than they are already organized on Pinterest). I'm kind of obsessed with binders (I have a couple others I'm working on). So I made this:

Here are some good lists you can print out. Pick the ones that work best for you.

Daily cleaning:
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398168317/ - 10 Daily Steps to a Cleaner Home

Weekly/monthly maintenance cleaning:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398432247/ - 30 Minutes per Week to a Cleaner House

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398156914/ - Deep Cleaning Monthly Schedule

Schedules (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly):
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398260562/ - Cleaning Schedule
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395769403/ - Cleaning Calendar
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398136001/ - House Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396400941/ - Master Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396095406/ - Cleaning Calendar
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395565045/ - Chores

"Spring" or 30 day cleaning challenges:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398161380/ - 30 Days to a Clean House
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398268793/ - Thorough Spring Cleaning Checklist
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398451063/ - The 31 Day House Cleaning Routine
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025715/ - Spring Cleaning List of Chores
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025682/ - Spring Cleaning List
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025712/ - Spring Cleaning Checklist
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398025678/ - The Mother of All Spring Cleaning Checklists (which, ironically, I find to be lacking)
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395654693/ - Spring Cleaning Challenge (copy and paste list into Word)

Helpful cleaning tips:

http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398268786/ - Stain Removal Chart
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395503330/ - Laundry Stain Cheat Sheet
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398067768/ - Clothing Care Symbols (I don't know about you, but I can never remember what any of them mean)
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396401296/ - Laundry Guide to Common Care Symbols

I recommend saving all of the print-outs to your computer, in case you want to go back and reprint and the site has been moved (or, heaven forbid, we lose Pinterest). I have a folder in My Documents called "Making Life Easier" with a sub folder "Cleaning All the Things".

Organizing: Emergency Car Kit

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398013765/

I don't have kids, so I customized my kit for things I know I'd need. Especially on nights I can't make it home and need to crash at a friend's.

I went for the $2 box because I wanted it to be purple. :-)

Inside:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
2 hair ties
Travel pack of tissues
Body wash/lotion (some random kind that doesn't even smell that great)
Deodorant
Shampoo
Cotton swabs
Facial cleansing towelettes
Tampons/pantyliners (not pictured because I thought of them later)
Anti-bacterial wipes
Baby wipes (they came free in a sample box and could be very useful in a pinch)
Pad of paper
Pen
One baggie (snack size) with Band-Aids, alcohol prep pads, safety pins, and tweezers
One baggie (snack size) with ibuprofen, cough drops, and premenstrual relief
Pack of gum
Plastic grocery bag

It tends to stay cooler in my trunk, so I'll put it in there (so things don't melt/explode), towards the back, so it's accessible from the back seat (which folds down), for easier access.

Enamel Painted Vases

I've been getting into crafts a bit lately. Nothing very "artsy" because I don't get art. Just fun little projects to do while I watch TV.

Enamel Painted Vases...

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396149664/

I really thought I had "befores" but they're gone. I actually started with a couple candle holders before I moved up.

I just used acrylic paint.

For fun, I did this with a vase:

This is in the middle...

This is done. I can't find the pin, but I saw one somewhere about painting corks to keep them. I have one cork so far. It'll take a while. I plan on painting them white, gray, and pink to match the vase (I have several vases, so it wasn't a big deal to "sacrifice" one for this project).

Then I did this for fun with a mason jar. (I use old VS catalogs when I paint because I don't get the newspaper)

Vinegar!

As a dandruff treatment? Works!

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396419998/

I didn't have a huge dandruff problem, but my scalp would itch and I'd get some flakes. I had a small bottle of apple cider that was close to empty, so I kept it in the shower and used it for 4 or 5 days. I didn't think it was making much of a difference until I stopped using it (once I ran out). Since then, I haven't noticed any flakes. Warning: you may think that you've completely washed out the smell, but any time you sweat or your hair gets wet, there is a definite vinegar smell.

8/27 Edit: Temporarily works. I didn't think it would be a permanent solution. It has been about a month since I stopped doing this and it was a month without a dry scalp! So I'll try again (luckily I have a LOT of vinegar).

8/28 Edit: I used this last night and it seemed to clear it up. Scalp is not dry today!

Nutella Cookies

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396545393/

Well.... I used JIF Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread because I didn't have Nutella (I tried to buy it, but the store was out).

The cookies were... bland. But very quick, fairly easy. So good if you want something quick. But there are "better for you" foods that just as quick and easy.

So I won't likely make them again, unless I have some JIF Hazelnut spread or Nutella to get rid of.

The recipe made about 18 cookies. So... take that into consideration when you're mixing. I don't know if it was just me, but while mixing, the dough is got really dry and hard to mix together, so my cookies had a few white spots where I wasn't able to mix in the flour.

Painting Wooden Handles

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395769398/

This was fun! I forgot to take before pictures... but I think you know what a plain wooden spatula looks like. I decided on a pink/white/black/gray theme and came up with this.

I decided I wanted different lengths and then I decided I wanted to put stripes on them.

Finished close-up.

Finished close-up.

 

I used acrylic paint and then sprayed them thoroughly with shellac. So far they're holding up well! 2 of my spatulas were "pink ribbon" editions, so that's why I traced the pink ribbons on 2 of the handles. I do have some wooden spoons that I want to try this with.

Hash Browns in the Waffle Iron

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396083370/

This didn't work as well as it was supposed to. Maybe it was because mine started out frozen? They were pretty bland as well, since they weren't cooked in oil, which usually gives them flavor. Ended up throwing them on the stove with cheese (just to melt the cheese) for a little more flavor.

I won't likely be trying this again, but mostly because they didn't have much flavor.