More Natural Cleaning with P&G offer August 9, 2012 – Posted in: Sewing

Since my sewing machine has been down and out, I’ve been trying to get things squared away around the house more. Which, for me, means more cleaning than usual. Eager to continue my natural cleaning spree, I started researching alternate ways to take care of the grit and grime I’ve found all over our new (to us) house.

I figured since my other post on natural cleaning was a hit, I’d share some of the new tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the last few months.

Chloe has turned into a little Picasso. She asks me to “cloorl” several times a day and will happily sit at the table for 30 or more minutes filling coloring book pages with crayon scribbles. She even hums while she colors! But alas, she is just 2, and apparently got ahold of a red-orange crayon and decorated all over the walls on the main floor of our house.

Most of the places were just a little scribble–walls, doors, anywhere she could reach. And nothing was safe, including the head of my child-size mannequin!

I kept forgetting to get Magic Erasers every time we went out and finally I thought, “there has to be something I already have in this house that will get rid of the crayon.” And sure enough, I was right!! What removes crayon?

Baking soda.

Nothing else, just baking soda, a damp old wash cloth, and a little elbow grease.

When it dries it leaves a little haze that can easily be wiped off with water (which you can see in the after picture above).

She got my pantry door, which desperately needs to be repainted, but even it was cleaned and spruced up with nothing more than baking soda. You know the dirty finger prints that collect next to the knob where you push it closed? Gone.

Months ago I scored a ton of Dawn super cheap with coupons. Since I don’t wash many dishes by hand, I started researching alternate uses for dish soap. I was shocked at how many things I found! I now use it for:

-grease stains on laundry. I squirt a little on the stain and toss it in the pile. It comes out of the washer looking like new!
-ant killer. Ants HATE dish soap so I wipe counters and floors down with it daily. You can also use it on outside ants!
-weed killer. 1 tsp Dawn, 1 cup of salt and 1 gallon distilled white vinegar. Pour on cracks, crevices, pavers and anywhere else you have weeds. It’s environmentally friendly and ridiculously cheap!
-my hair! Every few weeks I use a few drops of Dawn mixed in with my shampoo to revitalize my hair. It’s amazing at fighting greasy scalp as well as greasy dishes!
-ice packs. If your kids are anything like mine, every bump or scrape is deemed worthy of an ice pack. And 3 minutes later, once the “injury” doesn’t hurt anymore, the ice pack inevitably ends up in their mouth. I’m always scared of the chemical soup in store-bought ice packs busting into their mouths, so we now use Dawn, frozen in a snack size ziploc, then placed in a freezer safe quart size bag. Fear diminished!

I also stumbled across a blog that tests pinterest pins for validity. I loved this idea since it’s vinegar and Dawn. Intrigued, I decided to use the mixture to tackle my grossest area–our shower. It was not the cleanest when we took possession and quickly got much worse. I didn’t do the entire mix suggested in the blog, just 1/3 C amounts each in a tupperware dish and I used a sponge. I read the comments on the actual pin first and saw many people complain about the fumes. I was glad I recently switched to Pomegranate Dawn because it smelled awesome!

I know, it’s sick. This happens frequently! But alas, 30 seconds of scrubbing later (I was too impatient to spray and wait) and voila!

And I’m currently testing ideas for the grout and silicone. I have a store-bought, chemical-laden, horrific-smelling product that works but I desperately want to replace it with something else, so I’ve been experimenting. Nothing successful yet, but I’ll share when I do!

And all this brings me to the P&G offer. Did you know Proctor & Gamble has an online store? This month, Sew Like My Mom readers can take 10% off their entire purchase! And to make the deal even sweeter, sales over $25 are eligible for free shipping! I’ve been so excited to utilize their online store because the less I have to haul 3 kids through the grocery store for, the better. Am I right or am I right? And free shipping to boot? Sign me up.

So use this link and go grab some Dawn Ultra Hand Renewal – Olay Beauty Pomegranate Splash Scent and revitalize your house. Look around while you’re there and see what other deals you can score! They have lots of Olympic themed bundles this month that you don’t want to miss out on. Spread the word and make sure you send them through my page so they can get the 10% off, too!!

Do you have any natural cleaning tips I haven’t mentioned yet? Please leave a comment and let me know your tried and true favorites!

**This is a sponsored post and I will receive a commission on all products purchased through the link provided.