I think I got the cob out-Behind the Scenes at Great Day, Green Country

Last week, I was once again asked to be a guest on Great Day, Green Country. This time, I shared my Homemade Laundry Soap. You can see the live video of my dorkiness here, if you want to.

After three times of being a guest on the show, I think I got the cob out. If you know what I mean.

I did need to primp a little beforehand, making sure there weren’t any boogers or any lipstick on the chompers.

After laboring over the setup, while wearing really cute shoes, I was ready. And this is what was going through my head.

“Am I ready? Does this look right?”

“I don’t know. But my shoes are really cute.”

“Nope, it doesn’t look right. I’d better fix it. I am the master fixer. Hi-yah! I am ninja quick!”

“Cute, cute, cute. This looks cute. I like to make things cute. La da da da. La da da da.”

“Yep. This looks good. I should have gone with the anti-perspirant rather than the plain ‘ol deodorant. Keep the arms out and let the air flow.”

After everything was settled, all heck broke loose. And I decided my recycled Vodka bottle now containing my Laundry Softener was a photo op waiting to happen.

Yep, I’m a dork.

And then the camera’s began to roll and my heart skipped several beats and I began to sweat and sweat and sweat….But, I think the cob was finally removed-if you know what I mean.

They’ve asked me back again-I hope I can be even more relaxed and cob-less. Lord willin’ and the Creeks don’t rise.

Simple, Homemade Laundry Softener

As you may know for the past year, I have been concocting my own household items with little more than what I have on hand or what I can find at the organic market. I am determined to rid my house of harmful toxins and chemicals by making my own homemade products.

(More of my DIY household recipes are at the bottom of this post.)

photo source unknown
But the products must meet or exceed three important expectations for this frugal gal:
1. It must be easy to replace-no beakers or science lab experiments. Thank you.
2. It must be just as good or better than the current product I’m using and,
3. It must cost the same or less than the current product I’m using.

I thought I hit a brick wall when it came to Laundry Softener and I would have to settle for store bought. My fluffy towels are very important to me.

I began to experiment when I remembered that vinegar is not only a wonderful cleansing agent, but a water softener as well. And baking soda is not only a whitener, but it regulates the pH level in the water, cutting through the mineral deposits (which makes your clothes feel stiff). So, why not combine the two?

Here’s all the you’ll need to make your own Laundry Softener:
Container
1 Cup of Baking Soda
6 Cups of White Vinegar
(8 drops of Essential Oil if you are worried about the vinegar smell in your house. There will not be a vinegar smell on your clothing.)

Pour the 1 Cup of Baking Soda into your container.

Slowly, I REPEAT-SLOWLY-add the vinegar a little at a time. It will fizz and bubble up. Allow it to recede and then add a little more.
Do not pour all at once, as I did, and watch your kitchen enjoy a nice vinegar shower. I am an idiot-was I not paying attention in science class?

Add the essential oils if desired. I’m cheap so I skip this step.

Allow the detergent to breathe for a little while (5 minutes or so) before capping it.

Add about 1/2 Cup of this mixture to your laundry’s rinse cycle (I set a timer as I start my load for about 20 minutes in to the washing cycle). Or, if you are impatient, it doesn’t hurt to add it at the same time you add your laundry soap. However, adding it to the rinse cycle will give you a little more fluff for you buck. I think that’s the saying….

This Laundry Softener leaves your clothes feeling soft and fluffy. It replaces the store bought laundry softeners that contain chemicals and perfumes, which only mask the odor. And, the best part is-it’s only about .01 per load.

Win-win-win, once again!

I hope you have enjoyed these recipes! It may seem overwhelming at first to rid your home of toxins and store-bought everything. And maybe you don’t want to make these products, but would like the benefits of non-toxic products in your home without going broke. I have found some simple solutions to replace the things that I cannot make/don’t want to make myself by purchasing them from a non-toxic green company online. Without directly endorsing them, if you are interested in knowing more,  Feel free to email me with questions.

Here are links to my other Homemade Household Cleansers and Beauty Products:

Easy Laundry Soap
Homemade Beauty Products
DIY Brass Cleaner
Organic Vegetable/Produce Cleaner
Homemade Household Cleaners

And here are a few Homemade Food Items to easily replace store-bought items:
Simple, Tasty Granola
Easy Crockpot Yogurt
Simple, Homemade Butter
Cooking and Freezing Beans, avoiding BPA
Homemade Hummus
Garden Fresh Salsa

If these parties are up, I link to them! (Here’s my complete Linky Party Page):
Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, The Better Baker, Skip to My Lou, DIY Showoff, Say Not, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Etcetorize, Sew Chatty, Brassy Apple, Flour Me With Love, Creating my Way, Mad in Crafts, Our Delightful Home, Sew Can Do, It’s So Very Cheri, Craft O Maniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Tuesday: Craft Edition, Inspiration Board , New Nostalgia , Lettered Life , Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie , Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios , Todays Creative Blog, Wednesday: Someday Crafts , Day2DayJoys, Jillify It , Junk in the Trunk, We are that Family , Frugally Sustainable, Sew Much Ado, Fine Craft Guild , The Thrifty Home, My Girlish Whims , Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy, Trendy Treehouse, Thursday: Somewhat Simple, No Minimalist Here , A Glimpse Inside, The Mommy Club, The 36th Avenue, Cheap Chic Home, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans , House of Hepworths , The Shabby Chic Cottage, Friday: My Repurposed Life, It’s a HodgePodge Life, The Shabby Nest, Just Wingin’ It, One Artsy Momma, French Country Cottage, Finding Fabulous, Passionately Artistic, Petals and Picots, Simply Designing, Little Becky Homecky, My Romantic Home, Bacon Time, Simply Living, Saturday: Polkadot Pretties, Tatertots and Jello, Create and Inspire, Be Different, Act Normal, Craft Envy, Funky Junk Interiors, Petites Passion, Sunday: Under the Table, Natural Mothers, Mopping the Floor

Back on TV Again! Open the Sweaty Floodgates.

I have no idea why they would do this, but they did. I’m going back on Fox23’s LIVE television morning program tomorrow-sweaty pits and all.

Oklahoma’s Fox23 has a lovely morning show called, “Great Day, Green Country” and they’ve invited me to come back to share my Homemade Beauty Product Recipes.

I guess I didn’t act like a complete moron the first go around-(you can watch the video and see my recipes by clicking here) when I shared my Homemade Household Cleaning Recipes.

Photo Source
Although, there were plenty of these types of looks on my behalf throughout the live taping.

Just know that Wednesday through mid-morning Thursday, I will not have been able to sleep, compose intelligible sentences, walk straight or generally act like a normal human, if you happen to come into contact with me.

And again, please pray that I will not embarrass my mother and father. Amen.

How to be a dork and prepare for Television

As you may know, yesterday I was on Fox23’s morning show, Great Day Green Country showing off my fancy Homemade Household Cleaners. Ok, so they’re not really “fancy”, but I like to jazz things up a bit.

After all, Fox23 did give me a ridiculous title of “DIY Diva”.

 

If I may, I’d like to keep myself grounded (now that I am a big t.v. celebrity) and show you what I dork I am.

 

It may be no big deal to people accustomed to television debuts–however, I thought about the day of my appearance far in advance, then I over-thought it, then I over-thought my over-thoughts-again. I even looked for a new outfit, but reverted back to one of my favorite classics-this brown little ditty.

Now, for the behind the scenes nitty gritty.

I did buy new shoes that were never seen on air. But, they made me feel sassy and classy and that helps a girl when her pits are sweating because she’s so nervous.

The day before, I decided to have a bit of a dress rehearsal. First, I dug these curlers out of retirement and got busy making my hair “vintagey”.

I prayed to God that no one would knock on the door while I looked like this.

I fished my small collection of lipsticks out of retirement. Biceps isn’t into lipstick-for me or for himself, which works out fine since I usually end up with it all over my teeth anyways.

However, to be vintage-one must have red lips…

…and short red fingernails.

And also a cat named Maxwell that helps run lines.

During set up, I realized that not wearing anti-perspirant has its downfalls. Here’s the inside of my head during the live taping:

“Don’t lift your arms too high. They’ll see your pit sweat.”
“Look at the camera with the red light on. No, not that one. That one.”
“Look at the host, but not for too long.”
“You’re looking at him too long.”
“Don’t worry he called you Rebekah Gree-man. Forget it.”
“Should I correct him?”
“No.”
“Why am I here?”
“Did he just call me a ‘Shaman’?”
“What’s a Shaman?”
“I should look that up when I get home.”
“I wonder if Biceps will take me out to lunch when this is over.”
“Don’t lift you arms.”
“You lifted your arms.”
“It’s over already. What the heck did I just say?”
“I hope no one saw my weird mouth things that I do.”
“Put your arms down.”

Now you know that I’m a serious, Grade-A dork. With sweaty pits.