Cleaning with Kitchen Cupboard ingredients!

I cleaned my bathroom today. Big deal right? Well it kind of WAS a big deal. You see Lil Buckaroo has started getting mobile, which as every mother knows means "into everything he isn't supposed to be"!
Well, because of the cleaners I was using, I was able to have him in the hallway next to the bathroom and not be worried about what fumes he (or I) was breathing in! (I also didn't have to panick the million and one times he tried to join me in there, although I did of course put him back where he started because, after all, I don't clean what isn't dirty! LOL)
Anyway I'm sure by now you're curious as to what I was using so here goes.
1) Baking Soda
2) White Vinegar
3) Orange Peel
4) Dawn Dish soap
5) Thieves Essential oil (for extra antibacterial muscle)

The main thing I used was a jar of orange peels with white vinegar poured over them that I've had sitting in my cupboard for a few weeks. I added 10 drops of Thieves to the jar this morning for extra muscle.

I made a paste of Dawn and baking soda then poured my orange oil into the bowl and dipped my sponge into the mixture and used that for the sink, floor and toilet!
I just made more of the mixture as needed.
Now my bathroom is clean and smells good too!

#LifeHacks from a Cowgirl Mama

*Redneck spray shield*
As a cloth diapering mama whose lil Buckaroo just hit the "peanut butter poo" stage my new diaper sprayer is much appreciated!
Well, unless you feel like cleaning the bathroom after each time you spray diapers, a spray shield is required!
Last night Cowboy installed my new diaper sprayer AND made me a spray shield to go with it!
Ready? Take two 5 gallon buckets (that will stack) . Cut the bottom out of one.
The bottomless bucket is your spray shield, the other bucket is your storage base!
Eventually we want to add clips to hold the diaper but I used it this morning and just held the clean edge of the diaper.

*Sheet on highchair*
I got tired of trying to get crumbs out of all the tiny crevices of lil Buckaroo's highchair this morning. So I grabbed one of the sheets I was given for the change table mattress and fitted it around the chair! Works like a charm!

*Wear an apron*
Sounds funny I know, but it helps!
I'm starting to try to grab my apron when I walk into the kitchen. It saves me steps! I mostly use it for a towel LOL but it also works to (obviously) protect my clothes, and carry stuff (laundry, garden veggies etc)

*Bleach tablets*
My whites always get bleached but I was having trouble remembering to add the bleach after the washer filled with water!
Enter bleach tablets! After putting the clothes in the washer I place a tablet on the agitator. Once the washer has filled, the agitator starts moving and the tablet falls into the water and dissolves! Presto!

What are your favorite #Lifehacks? I'd love to hear them!

Don't Throw Out That Pot Of Rice!

So the other night I was making rice to go with some stirfried veggies I was making. I got distracted and let the rice go dry and burn. You shoulda seen Cowboy's face when I took that pot of rice and dropped it in a sink of cold water!
You see when I was young I listened multiple times to my mom pass on a trick SHE learned from a veteran missionary wife! Drop that entire pot of rice into cold water and it stops the rice that hasn't burnt yet from cooking (burning) further and rescues the rice (and the cook!)

Since I hate waiting for rice to cook, and I tend to get distracted easily, I'm VERY glad for this trick! I hope it helps you!

Dirty Cast Iron Pans + Eggshells = ....

For some reason I have extra energy this afternoon and Bubba is content to sit in his chair and watch so I'm taking advantage of it! I've got bread baking, beans cooking, my dishes are (almost) caught up and I'm gonna spend some time shining my cast iron pans!
Those of you who follow me on Facebook might remember me posting this photo a few years back but I thought I'd share it again with complete instructions. This is one of my favorite LifeHacks, I do most of my cooking with Cast Iron and if you know many people who use cast iron you'll know we don't like to use soap unless absolutely necessary, as soap would remove the "cure" on the pan.
So that means we need to get creative with our cleaning! This is the easiest way I've found to clean my pans.

I save my eggshells; first I wash the eggwhite off under the tap, sometimes I strip the membrane from the inside of the shell sometimes I don't, the only difference it makes is that the shell is more fragile without it. If you're going to store the shells for future use make sure they're completely dry (I may or may not have had to throw away moldy egg shells that weren't dried properly) if you're using them right away just dry them for an hour or so, until they're not sticky.

Scrape as much gunk out of the pan as possible, just like you would for normal washing. Put enough hot water in the pan to cover the bottom. Take 1 to 2 complete shells and crush them in the pan. Take your wet rag or sponge, capture some of the shell and use it to scrub the pan.
Once the pan is satisfactorily cleaned, toss the shells, rinse and dry the pan and give it a light coating of oil and you're done!

What's your favorite kitchen cleaning tip?

My Brush Is Like New!

Wow! I had given up on finding a way to get the lint off the bristles of my brush but decided to Google it again because who wants to spend an hour picking lint off Each. Individual. Bristle. ? LOL
Well I found this hack on a few webpages and decided to try their trick and to my surprise, it worked!

Remove hair from your brush. Fill you bathroom sink half full with hot water, add a squirt of shampoo and some white vinegar. Stir that up and drop the brush in to soak for 15 minutes or so. Scrub with a nail brush or other long bristled brush. Rinse brush and leave upside down on a clean towel to dry.

Guess it just goes to show, never give up on finding a Life Hack for your current chore!

What are some of your favorite #LifeHacks?