Tip: Clean Kitchen Appliances with less Elbow Grease

I love cooking with my crock pot. It's a great option for a not-so-busy morning - There's something relaxing about "set it and forget it!" I thought I would share my recipe on Janie Girl today when I realized a common problem. I try to keep clean surfaces, but the grime that appears on my small appliances is a challenge. Tons of scrubbing and experimenting with different cleaners... Does anyone else have this issue? My crock pot never looks as clean as the day we brought it home. Yuck!

I put so much effort in scrubbing, but achieve so little. Then I realized one small detail: this baked on crud was cemented on by heat during the baking process. So what if I cleaned with heat instead of blood, sweat and tears?

Turn it on!

Either after serving dinner or before the next - while the crock pot is warm but not too hot - use basic dish soap and water to scrub your appliance surface. I like to use my padded cloth scrubby because the pot can get super hot if it's on high and scold. Be cautious! Only clean when the crock pot is first warming up or cooling down. 

That's it! Do you have cleaning tips for the kitchen?

DIY: Making Laundry Detergent

I started making laundry detergent about six months ago. It was more necessity than frugality. We have some serious allergies in our family and I tried everything that the store had to offer that might be friendlier to my skin (and sniffles!). Frankly I've heard about homemade soaps for years, mainly from my sister who thought I was a walking contradiction buying frugal everywhere but the laundry aisle, but I thought the process was a nuisance. It was so much work boiling, bottling, etc. I didn't have the time for all that. As the saying goes "time is money" - the trade-off didn't make sense to me.

But eventually I came around, specifically when I found some time saving tips and altered the recipe to fit my family's needs. To make this "hypo-allergenic" detergent, you'll need:

• 1 c. Borax
• 1 c. Baking Soda (my sister swears by Washing Soda, but this works great too)
• 1 bar Zote
• Canister, scoop and cheese grater
• Optional: Table Salt, Rice, Sock

1. First grate your Zote bar into the canister/container. Make sure it has a good seal. You don't need this to be fine, just small enough to dissolve easier in the water during washing. I have a separate cheese grater I use just for soap and non food grating, however the Zote website says it is safe to wash your dishes with (it's multipurpose!) so if you don't have a spare just be sure to wash it well before using next time. OR Use Zote Flakes. This is a new product that I recently spotted at Walmart, no grating needed! Each box equals two bars, but you'll pay about twice the price ($2.68).
2. Now add 1 cup borax and 1 cup baking soda. 
3. Mix well. I like to do this with my hands because it allows me to break up any large Zote pieces. 
4. Add a desiccant. What's a desiccant? You know, those white packets you see in your snack foods or pill bottles that keep the product fresh and "crisp"? That's a desiccant. To make one, simply add rice to a clean sock or dish towel and tie it shut. The rice will draw out extra moisture from the detergent preventing clumping (which can be such a hassle down the road!).

Optional: Add a tablespoon of salt to each load to preserve it's vibrant color. Salt helps set the dye and borax can be a bit harsh. I found without salt, my deepest darks faded a bit those first few washes. Salt stopped this from happening altogether.

This recipe fills half a coffee canister, but the best part is how much I go through. It takes about two tablespoons per load! That makes just one batch last months! Ok, now for the cost break down:

Borax: $1.38 with coupon at WinCo
Baking Soda: $0.59 at 99 Only or $0.52/lb at WinCo in bulk
Zote: $0.59 per bar at 99 Only or $2.68 per box at Walmart
Salt: $0.24 at 99 Only
Total for supplies = $3.15 per batch or $0.02 per load!

Quick Tip: Cleaning Jewelry, Easy and Cheap!

Silver jewelry is probably my biggest love when it comes to accessories, but with this Arizona heat my silver doesn't stay bright. I've tried several cleaning products, most of which fill the house with toxic fumes, and all of which cost a pretty penny. Polishing cloths are handy too, but hard to find and last not so long. So when I found this great cleaning tip using things around the house I just had to try it. To my surprise, this works better than anything I've tried before!

What you need:

• Hot Water
• Aluminum Foil
• Baking Soda
• Small Bowl

 How to clean:

1. Heat some water on the stove top or in the microwave. I used a kettle, but you can use whatever, just to make the water steaming hot, not boiling.
2. While the water heats up, line a bowl with aluminum foil.
3. Pour baking soda in the bottom of the bowl and add the hot water making a "soup". You can use a spoon to stir, but not too much. The fizzing is the chemical reaction that will remove the tarnish.
4. Add your jewelry to water mixture. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.
5. Almost done! If your jewelry needs a little more cleaning and shine, try gently rubbing each piece between your hands along with baking soda from the bowl.
6. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with a towel.

As you can tell, some of these aren't real silver and they came out great too! There were some spots on the heart necklace that have worn away, but everywhere else shined up like new. I suggest watching yours closely until you know if this is safe to use.

The bracelet above was extremely tarnished, starting out brown. If you have some pieces that need a little extra cleaning power, try this approach before soaking:

1. Add hot water to baking soda making a paste in a small dish or mini Dixie cup.
2. Take a medium square of aluminum foil and ball it up (loosely).
3. Dip your crunched aluminum foil into the baking soda paste and use it to scrub tarnished areas. Try avoiding inlays and jewels because this may scratch other materials.
4. Follow up with above soaking method to get an even greater shine!

The scrubbing method is a life saver and works faster than anything I've seen. (And funny enough, it was a complete accident. Oops, for reading directions carefully!)

Do you have a great cleaning tip?