Sweet Home Life * Homemade Natural Cleaner

Cleaning is, of course, a never-ending job. As with all tasks around the home, my philosophy is that it is always easier and more enjoyable if you have a good tool and good products to work with for your job. We try to keep things natural and non-toxic when it comes to cleaning our home so I make this recipe for my kitchen and bathroom cleaner. This all-purpose all natural spray cleaner recipe is easy to make & cheap as can be. The vinegar in it is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial & anti-fungal so it kills all those little bugs. It is also very safe to use around the kitchen & your children.

Items needed:

-32 oz Spray bottle

-8to 10 drops Dr. Bronner's castile peppermint, lavender or almond liquid soap - 5 to 10 drops of our favorite essential oils for added fresh scent

-1/2 cup white vinegar

-2 teaspoons Borax

Combine all ingredients in spray bottle fill bottle the rest of the way with water then tip bottle back and forth gently until ingredients are mixed. Less that a $1 a bottle to make. You can't beat that!

Did you know that Borax is a natural mineral that is used to kill ants & fleas and is anti-fungal.

Home Sweet Home * Dream Home Features* Laundry Room

{Another beautiful design by Lisa Adams of LA Closet Design}

Years ago when I was a nanny I lived in a house that had an amazing laundry room. It was right off the kitchen. It was as big as the kitchen and was filled with wonderful custom cabinets, a folding table, large windows, a door that went out to the side of the house and a back staircase. Ever since then I knew I wanted a great laundry room. The laundry room Lisa Adams designed above has many of my dream laundry room elements included.

The must haves in my dream laundry room are:

- a large folding table{something very sturdy that can also be used to cut fabric}

-two front load washers and dryers at chest/waist height for easy loading{double up on your laundry to save time}

-a deep wash sink {for all the soaking, rising out and muddy kids}

-lots of storage and shelves {I want mine to be a craft/sewing/laundry room multi-purpose room}

-a long wall of desk area for my sewing machine, paper cutter and other large creating supplies

-a long wall of windows to go with the long wall of desk {so I have a nice view of the dream back yard}

-a back stair case {to carry the laundry right from the laundry room up to the bedrooms}

-good lighting {noticed the lighting the room pictured above}

-closet shelves for all my extra blankets and linens

-boot dryers {for the kids boots in wet and snowy winter weather}

-a European ironing board with a Rowenta iron and steamer

What would you include in your dream laundry room?

Home Sweet Home * Dream Home Features * Closet

Walk-in Dream Closets by Lisa Adams

The next thing on my Dream Home must has list is a wonderful large custom walk-in closet. My dream closet is bigger than my current bedroom. I want it to be a place to dress, to plan, the think and to hide. Yes, to hide for everything that is going on in the rest of the house. Here are a few must haves for my dream closet.

No.1& No.2 A comfy chaise lounge to sit, to put on shoes, to lay out clothes and for the kids who have to talk to you when you are getting ready.

No.3 A full floor length beveled vintage style mirror.

No.4 Vintage dress form for holding things such as scarfs, dresses long necklaces and more.

No.5 Wooden hangers- they are so much nicer than plastic hangers and they make everything look better took.

And a beautiful chandelier like the one pictured in the closet above. What would you like included in your dream closet?

Home Sweet Home * Dream Home Features* Pantry

{image from here} 

Do you have those certain things you would like to include when you build your dream home? I have a few. One is a walk in pantry. I want a big big pantry with lots of space for all my serving dishes, cake stands, occasional dishes etc. I also want space for big bins of the basics like flour and sugar. What is one of your dream must haves for your dream home?

Sweet Home Life * Eco-Me Natural Cleaning Products

We, as I posted last year, have gone natural and non-toxic in our home. We only use cleaning products that are all natural and safe for our family as well as our water supplies. I recently found Eco- Me Natural Cleaning Products and think they are a great addition to our under the sink cleaning cache. Since the colds, the flu and more are going around in full force this time of year I also wanted to be sure my natural cleaning supplies killed those little buggers. Check, Eco Me uses vinegar which is a natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal natural cleaner.  With all natural cleaning supplies you keep your family free from germs and also toxic chemicals.

Given sample by vendor/agency/brand to review