The Sock Sack...

As our family has grown so has the abundance of lost socks. It drives me crazy to have all the laundry done and find I still have a basket of socks without their match. Likewise, it drives me crazy to find a dozen socks under my boys bed, behind the couch, in the sandbox, or in the bottom of my pantry! When have dirty socks ever gone in the pantry?! 

So, here is my new solution to the problem, The Sock Sack. Everyone has their own sock sack, when you take off your socks, you put both socks into your sack. When the sack is getting full, zip it closed and throw the entire thing into the washer and dryer. All pairs SHOULD be accounted for. Which SHOULD make for easy folding and putting away. And I can't even wait to try it out on tiny little baby socks!

We started this routine this week and so far it has been a hit. My boys even spent an entire morning searching for my dirty socks to put in their sack. I think I will eventually make a little fabric tag for each sack, but for right now this works great!

I found our sock sacks at Walmart in the laundry basket/ironing board aisle. These are the Mainstays Brand and they were 97 cents each. There was a Tide version, but they were like $4 each. I couldn't see any reason why these wouldn't work just as well and haven't had any trouble yet. 

Hopefully, this will simplify our sock problem, do you have any time saving laundry tricks? Have a great weekend!

Homemade Cleaning Products

Lately I have been concernced about how many things my family comes in contact with that may not be the best for them. My boys tend to be a bit sensitive to things with a lot of scent, dyes, and a lot of chemicals.

I am also concerned about how EXPENSIVE cleaning products are and I often wonder if they are really worth it.

But I also want to make sure that our home is CLEAN. I've been making and using my own cleaners for awhile and I will actually be making some more this weekend and thought I would share my recipes.

I write my recipe on the outside of my spray bottle with a magic marker, that way I always know what is in the bottle and I know where my recipe is at :)

Window Cleaner:

1/4 Cup White Vinegar

2 Cups Water

1 1/2 tsp. Cornstarch

Lemon Juice for Scent (Optional)

**Mix together and store in spray bottle**

Multi-Purpose Cleaner:

1 tsp. Borax

1/2 tsp WASHING SODA (not baking)

2 tsp. white vinegar

1/4 tsp. dish soap

2 Cups Hot Water

**Mix all together and put in a spray bottle**

Laundry Soap:

2 Cups Grated/Dried/Blended Fels Naptha Soap or Castile Soap or Plain Ivory Soap

1/2 Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Baking Soda

1/2 Oxy-Clean (smith's carries a store brand for A LOT less!)

2 Tbsp. Essential Oil (optional)

Use 1 to 2 Tblsp. per Load

**It is important to grate your soap and let it completely dry out. Fels Naptha soap is really hard and dry anyways and I found it easier to shave it with a sharp knife. Ivory soap is soft and grates really easily but you will need to let it dry. I spread out my shavings on a large jelly roll pan and let it sit on my counter for a couple days, then I put it in my blender until it is the right consistency. ***LET YOUR BLENDER SIT WITH THE LID ON FOR A MINUTE OR TWO, YOU SHOULD NOT BREATH THE DUST***

After your soap is dry just mix everything together and store in an airtight container.

Here's a little tid-bit I found about Vinegar:
Vinegar is a natural organic bi-product of fruits, vegetables and grains. It is therefore edible and biodegradable. It is 'The Perfect Household Cleaner'™ for your family because it is very safe for the environment, for family members, especially those with asthma, and around young children. It is also a very effective and amazingly versatile household cleaner that is inexpensive to use.


Vinegar is a safe, all-natural cleaning product. It doesn't contain harmful toxic chemicals, so if in the course of normal household cleaning you 'pour it down the drain' its impact on municipal sewer and water treatment systems is just like any food product.

Regular store bought white vinegar has no real affect on the environment.

http://www.vinegarworkswonders.com/faqs.asp