DIY Life

My daughter loves strawberries. She opens up the refrigerator when I am busy and proceeds to eat them straight out of the container. I shudder to think what pesticides are going into her precious tummy because she chomped away before I could wash the berries.

Produce wash can be very expensive, especially if your family eats a lot of fruit and veggies. You can take the pain out of buying commercial produce wash by making your own organic fruit and veggie wash. All you need is a spray bottle, one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 cup water. Put the ingredients in the spray bottle and shake well. Spritz on your produce, and rinse well.

The dollar store has inexpensive spray bottles, perfect for your new organic produce wash. If you happen to have an eager toddler like mine, who just happens to have an independent streak a mile wide, you can spray your produce as soon as you get it home, and no longer worry about what nasty pesticides might be ingested into their tender tummies.

[via:Curbly]

We've discussed stain removers before on DIY Life. We've covered the homemade brew, taught you how to get ink out of laundry, and let you in on the peanut butter secret.

So that's it, right? All your stain removal questions are covered, and we can call it a day.

Hardly. As long as I remain helplessly clumsy and my children remain, well, children, I will be finding new stains and learning new ways to remove them.

The School of Fiber Science & Technology at the University of New South Wales has put together this list of 21 common stains, and how to remove them. Did you know that borax will remove cocoa and that lemon juice will treat rust stains? Some of the solutions are surprising, but I'm willing to give them a try. You already have most of what you need around the house.

[via: Lifehacker]

I have a confession to make. I hate spending money on things that make me physically ill. Take for example, household cleaning products. I hate them. They make me sick and give me terrible migraines. So, do I buy them? Yes, that is my confession. I am getting better though. I only buy them once a month now, and more often than not, they sit in my cabinet, lonely and unused. They are unused because I clean with lemon, vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda is used for everything in my house these days, and I would like to share with you some of my favorite things to clean.

I use baking soda to clean almost everything in my bathroom. For cleaning rust stains out of my toilet, I pour 1 cup vinegar in and then about 2/3 cup of baking soda. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub and flush, and like magic, the toilet is now clean.

Aren't the summers relaxing?

Leisurely hours spent sidewalk shopping, a party or two with your best pals, and afternoons lounging with a margarita by the pool.

Ha.

The problem is that one of those parties ... well, it's at your house ... so people will be in your kitchen. And, have you seen your microwave? What is that anyway ... sauce, butter, popcorn, mold? It's amazing how even the biggest germ-a-fobe will let their microwave get the best of them.

Here's what you do: Fill a microwave-safe bowl with about 2 cups of water. Add some lemon juice, or a real lemon cut in half (squeeze out the juice into the water first.)

Click here for next steps