Solving All Life's Problems One Pin at a Time

I've found some really great household solutions on Pinterest.  This week's post is dedicated to a few small pins I've tried that are worth sharing but don't need full posts to themselves...first up, cleaning those laminate floors!

Homemade Floor Cleaner

I have wood laminate floors throughout a good portion of my first floor.  Yes, they are easy to clean but depending on what cleaner you use, it can be tough to restore their original shine.  I've found that a lot of cleaners leave streaks and/or water marks even when using a microfiber damp mop.  With that said, this pin was a must try!

Originally found on Nature's Nuture, I followed the instructions that came with the original pin.  Here is her recipe and instructions:

Homemade Cleaners

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup alcohol
• 2-3 drops dish soap (Castile, Dawn, etc.)
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops orange essential oil
• 3 drops peppermint essential oil
• Fine-mist spray bottle – 24oz

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to spray bottle and shake to combine.
2. Sweep/vacuum the floor.
3. Spray cleaner on the floor.
4. Wipe up with a microfiber cloth.
5. As with all cleaners, please do a spot test to make sure this will work on your floors!

The only modification I made was cutting the first three ingredients down to a 1/4 cup of each and that was enough to do my kitchen, dinning room, half bath and hall.  I make a new batch each cleaning because I like to use hot water.  Instead of using a spray bottle, I bought a Colorox mop that had a microfiber washable pad and a bottle that you could fill with your own cleaner.

I went to Walmart and bought two oils, a vanilla scented and an orange scented. I use these very sparingly maybe two or three drops of each at the most.  I mainly use it to mask the smell of the vinegar.  I bought vinegar and alcohol from the dollar store.

I didn't post my photos because my camera didn't capture the results the way hers did, I had a lot of sunlight in the room when I took them but I will tell you that her before and after is dead on the same results I got!  Awesome right?

I spent about $30 total when I first did this because I purchased the mop that was over $20 and the oils which where a few dollars each, but now that I have all the stuff, it's pennies to clean the floor each time.  This gets a PIN!

Battery Organization

Anyone with kids knows that it requires a million batteries to power all of their toys.  I was sick of batteries floating all over my "junk drawer", so I tried this pin.  Originally found on Better Homes and Gardens, this is a great way to organize your batteries.

I bought a container like this from JoAnn Fabrics and with my coupon is was about $5.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I typically "go big or go home" and so unfortunately I bought a container that is a little too big. Once I find another use for it I will buy a smaller one, but otherwise, this is a great idea and worked well for me.  PIN!

Other Problem Solving Pins for the Home

I've done several other posts about pins that solve problems in the home.  In case you missed them, here are links to the others I have tried.

How to Clean a Microfiber Couch

Using Shower Curtain Hooks to Organize Scarves

How to Keep Throw Rugs in Place

Also, feel free to visit my board "Pins I've Tried."  I have done everything on there and would be happy to tell you more if there is something on there you are interested in but I haven't posted about yet.

Up next...another summary post like this one but about few kid pins I've tried.

How to Make a $2 Cake Stand

Who doesn't need a cake stand, right?  To be honest, I really don't LOL.  I don't make cakes all that often and when I do they are usually not placed on a fancy cake stand but I kept seeing this pin and I had to try it.  I figured I would use it at one point or another and if I didn't I was only out a few bucks!

Here is my original inspiration:

Originally found on Design by TJEJEN

The blog I originally got this from  was written in Swedish.  When I just went back in to reference it for this post I realized that my browser (Chrome) had the ability to translate!  So can see where this is going right?  Since I didn't figure that out until now, I also didn't see that this pinner got her idea from a very popular American blogger I see all the time, the Centsational Girl.  On her blog she had step by step instructions, so if you decide to try this, go to her post! If I had to do it over I would follow her instructions.   

So with no instructions, just pictures, I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a clear martini glass and a clear plate.  I also got crazy glue to adhere the plate to the glass.  (The Centsational Girl's post used silicone.)  

I flipped the plate over and put glue around the plate where the glass fit.  I stuck it on and let it dry for a bit.  A little glue oozed out so I had to wipe that off.  You can see how this got a little sloppy in one of my photos below. 

Sloppy Glue

From there I took it to the garage and spray painted two coats of my purple spray paint, letting it dry in between each coat.

Here's my end result (I didn't have any cakes handy for my picture!):

For $2 it's not bad, but I can see where following Centsational Girl's instructions would have helped out. You can't tell from these photos but if you get up close, the paint is a little spotty even after two coats.  Priming it with the frost spray as she recommends would probably have helped that.  I totally would have used silicone too...I'm nervous my stand is going to buckle under pressure, literally, as soon as a cake gets on top of it!

This project gets a PIN with modifications...if I had found the right instructions right off the bat, this would have had a better outcome.

This is the frustrating part of Pinterest for me.  I HATE when I see something I love and want to try but can't find instructions or at least some sort of details that can point you in the right direction. So I want to know, as something like this ever happened to you?  Comment on the blog or on Facebook, I'd love to hear from you.

Spring and Summer Projects Inspired by Pinterest

It looks like Spring has finally arrived! Pinterest has some really awesome ideas for backyards, gardens and just about anything outside so I've gotta get started on some DIY projects!  Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather spend the upcoming Summer sitting by a pool, drinking frozen cocktails and getting a fabulous tan but the reality of my life is I'm a Mom, there's no more sitting and enjoying ANYTHING and we have a house that needs a lot of love so my tan will have to wait!

Work on our front beds is already underway and I don't have any exciting plans for it, just your average stuff.  Where I am really hoping to use some great ideas is the backyard.  Here is what my backyard looks like today...sad, I know.

Here are some of the pins I am hoping to tackle, with the help of Chris (my husband).  Ugh let's be honest, Chris will be doing most of this stuff, I'm just providing the vision and documenting it :-)

Original site not found

Found at Where the Mermaids Murmur

Found at BHG.com

If things pan out and we get all this done...which is unlikely with our two little people in tow and a calendar full of upcoming events, I would love to try a pallet furniture project!  Check out my Backyard Ideas board on Pinterest to see all my favorite backyard ideas!

Up next, I tackle a cake stand made from Dollar Tree items.  Stay tuned!