It’s worth keeping a box of denture cleaning tablets in your cleaning arsenal. Their job is to clean, deodorize and disinfect so put them to work!
~I like to clean my kid’s toothbrushes if they’ve been sick but the toothbrush is still fairly new. (I know! We penny pinchers have no problem getting cheap or free toothbrushes, but it just seems wasteful to me to toss a practically new toothbrush.) Drop a tablet into a glass of warm water and then soak the toothbrush in it overnight.
~Clean retainers the same way!
~Make diamonds and glass beads sparkle like new by soaking in warm water and a denture tablet.
~Clean that mineral build up line that you get in vases as the water evaporates. Fill the vase with warm water and drop in a denture tablet. Let it soak for a half hour and rinse.
~Drop a tablet or two in the toilet at night. Flush away the mineral build up the next morning.
~Clean the hair product build up from your combs and brushes. Fill a tall jar with hot water, drop in a tablet and soak combs and hairbrushes overnight. Rinse clean in the morning.
~Are your coffee or tea mugs stained? Fill them with hot water and drop in a tablet. Let soak for a bit. Rinse.
~Use them to unclog a drain. Drop to or three tablets into the drain. Pour a cup of vinegar over the tablets. Wait 15 minutes. Then pour very hot water down the drain to rinse away the loosened clog.
~Clean mineral deposits from a shower head. Fill a jar with hot water, drop in a tablet and soak the shower head. If you can’t remove your shower head, try this. First put a rubber band over the shower head and up to the pipe. Then fill a ziploc bag with hot water, drop a tablet in the bag and then place the bag on the shower head. Secure it with the rubber band. Let soak for 15 minutes and then run hot water through the shower head to rinse.
~Clean a crusty casserole dish. Fill it with hot water and drop in a tablet. Let it soak for half an hour and then rinse away the formerly crusted on food.
~Clean melted cheese from a dish. That stuff is like cement! Fill your sink with hot water, just enough to cover the dish. Drop in the tablet and wait 15 minutes. Now it should wipe right off.
~Clean teething toys and pacifiers. Fill a bowl with hot water, add a couple of tablets and the teething toys and pacifiers. Wait 15 minutes and then rinse clean with hot water.
~Whiten your fingernails. Mine get a little yellow looking from all the tomato canning I do. Blech! Fill a small dish with hot water, drop in the tablet and then soak fingertips for 10 minutes.
~Clean and deodorize reusable water bottles and hydration pack bladders. Fill with hot water, insert a denture tablet, wait 15 minutes and then rinse with hot water.
Pin It

Before you bake it into a delicious fattening dessert, pumpkin is actually good for you!
It is rich in Vitamin A. That, along with Vitamin C and zinc, is as good for your outsides as it is for your insides!
When you’re whipping up those pumpkin treats this season, set aside the following 3 simple ingredients for some post-dessert pampering for yourself.

2 teaspoons pumpkin puree
1/2 t honey
1/4 teaspoon heavy cream

Mix it up, apply it to your face and and relax for 10 minutes.
Rinse it off and enjoy smoother, brighter skin.

You can add 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar for some extra exfoliating action.
Pin It

Use THIS coupon to save $5 off a $25 purchase at Ace Hardware from 104/-10/10!

Ever since I watched Cheaper by the Dozen (still one of my favorite movies and books) as a child I have been fascinated with efficiency. When I had my own children (two of them, not twelve, so you’d think it would be easier!) I started trying some experiments of my own. When it came time to clean the bedroom and do other household chores the method that I found worked by far the best was the timer method. I would set the timer for a reasonable amount of time that I thought they could accomplish the task (usually 5-10 minutes) and I would have them race the clock to see if they could finish before the timer went off. I didn’t have to offer treats or anything else because they were just so excited to beat the time. Sometimes they won and sometimes they lost but they always moved quickly and never lost sight of their goal.
.

.
I began wondering if the timer method would help me become more efficient. The first thing I did was to see how long it took me to do certain tasks. I was amazed to find that almost every job in the house that I did could be done in under 10 minutes – dishes, make the bed, mop a floor, fold a load of laundry… but I found that setting a timer for my work didn’t go over as well as with the children. Oh, I could easily get the work done that quickly but it was the starting that was the problem.

.

I decided to go about my timer method from the other direction. I would work on a project that I enjoyed like reading a book or going online or knitting or playing games with the children or whatever UNTIL my timer went off. I would usually give myself 20 minutes or so for the fun task. When my timer went off I would go do one of the chores on my list – knowing that it was probably only going to take 10 minutes or so and then I could go back to my fun task… until the timer beeped again. This method has worked so well that I am still using it over 10 years later. I especially find it useful when I am doing right-brained activities. My 17-year-old daughter and I do this now together. We play a game or watch television or something until the timer beeps and then we run off to each accomplish a job and come back to our activity. We get a lot accomplished – work and play!

.

In using my timer method I spend more quality time having fun with my children and participating in activities that I had put off previously because I felt I didn’t have time for them. I am also more productive at making it through my to-do list.

.

I highly recommend purchasing a timer and trying this out for yourself! Let me know how it works out for you.