Smelling good

 I tried two new cleaning product recipes this weekend and the house smells wonderful.

Carpet Freshener (I merely reduced the amounts given in tipnut's recipe, because my house is tiny and I only have a few area rugs over hardwood):

2 cups baking soda
1 cups dried lavender buds/flowers*
1/3 cup cornstarch

Directions:
Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container. Set aside for a couple days before using. Sprinkle generously on carpet and let sit for one hour before vacuuming.

*Instead of using dried herbs, you can substitute essential oils, experiment with amounts for best results. Make sure to mix it in the recipe thoroughly and let sit for a few days before using.

When restocking the baking soda, in addition to the gianormous box I also picked up an Arm & Hammer Soda Shaker which is brilliant for dispensing this stuff!




The other recipe came about from bits and pieces from a whole lot of recipes all over the 'net and went with:

Air/Linen Freshener Spray:

1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup ridiculously cheap vodka or witch hazel (I've discovered I prefer the latter, as it lacks that bottom note of "panhandler")
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.  Allow to sit a few hours before using.  Shake bottle well to mix contents prior to each use.

In which our heroine battles a leaky faucet

I sorta had to. The cold water at the faucet in the bathroom has been doing some bizarro stuff - not just dripping but spontaneously slowly running at random times and could only be stopped at the shut-off valve under the vanity.  The work-around was a pain, but effectively motivational.

And the shower head had a slow drip.  Last time Dad visited, he stopped the drip at the faucet in the tub.  I've since noticed this leak while standing on the side of the tub to remove some tape gunk left behind from recent painting.  I didn't even realize my head was under the shower head... until...

So, I educated myself.  I have little to no interest in plumbing, so it wasn't by any means a fun adventure. And after helping hook up the gas stove and being near by during the frustrating bathroom sink plumbing experience, I actually dreaded it.

I HAD NO IDEA that to repair a leaky faucet, usually all you have to do is replace a washer (or o-ring, depending on the faucet style).  Of course, getting to it and putting everything back together again isn't quite so simple (even for DIY inclined, tool lovin' chicks like me).

I also learned a handy trick for protecting finishes from your tools- wrap tape around your wrenches.  Brilliant!  Much easier to see what's going on than my old "throw a washcloth around the shiny stuff" method.

And today, well, I love the shiny teapot style faucet and my vanity with drawers a little less than I did before.  BUT *today* the faucet isn't leaking. 

I need to run out for the washer needed for the shower head that's been soaking in vinegar all night.  It's totally worth it to clean all this stuff while it's dismantled- it's MUCH easier! 

And productivity begets more productivity- I also braved the attic (sorta- I went halfway up and poked the boxes down with the mop) and am a few steps further along in getting the guest room whipped into shape.  AND I came up with an idea for window treatments that will be FANTASTIC and relatively inexpensive since I have almost everything on hand.  YAY!

It's nice in the midst of all this butchy sense of accomplishment to have silly little reminders that I am, indeed, a girl. :)

Two things that are brilliant

1. Those Scandanavians are so clever and I adore them for it.  I don't know how I lived without Ikea's STABIL pot strainer.  (Well, I do.  I made a mess.)
2. My love of Quickie isn't so consistent because they change their products so often it's hard or impossible to find refills... and not very green_ly left with a useless mop as a result. And while this isn't the exact model I have (the refill will fit mine), and the irony that they've declared it "green" isn't lost on me, I present the microfiber hardwood floor mop. I love the large head and how swivel-y it is, and that the elasticized microfiber cover is washable and reusable.  I am a bit more hopeful about the company's greener focus, at least.  They do have a lot of new products made of bamboo, recycled materials and microfiber.  I'm curious to see how this progresses, and plan to watch the styles' longevity. Quickie products are usually found at DIY/hardware stores. 
   

Now following:

Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op.  I just discovered it today- it's fantastic! 

Better late than never.

For years I've been meaning to do something about the switches in the bathroom.

Crazy stuff happens to half century old rental houses in low income neighborhoods. Things like two single switches (one for the light and one for the fan) installed so closely together that two single light switch plates couldn't be mounted over them without "customizing" one (but too far apart that a double switch plate wouldn't work, either).  It looked ridiculous.

I know wiring isn't rocket science, but I respect (read: fear) it enough that I just don't mess with it. I also never got around to asking one of my handy friends to help...

After years of being annoyed by the ghetto switch plates, I finally asked for help and had the switches rewired to a double box and they're finally covered by ONE double switch plate.

Which meant I had some drywall patching to do.

And I already had everything I needed!  This is probably the first project since I've returned that didn't require a trip to the hardware store.  Which also makes this the least expensive project to date!  I only had to purchase the electrical box, a new switch (the old one was decrepit as all hell) and a switch plate cover- everything else had been purchased previously for a bigger drywall project.

More after the jump...