Cleaning Supplies

I am very particular about my cleaning supplies.

I am weird about smells, so I need them to smell normal to me.

I also want them to work well (duh).

I prefer for them to be environmentally friendly.

I try not to be wasteful.

I don't want to spend a fortune.

I have tried a lot of different brands & types of cleaners and I finally feel like I have landed on my regulars. I've talked about cleaning supplies a little bit here and I've had several people email me asking me what I use, so I thought it would be easiest just to do a whole post about it. This could be boring if you don't geek out about stuff like this, I won't be offended if you stop reading now. :)
Moving on, here's my list...

I have both granite and limestone countertops in different areas of my house. For all my stone countertops I use Method-The Daily Granite cleaner. It smells amazing and works great. It makes my honed granite countertops in my kitchen a little smoother to the touch. I love that I can use it on both my granite and limestone. I also use it sometimes on the travertine on my floors and in my shower. Lowes sells it in larger bottles that you can use to refill the smaller spray bottles. I like that I can re-use my spray bottles, I feel a little less wasteful!

Basic H2 Cleaner from Shaklee will change your life.
Seriously.
I use it almost everywhere. I use it to clean all my glass, my showers, my bathrooms, my countertops, my bbq grill outside, basically everything. It's completely non-toxic, so when I'm using it and my dogs are being brats I just squirt them with it and know that it's fine. (We use the squirt bottle with water technique to discipline our dogs). So the best part about this stuff is that it comes SUPER concentrated. I only use 1/4 teaspoon per squirt bottle, which is 16 oz! I have had my bottle of concentrate for well over a year now and I use this stuff ALL THE TIME. I am a walking talking commercial for Shaklee! :) They should pay me! Just kidding. Seriously though, this stuff is amazing. If I could suggest one cleaning product to you it would be the Basic H2.


For my toilets I use Method Bowl Control. It smells pretty lovely and it's non-toxic. It works just like it's supposed to.


For dusting I use Method Wood Polish Spray. I LOVE how it smells! I also feel like it moisturizes the wood on some of my older pieces. I inherited my dining room table from my grandma. It's walnut and after I use the Method Wood Polish Spray it always looks so much better!


I'm not completely loyal to my dish detergent. I actually go back and forth between a few brands. I generally buy whatever green brand my grocery store has on sale that week. I do keep coming back to Seventh Generation though.


When washing dishes by hand I love Mrs Meyers Dish Soap in the Lemon Verbena scent. It smells amazing, produces a lot of suds, doesn't dry out my hands and is made from natural ingredients. Win, win, win, win!


Speaking of Mrs Meyers Lemon Verbena scent....I also use the dryer sheets and fabric softener and scrub. Love how they work and love how they make my clothes smell!




For laundry detergent I am totally sold on Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrate. I prefer powder detergents over liquid for some reason. This detergent seems expensive, but you use hardly anything so it lasts forever!


Last, I need to fess up to some things. I have some naughty cleaning habits too. Like I can NOT break my habit of using Clorox wipes. They are so wasteful, but they are so freaking handy! I also can't find an environmentally friendly stain remover that I love. I do use Oxy Clean as my pre-wash though. Oh and my big naughty thing? I still use a Swiffer Wet Jet. I know....holy wasteful!

Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear about what cleaning supplies you love! Also, feel free to comment or email me with any questions!

This is one of my favorites...

"Rather than love,
than money,
than fame,
give me truth."
-- Henry David Thoreau

Photo by me.

Here's a joke for you...

I read a joke similar to this one in Big Fish. Have you read that book by the way? I enjoyed it, it's a quick and fun read.
Anyway, I was trying to retell it the other day and felt like I messed it up. I am horrible at repeating jokes. Seriously. I rarely tell jokes because I suck so bad at telling them. My dad is a master joke teller.
I looked for the joke online and found this version that is pretty similar. I thought it was funny...

Jesus made his usual rounds in heaven when he noticed a wizened, white-haired old man sitting in a corner looking very disconsolate. The next week he was disturbed to come across him again, looking equally miserable, and a week later he stopped to talk to him.
"See here, old fellow," said Jesus kindly, "this is heaven. The sun is shining, you've got all you could want to eat, all the instruments you might want to play-- you're supposed to be blissfully happy! What's wrong?
"Well," said the old man, "you see, I was a carpenter on earth, and lost my only, dearly beloved son at an early age. And here in heaven I was hoping more than anything to find him."
"Tears sprang from Jesus' eyes. "FATHER!" he cried.
The old man jumped to his feet, bursting into tears, and sobbed, "PINOCCHIO!"

Mother's Day Gift Guide

I've been thinking and searching and thinking and searching for Mother's Day gifts for the two mothers in my life.
Instead of being selfish I thought I'd share my finds, ideas and suggestions with you. :)

Every mom loves pictures of their kids and grand kids. I adore the iPhoto books mainly because they are so stinking easy to make on a Mac. Starting at $9.99 from Apple.


This Birk Bark Flower Vase is cute, useful, thoughtful and inexpensive! $14.00 from NHWoodcreations etsy shop.


It's the time of year to spend all your free time out of doors. Help mom make her porch or patio a little prettier with a Paula Deen Outdoor Rug. Starting at $49.00 from Outdoor Rugs Only.


Honestly, I don't know if ANYTHING smells better than Jo Malone Orange Blossom Cologne. I DIE for this stuff! Starting at $55.00.


This Alexis Bittar Gunmetal Silver Dust Lucite Necklace is so beautiful! $175.00 from Sedoni Gallery.


Is your Mom getting into photography? The one lens I suggest to everyone I know is the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens. If you have a Nikon that is. :) Especially for the price, nothing beats it! $198.54 at Amazon.


I don't like to get "things". I like to receive "things to do". So I often give things to do as well. If you live in Utah, tickets to Seinfeld or The Lion King would be amazing, and who knows? Maybe she'd invite you to go with her! Find tickets here.

I'm sure I don't need to say it, but I will anyway. Material things are nice, but NOTHING beats a beautifully worded letter. Tell your mom how much you appreciate her and love her and that will be all she'd ever want.

It could not be more beautiful outside today...

Therefore I am playing hookie. I'm going to stay outside all today and drink up the deliciousness of this day.
See you tomorrow with my Mother's Day Gift Guide.
Photo taken by me at the Tulip Festival just the other day.

Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths and Interiors with Natural Stone

The photos in this book were beautiful.
The projects were gorgeous.
I definitely recommend you pick up this book, just don't expect every stone to be named. This was my only complaint about the book. If it's a book featuring stone, NAME the stone!

Water Clock

Check out these cool alarm clocks from Bedol.
They run on water....that's it! No battery, no electricity, no winding. Just fill it up with water and it will run for at least six weeks.
Brilliant!

Keep Calm and Recycle On

I LOVE these dryer sheets from zJayne's Etsy Shop. They are made from upcycled t-shirts and filled with organic lavender buds. I personally like the "Keep Calm and Recycle On" ones, but she has other designs as well.
Supposedly they last for months! I think I'm going to give them a try, I'll let you know what I think.

Yuck.

One thing I can't stand is when one food picks up the flavor of another food.
Like how sometimes chocolate will taste like bubblegum if they are in the same drawer. Or strawberries will taste like garlic if you leave your leftovers from the Italian restaurant in the fridge.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
Today I am eating Wheatables at work and they taste weird. I don't even know what to blame it on....maybe the banana that was in the lunch bag with it?
Blech.

My kind of glass dish

I received my Chiasso catalog a week or two ago, but just sat down last night to savor it. I kind of hurt inside when I look through their catalog because I want everything. If only money weren't an object.....
I can afford this adorable glass bowl though! In fact, I may buy two!

I think it's fun and I enjoy fun things.