How I organised my wardrobe in 10 easy steps

I have done it!

My wardrobe is now neat, tidy and small.  Capsule size almost.  Out went anything unloved, not flattering or unworn, including four pairs of heels and my feet just hate, despite making me look more glamorous. My "work at home, live near the beach, mad gardener, mother of five, and only occasionally go out" lifestyle in a regional tropical town does not require more than one pair of killer heels, or, to be honest, ten vintage dresses. Or even my vintage velvet leopard print jacket, but hey, I

A clean start for 2015

Happy new year everyone!

I am finally back from four blissful weeks at the Sunshine Coast, where we stayed with my brother and his very accommodating brother and his family (you may have seen my instagram photos).  We miss them already.....they are a twelve hour drive south from us in Mackay, and we have all decided that we really want to move a bit closer to them......stay tuned!

In the meantime I have been busy with my New Years Resolution of getting my house in order - for

Borox, a vintage cleaner (and modern plaything)

No weight loss this week - I actually put on two kilos - that what happens when you go away for a weekend, and have your mother in law stay the week before!  I did get up early and walk on the beach though, with husband and dogs.  I even saw the sunrise!

Anyway, another vintage cleaning post today - Borax. It's a real vintage must have product - a laundry booster, cleaner, pesticide, preservative and so much more. It's not entirely green, as it can build up in the soil causing it to become toxic, but it's great for those really tough stains and cleaning jobs, that you may using other, even worse and more mysterious, chemicals for. It also has other uses.

Borax, cleans and Purifies, c. 1900

When the kids saw, and dug their hands in, my home made laundry liquid, they immediately said – Mummy, you made slime!  Not quite, but what a good idea.

Here is a basic recipe for Slime:

Ingredients

• 1 teapoon borax powder
• water
• 120 ml (4 ounce) white liquid glue
• food colouring (optional, blue or green is best)

Utensils

• teaspoon
• bowl
• jar or measuring cup
• measuring cup

1. Pour the glue into the jar.
2. Half fill the empty glue bottle with water, shake and add to the glue.
3. If desired, add food colouring. Otherwise, the slime will be an opaque white.
4. In a separate bowl, mix one cup (240 ml) of water with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of borax powder.
5. Slowly stir the glue mixture into the bowl of borax solution.
6. Place the slime that forms into your hands and knead until it feels dry. (Don't worry about the excess water remaining in the bowl.)

The more the slime is played with, the firmer and less sticky it will become.  We only had red food colouring (the kids have been making green milkshakes), so we added an extra tea spoon of borax powder and made a firmer slime, more like silly putty (or flubber as Olivia called it). It's a lot less messy.  Store it  in the fridge - if you can get it off the kids!

Borax is a form of hydrous sodium borate that occurs from the evaporation of saline lakes. It is normally colourless, white or light grey, but can be tinted light shades of blue, green and yellow - they would be great for slime!

Borax crystals

The name borax comes from the Arabic ‘buraq’ meaning ‘white’.  It was first discovered in Tibet in dry lake beds, and in the 8th Century AD borax was transported in caravans along trade “the Silk Road”. Borax was used by Arabian goldsmiths and silversmiths and was used in ceramic glaze in China from the 10th century AD, borax was used in ceramic glazes (and still is).
 
Most of the world’s borates today come from the southern United States. In 1872 F M Smith, the founder of The Harmony Borax Works (now known as Rio Tinto Borax), discovered borates in the Nevada desert and by 1883 had established 20 mule teams to haul the minerals out of Death Valley More than 130 years on, the company is still one of the world’s largest producers of borates, meeting almost half of world demand.

A twenty mule Borax hauling team

In 1930 until 1945 The Pacific Coast Borax Company (late US Borax) sponsored Death Valley Days, a radio and television anthology dramatizing true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. From 1952 to 1975 the show went to television,with Ronald Regan hosting the show in 1964.

Borax ad, 1905

Borax is my new favourite chemical at home - it kills ants and cockroaches, gets stains off carpets, helps wash my dishes and boosts the cleaning in my home made laundry liquid.  In industry Borax is used to modify the structure of glass, making it resistant to thermal or chemical attack, for use in ultra-thin LCD screens, heat resistant glass and fibreglass.  Combined with zinc, borates are used in flame retardants to coat electrical cables and in cellulose insulation, and can even be used as a nuclear containment shield. It is also being used to treat building materials to prevent termite and white ant infestations.

20 Mule Team Borax Advertisement c. 1923

 You know I am not keen on using the dishwasher too often, but with this powder I do not feel as guilty!

• 1 Tablespoon Borax
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda or washing soda

Mix the Borax and baking soda together. Then, add to your dishwasher's detergent compartment, and run as usual. It works well and doesn't leave any residue on the dishes. I put white vinegar in as a rinse aid too - it's much cheaper than Finnish liquid and works just as well.

Electric dishwasher, 1930s

To kill ants and cockroaches, mix together equal parts Borax and sugar. Then, place where the ants will find it. The bottom of the bin is good.

Deb xxx

Cleaning the Old fashioned way

Twenty years ago when I started cleaning the green way most of my friends thought I was crazy.  My grandmother, however, understood.  She still used bicarb soda to clean her sink and freshen the fridge – it was normal for her an when I started researching safe ways to clean just before I became pregnant with my first child – at the same time I became vegetarian – she encouraged me.  Basically I wanted a safe and clean environment to bring a baby into.  My husband had terrible asthma as a child, so I wanted to limit chemicals that may have contributed to that – and yes I also researched breastfeeding, another great asthma preventative it turned out.  My grandmother also understood why I wanted to breastfeed, which my mother didn’t, but that’s another story.



Just before I was pregnant with my third child in 1999 we moved into our dream eco-house- built of stone and timber off our block, with a grey water system, composting toilet and rainwater tanks. I had to use natural cleaning products, as chemical were incompatible with the composting and grey=water systems.  I joined Enjo, the first company who used micro fibre clothes and water for cleaning, and bought all there products for myself with the commissions I earned over one year. Twelve years later I still have the mop/broom which I use every day, as well as many of the cloths.  I still made up my own vinegar cleaner back then too, with a nice scent, as cleaning with just water was  hard thing to get into, especially for visiting mothers.



It turns out that green cleaning is now trendy, as well as being vintage!  And as a bonus, it is much cheaper, and the ingredients or products take up less room than  a standard range of cleaners. My favourite cleaner is Bicarb soda – I even use it for my teeth when I am feeling very brave – but here is the complete list of products.  I also use a beeswax polish for wooden furniture –the kids know I love it and bought some for me in a market in Mansfield, Victoria – it has lavender in it and is lovely! If I don't have any I use olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE CLEANERS

• White vinegar
• Bicarb soda
• Lemon juice
• Washing soda crystals
• Borax (look near draino in the supermarket, or the pest aisle at the hardware store).
• Pure laundry soap (sunlight or homebrand ) or lux flakes, or homemade soap
• Tea tree oil (I also use lavender oil too as I love the smell)
• Eucalyptus oil
• Oil of cloves
• Ammonia - an old fashioned if not straight green cleaning aid
• Liquid bleach – not entirely green, but you need it now and then, especially if you have small boys or live with humidity and mould like I do.

 
HOW TO
I buy big bottles of bleach, ammonia and vinegar, and put them into smaller spray bottles – labelled carefully – and I have a refillable plastic container for the bicarb with holes at the top so I can sprinkle it.  I have three cleaning kits, kitchen, bathroom and laundry. The bathroom one I also use for the bedrooms if I need to.



Vinegar – mixed with half water and about a tablespoon of eucalyptus oil in a spray bottle – great for the sink (it removes soap traces), cupboards, glass, stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, stove top and oven front and toilet (in and out). Everything really. Use newspaper with this spary for really shiny mirrors and windows.

Bicarb soda  – to scrub the kitchen sink and pots, bath, shower recess. Sprinkle in the toilet if its really dirty, and mix with a little tea tree oil and water to make a stronger bathroom cleaner. Sprinkle on your hair in the shower instead of shampoo, or on the carpet before you vacuum.  Put some on your toothbrush to brush your teeth.  And leave a small container in the fridge to get rid of odours.

Lemon Juice - A naturally occurring mild acid, great addition to cleansing pastes, can remove lime scale from taps and sinks – and smells delicious! It can help to neutralise the smell of vinegar. Once you have juiced your lemon, fill one half with bicarb soda and pop it into the back of one of your fridge shelves to make it smell fresh and citrusy.

Soap – to wash dishes, either in a soap saver or made into liquid soap, and hands.  Make into laundry liquid or powder for clothes and the dishwasher.

Washing soda – (sodium carbonate)  is a natural mineral that can cut through grease and softens hard water – it goes into laundry liquid. You can also use them as a general washing up liquid if you have sensitive skin. It is also good for removing stubborn grease marks off oven tops and removing mould and scum from baths and showers.

Borax – (sodium borate) is also a naturally occurring mineral.  You can buy it at the hardware store  as an ant killer. It removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap so is good in laundry liquid. It’s also in some tooth whiteners – but I wouldn’t eat it. It is not a totally green cleaner, it can build up toxicity in the soil, so use sparingly. Go here for a good pro and con look at borax.Borax substitutes are also available.

Tea tree oil – is a great disinfectant and mould inhibitor. It also smells great and helps keep bugs away.
Eucalyptus oil -  I mix it with vinegar as mentioned, but straight it is great for removing sticky labels and with water is a great air fresher or ironing aid for mens shirts.

Oil of cloves -  in a spray bottle with water – the most amazing thing to get rid of smells on furniture, carpet, in the car etc and once you have cleaned off mould with a bleach solution, it prevents more mould forming

Lavender oil – mix with water in a spray bottle and use as room freshener and for the ironing
Bleach – mixed in a spray bottle with water – great for mould and all the really gross things you deal with with kids and pets

Ammonia  – it is great for inside the oven. Put two cups of water in a baking dish with ¼ cup ammonia, put it in the oven and let it heat up for 5 minutes, then leave overnight. In the morning scour with a paste of bicarb soda and water.  Mix with water for a really clean floor (about a capful per bucket of water). WARNING – don’t open the lid and sniff the bottle – you could pass out. Seriously.  Also, NEVER mix ammonia with bleach.

Now I just need hubby to whip me up a caddy like this.

source

Happy cleaning!

Deb xx