If you’ve been around Live Simply for a few years, you may know that I have experimented with a capsule wardrobe. It’s taken time and trial and error to find my groove, but I can happily now say that I love my wardrobe. Almost everything mixes and matches and I only purchase items when I need them or feel they would be of value to what I already own. This has greatly reduced my shopping (for clothes or shoes) to only a couple times a year.

• What is a capsule wardrobe? Why create one?
• How to declutter your closet and build a capsule wardrobe.
• How to simplify what you wear with a system.
• How to find your style when you don’t know where to start.
• Must-have pieces for a capsule wardrobe.
• How to avoid a style rut with a capsule wardrobe.
• Splurge versus save suggestions when you want to add something to your capsule wardrobe.

• Free Real Food Starter Guide and Crash Course
• Get Your Pretty On Website
• Follow Alison Lumbatis on Instagram
• Follow Alison Lumbatis on Facebook

The post Podcast 049: Simplify Your Life With a Capsule Wardrobe appeared first on Live Simply.

In today’s episode, I’m talking with Miranda Anderson about embracing minimalism. Miranda shares how to live a minimalist lifestyle with kids and a family. Her tips and stories will encourage and inspire you to say no to the clutter and consumerism and yes to intentional living.

• The More Than Enough Stuff Challenge (a no shopping commitment she made with her family for one year)
• The history of consumerism
• What is minimalism?
• How to be a minimalist with kids and a family.
• How to adopt a practical minimalist lifestyle.
• How to get your partner and kids on board with minimalism.
• The role gratitude and abundance plays in a minimalist lifestyle.
• Miranda’s decision process for making a purchase or bringing something into her life and home. 
• How to handle gifts from family and friends.

• Free Real Food Starter Guide and Crash Course
• Live Free Creative Co Website
• Follow Miranda Anderson on Instagram
• Follow Miranda Anderson on Facebook
• Miranda’s book More Than Enough 
• Miranda’s podcast
• Miranda’s podcast episode: Becoming a More Conscious Consumer

The post Podcast 048: Rethinking Consumerism and Minimalism with Miranda Anderson appeared first on Live Simply.

On Sunday, we spend time prepping for the week ahead: cleaning our home, meal planning, and preparing food options for breakfast and/or lunch.

This intentional prep helps our week, particularly the beginning of the week, feel more organized. Knowing that our home is clean, the car has a full tank of gas, and there’s at least something that can go in the kids’ lunchboxes is an incredible way to start the week. I’m not just surviving and letting life happen to me; instead, I’m being intentional about how I am living.

Occasionally, on Sunday–while we’re cleaning our home–I’ll open my Instagram App and share the tending routine that’s printed out and attached to our fridge. Every time I share this sheet, I receive messages from reader friends asking for this printable. Today, I’m finally sharing it here on the blog.

The Home Tending Sheet

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE HOME TENDING SHEET

Have you ever walked around your home, with the goal of cleaning and preparing your space for the week ahead, but instead you just wander aimlessly from room to room? This wandering usually causes me to feel overwhelmed, which ultimately leads to being distracted by tasks that aren’t important (hello, Facebook!). This sheet was created after I experienced one too many wandering sessions.

A tending sheet helps to simplify the task of cleaning and tending to a home by making it an intentional, purposeful activity.

The sheet may be cut up, pasted on notecards, and passed out to each family member (the joy of having older kids). Each family member can easily take responsibility for a particular space. If you have younger kids (not reading yet), you could even draw pictures for each age-appropriate task. I haven’t laminated my sheet yet, but if you go the notecard route I recommend doing this. If you’re solo cleaning, use this sheet to keep you focused on the important tasks.

I encourage you to sit down and think about what should go on your tending sheet. Think about when you should tend to these tasks to keep your home and life simple.

For me, this means tending to some activities on a daily basis: laundry (in the morning and then putting it away at night to prevent a mountain of laundry on the weekend), washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen countertops (by the end of the day), and cleaning out my car (using the car basket). Other activities are (ideally) tended to weekly, but these tend to take place once a week or twice a month–depending on the season of life. Monthly activities are the tasks that aren’t super important, but still need tending every so often. Also, s&w on my sheet stands for, spray and wipe.

Keep this in mind: The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is simplifying necessary tasks with the ultimate goal of simplifying life. 

The post Simplify Cleaning with a Home Tending Routine (Printable) appeared first on Live Simply.

I know this may sound too simple, “just simplify.” But it really is that simple…

Want a cleaner, clutter-free home? Get rid of all the excess stuff.

Want to enjoy a real food breakfast even on the busiest of mornings? Prep something for breakfast on the weekend, when life is slower and you can spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen.

Want to meal plan? Create an easy-to-follow routine/system that helps you do just that.

All of these are examples of intentionally simplifying.

Life doesn’t organize and simplify itself. We have to be intentional about doing so. We have to look for practical ways to simplify.

Over the years, I’ve shared a few of the ways I’ve been more intentional about simplifying our home life: laundry, capsule wardrobe, morning and evening routines for the kids (and myself, which I haven’t shared), school morning outfit box, and breakfast and lunch prep.

Today, I’d love to share with you a hack I’ve been using to simplify my car, and keep up with all the stuff that comes with being a kid chauffeur (AKA: parent).

The only thing needed to make this hack work is a box.

I found my box–a medium-size plastic bin– in the dollar section at Target. I recommend going with something that’s large enough to fit your needs (backpacks, lunchboxes, mail, packages, laptop, etc.). Also, go with a washable option just in case something spills in the box.

The box stays near my front door when we’re home, where we can fill it up with the items needed for our next outing.

In the morning (or our next outing), we grab the box and place it in the passenger seat (or another free spot if the passenger seat is occupied). Throughout the day the box is emptied (lunchboxes and school papers go with each child, my laptop is taken in the coffee shop with me, the Target item is returned on the way home, etc.), and anything that needs to go back in the house is added to the box throughout the day (lunchboxes, the empty breakfast plate, mail, etc.)

Upon arriving home, our first job as a family is to empty the box. Everything in the box has a home: the lunchboxes are taken to the kitchen, folders and bills are placed on my desk to sign, junk mail and wrappers are tossed, jackets are taken to the closet, etc.

This box has been the key to keeping my car organized and mess-free. It’s also been the key to helping me remember everything we need for life outside our home: lunchboxes, school folders and papers, my laptop, that Target return item, etc. This hack has also helped us shave off precious minutes in the morning. Minutes that were once spent making decisions about what we needed for the day and where those things were located.

The post The Car Box Hack: How to Keep a Clean and Mess-Free Car appeared first on Live Simply.

Today, I’d like to share about a special jar we started using in our home over the summer. Friend, let me introduce you to our boredom-busting jar.

I originally learned about a boredom jar from Katie over at Wellness Mama. She blogged about this concept and how she was using it in her home, along with the activity ideas she added to her family’s jar. I loved the idea, but never felt the need to make a jar for my family, until this past summer.

With the kids out of school, and both Dustin and myself working from home, I knew there were going to be days when the kids were going to feel lost for ideas on what they could do around the house. Now, let me just pause right here and say…

I’m not against boredom. In fact, I think kids in our fast-paced, never-slow-down society could use some extra down time. The idea of a child feeling “bored” isn’t a bad thing. At the same time, there are times when a child may want to do something active, but just can’t think of any ideas, outside of the television or computer.

As a blogger, I keep a long list of potential blogpost ideas (recipes, DIY projects, tips, etc.) in my Notes App on my phone and computer. I turn to this list whenever I feel at a loss for blog ideas. The boredom-busting jar works in the same way as my Notes App. Whenever a child wants to participate in an activity, but can’t quite figure out what to do, the jar is full of child-appropriate, independent activity ideas.

Together, as a family, we created our very own boredom-busting activity jar by brainstorming potential activities (this took a lot of help from us, the parents), creating printable cards, and then cutting out the cards and placing them in a special jar. We also spent some time role-playing how to use the jar.

“Mom. Dad. I don’t know what to do.” Dustin said in his best five year-old voice. “Can I watch a movie?”

“Let’s take a look in the special jar for some other ideas.” I replied.

The kids eagerly watched as Dustin pulled a cardstock square from the special jar and read, “Draw a picture.”

The kids were eager to get started with using the jar. As time went on, the kids even started thinking of new ideas to add to the jar. At a certain point, the ideas inside the jar became so second nature to the kids, they didn’t need the jar as much. #score

As the school year approaches, the kids won’t be home during the day as much as they were during the summer, but that doesn’t mean I’m planning to retire the jar. Instead, I think the jar is going to come in handy in the afternoon or the on the weekends. The kids know the jar is sitting on the shelf, just waiting for them to choose a card, if they’re looking for something to do and need some extra help with ideas.

Print

The Boredom-Busting Activity Jar (AKA: I'm Bored Ideas)

A special jar featuring 20 printable, boredom-busting activity cards to help provide kids with ideas for what do when they're feeling bored. 

Course DIY

Keyword Boredom-Busting Activity Jar

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 20 ideas

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 1 I'm Bored Ideas printed and cut out, or create your own ideas and cut them out
• 1 wide-mouth jar

Instructions

• Read each activity idea from the "I'm Bored Ideas" printable with your child. 
• Place the cards in a child-safe, child-accessible jar. 
• When your child is bored and looking for something to do, encourage them to choose a card from the jar and act on the card. 
• When your child has completed the card, return it to the jar. 

Notes

Encourage your child to think of ideas that may be added to the jar, too. 

The post The Boredom-Busting Activity Jar for Kids (AKA: I’m Bored Ideas) appeared first on Live Simply.

It’s easy to pick up a natural ingredient–like vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap–from the store, but what does it look like to actually use these products to clean a home or care for the body?

In the past, we’ve talked about using natural ingredients to clean the main rooms in a home. We’ve also explored more specific tasks: cleaning toilets, disinfecting cutting boards, scrubbing sinks, and cleaning the dishwasher.

Today, let’s focus on how to naturally clean the fridge. Not only does a regularly cleaned fridge look and smell great (we’ll talk about avoiding fridge odors later), but it’s also an important key to successfully meal planning, staying within a budget, and keeping food fresh.

Here’s how I clean my fridge on a weekly or bi-monthly basis (depending on our schedule).

Weekly is ideal, since I can clean on the weekend, meal plan based on what’s in my fridge, and then shop for other food items needed to make meals for the upcoming week.

Step One: Make an All-Purpose Cleaner 

What You’ll Need: White Vinegar +  Sal Suds (optional) + Essential Oil (optional)

A basic vinegar all-purpose spray cleaner can be made. Or you can add a bit of extra cleaning and deodorizing power to the vinegar solution by adding Sal Suds and essential oil. Vinegar naturally disinfects and cleans, Sal Suds lifts dirt, and the essential oil provides a lovely scent and beneficial cleaning properties. I like to use grapefruit, sweet orange, or lemon essential oil.

Both spray cleaners can be used to clean other areas of the home, too, hence the all-purpose title.

Step Two: Inventory and Remove Food 

Before using the all-purpose spray, remove everything from the fridge. I personally just remove food from the main areas, saving the condiment shelves and vegetable/fruit drawers for a deep cleaning session.

As you remove the food, take a mental note of what needs to be used ASAP, what can go back in the fridge and used at a later date (this is the food you can use to create your next meal plan), and what needs to be tossed or composted.

Step Three: Spray and Wipe

Once the food has been removed, spray the main surfaces with the all-purpose cleaner. I prefer to let the spray rest on the surfaces for a few minutes before wiping the spray off with a clean towel.

Step Four: Return Food

Finally, return the usable/edible food (we already tossed the stinky beans hiding and rotting in the back of the fridge ;)) to the fridge. At this point, since I clean my fridge on the weekend, I also create my meal plan at the same time. My fridge inventory is fresh in my mind, so it’s easy to start planning based on what I already have in stock. This practice keeps my budget in check since I don’t purchase foods already sitting in my fridge when I visit the store.

Extra Deep Cleaning: 

Every couple of months, I also remove the condiment shelves and fruit and veggie drawers, and wash them in a sink full of warm water, 1 cup of vinegar, and a few drops of Sal Suds.

If there’s ever build-up in the fridge (maybe a mysterious spill that wasn’t caught earlier in the week?), I use a homemade scrub cleaner on the stubborn area.

The fridge can be a home for all sorts of interesting odors. Some of these odors are lovely (sweet strawberries and fresh herbs) and some aren’t so appealing (cooked beans that have seen better days).

Regularly cleaning the fridge helps take care of most odors, but just to be safe I like to keep a jar of baking soda and essential oil in the fridge. This mixture helps to neutralize the odors and keep them from overtaking the fridge (and other foods).

What You’ll Need: 1 cup baking soda + 40 drops lemon, grapefruit, or sweet orange essential oil

The post How to Naturally Clean Your Fridge + Keep Odors Away appeared first on Live Simply.

Then, I shared a nightly trick to reduce the mountains of laundry that can pile up each week.

And a few weeks ago, we conquered grease stains.

Clearly, I love an awesome laundry hack.

Wait, wait! Isn’t this a food and “natural living” blog?

Trust me, I hear ya! This doubtful question comes to mind every time I think about sharing one of these lifestyle hacks, and then I’m reminded of one important truth…

Sometimes the difference between enjoying a real food, home-prepped breakfast (or insert any meal here), or pulling thru the drive-thru, is a matter of having an extra fifteen minutes in a day. This means finding an extra fifteen minutes in a day is essential to making real food, and natural living, work. I think we’d all agree that we can’t just “find” time; instead, we must strategically “create” the time and prioritize how we use that time. For me, this means finding “hacks” to simplify every day tasks, like laundry and making breakfast.

A few weeks ago, I began thinking about the school year, and how to simplify our morning routine and maximize the early hours. A morning in our house consists of getting up early, making breakfast (or at least assembling breakfast if it’s been prepped in advance), brushing teeth, making sure the kids actually have socks and shoes on before walking out the door, and getting to school on time. Every single minute is precious.

To help our weekdays run smoothly, I’ve learned to prep as many breakfast foods as possible in advance: hardboiled eggs, oatmeal, muffins, pancakes/waffles, cut-up fruit, and smoothie packs. That’s my breakfast hack: prep ahead. It’s simple and effective!

This year, in an attempt to simplify our mornings and “create” more time to enjoy that real food breakfast (and just get out the door on time), I’ve added one more prep activity to our morning routine. Friend, let me introduce you to the prep-ahead laundry box hack that’s currently giving us fifteen more minutes in the morning. And we all know just how valuable an extra fifteen minutes can be!

The Laundry Box Hack: How to Simplify School Mornings

What You’ll Need 

First, you’ll need a week’s worth of clothes for each child. For my kids, this consists of shorts, shirts, skirts or dresses (Londyn), socks, and undies. If your kids wear uniforms to school, then you’ll need a week’s worth of uniforms and personal items (undies, socks).

Next, you’ll need a box. The box doesn’t need to be fancy, just make sure it’s big enough to fit five days worth of folded clothes inside. My kids share a box, so if you have one or two kids, you may only need one box. If you have more than two kids, you’ll need a couple of boxes. Of course, you can also create a box for each child.

Since my kids share a box, I use two clothespins to divide the box: one side for Piper’s clothes and the other side for Londyn’s clothes. Labeling each child’s side of the box, if your kids share a box, isn’t necessary, but it was helpful for my kids.

How To

On a Saturday or Sunday (think: prep ahead), lay out a shirt or dress, then add the necessary items inside the shirt/dress: shorts, undies, socks, and even a hair bow. Add anything your child will need to get dressed in the morning, except shoes. If your kids want to choose their clothes, then ask them to help you with this activity. If your kids are older, then they can prep their clothes on their own. Now, fold the shirt/dress in half. Then continue folding the shirt/dress into a compact square. Place the folded outfit so it’s standing up inside the box.

Continue to fold enough outfits for each day of school. For my kids this means five outfits for each child.

In the morning, your kids can easily choose which outfit selection they want to wear, and then unwrap the contents.

With every item neatly packaged and ready to wear, you don’t have to worry about wasting valuable time in the morning while you search for a missing or dirty sock (oops!). This also means there is more time in the morning to enjoy a good breakfast, talk as a family, and even get to school on time! That’s a major win in our home.

Do you have a favorite morning, or evening, hack that helps simplify your life?

The post The Laundry Box Hack: How to Simplify School Mornings appeared first on Live Simply.

We’ve talked a lot about natural cleaning products here on the blog. Knowing how to make simple, natural products (or which “better” products to purchase from the store) is definitely important, but I also think it’s important to address the topic of how to practically clean. The kind of how-to that goes beyond making a bottle of all-purpose spray or shaking together a jar of toilet bowl cleaner. The kind of how-to that focuses on creating a practical routine so the cleaning actually gets done with the natural cleaning products.

Now, before we move on, it’s important to note one thing: I’m not talking about perfection or creating a magazine-worthy home. When I mention the words cleaning schedule, I simply mean a practical guide that’s intentionally created to help simplify the act of cleaning. That’s it; no perfection here!

With that said, let’s talk about what my cleaning schedule looks like. Then, we’ll discuss my tips for creating your own cleaning schedule. A cleaning schedule that’s intentionally created by you for your home.

My Natural Cleaning Schedule

I break down my cleaning schedule into three main categories: weekly, bi-monthly (twice a month), and rotation.

Weekly

Weekly cleaning tasks include the areas of our home that are high-traffic areas and must be cleaned regularly. These top priority areas include: sweeping the hard floors downstairs, cleaning the kitchen counters and stove-top, cleaning the bathroom counters, laundry (read more about my 10-minute laundry routine), cleaning out the fridge before grocery shopping, and “stuff” management (putting stuff back where it belongs). I don’t have a dedicated day of the week for these tasks; rather, most of these tasks are performed throughout the week or even daily.

Bi-Monthly

Bi-monthly, twice a month, cleaning tasks include high-traffic areas of our home that need a regular cleaning, but don’t need to be cleaned weekly. These areas include: vacuuming throughout our home (upstairs carpet and downstairs rugs), cleaning and disinfect in and around toilets, spraying and cleaning sinks and counters in bathrooms, cleaning mirrors in bathrooms, mopping hard floors throughout our home, wiping down desks/nightstands/dressers, washing bedding, wiping down exterior kitchen appliances. These tasks are generally accomplished on a Saturday morning.

Rotation 

Everything else that needs to be cleaned, but isn’t considered top priority, goes on my rotation list. There are three main areas on my rotation list: kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms, living room/dining room (one large open floor space). The tasks on this rotation schedule include deep cleaning tasks. With this rotation schedule, one area per month goes through a deep cleaning. This is basically like a quarterly cleaning rotation.

You’ll see on my printable list how these areas are broken down by individual cleaning tasks. I personally find that it’s too much to include my rotation tasks during my bi-monthly cleaning schedule, which is usually done on Saturday morning, so I prefer to set aside one specific day a month for tackling the items on the current rotation. I jot down “rotation” on my calendar so I don’t forget which area of the house will be the focus during that particular month.

Cleaning Products

The cleaning products I use to clean our home are very simple to make. (I also purchase a couple of products from the store.) I don’t have a schedule for making cleaning products. I simply mix up the cleaning products as needed. You can read more about the cleaning products I’m currently using to clean my home in this post.

(Download my printable cleaning schedule)

How to Create Your Own Natural Cleaning Schedule

My cleaning schedule was developed specifically for my home and my family’s cleaning needs. To help you develop your own cleaning schedule, I’ve included a blank printable to help you think about the cleaning tasks in your home according to the three categories: weekly, bi-monthly, rotation.

1. Declutter

This is the most important tip for keeping a clean home and creating a practical cleaning schedule: DECLUTTER! Last year, I read the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The book was a tremendous encouragement and help as I decluttered our home. Tidying up, or decluttering, was the single most important act I’ve ever done to help keep our home clean. Anything that wasn’t practical and didn’t “spark joy” was donated. Less stuff meant less stuff to clean. As Courtney Carver says, “If organizing your stuff worked, you’d be organized by now.” Getting rid of extra stuff meant I was no longer spending my days trying to organize and clean.

2. Prioritize Cleaning Tasks/Areas

First, think about the areas of your home that are high-traffic spots. Does your kitchen need regular cleaning? Think about the specific areas of your kitchen that need the most cleaning TLC. Mentally go through each area of your home, and jot down the top priority tasks on your weekly schedule. I believe it’s important to keep these tasks simple and practical so you don’t burnout.

Next, think about each area of your home and the tasks that are top priority, but don’t need to cleaned weekly. For me, these tasks include bathroom toilets, mirrors, and mopping the hard floors. Write down these tasks on your bi-monthly schedule.

Finally, think about the areas of your home that need to cleaned, but only need a quarterly wipe down/cleaning. These tasks may include baseboards, dusting fans, etc. Think about the areas of your home that may be lumped together for one big cleaning, too. Write down all the areas and tasks on your rotation schedule.

 3. Schedule Time and Be Practical

Now that you have an intentional cleaning schedule, jot down on your calendar when you plan to accomplish each category, particularly the bi-monthly and rotation schedules. I personally don’t schedule the weekly tasks, but if you need a reminder, go ahead and jot down these tasks on your calendar, too. Maybe you plan to tackle the bi-monthly schedule on Saturdays, and the rotation schedule during one of these Saturdays. Be practical about your schedule and your time.

4. Encourage Family Participation

I prefer to clean without kids or Dustin, but if you’d like to encourage family participation, figure out which tasks you can assign to each family member. You could even jot down initials next to the tasks on your cleaning schedule. As my kids get older, I may start to do this.

Do you use a cleaning schedule, or do you plan to develop one? I’d love to hear what’s working for you.

The post How to Create a Natural Cleaning Schedule + Printable Checklist appeared first on Live Simply.

2021 Update: I recently updated this post and shared 11 Natural Cleaning Caddy Essentials. Check out my new and updated post here.

I wish I could tell you that by using homemade cleaners you’ll never have to scrub a toilet or wipe a dirty wall ever again. While homemade cleaners are super effective, when mixed and applied properly, they are just like store-bought cleaners in one particular way: a cleaner is only as good as its partner, the cleaning tool.

The good news is that you don’t need to purchase any special tools once you make the choice to switch out the Fabuloso with a homemade all-purpose spray. You can keep the same cleaning tools!

“Many hands make light work.” Think of your cleaning tools as the many hands when paired with your favorite, natural cleaners.

10 Must-Have Cleaning Tools to Clean Your Entire House, Naturally

Note: You’ll find more than 10 tools on this list. Some tools are optional since they may not apply to every home.

Scrub Brushes:

No job is too tough for a good scrub brush and a bit of homemade scrub cleaner or all-purpose spray. Go ahead, Dirt, give us your best shot!

I prefer to keep a short handle scrub brush for the dishes and sink jobs, and a long handle brush for bathroom tile and grout cleaning. A toothbrush, reserved for cleaning purposes, is also handy for cleaning bathroom tile grout and hard to reach sink areas.

Towels:

Towels are essential in a cleaning toolkit. I prefer to purchase cotton washcloths or small dish towels since both are the perfect size and come in various colors (who said cleaning must be boring??). When purchasing towels, to keep in your cleaning toolkit, look for towels that are easy to handle and will endure the test of time and the washing machine.

I use towels for wiping surfaces (after spraying a surface with my surface cleaner), as homemade Swiffer-like wipes, and/or to create reusable surface cleaner wipes.

Microfiber Cloth (optional, but a cleaning game-changer!):

A microfiber cleaning cloth is a blend of polyester or polyester and nylon. This cloth is usually super soft. According to an article by UC Davis, regarding a hospital that switched over to microfiber cloths and mops, “…microfiber mops did a better job of penetrating surface pores and removing dust particles than conventional string mops and cloth. For example, after a surface was cleaned with conventional tools, a bacteria culture showed a 30-percent reduction, while microfiber materials reduced bacteria by 99 percent.” (source) That’s quite significant!

Microfiber cloths can be pricey, but they wash incredibly well and last a long time. Plus, they don’t leave behind lint and streaks like their cotton counterparts.

Spray Bottles:

In order to make homemade spray cleaners you’re going to need spray bottles. There are several options when sourcing spray bottles for homemade cleaners: 1) repurpose old surface cleaner bottles; just make sure you wash the bottles out thoroughly; 2) make your own cleaner bottles from vinegar bottles (small Perrier water bottles also work!); 3) purchase ready-to-go cleaner bottles.

Storage Containers:

Once you begin to stock your natural ingredient stash (remember my twelve must-have cleaning ingredients?), it’s time to source a few storage containers to hold leftover ingredients. I find most of my storage jars in the kitchen aisles at Target or HomeGoods.

Not only will you need to store leftover ingredients like washing soda or baking soda in storage containers, you’ll also want to keep a few smaller jars with lids around for homemade products that aren’t stored in a spray bottle: carpet deodorizer, scrub cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner powder (coming November 23rd in the new book), reusable surface wipes, and homemade Swiffer-like wipes.  I purchase my smaller jars from Target, Amazon, craft stores, and even the grocery store. Mason or Weck jars also make excellent storage containers for both ingredients and final products.

If you plan to make homemade hand soap or dish soap, you’re going to need a soap dispenser. Soap dispensers can be found in the bathroom section of most home stores (Target, Walmart, HomeGoods, etc.).

Sponges:

Sponges are great for cleaning dishes, of course, as well as scrubbing or wiping surfaces. I really like a sponge with two surfaces: one for wiping and one for scrubbing stubborn surfaces. Any sponge will work for cleaning. I personally like Twist brand sponges.

Dusting Wand:

A good dusting wand is your best companion when it comes to tackling dust-loving fans, surfaces, and walls. I highly recommend purchasing a dusting wand with a removable and washable duster. My favorite dusting wand is the OXO Microfiber Hand Duster.

Broom and Dustpan:

My broom is put to use, between kids and dogs, at least every other day. If you have any hard floors in your home, a broom and dustpan are must-have tools. I also use my broom for brushing off our couch every few days.

Labels (optional):

This tool is so important, but often overlooked when making the switch to homemade cleaning products. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way that labeling everything you make is important. While most homemade products are safe to use in multiple ways, you don’t want to grab the stain remover only to realize you meant to grab the castile soap surface cleaner.

Labels not only tell you exactly what a cleaner is, but also when you made it. Most homemade cleaners will last for months, but it’s always good to know the made-on date for future reference.

Finally, labels are just pretty! A pretty label adds that extra sparkle to a spray bottle or homemade scrub container. You don’t have to purchase speciality labels to get the pretty look, a roll of Washi tape also does the trick. Keep in mind that bottles and containers often get wet, so your label may need to be replaced in the future–you don’t want to work so hard on a pretty label and later feel like that effort was in vain.

Note: I’ve labeled this tool as optional because you don’t need fancy labels to make homemade cleaners; you simply need to label your bottles in some way. If you don’t want to hunt for labels or purchase special tape, simply use a permanent marker on your glass bottles. The permanent marker can be scrubbed off once you’re done with the cleaner inside.

Gloves (optional):

Next up, gloves! Usually gloves are worn for cleaning to protect the skin from harsh chemicals, but when it comes to making products at home, we aren’t dealing with harsh chemicals. So why use gloves?

Gloves are more of a personal preference than a must-have for homemade cleaning. Our bathroom tile is known to attract mold and mildew (due to poor ventilation in a small space), so I use my homemade mold and mildew spray and/or my scrub cleaner to tackle the nasty invaders. I prefer to wear gloves to protect my hands from the scrubbing action and mold/mildew.

I like the If You Care brand of rubber gloves in size medium, but any brand of gloves will work for cleaning.

Toilet Bowl Brush:

Everyone needs a toilet brush, right?! Find one that you love and keep it handy for this dirty job. I use a homemade liquid toilet cleaner or powder cleaner with a toilet brush to achieve fresh, clean toilets. Okay, enough said on that topic.

Vacuum:

I’ve been through a lot of vacuums over the years, from cheap Target specials to higher-end brand names. While I think a good vacuum is definitely an investment worth making, I also believe the big difference between a vacuum that does an okay job and one that outperforms your wildest expectations, boils down to care. Take care of your vacuum by cleaning the inside canister, cleaning the filter, and replacing the bag often (if the vacuum uses a bag).

If you take care of your vacuum, your vacuum will take care of you!

Even if you don’t have carpet, I believe a vacuum is still important for cleaning upholstered furniture.

Mop (and Bucket) or Swiffer (optional):

If you want to go down the Swiffer route, you’ll love my homemade Swiffer-like wipes. Buy the Swiffer, just avoid the heavily-perfumed disposable Swiffer wipes.

If a mop is your choice, then you’ll also need a bucket so you can mix up a floor cleaner. Here’s my recipe: 1 gallon hot water + ¼ cup borax + 2 cups vinegar + 30 drops cleaning essential oil.

Note: I’ve listed a mop or Swiffer as optional, since some people may not have enough hard floor surfaces in their home to justify keeping such a large tool around. If you only have a small bathroom and/or kitchen with hard floors, then a towel and sink, or just a spray floor cleaner, will probably suffice.

Funnel (optional):

A funnel is an invaluable tool for a DIYer. A funnel allows you to successfully transfer your prized homemade cleaner from the mixing container/bowl to a storage jar or spray bottle.

A few months ago I purchased a silicone funnel and absolutely love it! A silicone funnel is easy to use and collapses for easy storage.

Cleaning Caddy or Box (optional):

I’ve found that keeping all my cleaning products in one central location keeps me organized and less frazzled when it comes time to clean.

A cleaning caddy or box can be as fancy or as boring (for lack of a better term) as you’d like. The idea is having a central location to keep your tools and basic cleaners organized.

Measuring Cups and Spoons:

Most of my homemade recipes require measuring ingredients. Since the ingredients used to make homemade cleaning products are safe ingredients, I don’t use a special set of measuring cups or spoons to make cleaning recipes.

The post 10 Must-Have Tools to Clean Your Entire House, Naturally appeared first on Live Simply.

Laundry help is here!

I’m going to make a pretty bold statement: I’ve found a routine that simplifies laundry and actually makes this dreaded task enjoyable.

Okay, maybe enjoyable isn’t the word. Although, I’d be lying to say that I don’t find enjoyment in the sight of empty laundry baskets. I think the word should be, doable.

My goal for Live Simply is to help you (and me, because I’m right here with you on this journey) simplify real food and natural living. While most of the time we talk about crock-pot burrito bowls, granola bars, and homemade hand soap, I believe it would be a disservice to dismiss the daily tasks that can make preparing real food or mixing together a bottle of hand soap a huge challenge. The tasks that can consume so much valuable time. If you’re neck-deep in laundry, it’s hard to think about spending extra time making healthy food.

I haven’t figured out all the secrets to simplifying every task in my house, but slowly I’m learning to create routines that make time-consuming, complicated tasks more doable and less time-consuming.  My home isn’t perfect, so please don’t misinterpret the simplifying beyond the kitchen posts as a demand for perfection. Trust me, my friend, we have our messes–we live within the four walls of our home.

Last month we devoted quite a bit of our DIY time together talking about laundry. We talked about how to make an effective stain remover, a three-ingredient homemade bleach alternative, and the simplicity of making a homemade Oxi-Clean powder.

While I’ve shared many homemade laundry recipes, I’ve never talked much about the actual act of doing laundry. Truthfully, up until three months ago, I hated laundry. I know, that’s a harsh word, but it’s true. My typical laundry routine looked like this…

One laundry basket accumulated all the clothes and towels throughout the week. I would throw dirty dish towels in the washing machine where they would sit for days. Everything else would gradually build like a child’s tower of blocks until the laundry basket just couldn’t handle one more piece of clothing. Once the laundry basket was piled as high as a mountain, I would set out on a laundry expedition. I usually spent all weekend washing and drying clothes and towels.

I felt defeated, frustrated, and overwhelmed by such a complicated task.

My laundry epiphany came three months ago. I decided enough was enough.

I developed a routine.

My Laundry Routine Essentials

1. Reduce Towels:

One of my biggest laundry issues was the fact that we owned sooooooo many bath towels. Our linen closet door couldn’t be shut due to the amount of towels hanging off the shelves. Since we owned so many towels, we took the liberty of using as many towels as possible. This meant an overwhelming amount of the laundry basket was being consumed by towels! Simplification was needed.

I gave away nearly all but four white towels, two for the downstairs half bath and two for guests. I asked each family member to choose a color and then purchased the corresponding towels.  Now everyone owns two towels in one particular color: Dustin-yellow, Kristin-blue, Piper-green, Londyn-pink. This act alone has greatly reduced the amount of dirty laundry. I shared our towel system in this post.

2. Keep Multiple Laundry Baskets:

Before simplifying laundry I had one laundry basket. ONE!

To help simplify, I purchased a different color laundry basket ($4.99 at Target) for each room where laundry would accumulate: the kids’ room, our room, and the shared kitchen/dinning room. The kids share a room, so they were given two laundry baskets, a pink basket for Londyn and a blue basket for Piper.

3. A Daily Laundry Schedule:

Tending to laundry once a week was too overwhelming. Not only would I spend all weekend washing and drying, I would become so frustrated by the lengthy process I would never get around to actually folding the clothes or putting them away. We would live out of the dryer or laundry basket for days or even weeks following a laundry session.

Instead of a weekly schedule, I created an every day schedule. I didn’t think we dirtied enough clothes to run the washing machine this often, but I was proven wrong. Plus, most washing machines offer low and medium water level options.

My Laundry Routine

I wash our laundry every day. The bulk of the laundry is clothing, socks, and dish towels. Bedding and bath towels are washed on the weekend.

Step One- Gather the Baskets:

In the morning, upon waking and getting my coffee, I walk around to each room to gather laundry (from the previous day). I dump all the clothes and towels into one of the four baskets (usually the basket from our room), and then stack the remaining baskets under the “main” laundry basket.

Step Two-Wash and Dry:

Once the clothes and baskets are gathered, I turn on the washing machine and add my laundry soap. Then, I add the clothes and walk away.

I don’t sort according to color. Once the washing cycle is complete (usually after my shower or breakfast), I pull the clothes out and place them in the dryer with dryer balls. At this point the laundry is done and I can go on with my day.

Step Three-Sort:

In the evening, after dinner, I head back to the laundry room and unstack all the laundry baskets on the floor. I open the dryer door and pull out each piece of clothing, sorting it into the correct basket. I DO NOT fold the clothes, just sort according to their final destination. Dustin’s clothes go in our white laundry basket, along with my clothes. Piper’s clothes and towel go in the blue basket. Londyn’s clothes and towel go in the pink basket.

Step Four-Put the Clothes and Towels Away:

Now it’s time to pick up the baskets (I usually just stack them on top of each other with the clothes and towels inside each basket) and go to the rooms. I place each basket in the correct room and put the clothes away. This takes less than 10 minutes total–the time I’m suggesting in this post :).

I realize every household is different. My goal for today’s post is to encourage you to think about how you can simplify the task of doing laundry. What kind of schedule/ routine can you create to make laundry a more doable task so you can spend more time enjoying your family versus feeling like you’re buried under a mountain of clothes and towels every week. Let’s end the complication of laundry!!

More Simple Lifestyle Tips You May Like:

5 Simple Habits to Get More Done Every Day

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

One Simple Trick to Simplify Laundry and the Bathroom

The post My 10 Minute Routine to Simplify Laundry appeared first on Live Simply.

Most of the simple talk around here revolves around food and natural living–cleaning, beauty, family life, etc. While those are the areas we mainly focus on, simplifying life is about much more than just food and household cleaners.

Over the years, I’ve learned that simplifying beyond the kitchen is just as important. When everyday tasks are met with confusion, clutter, and complication, it’s less likely the home-cooked meal will make it to the table or homemade hand soap will ever be made. As one begins to embrace a simpler life in the kitchen, the need to simplify other areas of life soon becomes evident.

I’m not talking about spending a whole weekend getting rid of your stuff or labeling every shelf in your bathroom. Eventually you may feel the need to do these things, but for now I’m talking about finding areas of your life that consume way too much time or cause frustration. These are the areas that need a simple do-over.

Here’s the thing about simplifying and do-overs, they look different for each and every family! In fact, the way I simplify a home process or room may be different than how you should simplify. That’s the beauty of simplifying! The best way to simplify is to create a list of the tasks or rooms in your home that feel complicated or frustrating. Then, develop strategies to simplify.

One of my greatest frustrations in my home has been laundry and the bathroom. The towel situation has been out of control (up until last month–we will talk about the solution in a few minutes): the small bathroom linen closet door couldn’t be shut due to the amount of towels spilling over the shelves, six plus towels could be found hanging on bedroom doors or over the shower curtain rod at one given time, and the laundry basket was constantly filled with dirty towels. To say that I was spending way too much time trying to wash, fold, and organize towels is an understatement.

The good news is today’s post isn’t a therapy session for my towel issue–thank you for listening! Today’s post is a solution/trick intervention.

I’m happy to share that I found a simple solution/trick to simplify the laundry and bathroom towel situation. I can’t be the only person out there struggling with laundry and bathroom organization, so let’s talk about this little trick. Trust me, it’s a good one!

 One Simple Trick to Simplify Laundry and the Bathroom

I recently read the book, Design Mom: How to Live with Kids: A Room by Room Guide. If you have kids and want to simplify and create a beautifully-designed home, this is a must-read! It’s the kind of book that will have you up way past your bedtime–for the very best reasons.

Gabrielle, Design Mom, suggests organizing the bathroom by using colored towels.

That’s it–the one simple trick–colored towels!

What’s so magical about colored towels? Oh, let’s talk.

How to Simplify Laundry and the Bathroom with Colored Towels

The first step is to ask each family member to choose a color. Here’s what we decided: Piper: Green; Londyn: Pink; Dustin: Yellow; Kristin: Blue. Once the colors are chosen, it’s time to shop. Purchase two towels in the selected colors for each person. I purchased 2 green, 2 pink, 2 yellow, and 2 blue. With the new towels in hand, clear out your old towels–donate them to a local charity, your husband’s garage for future projects, or cut them up for cleaning. I kept three white towels in the linen closet for guests. Whenever a family member takes a shower, bath, or needs a towel (rain baths are just the best!) they must use their towel, no exceptions! When their towel is dirty, and it’s time for a new one, the dirty towel is tossed in the hamper or washing machine and the backup is used.

Note: I kept three white towels in our second half bathroom for hand-washing–these towels are used by the family and guests. White is my preferred color in this bathroom because the towels can be soaked in my homemade bleach alternative. The colored towels are meant for the bathroom used for showering and baths. 

Simple, right?!

While this trick may appear incredibly simple, it’s been a life-changing move for our family. Gone are the massive mountains of endless towels in the laundry basket, and the frustration of jumping out of the shower only to find wet (just used) towels hanging up. Gone are the days of six towels scattered across the bedroom floors, and a frustrated mom. It’s been a glorious change! Glorious.

If you’re struggling with the bathroom towel situation in your house, this may be the simple answer you need. Remember, simplifying is about finding simple solutions that make life more enjoyable and less complicated. With the complicated tasks simplified, you may even be able to sit down to the homemade family dinner or read a book in bed once the kids are asleep.

More Simple Lifestyle Tips You May Like:

5 Simple Habits to Get More Done Every Day

How to Create a Stress-Free Bedtime Routine

How to Create a Stress-Free Morning Routine

The post One Simple Trick to Simplify Laundry appeared first on Live Simply.

Contributor post written by Kimberly from Turning It Home

A Note From Kristin: A huge thank you to Kimberly for sharing a practical DIY today! We are in the final stretch of the Live Simply Kitchen Remodel (you can follow the progress on Instagram), so I’m taking a break from sharing my stories/recipes for a few days to focus on this major project. 

I’m regularly asked where I find the containers and spray bottles for my DIY recipes. I source my containers from various stores: HomeGoods, Target, Pier 1 Imports, and Amazon. Using glass for DIY recipes is important when you plan to store cleaners and beauty products that contain essential oils for long-term use.

For homemade cleaners, I love the Sally’s Glass Spray Bottles on Amazon or I make my own! Making your own glass spray bottles is super easy (just a vinegar bottle!) and costs just pennies.  I learned how to make my own spray bottles from Kimberly, so I asked her to share this simple DIY technique on the blog. I know you’ll love these glass bottles for storing homemade cleaners. 

I love cleaning with glass spray bottles but prefer not to think about the price tag that comes along with them. Thankfully, making your own (and consequently saving a lot of loot!) is super easy.

You’ll start with a glass vinegar bottle and a spray bottle nozzle. Most standard spray bottle nozzles will fit the glass bottle. I found my spray bottle nozzle in the One Spot at Target last year. Another time, I purchased a cheap multipurpose cleaner bottle at the dollar store for the sole purpose of using the nozzle. That worked just as well.

The toughest part of this whole process is removing the pesky sticker residue from the vinegar bottle. My secret weapon for removing all the gunk is olive oil. Just smear it on the bottle, allow it to sit for a few minutes, and wipe it off. I used to have half-hour battles with sticker residue before discovering this olive oil trick. It’s a life saver.

Once the sticker and glue residue are removed, simply remove the date stamp on the bottle with alcohol and a cotton ball…Voila, a homemade spray bottle!

Now it’s time to think about how to fill your bottle. There are many options: Homemade Bathroom Cleaner, Homemade All-Purpose Spray, Disinfecting Spray, Glass and Stainless Steel Cleaner, Stain Remover Spray (use a dark red wine vinegar bottle to store this recipe, like the Eden brand bottle), Herb-Infused Cleaner, Makeup Brush Cleaner (use as a spray), Bug Spray Repellent, or a Citrus Air Freshener. The options are limitless once you have a glass cleaning bottle in your hands.

Now that you know how to make your own glass spray bottles, how many will you stock up on?

Print

How to Make a Glass Spray Bottle for Homemade Cleaners

Making your own glass spray bottles is super easy (just a vinegar bottle!) and costs just pennies. 

Course DIY, Homemade

Cuisine American

Keyword Glass Spray Bottle, How to

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Bottle

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 1 glass vinegar bottle
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil to remove the sticky residue
• 1 tsp rubbing/isopropyl alcohol to remove the date stamp
• 1 spray bottle nozzle from an old plastic cleaning bottle

Instructions

• To start, empty the vinegar (I store my vinegar in a sealed mason jar so I can use the bottle for cleaning) from the bottle and peel off as much of the label as you can.
• Apply olive oil to the adhered sticker residue that is left on the bottle. After a few minutes, rub off any remaining residue. I used my fingernail for this, but you can use a paper towel or a spoon.
• If there is any stubborn stickiness leftover, repeat the process.
• To remove the date stamp on the bottle, simply wipe it off using rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.
• Wash the bottle with water to remove any remaining olive oil.
• Finally, fill the bottle with your favorite cleaner, attach the spray nozzle, and enjoy!

More DIYs You May Like:

DIY Homemade Stain Remover

DIY Herb-Infused All-Purpose Cleaner

7 Money-Saving Recipes Using Castile Soap

The post How to Make a Glass Spray Bottle for Homemade Cleaners appeared first on Live Simply.