Magic Tub Cleaner

So I'm wasting time on Pinterest and come across a homemade cleaner than has been repined all over the place. So I check it out (Here is the blog I originally read) and of course, it seems too good to be true: vinegar + dish soap= miracle tub cleaner? 

YES IT DOES! This stuff worked fabulously! So now the story and proof...

We live in a rental, so it's a given that things aren't going to be spotless when we moved in. Don't get me wrong, the place was clean but of course the tub was pretty gross, and we've never been able to get it perfectly clean. We've tried foaming tub cleaners, bleach based sprays and just about every green cleaner on the shelves. So you can imagine my amazement when Pinterest is blowing up over a miracle cleaner that is so simple. So I tried it.

Here is our gross tub (stains and all) with the ingredients ready to go. 

To make:

• 1 part distilled white vinegar

• 2/3 part blue dawn dish soap (I don't know why it has to be the blue specifically but every site I read said that's the one to use)

• spray bottle

What I did:

1. Pour 1 cup vinegar into measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute. 
2. Add 2/3 cup of the blue Dawn to the vinegar, and mix it up. It'll make a light blue gel kind of stuff.

3. Pour it into your spray bottle and get to spraying.

 Here's our tub with the mixture sprayed all over...

4. My spray bottle was cheap so once I got the walls sprayed, I poured the rest into the tub. 

I let it sit about 45 minutes (ate some lunch). 

5. Then I came back and scrubbed with the rough side of a sponge, for what seemed like forever. 

It got very sudsy (even with the decrease in dish soap). 

6. So I rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed and scrubbed a bunch more.

*Word of caution: the blue soap seemed like it stained the grout, but it came completely off after all the scrubbing and a couple good rinses.*

 So here she is... much cleaner!

The walls are squeaky clean, took care of all the soap scum and whatever that gross red scum stuff was.

 7. But, as you can see, the bottom of the tub was still pretty stained, so I mixed up another batch. I used a 1/1 mixture this time so that it would be a bit thicker and not run down the drain right away.

 8. I poured the mix right into the tub and spread it around a little with my hands. I let that sit for about an hour (while I vacuumed and steam cleaned the bedroom carpet).

And here's the final product...

No, it's not perfect by any means (and the picture isn't that great) but YAY it's much better!

So, in summary...

• Easy and Cheap!
• No headache inducing chemical smell!
• Works like a dream on a super gross tub!

Hopefully this helps. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to Me

Hello world, I'm Lindsey (obviously ^)! As this is my first ever post I figure I should give a little background about myself and what I hope to accomplish with this blog. 

I am 25. I live in Dallas, TX with my husband (we got married in April), Anthony, and our 3 cats (the 3M's). We live in a 1 bedroom condo in the heart of the "gayborhood" and we absolutely LOVE it! We've been here for a little over a year now and it really feels like our home.

I am a nanny for an awesome family in north Dallas. There is the mom (J) who is an orthodontist, dad (B) who is a financial wizard and runs their ortho practice, 4 year old boy (S) who is a ball of energy and a big goofball, and the tiny love of my life 17 month old girl Baby A. I feel like our families have become one, as I started with them when Baby A was just 7 days old. She is practically my daughter and I wouldn't have it any other way. They often joke that I'm her 2nd mom and that she'd be perfectly happy going home with me at the end of the day (which I would be totally fine with because I love her like my own). I couldn't imagine a better job, or a family more amazing to work for! I plan to use this blog to post about any and everything having to do with being a nanny and about kids. I have a vast array of knowledge and I figure someone out there might benefit from my experiences.

My husband, best friend and love of my life, A, is also 25 (I'm older by 2 months haha). We met freshman year of college (2005) and have been together ever since. We graduated together in 2010 and moved to Dallas. He works for the University, the same one that we went, to as an admissions counselor. He just started and so far he loves it! He will start traveling more once the fall comes and high school is back in, which I'm sure I'll post about because we are not often apart for longer than a day or 2.

As well as things going on in our daily lives, I want to post about practical things, like product reviews and tips for life. I love finding things online (addicted to Pinterest) and testing them out, like homemade cleaning solutions or fitness regiments. I rely on information from other people online before trying something new, so I figure I can contribute and maybe help someone else out too.

I am also VERY into crafting (I mean VERY). We recently bought an enormous shelving unit from Ikea to store all of my supplies, because they were taking over our closets and our living room. I am in the process of building up an Etsy store (with products made and found by myself and my mom) and I love creating things to give as gifts or for our own home. I'll be sure to post about DIY projects (that are awesome and that failed) and about anything cool I find and think someone else might enjoy too.

I also really enjoy cooking and baking, and love trying out new recipes or creating "hodgepodge" meals from whatever is on hand. I am vegetarian (A is not though), and so is the family I work for (they don't eat any kind of meat at all), so I very rarely cook meat unless its nuggets or hot dogs for the hubby. I do however eat seafood, so fish and shrimp are staples in our house. I would love to start sharing recipes, especially for quick, healthy meals that I think anyone would enjoy. I know how hard it is to come home from a day of work (or be working at home all day) and have the time/energy to prepare a meal. But I keep our kitchen pretty well stocked with essentials and have a few great go to meals. I do a lot of cooking (at home) with frozen and canned items. At work I have the luxury of cooking with more fresh ingredients, because I go to Whole Foods weekly for them. Hopefully someone can get something out of my posts about food (other than just looking at the pictures and getting hungry). 

So that's me. That's my plan. I hope you will enjoy reading what I've got to say and come back often :)