Savvy Brown » Home Recipes

7 Savvy Summer Party Ideas

Savvy — Sun, 29 May 2011 17:38:30 +0000

I, for one, am really excited about Memorial Day weekend this year. For once, me and Sexy will both be in town at the same time, and we won’t be traveling. We also have redone the backyard a bit, and I’m determined to grill and go back there more than just when company’s coming. One of the things I’ve learned about summer BBQs and parties, the more you make yourself, the more money you’ll save. Here’s some of the things I look forward to doing/making this summer.

Green/Frugal BBQ – check out this post I did last year about how to save money and stay green for your BBQ.

Homemade Lemonade and Iced Tea – What’s summer without lemonade and iced tea? Ever since I figured out how to make them on my own, I’ve stopped buying the store bought stuff, especially those godawful cans of iced tea mix. It’s too simple and too cheap to do myself!

Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Easy Iced Tea Recipe

DIY Chips and Dip – What’s a BBQ without chips and salsa? These are easy to make and once again, cheap! I like making these to bring to someone else’s BBQ. I think organic ingredients make it all taste better too!

Baked Tortilla Chips Recipe

Easy Tomato-Pineapple Salsa

Easy Flavorful Hummus

Sail vs. Umbrella- Living in a brownstone in Brooklyn, NY does not provide a lot of space, and if you don’t already know, brownstones are attached on both sides, which means everything going in the back yard, has to come through the front. (You should have seen us trying to get the grill down the hallway). One of the best things we ever did was to toss the unwieldy umbrella, (along with the table with the hole in the center for it) and replace it with a sun sail. It can roll up small and fit in the closet when not in use, but provides tons of cover from the sun. You can buy them here.

All Natural Sunscreen – You need to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays, but you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to do it. Check out (this post)[http://savvybrown.com/health/all-natural-sunscreen-alternatives/] on natural sunscreens and DIY options to stay protected this summer.

DIY Bug Repellant – Most of the sprays on the market contain DEET, which is potentially harmful. Check out this natural bug spray recipe And keep the mosquitos away.

Mix and Match Outdoor furniture – instead of dropping $500 on a patio set that you’ll use like, once a year, a better idea, (especially if you have limited space like us) is to mix and match your furniture. For some great ideas, check out my “Budget Backyards” Page on pinterest.

So hopefully those ideas will help you out a bit. Have a wonderful holiday to all my US readers!

How are you spending the holiday weekend?

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DIY Bathroom Scrub Recipe

Savvy — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:24:15 +0000

I adapted this recipe from Crunchy Betty and I love it! It cleans everything in my bathroom and in other parts of he house as well, and is so cheap to make.

DIY Bathroom Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. washing soda
1/4 c. liquid castile soap
1 capful of hydrogen peroxide
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
25 drops lemon balm*
10 drops peppermint essential oil*
1/4 c. Water

Directions:

Pour all dry ingredients into a wide-mouth glass jar. (I find that a salsa jar usually works best for this). Next add the essential oils and mix until well blended. (The mixture will be a bit crumbly at this point). Then add the vinegar and water and mix the ingredients until creamy. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and fizz a bit, but it’s completely harmless.

How to Use:

Scoop out a tablespoon of the cream and scrub on tile with a wet a Skoy cloth or microfiber cloth. Rinse with another wet cloth, and wipe dry. I use this on my shower tile, in the fiberglass tub, the porcelain sink and the marble countertop. I only need a scoop for the sink 2 for the shower and three for the tub. It works great o the soap scum on my glass shower door along with my Glass Cleaner . I also use it to clean the toilet bowl. A little goes a long way.

Try it out, and let me know how you like it!

Thank you to Crunchy Betty for the original recipe.

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How to Unclog a Drain Without Killing Yourself…

Savvy — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:16:08 +0000

I am really scared of the ingredients in things like Liquid Plumbr and Liquid Snake and some of those hardware store chemicals out there. Almost all of them contain sodium hydroxide (a.k.a.-lye) which is highly toxic if it comes in contact with your skin, hair, eyes or breathing passages. Not to mention what it does to the environment once it’s out of the house, it basically kills all kinds of wildlife in its path and alters the ph balance of rivers and streams.. Some of the chemicals always come back up into the sink or tub and inevitably make it’s way on to our skin or into the air of the bathroom. Not.taking.that.chance.

For everyday sink, tub and shower clogs we do the following at the House of Brown:

1. Snake it out – The #1 cause of clogged drains in my house is hair. Mine, usually. Cuz well I’ve got a lot of it. Every now and them we take a wire hanger to the shower, tub and sink and pull out whatever is stuck there. This usually makes a difference almost immediately. A plunger or actual snake is effective as well. This is also a good way to get the water to drain so that you can treat the pipe with one of the below methods.

2. Hot water – sometimes it’s just a bit of stuck on shaving cream, lotion, toothpaste or hair product that is blocking the passage, that’s when this method works best.

3. Baking Soda/Vinegar Mix - This is what I use the most on slow drains and it’s very effective. Pour 1 cup baking soda down the drain followed immediately by 1 cup of white vinegar. The resulting chemical reaction will make the baking soda bubble and safely scour what’s around it. Leave the mixture to bubble in the sink for about 30 minutes while you go and boil some water. Next pour the boiling water down the drain to remove the excess baking soda and to clear through anything left over. This method is especially good to use for maintenance. done once a week, your drains can stay clear for quite some time.

4. Cream of Tartar Mix - Many times kitchen sinks need something strong enough to cut through grease and fat. Mix 1 tbsp cream of tartar (you can find this in the spice section of the grocery store), 4 tablespoons of baking soda, and 4 tbsps of salt in a jar and shake to mix. Then pour the mix down the drain, followed by at least a 2 quarts of boiling water, followed by cold water to rinse.

NOTE: NEVER MIX VINEGAR OR BAKING SODA WITH COMMERCIAL DRAIN CLEANING PRODUCTS. THIS COULD CAUSE A BAD CHEMICAL REACTION AND PERSONAL INJURY.

*Do you clean you drains naturally? What do you use?

Resources:

http://www.ehow.com/way_5435559_homemade-drain-cleaner-declogger.html

http://factoidz.com/go-green-with-diy-drain-cleaners/

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Alka Seltzer Jewelry Cleaner

Savvy — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:27:25 +0000

I will never forget the day before my wedding. On the list of things to do, was to stop by the jewelers and get my engagement ring cleaned so that it would be sparkling for my big day. Much to my horror, the jeweler was on vacation and it was really too late to go anywhere else. My cousin suggested that I clean the ring in Alka-Seltzer and water, which I did and it worked! So here’s what I did.

Alka Seltzer Jewelry Cleaner

1 packet (2 tablets) of regular Alka Seltzer (not flavored, and not alka Seltzer Cold Plus)
1 glass
6oz. water

Directions:

Pour water in glass, and drop the tablets into it. Drop jewelry in the same time as the tablets are fizzing. Leave the jewelry in the solution for 5-10 minutes after the tablets have completely dissolved.

Remove jewelry and wipe clean with a dry cotton cloth. Done!

Note: My ring is white gold with diamonds and this worked well, I have NOT tried this on silver jewelry. I prefer using this method for cleaning sterling silver.

Do you clean your jewelry yourself? What do you use?

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A Cheap Easy Way To Clean Sterling Silver

Savvy — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:18:18 +0000

I watched my brothers do this once at my mom’s house, and was fascinated. (We’re all geeks so it doesn’t take much). As an example, I’m using a piece of sterling silver flatware from my grandmother’s collection. This works for Jewelry as well as silverware however.

Materials:
1 aluminum pie plate, pan or aluminum foil (this is important!)
1-2 tbsps of baking soda
2 cups of hot water (not quite boiling)

Instructions:
Put the silver item in the aluminum plate or in a baking dish lined with aluminum foil. Then sprinkle the pan and the silver item with baking soda. Next pour boiling water over the item until it’s just covered. Let it sit for awhile, and use gloves* or tongs to turn over the silver item. The reaction between the aluminum, baking soda and salt will create a slight sulfur odor, but don’t worry, it’s normal and harmless. After about 15 minutes, remove the silver item with gloves or tongs and wipe with a clean cotton cloth. Then rinse the item and wash with dish soap.

cleaning

before

after

* I use gloves only because I don’t like getting the smell of the cleaning fluid created by this mixture on my hands

How do you clean your silver jewelry and flatware?

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Make Your Own Glass and Window Cleaner

Savvy — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:52:42 +0000

Windex (the blue kind) includes two toxic ingredients. Ethylene glycol and isopropanol. I found out that Ethylene glycol is highly poisonous, and has a syrupy sweet taste (a problem if you have children who like to put their mouths on everything). Isopropanol is a type of alcohol that is less harmful when used properly, but highly flammable and is used in certain explosives. Johnson and Johnson must have also realized this, because they came out with Windex Natures’ Source recently, and it doesn’t include either ingredient. (Congrats to J&J for cleaning up the product!)

There are a plethora of glass-cleaner recipes on the web, and I tried a few and came up with this one. I use this all the time around the house, with either a microfiber towel, newspaper or brown paper. My mirrors shine, and it cuts right through soap scum on out shower door. I also use it on chrome and the car windows. And the cost? Pennies.

Homemade Glass and Window Cleaner

Ingredients

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing slcohol
3 cups water
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

Directions

Pour all ingredients into a spray bottle. (I use an old washed out Windex bottle so we always know what it is).

Done!

Do you make your own window cleaner? What’s your recipe?

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Homemade Furniture Spray

Savvy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:30:56 +0000

Furniture cleaners that are made for wood may contain petroleum distillates and other chemicals that may irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory tract (that is your throat, lungs and windpipe). If ingested, furniture polish can aggravate asthma, and may cause nausea and vomiting. So after some web searching, I cobbled together this recipe which works well on our SEALED wood after dry dusting. Oh and the best part? It’s CHEAP!

Furniture Dusting Spray for Wood Furniture
Ingredients:

1/4 cup apricot kernel oil
1/4 Lemon Oil (NOT essential oil, this the kind that they sell in the hardware store as furniture polish)
3 tablespoons of liquid Castile soap
1 cup distilled water
15 drops lemongrass essential oil
10 drops clary sage essential oil (cedar essential oil smells great too!)

Directions:

Pour all of the above into a spray bottle and shake. Spray onto a microfiber or other soft cloth and then wipe onto furniture.

What do you use to dust with?

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3 Spray Air Freshener Recipes

Savvy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:25:27 +0000

Here’s a few quick, cheap recipes that I use in our house. These are better for the environment as well as your health than aerosol sprays and they can be made in smaller quantities to take with you on trips! (I’m a little weird about how hotel rooms smell, and don’t get me started about those sheets! LOL).

Orange Bathroom Spray

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unflavored vodka (or other high proof liquor)*
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
3 cups water
spray bottle

Directions:
Put the liquor and oils in the spray bottle first and shake vigorously to mix. Then fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake again. This one is great for the bathroom. This one really does work well on stinky odors. Shake well before each use.

Lavender Linen Spray

I received a store-bought version of this as a gift once and loved it so much I went back to the store to find it, and was SHOCKED to find out it was $18!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unflavored vodka (or other high proof liquor)*
30 drops lavender essential oil
3 cups water
1 tsp dried lavender flowers (optional)

Same directions as above. Just add the Lavender flowers last. Before you go to sleep at night lightly spray your sheets and pillow. Or spray everything in the morning right before you make up the bed. That night, when you turn down the bed, a lovely scent is released! Shake well before each use.

Living Room Spray

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unflavored vodka (or other 100 proof liquor)*
20 drops lemongrass essential oil
10 drops clary sage essential oil
3 cups water

Same directions as above. Be careful when spraying this around microfiber, because it can stain. Shake well before each use.

*Liquor is used as a diluting agent. The recipes will still work if you leave it out, but the scent won’t last as long.

Do you make your own sprays in your house? what do you use and what do you put them in?
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Homemade Granite & Marble Cleaner

Savvy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:54:24 +0000

Here’s a recipe that I found on tipnut for a cleaner that I use to clean my granite countertops in the kitchen. It works great, and disinfects well!

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp pure castille soap (peppermint, etc.)
3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil
20 drops lemongrass essential oil

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a 32-ounce plastic spray bottle.

Check out the original link below
http://tipnut.com/granite-marble-cleaner/

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Make Your Own Fabric Softener

Savvy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:07:35 +0000

Store bought fabric softeners are designed to reduce static in synthetic fabrics. They serve no purpose with natural fabrics. Fabric softeners work by leaving a residue on the fabric which never completely washes out. It can cause allergic reactions through skin contact and inhalation. Fabric softeners may also contain carcinogenic coal-tar dyes, ammonia and very strong scents. When fabric softeners are exposed to hot water, heat from dryers or ironing, vapors may be emitted which can be deeply inhaled, increasing their impact.- Guide to Less Toxic Products

When I stopped using fabric softener, this strange rash I used to get on my leg went away, and Sexy’s nighttime nosebleeds subsided. I tell anyone with excema or asthma to stop using store brand fabric softener immediately, since it’s known to aggravate both ailments. It’s incredibly easy to make your own fabric softener, and much healthier too! Here’s few versions that I’ve tried.

Basic DIY Fabric Softener

add 1/2 cup of white vinegar at the START of the rinse cycle when washing clothes

Lavender Fresh Fabric Softener

add 20 drops of lavender essential oil to 1 gallon of white vinegar
add 1/2 cup at the START of the rinse cycle when washing clothes

Lemony Fabric Softener* (this one makes your clothes really soft)

6 cups of white vinegar
1 cup of baking soda
1 cup water
15 drops of lemongrass essential oil (optional)
bottle or container with screw top to hold mixture

Get a large pot or mixing bowl and pour the vinegar and water in.
Next add the baking soda a little at a time, (because it’s going to bubble up like a 5th grade paper-maché volcano).
When all of the baking soda is added to the vinegar and has settled, stir it a bit so that the majority of the baking soda dissolves.
Then pour the vinegar into the container and add the essential oil
Shake before use
Add 1/2 cup at the START of the rinse cycle when washing clothes

DO NOT use Apple cider Vinegar in any of the above recipes, it will stain your clothes! (save it for your hair, I’ll explain in another post)

Note: The clothes will smell really lemony when they come out of the washer, but after they dry, either in the dryer or on the line, the scent fades a bit.

*This recipe is from The Naturally Clean Home, by Karyn Siegel-Maier

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