I am so happy to be able to share with you my new class, the Clean and Natural Home on atly. If you haven’t heard of atly yet, it is a new online social learning website with an inspiring vision.  I am honored to have been asked to be part of the launch of their […]

It seems like I’ve had a string of bad luck lately when it comes to repairs lately…. the refrigerator, vacuum, car, toaster, window, and my dryer have all broken recently. Since I knew the dryer repair would be expensive, and this summer has been HOT, I took my time to schedule the repair.  My laundry […]

I’m just getting around to storing away some winter clothes. Spring here in Utah is a roller coaster ride, 80 degrees one day and snowing the next.  All the old Utah gardeners will tell you that there is rarely a hard frost after Mother’s Day.  It’s safe to plant my tomatoes and basil and safe […]

I love the opportunities I get from time to time to try out and review new products. Especially new cleaning products. Recently, I received the Quickie Household Power Scrubber in the mail. I opened it up and couldn’t wait to give it a try.  It felt sturdy and well made. But no sooner had I […]

A few weeks ago, I ran a load of laundry. When I went to switch the load to the dryer, I noticed pink on the clothes.  Then I found my daughter’s empty lip gloss in the bottom of the washer. Somehow I had missed the container in her pocket and now the entire load was […]

Have you ever made your own laundry soap? I had been wanting to for a while and this summer, when I ran out of my usual detergent, I finally got around to it. My criteria for good laundry soap was a powdered soap that needed to work really well, I wanted it be as earth-friendly […]

Today I’m sharing a short video on how I use Q-tips to clean my cell phone and keyboard.  I started using a Q-tips way back to clean my first well loved cell phone and it still rocks cleaning my iPhone today. In fact, Q-tips are the perfect tool for cleaning lots of electronic devices.  They […]

The past few weeks I’ve been working my way through my home cleaning with a vengeance. You know I really mean business if I break out the Q-tips for deep cleaning. There is seriously no better, cheaper way to deep clean in the grooves and crevices of my kitchen cabinets than with a Precision Tip […]

I walked into my mom’s kitchen yesterday and it smelled so good and comforting.  Her home is not only clean, but she is often baking, she had just taken raspberry lemon muffins out of her oven. It made me think of how powerful the sense of smell is for creating a home. We talked about […]

Today I’m sharing a video for how to clean that corrosive chalky white power from a leaky battery using Q-tips.  I used it to save one of my girl’s favorite toys  a few months ago.  It worked so well that I couldn’t wait to share it here on Make it Do. Be sure to check […]

Every once in a while, from out of nowhere, I will find a rust stain on one of our clothes.  I’d like to know what causes them.  It’s a mystery. I suspect they may come from a wet wash or cleaning cloth being tossed in the laundry basket on top of a dry shirt or […]

My sewing machine is one of my favorite things. But despite that, I don’t clean it nearly often enough.  It usually gets cleaned when I lower my bobbin door to find a lint free-for-all.  It seams like some brands of threads are WAY more linty than others.  Some fabrics are super linty too.  (Halloween costumes […]

The other day I opened my oven to put in a batch of muffins and was totally surprised to see how dirty it was. Since when did things get so gross?!  How didn’t I notice until now? The self-clean function is an option… but it doesn’t clean the glass oven door that well. Plus, when […]

Hi everyone,  today I’m sharing a video post.  It’s a tip for touching up those inevitable scratches or (ouch!) gouges in your wood furniture.  So even if it’s painful to see myself on video… at least you get to see my dog Finn… and he’s cute even if he is naughty. This tip works great […]

I’ve been trying to deep clean this month.  Nothing feels better than making a room really shine. As I go through each room, I’ve been dusting thoroughly, including my picture frames. They say that half the battle of any cleaning job is using the right tool.  And nothing works better at getting into the crevices […]

Right about now, my family is well on our way to eating and enjoying the yummy cans of food I put up in the Fall. When we finished eating a jar of peaches (or grape jelly or applesauce or peppers, etc.) I used to immediately throw away the lid.  Then I would wash the jar […]

I just finished taking down our Christmas decorations yesterday.  We planned on taking it all down on Monday, but my Emma said “Oh Mom, it will ruin the end of our vacation!”  “You don’t want to work?”  I asked.  “No that’s not it, I’ll help you tomorrow.  I just want the tree and lights up […]

I’m so excited about the giveaway today.  Whenever I drop by The Container Store, I swoon. I can walk by the shoe department at Nordstoms with barely a glance, but show me well-made food containers or stylish craft room shelves, and I have to give my wallet to my husband for safe keeping. I am […]

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s time for me to start getting ready for a house full of friends and family. I love Thanksgiving… but it’s not just about sitting down with my family over a scrumptious meal and eating til I’m grateful for elastic waistbands…  Its also about careful planning and preparation. […]

The Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge is coming to an end with this post and giveaway.  Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is my longtime favorite product for cleaning (and cookies!), but I had never really tried Arm & Hammer’s other products.  I’ve been so impressed how they’ve matched up both in price and […]

Today it’s another installment in the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge. Since school started my family has been plagued with little niggling coughs and colds.  What’s up with that? Last year one of my kids received a perfect attendance award.  We hardly were sick a single day in the whole school year. This […]

Today it’s another $25 Gift Card Giveaway courtesy of the good folks at the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.  But before I get to the giveaway, I wanted to share a few of my favorite laundry organization tips. 1. A laundry sorter is awesome.  I have a three divider rolling laundry sorter that […]

I get such a kick out of finding a clever new use out of an everyday item.  Especially something I would have otherwise thrown away. Dryer sheets are one of those things.  They can be down right handy.  Here’s a few alternate uses for dryer sheets: Re-purposed Dryer Sheet #1: A few weeks ago I […]

Today I’m sharing a great quick tip as part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge: There are lots of jobs I like to do around my house.  I love to cook.  I enjoy folding laundry, dusting, and vacuuming. But there is one job, maybe the only job, that I really hate… and […]

Today as part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge, I’m aiming to tackle my biggest bathroom pet peeves. I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with toothpaste. My kids started brushing their teeth on their own several years ago. In other words, I stopped putting toothpaste on their toothbrushes morning […]

This sweet baby belongs to one of my girls. She is near and dear to our hearts.  And doesn’t she look nice? My girls’ Bitty Babies are very WELL loved… So well loved, in fact, that last week Bitty looked like this. Oh poor Bitty!  You need a bath! Have you ever tried to clean […]

More today about Arm and Hammer Baking Soda as part of the Switch & Save Challenge. My mom has often talked about her mother’s kitchen in the 1950’s, how cheerful and sparkling clean it was.  She had yellow wallpaper with cherries and a big table where she would line up her canning jars to cool […]

The Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge is in full swing.  I have loved being part of the Switch & Save series, since making conscious choices to save has been a big part of my life over the last few years. I’ve cut back and tried to simplify in lots of ways.  We are […]

Where do I start when writing a review for Arm and Hammer Baking Soda? There are no two ways about it, baking soda is my favorite product for cleaning my home.  It is the most versatile and hardworking of any product I’ve ever tried. A quick look through my cleaning posts and you’ll see what […]

As part of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge I have a few more tips on dealing with dirty laundry. When I asked about your biggest summer laundry challenges there was A LOT of discussion about stained and stinky laundry. Here are a few solutions that are working for me: First, conquering smelly […]

Today as part of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge, I’m talking about a subject that’s near and dear to my heart… saving money on laundry. Here is a short “laundry list” of money saving tips: Don’t use too much detergent.  Too much is not only wasteful, but it can also irritate your […]

Today, as part of the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save Challenge series, I’m sharing some timely summer laundry tips and giving away a $25 Visa card courtesy of Arm and Hammer! Is it just me or is summer the MOST challenging season for laundry?  Dirty clothes from camping trips, wet pool towels, grass stains, […]

Those of you who have read Make it Do for any length of time know how much I love baking soda.  A quick look through my cleaning posts and you’ll know I’m a really big fan.  What’s not to love about a product that is an ingredient in my favorite chocolate chip cookies AND cleans […]

I have pieced quilts throughout my home, including on almost every bed. This means they get used, abused, laid on, eaten on (like chocolate eggs for instance), read on, even dirty shoes kicked off on (bad boys!) and occasionally muddy paws trod on (BAD DOG!).  So even though they are handmade, our quilts need to […]

I’ve been making my way through the bedding in our home giving it a good Spring Cleaning. It feels so nice! Saturday we even had enough warm weather to open up the windows!  My home always feels cleaner after it has been aired out a bit after the long winter. Spring cleaning mattresses is a […]

I change out clean sheets on the beds once a week.   It’s called “Clean Sheet Day” at our house and I love it.  I could swear I sleep better on clean sheet day! But once a year in the Spring, the bedding gets special treatment in the form of spring cleaning. This week and […]

A friend and I got together a few weeks ago to sew.  In her craft room she has a darling picture wall- framed art projects from her children. As we worked on our projects, I notice her scowl at the wall, then she jumped up and straightened a few pictures. Every time the kids slam […]

Last week when I saw Pioneer Woman at her book signing, she mentioned that she was having a tinsy static problem at that moment. Her shirt, she said, was completely stuck to her back. “Shocking, simply shocking…” Welcome to Utah, PW.  With our ultra dry air, static is a way of life here.  It’s especially […]

10.  1/4 cup of vinegar in your rinse cycle works wonders in keeping your clothes soft. 9.  Always check pockets.  There is nothing worse than opening the dryer to find silly putty on your entire load of clothes.  (Don’t try to sleep with silly putty in your bed either.  Body warmth + bedding and pajamas […]

I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home…. I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. ~Nancie J. Carmody I shouldn’t say this too loudly, but I actually […]

This cutting board and I have seen a lot of meals together. Some folks have a different board for everything.  But I’m a minimalist, I don’t have a lot of space, and less is always more for me. (I do make an exception for raw meats.  They have a cutting board all to themselves.) The […]

OK, I know I said I didn’t make a long list of resolutions this year.  You know, those pesky, guilt-invoking resolutions that go by the wayside when life gets busy. This year I simply decided on a few things that need to happen.  Just a few.  They aren’t resolutions.  They are just things that NEED […]

I love a good laundry tip. My mom is kind of like my queen of clean.  Whenever I’m stumped for how to clean something, I give her a call.  She LOVES to clean and she loves laundry.  She really loves to find the most effective methods to keep clothes looking their best. I take after […]

As part of my series on mending, a few of my friends have complained about little holes they get in the front of their shirts.  Yes!  I said, I get them too! Do they happen to you too? You know, holes right where your shirt rubs against your jeans.  I usually get several holes right […]

This past weekend we had a long list of home maintenance and repairs to be done; work in the yard, replace the furnace filter, fix my broken pantry door hinge…. and (cross our fingers…) try to rescue our feverish refrigerator. First off, my husband tackled the broken door hinge.  Even though our home was only […]

Fair warning friends, this post is in the toilet. I must admit to having a few self doubts about spending so much time writing and thinking about the inside of a toilet bowl… but a shining clean bathroom is something that makes me happy.  I know, call me crazy. Over the past few years, I’ve […]

Vanessa over at V & Co. has a challenge going on… Saturday morning my husband headed out the door help his dad move out of his office.  He’s retiring after a long career. It was just me and the kids at home for the day.  Vanessa’s “Get the Crap Out of My House Challenge” had […]

One of the best things we’ve done to beat the summer heat is have a ceiling fan installed in our bedroom.  The fan was fairly inexpensive, both to install and to run. I love sleeping under the cool breeze.   It allows us to keep our thermostat set at a higher temperature at night and […]

I’m a bit obsessed with lemons this week.  It must be the new site. I do promise this blog will cover subjects other than lemons in the very near future. But for today, I couldn’t resist one more lemon post.  Plus this is a wonderful tip to have in your arsenal of stain fighters. Did […]

In December my husband took up running for exercise.  He has always worked out… riding his bike, cross country skiing, lifting weights.  But for some reason running made his workout clothes take on a whole new meaning of stinky. Much to my dismay, his clothes were still smelly after a “run” through the washing machine. […]

I will be posting just a bit later today, but in the meantime, I thought I would share an update on the ants in my kitchen. A few weeks ago, I posted about trying 20 Mule Team Borax to get rid of ants here. I am happy to say, Borax worked like a charm to […]

Yesterday, my son found ants in our kitchen.  They were swarming around a fallen crumb of food. Well, as much as I admire their industriousness, I simply can’t have ants in my kitchen. No trouble, I know just what to do. It’s Mighty Mule Team Borax to the rescue… again. You see, my mom had […]

Thankfully my children are past the age of drawing on walls with crayons.  But the other day my girls were in full art mode at my kitchen table. After they cleaned up their crayons and pencils, I was left with crayon marks and smudges from the lead pencils all over my painted cream table.  A […]

Actually, cleaning is in order.  My house needs it.  Bad. After a couple of weeks of less than stellar health… I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. I can’t leap over my laundry pile. I can write my name on all my furniture. Somebody really needs to clean my refrigerator.  […]

The drain in the kid’s bathroom has been slow the last few weeks. I wanted to find a solution to unclog the drain that didn’t include calling a plumber- too expensive. And didn’t include Drano- too toxic. I did a Google search on “How to Unclog a Drain Naturally” and found my old friends and […]

What is it about the new year that makes you want to deep clean?  I can’t wait to get the messiest and most frustrating parts of my house clean and organized. I decided I needed to approach it like eating an elephant… one bite at time.  Ikks, that analogy is terrible, I love elephants… but […]

After a few months of being way too busy, my refrigerator was downright scary.  I definitely had few science experiments tucked in the back!  I could hardly wait to have some time to dig in and get it cleaned out. Start by taking out all of the food from the main shelves.  Remove the shelves […]

I have really hard water, and it can make life difficult in the cleaning department.  I get hard water plugging up my kitchen faucet, leaving deposits in my tea kettle, and on the walls of my shower.  It’s not fun. I could use all kinds of harsh chemicals to deal with it… but I don’t.  […]

I just ran across the most wonderful tutorial and it couldn’t have been more timely.  I have been using a Swiffer duster (a large package bought from Costco) but was at the end of my stash.  I didn’t want to buy another package because well, using disposable dusters just isn’t “Make it Do” or earth-friendly.  […]

Summer fun can turn those bright, white tennis shoes to dingy gray.  But when you are “Making it Do”, you don’t just throw them away… and luckily you don’t need to go around looking grungy either. It’s “Magic” Shoe Cleaning Formula to the rescue: This recipe is for a top loading washing machine: 1 cup […]

“Honey, It’s your night for the dishes…”  Hmmm, he’s not taking the bait. What do you do with a pan like this?  I think I could soak it for three weeks and it would never come clean… unless… It’s baking soda to the rescue… I sprinkled some into the pan… And then I scrubbed it…  […]

In my quest for earth-friendly and inexpensive cleaning supplies I have found another favorite product…  20 Mule Team Borax. I might be tempted to like it just for it’s name.  It really sounds like it “pulls it’s weight” in the cleaning department.  It’s not new-fangled… my grandmother used it and loved it (and probably her […]

I am against dirty… I really am.  It’s just that my Mom has been staying at my sister Cam’s home this week.  And Cam lives just a few minutes away.  And I know I am making excuses… but since my Mom has been in town, there has been no time to clean. It’s not like […]

Every Spring, the urge to clean becomes a irresistible force.  Suddenly everything in my house seems dingy and dirty.  I want to air it out and scrub it deep. One of the first things I want to clean in the Spring is my windows.  We live near open fields and the mouth of a canyon.  […]

I’m always on the lookout for great cleaning tips.  I also am trying really hard to do away with expensive, toxic cleaning supplies in my home.  Often, good old fashioned non-toxic cleaning solutions can work just as well or better than expensive, toxic products.  Here are a few inexpensive and effective solutions for keeping your […]