Pin-Spirational: Microfiber Couch Deodorizer.

The Pin: Microfiber Couch Deodorizer

The Reason: In our front room we have a huge microfiber couch with tons of pillows, a chair and a half, and an ottoman.You may have noticed that I am most certainly a dog person. My pup Violet is basically treated like royalty in our house and is allowed on all the furniture. While this makes for some quality puppy snuggles, it also makes for some smelly couch cushions. Our couches don't have slipcovers and no amount of homemade air freshener could cover the dog stink (isn't that so sexy to walk into a house that reeks of pets?) so I decided to find a way to wash down the whole dang piece of furniture without using a ton of chemicals or damaging the fabric.

 

The Process:

 

Gather your supplies which will be easy because it's just water, vinegar, a white towel, a sponge, and a bowl.Also, take a minute or forty to vacuum your furniture really well to get rid of crumbs, dog hair, and the like. This was my least favorite part.

 Mix equal parts warm water and white vinegar--1 cup of each or so depending on the size of your fabric.

Dunk and wring your sponge in the vinegar mixture. Warning: your sponge will get GROSS (unless my home is just disgusting and this was a me-only exception). Rinse it often and change your water as often as needed, I changed it about 6 times to do all the furniture, cushions, and pillows.

Wipe down the surface with the damp sponge. Easy peasy. Wiping down the furniture will also help lift all the stubborn dog hair that the vacuum didn't pick up. Man, dogs shed like crazy.

Blot dry with a white towel. Easier peasier. I left it a little damp so the mixture could air dry. Let all the fans in your room dry that madness, why waste the time blotting like a cuckoo pants?

 

 This is optional but you can slip some fresh dryer sheets under your cushions to boost the fresh scent. We typically don't use dryer sheets but we got a sample in the mail so I figured I'd give it a shot.

 

The Verdict: Not too shabby! I won't lie, this was more time consuming than I thought it would be (mostly because we have eighty bajillion pillows) and Rhyno wasn't a huge fan of the vinegar smell but I thought it disappeared after a couple of hours with the ceiling fan on. I totally think I will work this into my regular seasonal deep cleaning routine. I noticed a big difference when I came in from outside that the house didn't have that Violet stank (HUGE PLUS!). I don't know that with a baby and multiple pets around that we'll keep replenishing the dryer sheets under the cushions and I haven't really noticed a big difference there anyhow.

Have you tried any great pins lately?

 

Pin-Spirational: Drain Cleaner.

The Pin: Homemade Drain Cleaner

The Reason: I've mentioned before that I prefer to make our cleaning supplies at home to avoid chemicals, animal testing, and indoor air pollution. I used to use Drain-o whenever I would deep clean the house in an effort to get every single nook and cranny of the place clean but that stuff is literal poison so when I stumbled on this pin, I knew I had to try it. One downside of country living is also that we have well water. We do have a softener which helps a ton but I like to deodorize the drains when I clean too.

The Process:

 

Gather up all your supplies which, in this case, include only baking soda and white vinegar. I buy baking soda in bulk at Sam's Club. This huge bag cost me $9.99 and will last for at least two months. 

 

 

Put your baking soda (I use a little less than 1/3 of a cup) in your drain. I usually walk around the house and throw soda in all the sinks, tubs, showers, and toilet all at once. 

 

 

Add your white vinegar, just a splash or five.

Let the mixture bubble up a bit and wait for it to settle. I remember once in fourth grade our teacher made a huge volcano with this mixture of vinegar and baking soda. 

Scrub the remaining baking soda in the drain and rinse with warm water. 

The Verdict: I LOVE this pin! It's inexpensive, quick, easy, and effective. I do it once or twice a month and we rarely have clogs or stinky water.

Have you tried any great pins lately?