Natural Silver Cleaner

Last week I was looking through my jewelry and got really frustrated by how my silver jewelry is so tarnished. My body does not like silver, it doesn't take long for me to tarnish it so I try to avoid it for the most part. Of course, I've collected some pieces I really like over the years. I remembered seeing a natural silver cleaner posted on Gorgeously Green's YouTube page and decided to give it a try - it's all natural and CHEAP! I had great results!

Here's how you do it:

1. Collect your silver jewelry (or actually anything silver you want to clean)
2. Cover a shallow dish with aluminum foil and sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda
3. Place jewelry or whatever in the dish and sprinkle again with baking soda, here's a picture of my first batch:
   
   
   
   
   
4. Pour boiling water into dish until items are covered
   
   
   
   
   
5. Let sit for 15-20 minutes
6. Remove jewelry and wipe with microfiber cloth (be careful of hot water)
   
   
   

Here's the video from Gorgeously Green. This is a YouTube channel I check regularly for ideas, from everything on how to make natural cleaners and ways to use hydrogen peroxide to disinfect my cutting boards. I also have her book which I recommend, Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life.



Give it a try!

Shark Love

Those that know me... know that I love sharks. I can't help but love those beautiful misunderstood creatures. Last summer I took a PADI Shark Awareness Specialty Course, and then went SCUBA diving with at least 13 of them at Stuart's Cove in the Bahamas.

Photos by Stuart Cove

That thug looking girl with the crossed arms is me.

Anyway.... this post isn't really about my love of sharks. It's really about the new addition to our household. Meet my sharky Shark - the Euro-Pro Shark S3501 Deluxe Steam Pocket Mop. I gave it a whirl yesterday and it worked great... my hardwood floors are so silky smooth clean! I followed the instructions and some tips from online reviews and I'm really happy with the results. Make that double happy because I cleaned my floors without chemicals - only water! I was worried about this method leaving too much water on the floors, but the water evaporated quickly and was a non-issue.


Here are some tips that I found:

• If you have hard water, use distilled water (I do and did) to extend the life of your mop and to prevent your floors from looking cloudy.
• Fill the water tank before it runs out so you get constant good steam when you want it.
• Put on a new microfiber pocket if it gets super, super dirty so you don't end up smearing around dirt (yeah... my floors were DIRTY... maybe I shouldn't admit that!).
• Test a hidden area of your floor to make sure it won't be hurt by the steam - inside a closet works great.
• Don't leave the mop resting on the floor to walk away and do something. I found complaints about water pooling on the floor, but that is from misuse.