repurpose — The Greenbacks Gal

DIY All Natural Sunburn Treatment

June 23, 2011 By Andrea Green 9 Comments

At some point this summer, you may find yourself in the same boat we did: you need a sunburn treatment for sunburn relief.

This is the first summer my girls have been venturing to the pool on their own. Before they left, I said, “You have to wear a rash guard. Here’s money for lunch.” What my teenagers heard was, “blah. blah. blah. Here’s money for lunch.”

They’ve both learned I wasn’t kidding about that whole rash guard thing ~ and it took the proverbial “hard way.” Red shoulders for the both of them.

Mothers. We really do know a thing or two! {But it’s hard to gloat when you’re babies hurt. So I didn’t. I plan on gloating next year when I say, “Remember what happened last year when I told you to wear a rash guard and you didn’t? Wear your rash guard. Here’s money for lunch.”}

How can you treat a sunburn naturally? What really works? This natural sunburn remedy will relieve and soothe the sting of a bad sunburn.

You will need the following ingredients:

1/4 C brewed green tea, cooled to room temperature

1/4 C Aloe Vera Juice (make sure it is juice, not gel. available at health and grocery stores) *

1/4 t lavender essential oil

1. Mix together all 3 ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well.

2. Spray onto the burned area as often as needed.

3. Keep refrigerated and use within two weeks. Keeping it refrigerated adds to the cooling.

Also, make sure you are drinking 3 cups of green tea a day while you have your sunburn. The natural antioxidants help with the healing. Plus, green tea has that whole fat burning thing going for it. Try my Spiced Green Tea for a delicious way to drink it. Cuz on its own? Don’t you find plain green tea is a little rank?

And take that lavender essential oil and use it to make my DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner. I tell ya, I’m gonna market the stuff. I end up spraying the whole classes’ mats! Make it and you can be the most popular kid in class too!

After you’ve treated your sunburn, you’re going to end up with leftover Aloe Vera juice. The Thrifty Mama has a delicious looking recipe for Aloe Vera Lemonade. Honestly, I never woulda come up with an aloe vera lemonade. Isn’t the stuff you learn on the Internet amazing?

*PS ~ I am not an Amazon affiliate. I put in the link so you could find the juice if you live somewhere it isn’t readily available.*

Spring Cleaning: DIY Coffee Filter Shoe Deodorizers

April 21, 2011 By Andrea Green 8 Comments

Do you have a problem with your Converse, Tom’s or athletic shoes retaining odors? Of course you don’t.

Let’s say you have a friend. And this friend wore a “Mom’s Uniform” about three days a week. And this “Mom’s Uniform” consisted of a hoodie, jeans and her favorite slip-on Converse shoes.

The only problem? This friend’s Converse shoes stink. This is a bit of an embarrassment for her. She doesn’t think she has sweaty feet. Still, these shoes stink.

Her first attempt to deodorize the shoes involved pouring cornstarch straight into the shoe. This did not work well. In fact, as she walked, clouds of cornstarch came poof-ing out in the most unattractive manner. FAIL.

Then she remembered the baking soda. Don’t we all use baking soda in the fridge to absorb odors?

She knew she didn’t want to pour the baking soda straight into the shoe. So she came up with the coffee filter. Slightly porous. Readily available for little money. Environmentally friendly. All natural baking soda.

All you need for your DIY Coffee Filter Shoe Deodorizers is: coffee filters, baking soda and some sort of bow like raffia.

Here are the instructions to create your own DIY Coffee Filter Shoe Deodorizers:

Fill a coffee filter with 1/4 cup baking soda.
Fold each corner in towards the center.
Fold down the top.
Use a hole punch and punch a hole on each side.
Tie with raffia.

To use the shoe deodorizer, simply slide it into the shoe and let it do its work! To keep the shoe deodorizer working well, the baking soda will need to be changed every month.

Wait! What? You think this story is about me? As if! This is hypothetical peeps! (But if we ever meet in real life? Chances are good I’ll be in a hoodie, jeans and my sweet smelling Converse)

The DIY Coffee Filter Shoe Deodorizers are Part 2 of my Spring Cleaning series where I’m tackling those unusual household problems we all have, but seldom see get Spring Cleaned! If you missed it, you may want to find out how to make a DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner.

Ten Ways to Reuse Toothbrushes

February 8, 2011 By Andrea Green 16 Comments

photo by theogeo

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love to use coupons to get toothbrushes for free so I can spend my money on things I really want to – like organic milk.

But, conventional toothbrushes aren’t the most environmentally friendly objects. Think about it. Toothbrushes need to be replaced at least once every three months or more often – like right after you get over a cold. That means for my family of 4, at the least 16 toothbrushes are used by my family in a year. Sure, there are recyclable toothbrushes – but they cost the same as a pound of grass fed beef!

So what is an eco-friendly girl to do? First, before tossing that toothbrush, sterilize it, then reuse it and put it to another good use! Here’s 10 ways to repurpose those toothbrushes:

1. Wash Window Screens – Use warm water, castille soap, and a toothbrush to scrub screens clean. Give them a good rinse and enjoy the clean view!

2. Dust Your Wicker – A toothbrush is just the right size for cleaning wicker baskets or furniture.

3. Scrub Potatoes – No need for a special scrub brush – a sterilized toothbrush works great.

4. Brush Dirt and Salt Off Suede Boots – Emus? Uggs? Other suede boots? Lightly brush dirt and salt off with a soft bristled toothbrush.

5. Dust Your Keyboard – Get rid of the dust, hair and pet fur that lurks between the keys on your keyboard!

6. Emergency Car Kit – Keep a toothbrush with your jumper cables. If you ever need a jump – or need to give someone else a jump – they work great for cleaning any corrosion off the battery terminals.

7. Grout Cleaner - Toothbrushes are perfectly suited to help scrub the grout between the tile of your shower.

8. Nail Cleaner – Gardener? Use an old toothbrush to help scrub the dirt out from under fingernails.

9. Distress Paint – An old toothbrush can add a distressed look to painted crafts. You can also use them to create a splattered paint look.

10. Bottle Washer – Bend a toothbrush head slightly and it makes an awesome bottle cleaner. Toothbrushes can be bent after soaking in boiling water for 8 to 12 minutes. The toothbrush head is also excellent for cleaning the threads of the screw on bottle top.

Those are the ways I reuse or repurpose toothbrushes around my house. Do you reuse toothbrushes? Please add any other ways you’ve found to use them so we all can benefit!

Linked to Top Ten Tuesdays

How to Repurpose Egg Cartons: Top 10 Ways

December 9, 2010 By Andrea Green 3 Comments

Cardboard and plastic eggs cartons can simply be thrown in the recycling bin. But why? When they can have such a purposeful second life? Be sure to wash them thoroughly – especially if you plan to use them for food items!

HOLIDAY USES

1. Place delicate ornaments in cushioned egg cartons to store safely.

2. The cups are the perfect size to hold mini-muffins, truffles, small cookies or cut brownies. Decorate the carton to present as a holiday gift.

3. Use them to cushion gifts when mailing them for the holidays.
4. Plastic egg cartons can be used as extra ice trays. Handy during party season.

FOR USE WITH KIDS

5. Fill each cup with a different treat – nuts, crackers, raisins, etc. – and take a snack to go!

6. Fill a cardboard egg carton with dryer lint. Melt wax from old candles in a double broiler. (you may want to use a coffee pan in a pot of water to save on clean up). Pour the melted wax over the dryer lint. (feel free to add a bit of cinnamon stick or dried orange peel to add a delightful scent.) Cut cups apart and use to help light a fire.

7. Turn them over and use them as taco shell holders. This makes building tacos simple and kid-friendly!

8. Stacking, sorting, building, imaginative play with small toys – egg cartons can provide hours of fun for a little one!

9. Fill each egg carton hole with a little paint for easy clean-up!

FOR USE AROUND THE HOUSE

10. Store your jewelry in them! My earrings have found a great home in an old egg carton.

11. Collect cardboard egg cartons to start seedlings. Cut cups apart and poke a small hole in the bottom. Fill with organic potting soil and a seed. When ready to be planted, there is no need to take out of the egg carton cup. Simply cut the bottom out with scissors and plant in the ground!

12. Organize your office supplies. Rubber bands, paper clips, brads can all be corralled in an egg carton.

Apparently I couldn’t stop at just 10 uses! What other uses have you found?

Linked up to Simple Lives Thursday

DIY All Natural Sunburn Treatment

Spring Cleaning: DIY Coffee Filter Shoe Deodorizers

Ten Ways to Reuse Toothbrushes

How to Repurpose Egg Cartons: Top 10 Ways

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