Doing your own manicure and pedicure will not only save you a boat load of money, but it is more sanitary than those done at most salons.  The following instructions are exactly what a professional nail technician would do, but it is done with (mostly) natural ingredients you have around your home.

Have your hubby watch the kids.  Close the door, put on a relaxing CD, light some scented candles and enjoy some quiet time by yourself.

1. Remove any previously applied nail polish.
2. Before soaking your fingernails in water, either cut them or file them into shape. Gently file the nails into the shape you want, using the least-abrasive emery board you can find (avoid metal or extremely coarse files).
3. Soaking the cuticle is necessary if you plan to remove excess cuticle, but over-soaking the nails can damage them, so immerse your fingernails no more than three minutes. For your feet, because of the thickness of the toenails and their cuticles, the toenails can be immersed in water for a longer period of time. A warm soak feels wonderful and also helps soften the nail so it can be cut easier with a nail clipper.
4. In a clean, small dishpan place 2 cups of apple cider vinegar (apple cider vinegar is gentler than regular vinegar) and enough warm water to cover the hands or feet. The acids in the vinegar will help to slough off dead skin cells. Avoid soapy or detergent-filled water, which only dries the skin and damages the cuticle. You can also soak in plain, warm water.
5. Trim toenails carefully using nail clippers. Toenails are definitely easier to trim after bathing or soaking, but if you have soft nails cut them before you soak them to prevent tears or damage to the nail. Toenails should be trimmed straight across, slightly above the quick. Avoid cutting them too short because doing so increases the chance of developing ingrown toenails.
6. Apply one of the following scrub mixtures and massage your feet, legs, hands, or arms: 1 tablespoon of very fine-grained sea salt, mixed with enough olive oil to make a thick paste; add in one or two drops of lavender essential oil (soothing). Or 1 tablespoon of fine-grained sugar, mixed with olive oil and a drop or two of vanilla essential oil.  Using fine-grained salt or sugar prevents microscopic tears in the skin that more coarse grains cause.
7. Rinse off with cool water and pat dry with a towel.
8. Use a paddle file or flat pumice stone to buff away calluses on the bottoms of your feet.
9. Massage in a small amount of olive oil into your cuticles. It is not necessary to purchase special cuticle oils or creams: They contain absolutely nothing special for the nail or cuticle.
10. Using the blunt end of an orange-wood stick, very gently push the cuticles back from the nails. Avoid pushing too far which can damage nail growth or fray the cuticles. Be careful not to pull, lift, tear, rip, force, or cut into the cuticle in any way. Trim only the free edge of your cuticles, avoiding the cuticle area next to the nail bed. Cutting too deep can eventually damage the nail.
11. Apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to massage your hands/feet and nails.
12. If you want a natural look, instead of polishing your nails you can buff them. Using a buffing block, designed for natural nails (these are available at beauty supply stores), smooth the nail tops with a smoothing side and finish with the buffing side. Your nails will be amazingly shiny, almost as if you were wearing clear nail polish. Be careful not to over-buff or you will weaken your nails.
13. Before you polish your nails, it is essential to remove any remaining oil or moisturizer from them. Oil or moisturizer of any kind left on the nail prevents polish from adhering to the nail. Use nail polish remover or plain alcohol just over the nail’s surface to take off any moisturizer or oil. Avoid getting nail polish remover on the cuticle.
14. Polish your nails in layers, allowing them to dry between coats. A minimum of four coats (base coat, two coats of color, and a top coat) is standard. If you have weak or brittle nails, place one or two coats of ridge-filling nail polish on the nail as the base coat; this is the best way to shore up the nail. Two coats of a colored nail polish are next, followed by a top coat to add shine and luster.
15. Allow plenty of time for the polish to dry. Quick-dry polishes and some quick-dry top coats of polish often contain alcohol, which can cause the polish to peel and chip more easily, so you want to avoid those. Using a quick-dry oil or spray after you’re done polishing is a great way to ward off smudges, but these won’t prevent nicks or dents in the polish, so be careful.

Use: Spray on sheets or other other linens to freshen or before ironing.

1 teaspoon (100 drops) essential oil such as lavender

2 oz. 80+ proof vodka

24 oz. distilled water

Pour essential oils and vodka into a bottle, cap and shake to emulsion. Mix with distilled water.

The mix will cloud, and eventually separate.  Shake well before each use.

Variations:

Use the same amount of water and alcohol but vary the essential oils.  Some suggestions are: vanilla, lemon, rose, and jasmine. One of my favorite combinations is rosemary and lemon oil.  I use twice as much lemon as rosemary.  This is a wonderful, fresh scent, that men tend to like as well.

Be sure to use only essential oils and not fragrance oils, since fragrance oils are made from chemicals and can harm your fabrics.

Essential oils are available at your health food stores.

Have fun and make up lots of great scent combinations.

You can use this anywhere… in your car, on your fabric furniture, on your curtains.  Just be sure to spray a fine mist and not squirt spots on whatever you are spraying.

I used to absolutely loath cleaning my bathrooms. It was so much work (or so I thought) that I would procrastinate until my husband would threaten to call the health department.

One day a friend of mine (a real friend who would actually venture into my formerly filthy house) showed me a cleaning routine that has helped me maintain my sanity.

She introduced me to the 15 Minute Bathroom Cleaning Routine and my life has never been the same. I was finally free from the drudgery of mildew and soap scum buildup. No more tooth paste petrified on my faucets. Gone was the black ring around the tub that looked like a well placed pinstripe. I was finally free to let the door stay open when company came over. My family didn’t even recognize the room. They were stunned. I can honestly say that my bathroom is now my pride and joy. My friends now marvel at my cleaning prowess.

Initially my bathroom took some extra effort to clean because it was so bad. However from then on it was a breeze to maintain. You too can overcome the bathroom blues by following these simple and effective twelve steps every time you clean.

The 12 Step Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

1. Remove the knick knacks and place them in the hallway.
2. Remove the throw rugs and shake them out. Put them in the washer to be cleaned if needed.
3. Sweep or vacuum the floor.
4. Spray the counter top and let your cleaner do the work. Remove the toothbrushes and spray the container. Do the same with the soap dish.
5. Spray the mirror and wipe it down.
6. Spray the bathtub/shower stall with cleaner and let it sit (you may not need to do this every week if your bath tub or shower stall doesn’t get that dirty).
7. Go back to the counter top. Scrub and wipe it down. Do the same with the toothbrush holder and soap dish. Dry the faucet with a cloth so that no hard water spots form.
8. Spray the toilet with cleaner inside and out. Let the cleaner sit.
9. Go back to the tub/shower. Scrub and rinse it down. Dry the faucet with a cloth.
10. Move on to the toilet. Scrub the inside of the toilet with a brush. Flush the toilet to rinse the bowl. Wipe down the outside. Don’t forget the place behind the seat and the outside of the toilet bowl and base.
11. If you have vinyl or tile, mop the floor. If the room is small, you can spray your cleaner directly onto the floor and wipe it up with a cleaning cloth. Let dry for ten to fifteen minutes.
12. Put the rugs and knick knacks back in place. Check your toilet paper, soap and shampoo supply and restock if needed. Put out fresh towels.

Hint: if you want to clean the shower curtain you can wash it in the washing machine. Add a couple of bath towels to help scrub the curtain clean. Set the water temperature to cold and use the delicate cycle. Remove it promptly and hang it back up to drip dry. Never put it in the dryer.

The whole process should take fifteen minutes, not counting the time to let the floor dry. It will take even less time if you don’t have to clean the tub/shower stall. I only clean our shower stall once a month because it doesn’t get that dirty. I spray the shower down daily with a spray made by Method that keeps the soap scum from building up. It is a nontoxic product that is sold in most stores.

Three Keys to Success

• Let the cleaner sit long enough to loosen up the dirt and disinfect the surface.
• Clean the bathroom every week. Pick a day that is your bathroom cleaning day and just do it. When you keep up on your cleaning it doesn’t become such an insurmountable project.
• Use a separate cleaning cloth for each fixture; one for the counters, one for the bathtub and shower stall and one for the toilet. This keeps the germs you clean off of one surface from being transferred to another.

Cleaning Supplies

• Utility caddy to carry your supplies. The dollar stores usually have these.
• Rubber or Latex cleaning gloves.
• Cleaning clothes. I keep 10 on hand.
• Window cleaner (or click here to use the homemade version from our web site).
• All-purpose cleaner (or click here to use the homemade version from our web site).
• Baking Soda for heavy duty scrubbing.
• An old toothbrush to get at those hard to reach areas.
• One roll of paper towels.
• Pumice stone for hard water build-up in the toilet bowl. (optional)
• Toilet brush (unless you keep one in each bathroom like I do).

That’s all there is to it!

by Blair Massey

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bathroom that was always clean; a bathroom that you felt proud to offer to your guests? It is possible. With some preparation and dedication you can have a bathroom that is always “company ready.”

1. In order to maintain a clean bathroom it must first be thoroughly cleaned. If you have layers of dirt, soap scum and grime, you won’t be able to do the quick maintenance required to keep your bathroom “company ready.” For an example of a weekly bathroom cleaning routine see “How to Clean Your Bathroom in Fifteen Minutes.”

2. Prepare your bathroom surfaces for easier cleaning and maintenance. After you have cleaned your bathroom make sure that any tile grout has been thoroughly cleaned and sealed with a long-lasting sealer. A good sealer will save you hours of scrubbing dirty grout.

Next, apply Rainex® to the glass shower doors, tile (not the grout), countertops, sinks, and faucets where hard water deposits can form. It can be used on any non-wood and unpainted surface. One application lasts for several months.

Prepare plastic shower stall with a soap scum resistance coating. Use a nonabrasive cleaner to clean the surface followed by rubbing alcohol, which will remove any residue (you can spray this on and wipe it off). Dry the surface and then spray it with the cheapest furniture polish you can find (the cheaper brands usually have more silicone which is what you want). Then buff it out to a shine. This is a good tip to prepare a new shower stall before use.

3. Make it a house rule for everyone to squeegee the shower door after each shower. Not only will this keep your bathroom “company ready,” but it will reduce the amount of time you need to spend, in general, on cleaning your shower. If you don’t think your family will comply, place a rod with a shower curtain on the outside of the shower door to hide the mess.

4. Take five minutes every day to do a “Quick Clean.” Survey the bathroom to see what needs to be done. Keep cleaning cloths (recipe at the end of this article) and a roll of paper towels under the sink. Wipe the counter and sink with a cleaning cloth (soak the globs of toothpaste with water to loosen them up). Also shine the faucet. Use a cleaning cloth to give the mirror a “spiffing” if it needs it (kids tend to get toothpaste on mirrors). Toss the cleaning cloths in the laundry when you are done. Buff everything dry with a paper towel or dry cloth. Swish out the toilet bowl with the toilet brush and wipe urine from the rim and seat with toilet paper (flush the paper when you are done). Sweep or use a hand-held vacuum to clean up any hair and dirt on the floor. Check the towels and replace if necessary.

5. Keep a set of clean “company” towels under the sink (if you have the room).

Homemade Cleaning Cloths Recipe

Find a container like an old baby wipes container or a rectangular plastic box with a tight-fitting lid. Purchase some plain, white wash cloths (white cloths are easy to keep clean by bleaching). Fold them in half and place them in your container.

Pour enough cleaning solution over the cloths to completely cover them. Allow the solution to soak into the cloths. Check them in an hour to see if they need more solution. You can wash the cloths after each use and return them to the container. Add new cleaner each time you restock the container with clothes.

If you follow this system of preparation and daily quick cleaning, you will always have a clean bathroom that is ready for unexpected company.