Life Hacks Using DAWN Dish Degergent

I'm going to admit a shameful secret of mine.  There was a time in my life when I would purchase dish detergents that were not of the Dawn brand.  I know.  I know.  Shameful.  I am reformed though and I'd like to share some of the ways I utilize Dawn in ways that have nothing to do with washing dishes.

1. Pretreatment for greasy stains on our laundry.  Just a squirt over the stain, rub it in, and let it sit for a little while, then launder as usual.
2. Mixed equally with white vinegar and use as a tub and shower cleaner.  I mix these two ingredients in a spray bottle and use it by spraying onto the surfaces I want to clean.  I let it sit for about an hour, then use a rag or sponge to wipe it off.  No scrubbing required.  This is the best tub and shower cleaner I've ever found.
3. Moisturizing hand scrub.  I mix 3 parts sugar with 1 part Dawn with Olay.  I use this for when my hands are grimy after gardening and my husband uses it when he comes in the from the garage.
4. Pet flea treatment.  I started using Dawn by itself as my dogs shampoo to help get rid of fleas.  I did help but left her skin extremely dry.  I started adding some Dawn to a moisturizing pet shampoo and that worked much better.
5. Cleaning greasy kitchen cabinets.  I add the detergent to a wet sponge and use it to wipe down the cabinets in the kitchen.  They get greasy so quickly from cooking and this is the only way I have found to effectively and efficiently remove the grime.
6. Poison ivy treatment.  I got a little poison ivy on my leg this summer and even though I washed it off well it was still itching and spreading.  After two days I decided to try Dawn and it halted the poison ivy right in it's tracks.  I washed the area 3 times a day with Dawn, then covered with Ivy Dry, and did this for several days.  

What are some life hacks you've discovered for using Dawn?  Please share them in the comments below. And if you'd like to check out the Dawn Twitter party, check it out using #Dawnbeyondthesink.  And if you'd like to follow me there, click here.

How to Remove Stains From Baking Sheets

My baking sheets see a lot of use and even though I usually line them with either foil or parchment paper they still wind up pretty stained over the years.  I've tried a variety of methods to remove the stains but this is the one I found that actually works and takes little to no effort on my part.

I only covered half with some fume free oven cleaner just to show a good before and after comparison.  I let it sit for 2 hours for the cleaner to work.

After the two hours I rinsed the cleaner from the pan and wiped it with a sponge.  There are still a few stains but overall it looks much better and it was a very easy process.

The Trusty Timer

My timer is so useful, it really helps me to keep on track with whatever task I'm doing.

Grilling:  I use my timer to grill hamburgers.  I set it for 7 minutes for the first side, flip, and 7 minutes on the other side, then remove them from the grill.  If I don't use the time I wind up with hockey pucks instead of juicy burgers.  And the 7 minutes seems to fly as I'm always surprised when it goes off, thinking that it can't possibly have been that long already. 

Cleaning and Organizing Missions:  I get easily distracted when I'm trying to get something clean and/or organized.  A timer is very useful to keep me on task.  I set the timer for 15 minutes and stay focused on whatever I'm wanting to get done.  It can be tidying a certain room, tackling overflowing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning windows.  The key is to not kill yourself trying to get everything done before the timer goes off but to focus on the task at hand for the full amount of time.  Some things can be completed in just one mission and other times you are only making a dent, but at least it's progress.  If I'm able I will do 3 missions in a row and take a break for 15 minutes.  I have a lot of difficulty keeping focused and this really does work for me.  Let me know if it works for you, too.

My daughter is wanting to change her room from a little girls room to a teen girls room, and her mission today was to sort through her stuffed animals, again using a timer for just 15 minutes helped her to feel accomplished rather than defeated by thinking how daunting the task was going to be.  Her bedroom's transformation will be it's own post as we work more on it.