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.

Super Frugal Pole Bean Trellis

This is my first time growing pole beans and I was a little concerned on how I could give them something to climb without having to buy something made specifically for that purpose.  I remembered seeing a tip on how to do it a good while ago, but I can't remember where now.  It said to use some sort of string (or twine, or yarn) and tie one end to a rock and put the rock beside the plants as they are emerging and tie the other end onto something higher.  It so happened that I decided to plant them in a very neglected flower bed that my husband had built years ago in front of our porch, so that gave me the banisters above the bed to use for the string.  Instead of tying the string to a banister I wrapped the string around two of them and tied a rock to both ends.  I did that all along the bed and I can't wait to see if it works! 

The beans in the back are Dragon's Tongue and the ones in the front of the bed are bush beans and they are Greasy Grits.  All the seeds I'm using this year are from Baker Creek Seeds, and I've had excellent luck with them for the last several years that I've used them.  I don't get paid to say that, either, they are just that good.