9 Surprising New Uses For One Of The Best DIY Cleaners

3 useful things you can do with a hair dryer, a make-ahead savory breakfast casserole, and more. December 18, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! What was once merely the best shower cleaner I’ve ever used is now even more useful. Check out 9 new ways to put the most dynamic of cleaning duos to good use in Today’s Good Thing. Also in today’s newsletter, I'm sharing the recipe for our favorite Christmas morning breakfast casserole. You’ll love it for the same reasons we do—it’s delicious, a nice change of pace from sugary treats, and it’s a make-ahead affair that won’t keep you in the kitchen all morning. Jillee DAYS UNTIL 🎄 Christmas: 7 🎊 New Year's Day: 14 TODAY'S GOOD THING 9 Surprising New Uses For One Of The Best DIY Cleaners [Photos of using the 2-ingredient tub and shower cleaner to clean various surfaces.]( My favorite DIY cleaner for tubs and showers is proving to be just as useful outside the bathroom. My 2-ingredient tub and shower cleaner has long been one of my favorite homemade cleaners for its simplicity and effectiveness. But over time, I’ve realized that this formula can do a lot more than just clean bathtubs and showers. In fact, I’ve actually found 9 other great uses for it around the house. But before we get to those new and innovative uses, I thought it might be helpful to offer a quick refresher about what this cleaner is, how it works, and how to use it. Since it only includes Dawn dish soap and white vinegar, this cleaner couldn’t be easier to make. Just warm up some vinegar in your microwave, pour it into a spray bottle, then add an equal amount of dish soap and replace the spray top. Swirl the bottle to mix it up, and it’s ready to use. As for how it works, Dawn and vinegar make a great cleaning duo for a few reasons. First, they works well against different types of grime—Dawn is a great grease-cutter, while vinegar deodorizes and breaks down minerals. They also have different viscosities—vinegar is very thin and dish soap is very thick, so a mixture of the two is easier to use for cleaning than either one would be on its own. However, I do adjust the “formula” slightly when using it outside my tub or shower. The original 1:1 ratio of Dawn to vinegar is great for surfaces that are easy to rinse, but for these 9 applications, I recommend using closer to 1 part Dawn and 6 parts vinegar, which won't require as much rinsing. Check out 9 great ways to put this dynamic cleaning duo to good use at the link below. [9 Surprising Things You Can Clean With Dawn And Vinegar ➜]( Related • [Here Are The Best Of The Best Ways To Use Vinegar]( • [28 Ways To Use Dawn Dish Soap That Will Make Your Life Easier]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Feeling under the weather? These 9 tips and tricks will help keep you comfortable til you can get back on your feet. [Read more ➜]( • From keeping you alert to keeping the air clean, there are plenty of good reasons to get a car diffuser. [Read more ➜]( • Whether you prefer them baked, crispy, or mashed, cooking potatoes is quicker and easier in your Instant Pot. [Read more ➜]( COOKING This Savory Breakfast Casserole Is Ideal For Christmas Morning [A photo of Jillee's mother-in-law's breakfast casserole.]( Because you chill it overnight, this breakfast casserole makes Christmas morning a breeze. Another one of Dave’s mother Dorothy’s recipes, this savory breakfast casserole is my favorite Christmas morning breakfast. Not only is it delicious, but I can assemble the night before too. Then in the morning, I just top it with corn flakes and throw it in the oven, and no one gets stuck doing breakfast duty in the kitchen. If you'd rather not get stuck in the kitchen on Christmas morning, make this casserole and enjoy the freedom you deserve. It feeds 8 hungry adults easily, but you could always half the recipe and make it in a 9x11” dish if you don’t have many mouths to feed. Here’s how to make it: Start by cutting 16 pieces of white bread into cubes, then arrange half of the bread cubes in an even layer at the bottom of a greased 9x13" oven-safe casserole dish. Next, place 2 1/2 pounds of diced or cubed ham on top of the bread in an even layer. Drain a 10-ounce can of sliced mushrooms and layer the mushrooms over the ham, then sprinkle 16 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese over the mushrooms. Layer the remaining bread cubes on top of the cheese, then whisk together 6 eggs, 3 cups of milk, and 1 teaspoon of mustard and pour it evenly over the bread. Finally, cover the casserole dish with tin foil or plastic wrap and chill overnight. Remove the casserole from the fridge in the morning and preheat your oven to 350°F. Uncover the dish and sprinkle 1 cup of crushed corn flakes over the top, then drizzle 1/2 cup of melted butter over the corn flakes. Bake the casserole at 350°F for 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Allow the casserole to cool and set up for 10-15 minutes before digging in. (I like to eat it as-is, but my kids top theirs with ketchup or hot sauce.) [See The Full Recipe ➜]( | [More Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes ➜]( UNUSUAL USES 3 Handy Things You Can Do With A Hair Dryer [Photos of various uses for hair dryers.]( Even for those with short hair or no hair at all, there are plenty of ways to make use of a hair dryer. 1. Dust Hard-To-Clean Items. Your hair dryer’s cool setting can make dusting hard-to-clean items a lot faster and easier. Just blow the dust off objects and surfaces you want to clean, wait a few minutes for the dust to settle, then vacuum the dust off the floor. (This works great for cleaning up dusty holiday garlands!) 2. Warm Up Bed Sheets. When you’re feeling warm, sleepy, and ready for bed, there’s nothing worse than crawling into frigid sheets. Instead, use your hair dryer to warm your sheets up a few minutes before bedtime. Then when you climb into bed, you’ll be out like a light, rather than wide awake and shivering. 3. Dry Toiletries For Travel. Use your hair dryer to dry out your toothbrush, loofah, and other damp items before packing them in your toiletry bag for a trip. Eliminating any residual moisture will help prevent them from developing an unpleasant musty smell while they’re packed away in your bag. JILLEE'S PICK My Favorite Christmas Movies: The Muppet Christmas Carol [A photo of the cast of ]( Erik and Britta were really little when 1992’s [The Muppet Christmas Carol]( came out, so we watched it a lot over the next several years. It became one of their favorites, and it eventually became a favorite of mine and Dave’s through osmosis. Of all the Muppets, I’ve always felt fondest of Miss Piggy. She has a couple of lines in this movie that always make Dave laugh because, according to him, they remind him of me (which I’ve chosen not to take too personally!) For instance, near the end when Scrooge tells Kermit/Mr. Cratchit he’s going to raise his salary, Emily/Miss Piggy says, “Ooh, and I am about to raise you right off the pavement and… pardon?” (I admit, I have been known to be a bit intense when I'm feeling protective of my family—but what mom doesn’t get that way on occasion?) I could go on and on with highlights from The Muppet Christmas Carol—“[One More Sleep ‘Til Christmas]( which makes me tear up every time, Michael Caine's emotional performance as Scrooge, and the adorable ice skating penguins in little Victorian outfits—what more could you want from a Christmas movie? REMEMBER WHEN Vintage Ceramic Christmas Trees [A photo a ceramic Christmas tree.]( Raise your hand if your Mom or Grandma (or both) had one of these illuminated ceramic Christmas trees. Oh, we’re all raising our hands? I’m not surprised, because these iconic trees were hugely popular in the 70s. They've turned into quite the hot commodity on sites like eBay, where originals have sold for hundreds of dollars. The nostalgia for ceramic trees has also spread to Instagram, where over 13,000 posts bear the #CeramicChristmasTree hashtag. Modern copycats are cropping up in stores ([like this one at Target]( at a much more affordable price than the originals, if you’re looking to add one to your decor without emptying your wallet in the process. And who knows? If you get one of the new ones and hand it down to your kids, maybe ceramic trees will come back into vogue in another 40 years and become a hot commodity all over again. But if not, at least they’ll always remind us of the magical feeling of being a kid at Christmastime. A FEW MORE THINGS... On This Day: In 1892, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet [The Nutcracker]( premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. While the first performance failed to impress both critics and Tchaikovsky himself, today The Nutcracker is the most popular and most performed ballet in history. Full Moon: Tonight’s full moon is traditionally referred to as the [Cold Moon]( a moniker that doesn't require much by way of explanation. One unique feature of this month’s full moon is that it shines above the horizon for longer than most others, which means you have a little more time to enjoy it—if you’re dressed warmly, that is. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! 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