This DIY Dish Spray Makes After-Dinner Cleanup So Easy

PLUS: Cleaning neglected bathroom items, why Pong was my first and last video game, and more. PLUS: Cleaning neglected bathroom items, why Pong was my first and last video game, and more. August 19, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! Using dish spray on dirty dishes while making dinner can make them much easier to rinse off once everyone's finished eating. In Today’s Good Thing, I’ll tell you everything you need to know to make a great DIY dish spray at home, and for a fraction of the cost of buying one. For our Weekend Cleaning Challenge, we’ll be focusing on bathroom items we often neglect during routine cleaning. If you're the type who would rather do several easy tasks than a couple of intensive ones, this will be your kind of challenge! Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING This DIY Dish Spray Makes After-Dinner Cleanup So Easy [Photos of DIY dish spray.]( Dish sprays make cleaning up after cooking easy, and DIY makes it affordable. If you’ve been reading my blog or newsletter for any length of time, I’m sure you already know that I’m a devoted fan of Dawn dish soap. (This is purely my preference as a consumer—I don’t have any sort of business relationship with Dawn or its parent company!) When they launched their new Powerwash dish spray a couple of years ago, I was certainly intrigued by the idea. When I’m cooking, I try to clean large bowls and greasy pans as I go to make things easier, so the idea of having a spray that could start breaking down food residues immediately was very attractive to me. I liked Powerwash even more in practice once I bought a bottle to try it, but I wasn’t as enthusiastic about the price. So I decided to do what I do best—come up with a DIY alternative that would save me money while producing similar results. I'm sharing my DIY Powerwash formula with you today, so that you, too, can make your own dish spray for pennies. (I’ll also tell you what kind of spray bottle works best for it, in case you don’t have a Powerwash bottle you can refill.) Click below to get started! [This DIY Dish Spray Makes After-Dinner Cleanup So Easy ➜]( Related • [28 Ways To Use Dawn Dish Soap That Will Make Your Life Easier]( • [Problem Solved! How To Eliminate Hard Water Spots From Your Dishes]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • If your unruly collection of food containers and lids is driving you crazy, these 5 organizing tips can help. [Read more ➜]( • Few recipes are as simple to put together as sheet pan meals. Check out 13 delicious options here. [Read more ➜]( • Carpets smelling a bit stale? Sprinkle this DIY carpet powder on them and vacuum it up for cleaner, fresher carpets. [Read more ➜]( 💵 MONEY MATTERS 💵 Open A New Bank Account Score some extra cash by taking advantage of promotional offers for new checking or savings accounts. For example, you can get a $200 bonus from Chase for opening a Chase Total Checking account with a direct deposit. Check out [current bank promos on NerdWallet](, or check your junk mail for ads about new offers. WEEKEND CLEANING CHALLENGE Clean These Neglected Bathroom Items [Photos of a loofah, toilet brush, sink stopper, and a shower.]( This weekend, clean these bathroom items that rarely get addressed during routine cleanings. 1. Bath Toys. Get rid of soap scum and mildew on bath toys by soaking them in a bucket of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar. Let the toys soak for an hour, then rinse with clean water and let them dry completely before storing. 2. Loofahs. Wash bath and shower loofahs in your washing machine with any load of laundry. Just make sure to hang loofahs to dry after washing them, rather than putting them in the dryer. 3. Toilet Brush. Once a month or so, soak your toilet brush and its holder in a bucket full of warm water with a splash of bleach added. Let them soak for about 30 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let dry. 4. Drain Stopper. Pull the drain stopper out of the drain and soak it in a cup of vinegar to loosen any gunk clinging to it. While the stopper is soaking, clean up the drain by sprinkling baking soda into it and pouring vinegar over the top. Let it fizz, then rinse. 5. Hair Brushes. Hair brushes collect more than just hair—oils, hair products, dust, and dead skin build up on your hair brush over time. Learn the best way to [clean any type of hair brush here](. 6. Toothbrushes. Disinfect your toothbrush by soaking it overnight in a cup of hydrogen peroxide, or a cup of warm water with 10 drops of tea tree essential oil. 7. Bath Mats. Rid your bath mats of dust, hair, makeup, and hair products by tossing them in your washer (along with your loofahs, perhaps?) I make sure all my bath mats are machine-washable for this reason, and I definitely recommend it! UNUSUAL USES 3 Useful Things You Can Do With A Rubber Band [Photos of various uses for rubber bands.]( Have a bag of assorted rubber bands lying around? Here are a few ways to put them to good use. 1. Open A Jar. Use a thick rubber band to help open a stubborn jar lid. Just place it around the perimeter of the lid and twist. The rubber band will help you grip the lid more tightly so you can twist it loose with less effort. 2. Protect Your Book. If you carry a book around in your bag, use rubber bands to protect it. Wrap a large rubber band around the outside of your book (horizontally, vertically, or both) before putting it in your bag to keep the book closed and prevent the pages from getting bent or crushed. 3. Secure Your Cutting Board. Using a cutting board that could slide out from under you at any time is an accident just waiting to happen. Luckily, it’s nothing a couple of rubber bands can’t fix. Wrap a large rubber band around both ends of your cutting board, and they’ll grip the counter and prevent the board from sliding. REMEMBER WHEN Pong [A vintage photo of people playing Pong on their home TV set.]( I didn’t spend a lot of time at arcades in my youth, so I wasn’t introduced to video games until the late ‘70s when they started making their way into people's homes. Our house had a built-in bar that didn't get used much since my parents didn’t drink, but it ended up being the perfect place for my siblings and I to play Pong. In 1972, [Pong]( made its debut as a cabinet arcade game that quickly found a home alongside the pinball machines at arcades across the country. Then in 1975, Atari released Home Pong, a console you could hook up to your home TV set. This was the version of Pong we set up on the bar at home, and as games between siblings often do, our matches frequently became heated. I remember more than a few that ended in tears (only some of which were mine). Pong was not only my first video game, but probably the only one I ever played regularly. Moving a paddle up and down was great fun, but as video games grew more complicated, I grew less interested in playing them. At least I’ll always have fond memories of Pong! A FEW MORE THINGS... 📸 Worth A Thousand Words: Today is World Photography Day, a global celebration of the art and science of photography. The easiest way to participate is by sharing your best shots on social media with the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay. (Not a photog yourself? Scroll through the hashtag and like and comment on other people’s photos!) Helping Hands: Today is also World Humanitarian Day, celebrating the scores of people around the world performing life-saving humanitarian work. This year's theme, "It Takes a Village," highlights the range of volunteers and professionals who contribute to humanitarian work, from drivers to advocates to emergency responders. [Learn more at WorldHumanitarianDay.org](. 🤔 Wordle: [Solve today's 5-letter word](. 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! My inbox is always open, so just hit "reply" and let me know what's on your mind. See you tomorrow! Sending you bright ideas and simple solutions to help you create a home and life you love. My mailing address is: One Good Thing by Jillee 841 S. Main St. Heber City, UT 84032 If you're not happy please reply to this email to tell me why. Update your email preferences or [unsubscribe]( [here](. View our privacy policy [here](.