5 Uses for the Baking Soda - D.I.Y Sundays

Ditch the Chemicals! 5 Uses for the Baking Soda Already in Your Pantry

Forget buying expensive green products! Everything offered by the top name brand green household cleaners can be found in one simple non-toxic ingredient that your grandmother has been using for years: household baking soda. 

Most of us have a box of baking soda in our pantry and we might grab it from time to time wondering if it will take out grass stains, but, other than that, the typical box of baking soda usually just sits there, only living up to about an eighth of it's full household potential. 

So, from now on, try out these uses for baking soda that will save you money, preserve the environment and have stand the test of time.

1.  Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaner

To use baking soda for cleaning counter tops, just grab the box and lightly sprinkle it onto the counter. Wet a washrag and rub the baking soda around, scrubbing areas that need more cleaning. For whiter counter tops, rub some lemons along with the baking soda.

2.  Air Freshener

Without the use of any other fragrances or ingredients, baking soda can truly freshen and deodorize some of the smelliest locations. Pour a pile of baking soda into a dish and place it in the area that needs to be deodorized.

3.  Carpet and Fabric Cleaner

You can use baking soda to clean and deodorize you carpet or garment fabrics. If you have pet odor or other unwanted smells coming from your carpet, just sprinkle it over the smelly area. Leave it until the smell goes away and then vacuum. Do the same with clothing and just shake them out when the smell has faded.

4.  Jewelry and Silverware Polisher

Make your own silver cleaner by mixing some baking soda with a little hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Rub the paste over the metal you would like to shine or clean and wipe with a dry rag.

5. Drain Cleaner

If your drain is moving a bit slowly, wait for the sink to drain and the pour about a cup of baking soda and three cups of boiling water down the drain. You can also try baking soda and vinegar, which will bubble and clean the drain further.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

How to Host a Successful Blog Hop- D.I.Y. Sundays

What is a Blog Hop?


Simply put,  a blog hop is when bloggers enter thier url, blog name or their name and often email address in a linky. This information comes up as a list.


Bloggers then click and follow other members on the list. You should leave a comment on the person's blog and he or she will follow you back.

Joining a blog hop enables bloggers to meet fellow bloggers, increase their reader base and their blog following. It also helps bloggers to find blogs that they might not necessarily find.

How to Create a Blog Hop

A blogger can host a blog hop with anyone of the following linky. Here are two popular ones:

• Linky Tools
• InLinkz

You can sign up for free and then create your hop and cut and paste the html code in html format when you are creating post. You can then click back to compose and look at it in preview. Then you can publish your blog hop.

How to Gain Blog Hop Participants

Gaining blog hop participants is very simple- ADVERTISE. Advertising your blog hop is the key to having a successful blog hop. No, I don't mean paying to get the word out there. Here are some simple steps that have worked well for me.

• Post bulletins at the various blogging networks. This will allow fellow bloggers to know there is an event occurring at your blog. Also, it can attract new followers.

• Send a Newsletter. Inform your readers  that you will be hosting a blog hop by sending a newsletter. Depending on the response of your readers, you can send a reminder. Remember, no one likes to be spammed.

• Visit your blog friends/followers and personally invite them. I usually visit my blog friends and personally invite. I think that the fact that you take the time to do this says something about you as a blogger. 

• Use your comment list. I also scan my list of comments and go to the blog of my commenter and invite then also. If someone takes the time to comment on your blog then there is a strong possiblity that they will come back.

• Most important is to take the time to follow back. You need to engage your blog hop participants by following them back or just going to their blog and say thank you.

Remember that blog hops is not only about gaining followers and building stats. It is also a way of exploring the blogs in our community and sharing ideas.

Please stop by tomorrow for the Online Friends Blog Hop. I will be Guest Hosting.

4 Ways to Stay Productive in the Office

Your eyes and shoulders are heavy and droop.  Your attention span is thin, and your motivation even thinner.  You try to focus, but everything seems hazy.  You're listless.  We all know what it is: the 4 o'clock doldrums.  


Working in an office (or at any job or activity) can be physically, mentally, and even spiritually stifling.  When the afternoon finally rolls around, we often find ourselves watching the clock tick so slowly that it's painful instead of doing the work we know we need to do.  


It's almost impossible to fight the distraction and the malaise after sitting in front of a computer screen for eight hours straight.  We were not meant for it.  If you are having trouble staying productive and clear-minded at work all day, try some of these tricks to keep you focused, refreshed, and smiling all day.

1. Take Breaks

Numerous studies have shown that people are more productive when they split their work up into manageable time slots with breaks in between.  If you are working on several projects at once, and especially if each project requires a different skills set, try switching between projects every half hour or so, just to keep your mind challenged and engaged.  Take five minutes to drink some water, stretch your hands, and let your mind unwind.

2. Read a Book

Taking breaks is the most important part of any good productivity plan.  However, it is equally important to make sure that those breaks aren't spent simply staring into nothingness.  If you don't have multiple projects that you can work on simultaneously, take a ten minute break every hour to read a book you love.  Reading serves two purposes: first, it lets your brain change gears, which helps to keep it engaged, and second, it refreshes you by doing something you enjoy.  Plus, it gives you something to look forward to every hour, which should help keep you on task.

3. Exercise

Of course, you're in an office, so this doesn't necessarily mean breaking out the weights and pumping iron.  But you can do some quick cardio exercises, like jumping jacks in the hallway, or sprints up stairs, to get your heart rate up and the oxygen flowing back to your brain.  Your brain feeds on oxygen and oxygen is transported in the blood stream.  Exercise gets your blood flowing and will reinvigorate you, as well as give you new focus.

4. Have a Conversation

If you can coordinate your breaks with someone else, this is a great way to keep your attention in top form.  Conversation will sharpen your focus, and the interaction with another person will get ideas flowing.  Talking to others releases endorphins, which elates you and can, again, make you more productive.
Work is important, but no one is designed to do one task for eight hours uninterrupted.  Mix up your day a little, and you'll find that you're actually more productive than if you didn't take breaks.


By-line:
Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.