Natural ingredients for Chemical-Free Cleaners

My super-savvy, trying-to-jump-on-the-green-wagon, husband sent me this article from Yahoo! Shine last night. I have condensed it for you, but here is the important stuff:

1. Baking soda: Acts as a scrub to remove hard water stains; polishes metal; deodorizes pretty much anything it touches (try stashing some in the fridge).

2. Borax: Mixed with three parts water, it makes a paste for cleaning carpet stains; mixed with ¼ part lemon juice, it cleans stainless steel and porcelain. (Note: although borax is a natural substance, you still shouldn’t eat it—and neither should your kids or pets.)

3. Lemon: Deodorizes and cuts grease on counter tops; rubbed on cutting boards, it bleaches stains and disinfects; combined with baking soda, it removes stains from plastic food storage containers.

4. Salt: Another natural scrubber—sprinkle it on cookware or oven surfaces, then rub; add citrus juice to turn it into an effective rust remover.

5. White vinegar: Deodorizes and disinfects; combine with water (and a little liquid soap—I know, it feels like cheating) to clean windows, mirrors, and floors; use at full strength in a spray bottle to fight mold and mildew.

6. Olive Oil: Mix two parts oil with one part lemon juice and use as a natural wood polish. (Save the really good stuff for dinner.)

One added bonus of using natural cleaners: as part of your spring cleaning regimen, you can now clear out all those bottles of specialized (and possibly toxic) potions.

For more tips on rounding out your eco-friendly cleaning closet, see Christina Strutt’s cleaning-pantry-checklist from her new book, A Guide To Green Housekeeping; for a video demonstration of how to mix up some natural cleaning solutions with these ingredients, watch this clip from Decor It Yourself.

So you probably knew that those ingredients did some kind of cleaning, but it's nice to know what combines with what. So go empty all those spray bottles, thoroughly rinse them, soak off the labels, mix your green mixes and label your bottles with a Sharpie. I suggest also writing what it can be used for right on the bottle. Happy Spring Cleaning!

How To Throw a Successful Direct Sales Home Party

Last year, I went to a Tupperware party at a friend's house. We won't talk about the gobs of Tupperware I bought, won, and the party I was coerced into throwing. Let's leave it at my very organized pantry. The reason for my post is to give you folks out there an idea for successful home parties. A lot of us crafty people sell our handmade crafts through many avenues - one of them being home parties.

Hold a fake auction. First, you should have some inexpensive items you are willing to give away as door prizes - about 6 will do. Then you should comprise a list of questions - they can be anything like: who just had a birthday, anniversary coming up, most kids, no kids, came from furthest away, known hostess the longest, is wearing a watch, etc. You get the idea. You might want to include some questions related to your craft just to see what people know. 40 - 50 questions should be good - these will be your 'money' prompts.

You will need play money. You can get some in a toy aisle or print it off of the internet. This is a lot more fun when the money is in large denominations - 100s, 500s, and 1000s. Oh! And your door prizes should be gift bagged so no one can see what it is.

How this works as an icebreaker
Before the party, when invites are being sent out, let your hostess's guests know that they will be playing an auction style game for fabulous prizes. Give them ways to earn auction bucks before the party even happens - signing up for your newsletter or email list, bringing a list of invitees for their own party, bringing a friend who wasn't invited, arriving on time, arriving with a pre-order, etc.

The night of the party, as guests arrive early, give them their auction bucks they've earned by doing the pre-party stuff, as well as bucks for coming early. Every 5-10 minutes, hand out another $100 to everyone there until the start time comes. When you are ready to start the party, introduce yourself again to the group as a whole, thank them for coming, thank your hostess, point them to the refreshments before starting the game.

While they are munching, tell them a bit about yourself and how you got started in your craft, what your goals are, any charities you donate proceeds to, and anything else you'd like them to know about you - not your products. Every time someone asks you a question, hand them money. Once you are ready to start the game, explain that the players should bid early and often. They won't get to keep the money at the end of the game. The game is for fun and everyone should have a good time.

Take out your 1st bag and describe what color it is and it's function. (If you're selling cosmetics, it's for the eyes and is blue. If you're selling jewelry, it's red and for the hand.) Start the bidding at $100 and let it fly! They may need encouragement at first, but once they get the hang of it there will be shouting and giggling! It really works! Repeat this with all your door prizes. Collect the leftover bucks at the end and thank them for playing.

Next you tell them about your products and invite them to try or touch or whatever is relevant to your items. Take orders or sell items to each person individually. Ask the hostess beforehand if there is a somewhat private corner you can conduct business in when the time comes. Remember to give your hostess a percentage credit on her items. For example, if you collect $300 in total sales (not including the hostess) and you are giving 20%, then your hostess will receive $60 in free products. For every booking received, give her another item at 50% off.

This is a great way to increase visibility for you and create repeat direct sales customers. You can devise theme nights also. Start with asking your friends, family, co-workers, or fellow club members to host a party. Have them invite 15 -20 people, only half will show. Provide the invitations with the pre-party ways to get bucks. Have your hostess get an accurate headcount a couple days before the party; this serves a reminder about the party for the guest. "Hi Sally, I just wanted to remind you about the party on Friday night. Did you get your invitation with all the ways to get auction bucks? Great! Will you be bringing a friend? Fantastic! See ya then!"

So all you Home Party Girls, if you try this and love it, post me a comment and let me know how it goes! Happy Selling!