Tip Jar: De-Skunk Your Dog

Oh, friends.  This is a post I wish I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to write.  Unfortunately, I have now discovered the antidote to neutralize that putrid skunk smell.

We celebrated the Fourth of July with friends at a beautiful campground.  We slept in the back of the truck and kept Jack with us so he wouldn’t run after critters.  (Genius, right?) We also had him tied on a rope to the back of the truck so if he needed to relieve himself.

At about 3:30 a.m. he did, in fact, need to relieve himself.  Doug and I got out, too, because we were crammed in so tightly that we all had to move if one of us moved.

As soon as we all parted ways, Jack growled and bolted away.  I expected him to catch at the end of the rope and yelp big time.  There was no yelp.  There was only the sound of the rope breaking off the truck.

He returned, silently, almost as fast as he vanished.  I was still away from Doug and him, but I heard Doug whisper-yelling that he was skunked. (You know whisper-yelling? That tone of voice you use when you don’t want to wake anyone up but you want to tell something to someone far away?)

And skunked he was.  He was rubbing up on anything he could – including Doug, his dog bed, etc.  When we finally found the flashlight, you could see total gunk and wetness around his eyeball.  Worst of all, he stunk something awful.  Yes, yes, you’ve all smelled skunk when you were driving down some rural road.  But that is nothing like a skunked dog standing two feet from you.  It’s indescribable. Especially in the dark at 3:30 a.m. in the pitch black.

The 24 hour veterinarian suggested this mixture:

1 small bottle hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1-2 tsp dish soap

It was Doug’s idea to call the 24 hour vet – not mine.  I swear.

First, find a grocery store that is open at 5 a.m. on a holiday weekend.  Then mix the concoction and apply only to the stanky area! If you apply everywhere you will spread the smell. (Lesson learned the hard way over here.)  Avoiding the eyes and nose, rub it in and let it sit for five minutes.

To tomato juice or not to tomato juice?

Everyone will tell you tomato juice is the way to go.  (This includes the 24 hour clerk at Rite-Aid.)  So we used that, too.  After two rounds of the vet’s antidote, Doug drenched Jack in tomato juice.  (Pour guy. It was not a warm morning and he got rinsed by the hose three times.)

After I slept for a bit, I found Jack laying outside, obviously humiliated, with a distinctive red hue to his black coat. His fur was all gunky because I don’t think Doug got it all rinsed out.  (This obviously meant another regular old bath.)

Jack, who is usually very perky, obviously knew he’d been beat.

It’s been a good 36 hours and he only smells when you get up close and smell his snout.

How have you de-skunked your pet? Or worse, you?  What’s the best way to go?

Tip Jar: The Sharpest Tool in the Shed

Today, our anonymous tipster is sending out love for a gardening tool called the “Hori, Hori.”  She may be spreading useful information, but I’m restraining myself from making inappropriate jokes.  Just know that I’m laughing on the inside.

. . .

The Hori Hori is the creme de la creme of garden tools.  Its unique serrated edge makes it your shovel and saw in one.  I’ve looked and, trust me, you simply won’t find anything that’s comparable. It digs into dirt, cuts through roots and weeds – you can even use it to open bags of mulch. And even better, you won’t need to go back and forth from the tool shed to get a project done.

Frankly, I use the Hori Hori for everything.  (Ignore Tasha’s giggles.)

There are two models of the Hori Hori.  I opted for the more expensive, stainless steel model for about $42.  I bought it last summer at Ward and Child at 678 South 700 East.  The second option is made of carbon steel and is about half the cost.  I haven’t spoken with anyone who has tried it out.

Do you know any fun Japanese words? Am I the only one in love smitten with the Hori Hori?

MJ’s Secret to a Sparkling Toilet

The Secret.

Perhaps to you it’s the self-help book.  Maybe it’s your great, great grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. Or maybe it’s that tattoo you’ve been hiding.

Those would be the secrets of normal families.

It should be no surprise by now that Mama Judd (lovingly, “MJ”) and I are built a little different from the rest.  To further incriminate our gene pool, today I reveal one of Mama Judd’s best-kept secrets.  And her best-kept secret is about a toilet.

Mama Judd created her unique toilet-cleaning procedure when the ordinary method wasn’t cutting it.  So the next time your toilet needs a deep clean, give her method a whirl!  (Whirl! Bah ha ha!)

The method to her madness?  She emails it over in all caps because, after all, this is serious business:

CLEANING AGENTS WORK BEST WHEN IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE BEING CLEANED!!!

1. Remove the water from the bowl.

This is the step that separates Mama Judd from the rest.

Pretend your toilet brush is a plunger and pump away.  With each pump you are removing the water from the bowl.  With a waterless bowl, the cleaner isn’t diluted at the waterline, which is where you get that ugly ring of brown, pink grossness. Ew!  How can you thoroughly clean that nasty ring if your cleaner never actually touches it?

Anticipating my complaints about anything involving physical labor, Mama Judd writes: “It will take some muscle but, hey, it’s like a workout for the arms.  Switch every couple of plunges to give yourself a balanced workout.”

Thanks, Ma.

Notice that Mama Judd’s toilet is sparkling clean before she even cleans it.  This isn’t posed – this is how things look when she thinks they’re dirty. That’s how you know her tips work!

2. Apply the cleaner.

Coat the entire bowl with your cleaner.  Make sure the cleaner is directly on the surface of all of the porcelain.

3. Wait 5 minutes. No, seriously. Wait it out.

Give the cleaning agent some time to adhere to that porcelain throne.  This is the whole reason you removed the water from the bowl.  So don’t waste your efforts.  Walk away! Clean the sink, go have a snack, or watch the results of last night’s So You Think You Can Dance episode.

4. Scrub!

Scrub, scrub, scrub.  Consider it the second repetition in your arm workout.

5.  Clean the outside, too.

One last secret – Pinesol is your friend.  It works like a charm on the outside of the toilet and it smells so disinfected!  Well, I suppose “disinfected” isn’t a scent, but it should be.  (Surely Mama Judd and I aren’t the only nuts that would buy that candle.)

Now, stand back and admire your work.  And keep your husband at bay for as long as possible!

What have you found to be the best way to clean the throne?

Tip Jar: New Petunia Breed

Petunias are an easy-to-grow annual that even I feel comfortable growing!  And according to our mystery tipster today, there’s a new breed that might be just perfect for your garden.

With only 11 days left until the first day of summer, it’s high time you finished planting those flower beds!  Lucky for you, there’s a new kid on the block that’s sure to impress your summer guests.

Although the name suggests otherwise, the “Pretty Much Picasso” is not a best-selling biography or an abstract art show.  It’s the newest petunia by Proven Winners.  Apparently there are awards given out for petunias and this one is sweeping them all.

Because it is supposed to thrive as a spiller plant – and because I’m not one to be left out – I just planted one in a container on the porch.

So far I’m thrilled with it.  I love the contrast between the purple buds and green edges.  But perhaps best of all, this is supposedly a self-cleaning petunia, meaning no dead-heading is necessary.  (Although, I must admit I enjoy the satisfaction of purging the dead buds.)

For you go-getters: If you don’t want your petunias to run out of steam by late summer, include some slow-release fertilizer when you plant them.

Anyone else planted one yet?  Any criticisms?

Tip Jar: Quick and Tasty Dinner Recipe

Today’s tip is brought to us by our mysterious guest blogger who won’t yet be revealed!

Although it greatly diminishes my DIY aspirations, I can’t remember the last time I turned on the oven and baked something.  Perhaps that is why our guest blogger crafted this dinner recipe for his or her first tip.  It looks so easy that I might consider using the oven on a weeknight. Gasp!

. . .

Today’s tip is a recipe for a dinner so quick it’s guaranteed to arrive before Domino’s. These flat-bread paninis are a great find.  They’re actually pretty darn good and easy and let’s face it – that’s why we’re here!

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  But don’t stop there! Here’s a bonus tip: You’ll get better results if you preheat your baking sheet, too! Throw it on in.
2. Cover your sheet in foil for an easier cleanup – there’s simply no sense in washing a pan!
3. Slather spaghetti sauce on your flat bread.  (You’ll notice I used Ragu but, hey, it’s not bad and it’s cheap!)
4. Sprinkle your desired cheese and toppings over the top.  I happened to have some mushrooms sitting in the fridge already cooked and just waiting to j.u.m.p. onto that pepperoni pizza. I sent them flying!
5. Bake it for 10 minutes or until it smells good.  Is it bubbly? Then take it out and enjoy!

Want an easy side? Serve it with a bagged salad — a complete meal in seriously LESS than 30 minutes!!!

Feeling Gourmet?

What? You’ve got minutes to spare? Okay, okay, by all means pull out the alfredo sauce (homemade if you wish), the artichoke hearts, tomatos, grilled chicken, arugula, and Parmesan.  Now you have — as Emeril puts it — KICKED IT UP A NOTCH!! Yummy!

Tip Jar: Organize your cleaning supplies.

I’ll be posting some around-the-house tips I’ve learned, hopefully with some input from a fabulous mystery guest blogger!  I’ll be calling these tips from the “Tip Jar.”  Do you have some tips for the jar? Contact me!

Don’t tell Doug, but I have a love affair with cleaning supplies.  Unfortunately, our house has very limited closet space upstairs so I couldn’t access and organize them as easily as I’d like.  (Huge props to the original owner in the 50s who shared one bathroom with her spouse and her kids.)

Are you like me and looking for an easy solution?

Hang an over-the-door shoe hanger in your linen closet.  The shoe slots are the perfect size for cleaning products and tools. You’ll create an ultra-organized hall closet that’s almost as pretty to look at it as it is useful.

How do you deal with limited storage space? Do you have a “thing” for cleaning supplies?