Go big or go home?

Is that anybody’s motto? That’s generally mine. I want to make whatever it is that I’m doing is worth it. For instance, if we’re going to Niagra falls then we should be sure to stay on the Canada side and catch a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat tour. Or, if we are going to make Ice cream sundaes, I make sure to pick up all the toppings including all the essentials for a banana split. My husband on the other hand… not so much. Just going to Niagra falls is enough… and just ice cream and chocolate syrup is just fine. So you can see how in life we can bump heads quite a bit, especially when deciding to splurge on an expensive mop like the Bissell CrossWave! (See this baby in action at the bottom.)

Time-saving

I’ll be totally honest, my husband and I are a perfect match for each other. I help him have a little bit more fun, and he reels me in a little bit. But there are perfectly good times to splurge in life… it’s just figuring out when to do so. Surprisingly, it took little to no convincing for my very budget-conscious husband to get on board with the Bissell CrossWave. The functions speak for themselves: duo vacuuming and mopping at the same time, it’s cordless for easy maneuvering, and my favorite feature: two tanks, one for cleaning solution and the other for the dirty water. At the end of the day, we are both working from home and thrive in an organized and clean environment. Our time is limited and we don’t pay for house cleaning services, so any device that is going to save us time overall is a definite win in our book.

How well does the CrossWave work on hardwood floors?

When I asked around about the CrossWave I happened to read a few reviews that said it left dirty streaks on the floor. In my experience, I did not come to that same conclusion. The roller brush is plush and has built-in grips to clean your carpets, but it has enough girth to wipe up all the dirty stuff without leaving streaks. I will say that if the roller gets too oversaturated with water it can leave streaks, but the key is to let go of the trigger and roll over that area to pick up the excess water.  Maybe the other CrossWaves don’t have the sam roller brush, but the Max roller brush is awesome! Plus my box came with a second brush for backup. It’s great to alternate the two between cleaning because they do need to be rinsed with hot water between uses.

Does it really work on Carpet and how big of a mess does it clean up?

Yes! It works amazingly on carpet! Not only does it vacuum everything up but it refreshed my carpets making them smell fantastic. It leaves your carpets slightly damp so they dry quickly. I will say, this does not replace a carpet shampooer. This isn’t deep cleaning your carpets, but it gives them a nice refresh. That doesn’t mean it isn’t cleaning it – just not DEEP cleaning. The water tank was pretty dirty after cleaning my area rugs so I know it did its job, but the main function on this mop is for hard surfaces. Refreshing carpets is just a fabulous bonus.

The Bissel CrossWave does an outstanding job picking up messes on floors. For instance, it will even pick up items as large as cereal and small legos. I mean, don’t make it a habit to pick up legos… which in my house is inevitable, but it’s good to know it can!

How long does the battery last?

So this is something that I was nervous about. My house is just about 4,000 sq ft and I didn’t know how many rooms I could get done before the battery died. With a full charge, the battery should last for 30 minutes. So essentially it comes down to how fast you can work. I can get abut 2,000 sq ft done in about 30 minutes, so about half my house. I just split my upstairs and downstairs into two parts.

Best feature? The self-cleaning cycle!!

To make sure this vacuum functions the right way every time, cleaning it out is essential. The Cordless Max has a self-cleaning cycle to make that process so easy!! To use this feature all you have to do is make sure there is enough solution in the tank – if not fill up the tank with warm water to the self-cleaning line. Then, place the vacuum on the docking station and press the self-cleaning icon. This will run for about 40 seconds and shut off when it’s done. The dirty water tank icon will flash to remind you to empty the tank. At this point, I pop out the roller and windshield attachment to make sure everything is wiped out and cleaned before retiring my vacuum for the day. Seriously, this is my favorite feature!

Wifi compatible!

You can easily hook your Bissell CrossWave up to wifi and connect on an app for maintenance, support, cleaning tips, and a usage dashboard. I don’t know how often I’ll use this, but I suppose I will at some point if I start running into error codes.

Do you have to use the solution they recommend?

No, you definitely don’t have to only use the Bissel CorssWaves solution for your vacuum. I used the solution it came with until it ran out and then I used my castile soap solution.To add the solution to the tank all you have to do is first add warm water to the waterline and then add your solution to the solution line. So you see, any solution in its place will work just fine.

Any downsides?

I’ll be honest, there aren’t many. This baby has saved me so much time it’s incredible! My floors have never been cleaner! Although I will say that it’s tough to get edges and baseboards. The website does say that they have improved this feature, but it’s still not ideal for those areas because there are no attachments. So If I wanted to wash down my furniture I actually have to lift up my vacuum and place it on my furniture and work it back and forth. Which is ok – but not ideal and a little awkward.

To me – The advantages outweigh the inconvenience of not having attachments to get my corners closely and my baseboards. I should say it does an ok job with corners, but not as well as it would do with a hose.

Pricey – but oh so worth it!

Boy does Bissell have a good product on their hands… and they know it too! This vacuum does not run cheap at just under $400! I would say this is an investment piece that is totally worth saving up your pennies for. Hands down… I would 100% recommend this vacuum and I can say without a doubt it has saved me time and that my floors have never been cleaner!

This vacuum is available at a lot of shops, I would definitely say shop around… But I got mine at Amazon because I love fast and free shipping. You can click the image below to check it out.

Thanks so much for reading along, pals!

Much Love,

Kori ~ from The Farmhouse Life

Make your guests feel at home

Does anyone else love a good Bed and breakfast? I love the antique furniture, the beautiful linens, and the ambiance of a cozy fireplace that most B&Bs have. It’s all so inviting that it makes you want to come and stay and never leave! I want the guests in my home to feel the same way.

I’ve picked up a few things from my stays at a bed and breakfast that I’ve incorporated in my own guest room. One thing I do to make my space feel more welcoming is appeal to all the senses.  I try and use them as a guide when preparing my guest room for company.

Sight

Sight is the most obvious of the senses that we want to use to invite our guests in and make them feel welcome. I believe that a beautifully styled room has the ability to bring about a feeling. In this case, I want my guests to feel cozy and relaxed. So for furniture, I went more on the warmer side with wood tones but added contrast with fluffy white bedding. I also have a Scandinavian printed wallpaper that gives a nod to history and adds to the antique vibe.

Smell

You want the smells in your guest room to pull people in and be relaxing. I like to diffuse lavender, which has a calming effect. Candles are a great option too. I like to leave a small tray with matches and a candle so if my guests feel like lighting a candle they can while they’re here. Sometimes I line dry the sheets and bedding so even their bedding smells as fresh as the outdoors. My only caution is that some guests are sensitive to smells so I don’t go overboard with perfume type sprays. A clean room will go along way, and opening windows always helps too!

Touch

Touch is an important part of making your guest room more welcoming! Make sure the bedding is freshly laundered and soft to the touch. Adding cozy throw blankets and pillows is another way to add in more texture to your space.  Hanging bathrobes in the corner and fresh towels folded nearby is another way to use touch to engage your guests’ sense of touch.

Taste

I know adding taste to your guest room sounds funny, but it’s a nice touch to have yummy snacks on hand for your guests. You can have a basket in the corner with some packaged goodies or tuck in a nightstand just in case they get hungry at night. This gesture doesn’t go unseen. I never had anyone complain about a fresh plate of chocolate chips cookies to snack on when they arrive! Water bottles are another great item to tuck in your snack basket too.

Hearing

Playing music is another great way to welcome your guests. Having an Alexa with prime music is great to have tucked in the corner. You can ask Alexa to play relaxing music and she’s all over it!

Practical needs

It’s also important to make sure that your room meets your guest’s needs from a practical perspective. For instance, nightstands are important so your guests have a place to put their books/phones/glasses on at night. I like to put the wifi passcode on a notecard in the nightstand drawer too. A small organizer with a nail clipper, band-aids, q tips, and a small bottle of ibuprofen is nice. A cellphone charger is also a great idea. A dim bedside lamp is very practical too. We have an armoire with a small tv hidden inside so our guests can watch tv in the evening if they prefer. Have a place to put their luggage on (like a bench) so their luggage isn’t on the floor.

At the end of the day, we want our guests to want to feel right at home. Using these 5 tricks is a sure way to make our guests feel more welcomed and a sure way to make sure they come back again!

Want to shop my guestroom? Click on the images in the slide below!

As always pals, thanks for reading along!

Much love,

Kori ~ from the Farmhouse Life

A few years back I remember being on a huge budget while renovating our small downstairs bathroom in our first home. We picked out some peel and stick tile and found an amazing product…vinyl tile grout! I didn’t even realize that was a thing! Well – the process was very easy and I remember all of our guests complimenting us on our new bathroom floor. They were astonished when I told them that It was peel and stick tile. We even had a few friends argue us and place their bare feet on the tile to see if it was cold like a ceramic or stone tile generally is. But low and behold – It was just a jazzy way to spice up cheap flooring. Fooled them

Fast forward 5 years when it was time to fix up the kid’s bath in our “new” old home (new to us but 300 years old) – I remembered that project we did years ago and wanted to do it again. But of course, I had to one-up myself by doing it in a herringbone pattern! Click here to check out that tutorial. Well – It was a challenge – but oh my did it turn out amazing! And I knew I wanted to grout it because it’s basically like the icing on the cake. It looks so finished!

Check out our project from start to finish below!

Step one

To start, put grout mix into a large container or just directly apply the grout onto your grout float (I guess that’s what the fancy name for the tool we’re using is called.)

Next, at a 45-degree angle – apply the grout to the floor creases and use a zig-zag motion to smear the grout deep into the cracks.

Step 2

Only do a section at a time that you can manage to wash off the haze and then regrout in a 30-minute time frame. So I broke my bathroom into two areas. I applied the grout – Washed it off and then regrouted and then washed again before moving on to the other side.

Step 3

When It’s time to wash off the haze (what’s sitting on the actual tile) use a bucket of cool water and a sponge. Wring all the water out of the sponge before wiping it off of the tile. Try not to get too much water on the tile. Keep redipping in the water and wring out the sponge – wiping until its completely off the tile.

TIP – press your finger behind the sponge and run it along each grout line to create a nice smooth line.

Step 4

After at least 2 days – use a sealer along the grout lines to protect it from any water penetration. Just run the sealer up the grout lines and wipe any of the residue off of the tile itself before 15 minutes. This is so the sealer doesn’t leave anything behind.

Want to shop this post? Click an image below!

Click here for the tile grout

That’s it guys – Any questions drop them below!

As Always,

Much Love,

Korilyn ~ at the Farmhouse Life

I will share with you my best tips for getting your stone countertops shiny again!

In one of my most recent chats with a countertops guy  (Yes, this was before the coronavirus outbreak when we could see people and have such conversations as countertops)  we were discussing stone upkeep. He mentioned having to reseal stone countertops at least once a year. That one had me stumped because within the four years we have lived in our farmhouse we have yet to reseal our countertops. I’ll be totally honest, our stone countertops have lost all their sheen and are looking very dull. He said this was very dangerous because it leaves your stone open for stains! I then asked him what he thought was the best product on the market for countertop care – and he said hands down – It’s Granite Gold. He said it’s the only stuff that truly works and is the only product on the market he recommends. This amazing stuff is available on Amazon – so I went ahead and ordered the set. There’s the daily cleaner, a sealer, and a polish. I thought this was as good a time as any to get those countertops looking shiny and new. You know… just in time for the big Easter Din… on never mind. Just in time for staying at home.

To start, I gave the countertops a good washing with the daily cleaner.

The back of all three of the bottles says it’s safe for food prep surfaces, is non-toxic, non-acidic, pH balanced, biodigratable, and has no phosphates and ammonia. Well – sounds pretty good to me! The directions say to spray on cleaner and wipe dry with a paper towel or lint-free cloth. So that’s what I did.

Next, I started the process of sealing the countertops. The directions say to start with a clean countertop using the daily cleaner – done! Then to spray a 3-foot section and immediately wipe the stone clean with a lint-free cloth. It specifically says do not let the sealer dry on the countertop… it will cause hazing. I don’t know what that means – but it doesn’t sound good. lastly, it says to buff dry with a lint-free cloth… wait 20 minuted and do the whole thing again -2 – 3 times.

The last step says to polish  – but not until 24 hours after you have sealed the countertops. This is because the sealer needs that amount of time to cure. After the 24 hours are up the directions say to spray the countertops with the daily cleaner and wipe clean with a paper towel or a lint-free cloth. Then lastly, simply spray the polish on the countertop and buff with a dry paper towel or lint-free cloth. Then to wipe dry with a paper towel or lint-free cloth to finish. I’m getting the feeling that maybe I should be using a lint-free cloth🤷🏻‍♀️. Probably a good investment I’d say. Just a guess.

Here’s a video of how it all went down for me and the finished product!

Want to shop this post? Click on an image below!!

Thanks so much for watching guys!

Much Love,

Kori ~ from the farmhouse life

Castile soap is a natural inexpensive product and here is some Castile soap benefits that you may not of thought of!

Castile soap has saved me quite a bit of money over the years. I use it for just about everything in my farmhouse home. I started using it because I wanted to find easy and simple ways to start using more natural products in my home. It’s very affordable running under $5 a bottle – and get this… It’s concentrated too! A couple of teaspoons of Castile soap will get you far! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a pinch and needed to do laundry but had run out of detergent, and castile soap to the rescue!

So If you’re looking for a way to introduce more natural products in your home without spending much money, this product is for you! I’ve written down my top 10 favorite ways to use castle soap in your home!

1. All-purpose cleaning spray

Mix 2 teaspoons of castile soap with water and some drops of your favorite essential oil mixed in a spray bottle makes for a fantastic all-purpose cleaner.  You can use it on your counters in your bathroom and kitchen, your sinks, stovetops, even your toilets. It’s the wonder spray!

2. Shower scrubber

Mix 2-3 tablespoons of castile soap with 1/4 cup baking soda for a non-toxic shower scrub. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then scrub away. It works wonders!

3. Handwashing your dishes

A few drops of castile soap in your dishwater will do wonders on your sink of dishes!  A little dab goes a long way!

4. Toothpaste

 I wouldn’t go around eating it – but a few drops on your wet toothbrush will clean your teeth without all the chemical ingredients.

5. Body wash and shampoo

If you’re a low-maintenance person, you’ll be happy to know that you can use castile soap as an all-in-one in the shower, both for your hair and your body.

6. Veggie wash

Vegetable washes can be quite expensive! Did you know you can use Castile soap to help rinse fruit and vegetables from their dirt and pesticide residue? Just add 1 tablespoon of the hard working castile soap to 2 cups of water, and store the mixture in a squirt bottle right beside your kitchen sink.

7. Pup shampoo

Make a mixture with one part castile soap and three parts water to shampoo your dog. This mix comes in handy with our farm pup – boy does she get stinky!

8. Hand soap refill

I love the smell of my Castle Soap, I put in 3 Tablespoons castile soap mixed with water into my hand soap bottle as a replacement.

9. Laundry detergent

Run out of Laundry Detergent? No problem! Just squirt about 1 tablespoon of Castle Soap and a splash of vinegar as a rinse to give your clothes a gentler clean!

10. Floor wash

Mix 1/4 cup castile soap in a bucket with warm water and get to mopping!

Well – I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! My favorite place to get Castle Soap is at Grove! Check it out here to receive your free caddy and three-piece Mrs. Meyers set!

Or you can pick it up at Amazon here!

With Love,

Korilyn

In this tutorial I will show you how to update your bathroom fixtures with spray paint!

As you know – I’m currently in a blog series called bathroom refresh where I’m trying to update my bathroom on only a $100 budget. This is actually quite hard to do – so I’m trying to pull as many things from my house as possible to save the budget for statement items such as new light fixtures and pulls. Now – You might be confused because the title of my blog is called “How to update your bathroom fixtures with spray paint” but in my case, my light fixture and pulls are so outdated – spray paint wasn’t going to fix it. I decided to use my budget to try and buy a light clearanced out, new pulls, and textiles. So, this meant I had to be willing to repaint a brand new light fixture to get it exactly the customized shade I was looking for. I found a light on clearance for $40 and it was exactly perfect for this DIY tutorial! Except that it was brown and not black. I also pulled a mirror that was the perfect size from my guest room – and it’s also brown and not black. That’s where my handy dandy can of spray paint comes in.

Use the right spray paint

It’s important to always use the right spray paint for your projects. In this case, I’m spray painting metal so enamel paint is best. It will last longer on  metal surfaces compared to lacquer. It also adheres better the the metal. Sometimes I will use a top coat to help seal in the color, but not always. I usually only do that on “high traffic” items that get used a lot or touched a lot like chairs, furniture, etc. Because this bathroom mirror and light fixture is a “hung and done” kind of deal, I’m not worried about the paint coming off.

Light coats

You should use 2-3 light coats of paint which is always a good idea when spray painting to ensure you’re getting full coverage. Also, I’ll emphasize LIGHT coats! If you spray it on too thick it’ll probably drip and then it’ll be obvious that it was spray painted. Try and stand a good 12 inches away from your fixtures so that it doesn’t bubble up and look sloppy.

Wedge your tape

It’s important to wedge your tape right up underneath the frame of your mirror so you don’t “accidentally” leave a thick stripe of spray paint. The more of the tape you get under the frame the better.

The great thing about spray paint is that it only takes seconds to get an even coat… it’s the dry time between coats that can be time-consuming. A half-hour is a good amount of time to wait in between coats if the coats are light.

If you don’t have fixtures – or yours were so outdated like mine then you should check out my latest post on choosing the right fixtures for your bath!

Stay Tuned for the next post in the series to see these bad boys hung up!

Until next time –

Korilyn – at the farmhouse life

After the first coat of white paint, I realized that the paint stuck out like a sore thumb. You see, all of the other elements in my bathroom are a light tan. I didn’t notice this until the first coat of white paint was up and the contrast was very obvious. Sometimes you can follow all the steps on your design plan and it doesn’t work out. There just isn’t money in the budget to change the light beige toilet, shower surround, and tub to new whites ones so… instead I’m going to repaint the walls. The walls were a dark beige color before I painted them a bright white. My plan now is to mix white paint with a light tan paint I have and mix it until it’s a creamy neutral with a hint of tan to it. That way it doesn’t clash with the other tan elements in the bathroom.  Now that brings me to another problem I have in this bathroom. I don’t have an exhaust fan and mold can grow easily on the ceiling. I need to deep clean this bathroom before I paint over my ceiling – but I’m not a fan of using bleach. It can be tough to fight mold and other bathroom germs without it. But I’ve rounded up some cleaning hacks that don’t require bleach that will leave your bathroom sparkling!

Hack 1  – Baking soda

Baking soda is an excellent cleaning agent. It can create an awesome paste that will cut through mold, mildew, and tub grime. If you mix it with equal parts peroxide and let the paste sit in your tube it will wipe away shiny and clean after just a few minutes.

Hack 2 – Vinegar

Vinegar is great for disinfecting as well.  I like to Mix 1 cup white vinegar and ½ cup lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray it all over my tub. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then sprinkle baking soda on top. Let it sit for another 10 minutes and wipe it clean. Seriously, your tub will sparkle! You can also pour a half cup of vinegar into your toilet and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It seriously cleans the bowl without needing a toilet brush. Just flush it down and your toilet will be sparkly and clean! Vinegar also works great to mop those bathroom floors! Just add a  ½ cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water.

Hack 3 – Castile soap

Ok- This is probably my favorite hack because it doesn’t necessarily pertain to just bathroom cleaning. I literally use Castile soap for everything! Castile Soap comes concentrated so you have to dilute it. Just a couple tablespoons of Castile soap in a spray bottle of water makes a perfect disinfecting spay! Want even more cleaning power? Use this spray to get rid of tub mildew and then sprinkle on baking soda and let sit. Seriously, the mildew wipes away!

Did you miss my inspo board for my bathroom refresh? Check it out here , the first post in this series!

Thanks so much for reading along – Leave some love below if you also like to clean with safer cleaning supplies and drop a comment with your favorite cleaning hacks!

Much love,

Korilyn at the farmhouse life

To start my bathroom refresh I started with a vision board. I went with farmhouse meets boho…If you know me – surprise surprise! Those are my two favorite styles. My bathroom currently is very brown. So to start things off I needed a paint job.

Time-saving painting hack

I’ll be perfectly honest – I do not enjoy painting. I’m not a prep work person and painting is all about that prep work – am I right?! It takes too much time! I just like to get in – do my project – and get out. Ever wonder how to paint a room quickly without all the painstakingly annoying steps? Well – I’ve discovered a time-saving painting hack where you can paint a room so much faster! Are you ready for it? Glad Press and Seal wrap!! Seriously, just a quick pull, rip, press down and your good to go. Instead of using painter’s tape, just press the wrap to the surfaces you don’t want paint on. Since using this hack – I’ve not only been able to cut down on the prep work… but I make less of a mess! Seriously – at one point my husband had made a no painting rule for me because I always made a mess – trick’s on him because I hate painting lol! You know, all the prep work right? (Like lying down a drop cloth and taping) Seriously, I hate taping!! But using Press and Seal wrap It’s quick and easy to paint without the mess.

Just Press and go

Did you also know that you can wrap it around your brush when your done painting (without soaking) to use the next day? That is if you’re working on the same project with the same colors. It keeps the brush moist overnight. I know I used the word moist… anybody hate that word? My sister does – literally cringes when I use it. That one for you sis!  Anyway –  I finished up the first coat today and I’ll back at it tomorrow with another coat.

Be sure to check out number 2 in this bathroom refresh series here. Each post will show the progress of my refresh and have a DIY or two along the way!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love, Korilyn at the farmhouse life

I love Grove Collaborative because they have wonderful non toxic products that are good for your home!

I made the switch! Ok… I’m sure you’ve all seen the advertisements for Grove Collaborative. They’re everywhere on social media! Nobody likes to be sold to, and so for a long time I, like lots of other people, have turned their eyes away. I really didn’t want to like them.. but honestly, I FINALLY gave the place a shot and I’m so glad I did!

Grove Collaborative delivers safe products right to your door…which for me saves me from my overspending, particularly at Target. I’ll go in for toilet paper and bananas and I come out $200 later. Using Grove, I set up my monthly orders (or bi-monthly for the things I don’t use as often) and then don’t give it another thought! The non toxic products are delivered right to my door.. saving me money because the products seem to be a few dollars less than in the store.

free HAND SOAP and $10 credit

Right now Grove is offering a $10 credit and a free Mrs. Meyers hand soap! They’re always running freebies and giveaways… Which I LOVE!! …and today ONLY –  All Seventh Generation products are 20% off. Use this Link to get your deal!!

easy to find non- toxic products

I’m always looking to replace my hygiene products with healthier non-toxic versions… but they can be hard to find!!! Grove not only sells fantastic kitchen essentials but personal hygiene products too. I even started buying mine and my children’s vitamins from Grove Collaborative.. which saves me time from the 10 different sites I was buying them all from.

Use the link here to take advantage of all of Grove Collabrotive awesome deals!!