Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening

Blackening your teeth to a whiter smile!

Ok, I’m going to be completely honest here.   

I am not a big fan of my smile… even though I love to do it!

My opinion of it isn’t as bad as it used to be, but it’s still there none the less.

The nerves to my front tooth were damaged at one point and now it has a yellow tint.  My teeth aren’t pearly white, but that one always sticks out like a sore thumb.  For the longest time it made me so self-conscious, but now I’m too comfortable with myself to care.

However, I am always chasing after the proverbial whitening care.  I use whitening toothpaste, but my teeth always stay the same.  The gunk on the white strips annoy me, plus the cost is outrageous. 

This is why a comment I received on my Charcoal Face mask post really got my attention.  This person used activated charcoal to clean and whiten their teeth. 

I admit that I have seen this before, but with all my issues about wanting whiter teeth, the thought about brushing black powder all over them was a little terrifying.  However, this person swore by it and the great results that they got.  With a shrug and a deep breath, I tried it out.  I couldn’t be happier.  My teeth look and feel amazing.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Activated Charcoal
Small Bowl
New Toothbrush
Water

That’s it!

There’s no need for any harsh chemicals added with it.  It works just fine on its own.

I used two activated charcoal pills and pulled them apart to dump the powder in the small bowl. 

**Yes, it gets messy.  Even after doing this numerous times, I still get black all over my fingers.**

Grab your toothbrush. 

**The charcoal doesn’t fully come out of the brush when rinsed afterward, so you will want a new toothbrush or one that you don’t plan on using again for everyday brushing.**

Rinse your toothbrush with water, then place it in the charcoal.  The water will help adhere the charcoal to the brush.

Start brushing your teeth like normal.

**When reading up on this, I saw that someone suggested to not breathe in through your mouth while doing this so you don’t choke down the powder.  I didn’t have a problem, but I could see how someone might.  Good advice!**

Keep brushing. 

If you think you need more charcoal, place the brush once again in the small bowl and continue brushing.

Once you’ve brushed every last part of your teeth, multiple times, let it sit for a minute.

Rinse.

Rinse some more.  It will take a lot of rinsing to get all the black off. 

I recommend using your normal toothbrush and toothpaste to get the remaining black residue off your teeth.  This will also help with the little bit that’s hard to get from the crevices in between your teeth and gums. 

You should notice a difference right away.

Two weeks after I tried this, I had a dentist appointment and wanted his take on this whole thing.  He told me that he had never read any studies on it, but has heard of the health benefits from charcoal in the past.  He didn’t see anything wrong with it, and even the dental hygienist commented on how good my teeth looked and how little she had to clean.

**Side note: I was told very firmly to never use anything acidic (lemon, etc.) on my teeth and gums, natural or otherwise.  Those will damage your mouth more than help it.**

Some things you need to know before trying:

• This gets messy! Not just the breaking open of the pills.  There is splatter from brushing and the gigantic mess from rinsing.  It’s inevitable, but also easy to clean when all is said and done.

• I don’t recommend doing this every day or every other day.  I know that after one time my gums were a little sore for a couple of days, but quickly went back to normal.

With those things in mind, I hope you try this out for yourself and let me know what you think.

I was happy with my results, and definitely plan on doing it again. I’m thinking once every couple of months to stay on top of keeping them looking nice.

So far I have used activated charcoal as a peel off face mask, and now as a teeth whitener.  What other things have you used activated charcoal for, and what did you think of the results?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

Organizing Life with Binders

Another school year has begun, and it’s as if the dust has just started to settle from a 3 month long tornado. The inside of all my cabinets felt the wrath… Even I slacked off on trying to keep things organized. 

Teachers have students bring binders to school to stay organized.  Why not take a play from their book and try it out at home?

So far, I have used binders for two things that had otherwise became clutter in my home, and it has already made life so much easier.

First off... My Sports Binder

Anybody that has been paying attention, has noticed that a big part of our lives revolve around our children’s athletics.

Over the years, my kids have been in numerous sports, and every time we purchased the pictures they offered. 

It’s great to look back and see how much they’ve grown.  However, there got to be so many, I was slipping them in random folders and drawers, “for the time being.”  They went from nostalgic to a nuisance.

I finally had enough!  I went to the store and bought:

A Binder
Subject Dividers
Letter Sized Sheet Protectors
4x6 picture Sheet Protectors
Fun Stickers (optional)

Once I had everything, it was all about putting it together. 

I used the subject dividers to separate the kids.

I organized the seasons by date, so when you flipped through, you watched the kids get older. The letter sized protectors were for their team and individual pages.  Then the 4x6 protectors were for any single shots that we still had left over.

After all was said and done, I had a great place to put all of the kids’ sports photos that kept them safe and made it easily accessible for whomever wanted to look at them.

Coupon Binder

If you are anything like me, this is one of the hardest things to keep organized.  You cut out a coupon, stick it in a drawer or your purse/wallet, and then forget about it until it has long since expired.  Then there’s the hassle of flipping through your stack in the store isles to see exactly what you have, or shuffling through store ads to see what deals are out there.

I’d thought about making one of these in the past, but never did.  It felt a little embarrassing to me, thinking that people would judge me as if I were advertising the fact that I needed to use coupons.  That ship has sailed!!  I have long since learned the error of my ways!

Let me tell you… when you have a family of 6, and we all need food, clothes, medicine, and personal items, you need all the help you can get, including (and not limited to) coupons.  This binder has made shopping so much easier and not as stressful.

What I used:

A Binder   
Subject Dividers
Trading Card Protectors

**My subject dividers are the ones with a pocket in the front.  I found this helpful in the store to keep track of the coupons I was planning on giving to the cashier.**

I used the subject dividers to separate the types of coupons. My labels are:

Breakfast, Snacks, Meats & Cheeses, Dinners, Drinks, Laundry & Cleaning, Personal Items, and Misc.

Using the trading card protectors, I organized the coupons.  If I had two of the same one, placed them in the same pocket but made sure the one with the earliest expiration date was on top.

Finishing off the binder… At the back, I used a letter sized sheet protector, left over from the Sports Binder (mentioned above), and placed restaurant and fast food coupons inside.

 

Then making sure to switch them out every week, I slip the shopping ads in the front pouch.

I was then ready to do some shopping.

I have had so much success with this so far, there’s no telling what other things will soon be organized in binders.

Have you used binders to make your life easier in any way?

What other ways have you used to stay organized?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!   

Art Paper Box

In my house, art is a popular thing amongst my kids.  I always encourage them to have fun and create all the little things they can imagine.  We even have a special cabinet in our kitchen that’s designated for this.  That’s where we keep their chalk, magic sand, sensory balls, stickers, glue, markers, and more. 

What made no sense was that all their construction paper was stored in a cabinet in our hallway, to where they had to climb on a chair to get it.  I’m not exactly sure why it was there, but I knew that I needed to get the sheets to their cabinet. However, it had to be a way that kept the paper together, was easy for them to get to, and made it so paper wouldn’t become destroyed and thrown all over the inside of the cabinet.  (My kids can be little tornados sometimes.)

With this in mind, I came up with an idea, and I started to eye a box of Lucky Charms.

 

After everything, I now have a paper box that works great, and I couldn’t be happier.  Here’s how to make an easy, convenient, and non-obtrusive art paper box. 

What you need:

Empty cereal box
Pen / Pencil
Scissors / X-acto Knife

(Optional)

Wrapping Paper
Tape
Command Strips

First, find a cereal box that will fit the size of paper you want it to hold.

If you’re putting it on the inside of a cabinet door, like me, you will also have to make sure the box fits on the door without preventing it from shutting.

Place a piece of art paper on the box so you can judge where it will need to be cut.  Mark it.

Remove the paper and finish drawing your cut line, then take your scissors or X-acto knife and cut on your drawn line.  Make sure to cut both sides of your box.

              

**Don’t forget to cut out save those box tops to turn in at your child’s school! It’s such an easy way for them to raise money.**

There… your paper box is done.  You can stop here, and it would work just as well as mine.

 

However, I decided to dress up my box a little to make it more fun looking when the cabinet is opened.  I did this by wrapping it in playful wrapping paper.

Wrap and fold the box the same way you would a birthday or Christmas present, leaving the top open.

When that’s done, fold over the edges of the box at the top.

After a decent amount of paper is folded down into the box (enough so whatever parts of the box’s inside are showing will be covered in wrapping paper), cut off the excess.

Tape down the paper on the inside of the box.  **On the bottom and back, I used normal scotch tape, since I knew it wouldn’t be seen.  However, the inside that COULD be seen, I used double sided tape to make the appearance cleaner.**

I love how the finished product looked!

Except, I still needed to hang up the box.  This is where I broke into my supply of extra Command strips.  Yes, I keep everything!

I strategically placed the strips on the corners to best hold the weight of the paper, and stuck the box onto the inside of our art cabinet door.  Press and hold each strip for 30 seconds, and don’t load the box with paper for at least an hour.

 

**Side note: At first I put on Velcro Command strips, thinking that it would be great if I needed to take the box off for any reason.  However, they didn’t stick too well and made the box stick out more than normal. They easily came off, and I put on the sticky clear, and flat ones.  I’ve had no problems since then.  Trial and error, people! Trial and error!**

Now, our box is loaded with colored and white paper so the kids can easily get what they need.

It’s great watching them grab their paper and head off to create new projects. No more climbing on chairs or kids messing around in our adult office supplies.  It’s easy to make, convenient for the kids, and brings to mind so many more ideas I can make out of snack and cereal boxes.

Have you made anything amazing out of cereal boxes? 

What is the best thing you have done or made to make your life just a little bit easier?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!

DIY Bug Jars

What does every little explorer need? Their very own bug jar to hold and carry their squirmy finds!!

My kids are notorious for going through loads of bug containers.  If it’s not my Mason jars that get lost or left outside, it’s the broken plastic ones that we bought from a store. (Those had no chance of surviving with my rambunctious children.)

After the gazillionth time of being asked for a container to hold a creepy crawly, I decided it was time for their very own, durable bug jars.  But what to make them out of??

Luckily, my family is full of pickle fanatics, I mean… my children even love pickle juice snow cones. **Shudder**

They had just finished off two pickle jars, and I snatched them before they were thrown away. 

The great thing about this project is that the ideas are endless!

Both my jars were 24oz, but any size can be used.

First, remove the label from the jar, and clean out the inside really well.  We don’t want to harm any of the animals because of leftover food! **Helpful Hint: Vlasic pickle jar labels come off super easy.  Water, soap, and lightly scrub off… Done!**

Now, what is a must have with every bug jar? AIR HOLES!!

Take a screwdriver and hammer, and gently tap through the lid to make small holes.

 

Oops, I accidently made one too big.  We don’t want any little insects escaping, especially in the house!  No problem, I just flipped the lid upside down and used the hammer to refold the metal back in place.

You can now leave the lid as is, but WE took ours outside and sprayed them different colors with metal spray paint. 

**Make sure to use a toothpick and clear out any air holes that got clogged with paint.**

It’s finally time to decorate! I knew I wanted to used everything foam, because if it gets wet it will dry just like new. Anything paper would disintegrate fast!

First, I cut out grass strips and hot glued them to the bottom of both jars.

 

Next, I got a ton of foam stickers, dropped them in a big pile, and told my kids to have at it!

 

This was their favorite part!  They could personalize it in any way they wanted, but I had to remind them that if they put too many stickers on, then they wouldn’t be able to see what was inside.  They did a great job!

As a secret surprise, they didn’t know that I had also gotten foam letters.

 

When they were done, I made the finishing touches and put their names on each jar, along with a little something extra.  They LOVED it!

That’s all that it took for them to have a bug jar whenever they needed, and my little explorers were off and hunting.  They are in charge of cleaning it out and not losing it, however it does still take “Mom” to remind them to let out their finds after a day, since the “animal/insect can’t live in a jar forever.”

So far in this short amount of time, my son has caught numerous insects, a praying mantis, and a GIANT insect my husband claims was a grasshopper. My daughter, who is outside more than inside and not afraid of anything, has had insects, a snake, and even a frog.  Okay, we’re going to be honest here… It was a toad.  LOL!

These jars are so fun that even my ten year old that was “too old for bug hunting,” now wants one. Score 1 for Mom!!

What other things have you made bug containers out of?  Or better yet…

What is the strangest/coolest thing that you or someone you know has caught?

Comment below to let me know!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!