To go where no dishwasher has gone!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”


If you are like me, you hate when dishes come out of the dishwasher dirty.  It is frustruating when guests are over for dinner and a fork gets pulled out with water spots and grime.  This seems to be a very common problem in my house.  It was getting so bad that I was practically washing my dishes prior to loading them up in the dishwasher.  Not. Fun. 
I experimented with different dishwashing detergents finding out some do work better than others.  I noticed that with my dishwasher, the powder detergent doesn't work very well at all, ever.  So when I ran across the Cascade Platinum pacs, I was entrigued.  Powder and gel in one little pac.  They claim that the pacs would clean 24 hour stuck on food.  I was a little hesitant because the pacs were a little more expensive than the gels or powders, but would it save me time?  And frustration? 
Yes, and Yes!  I have been so impressed with these little action pacs.  Now I don't have to spend anytime rinsing my dishes and they come out sparkling every single time!  And, they really do clean 24 hour stuck on food!!!!  They really are not that expensive after all, only 29 cents per dose.  Who knew I could get so excited about dishwashing detergent!
Now I don't have to worry when I have a dinner party.  My guests will always have sparkling clean dishes.

Cascade is running a fun photo contest.  Show off your sparkling dishes and you could win a new Whirlpool!  Here is the info:

The Cascade “My Platinum” contest is a four-week Instagram contest encouraging fans to upload photos related to the weekly contest themes. Show off how sparkly Cascade makes all your pots, pan and plates!

Visit the contest landing page (http://tinyurl.com/PlatBlog) for information on how to enter and submit images.
Each week, two contestants will be selected to receive a brand new Whirlpool dishwasher. Additionally, one lucky grand prize winner will receive a Platinum kitchen makeover!

 

Learn about Cascade’s partnership with Gail Simmons by viewing videos available on the Link to the Cascade Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/10Y8RQQ and Cascade YouTube page: http://bit.ly/124rLfa

Cascade website: http://bit.ly/16Te3N5
Cascade Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/10Y8RQQ
#MyPlatinum Instagram contest: http://tinyurl.com/PlatBlog

Camper Overhaul Part 1: Painting the refrigerator

Since I am a renter and have no freedom when it comes to painting or changing things in my house, I have decided to take out that energy on my new camper. My husband bought the camper for our family for Hanukah. He actually worked it out in a trade so we didn't even have to pay a dime for it! I love bartering!

The camper, a 1992 Shasta, was in pretty great condition. But, like I said before, my decorating "clock" has been ticking pretty loudly. And frankly, the interior was just way too early 90's for my liking.

I knew I wanted to cover up the awful wood paneled refrigerator so that is where i began. I painted it with a flat, 100% acrylic paint. The color was charcoal, but you could have any color you want as long as it is 100% acrylic flat paint.  I think I will make a red chalkboard for the house sometime soon.  Here is how it works.

Step 1: Tape around edges with painters tape.

Be sure to sue a high quality painters tape. I made the mistake of using cheap stuff and will probably spend most of my summer chipping paint off of the trim. 

Step 2: Prime

I skipped this step because I always take the path of least resistance. My project worked out okay but if you have the time I would recommend using the primer. 

Step 3: Apply the paint. 

Apply 3 coats of the 100% acrylic flat paint. Be sure to allow plenty of time to dry between coats. I waited at least 24 hours between each coat. 

Step 4: The waiting game. 

After the 3rd coat of paint is dry, wait at least 7 days for the paint to dry and set before using chalk on it. After the 7 days, it should be ready for use!

I was pleasantly surprised at how well this paint worked for a chalkboard.  It was smooth to write on with chalk, and wiped off with ease with just a damp paper towel.  I have used the chalkboard spraypaint before, and this turned out much nicer.

 

Happy Painting and check back soon for Part 2: Painting the interior walls.