Creating A New Generation Of Stains™ + D.I.Y. Color Toss Tutorial

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShoutSolutions #CollectiveBias

Momma Told Me: That stain's never going to come out!

I don't wear white.

It's kind of a rule I have. I respect white clothing, and, in turn, they respect me. We have a mutual understanding, white linens and I.

That's because I was born not only a klutz, but a color addict. I am drawn to vibrant, colorful, things much like a bride to a sparkly engagement ring. The number one stain nemesis my wardrobe faces? Food stains. I'm not going to lie, if something's vibrant AND delicious I'll make like a pig in mud and throw caution to the wind for fruit juices (Mmmm, juicy ripe, red strawberries!) rich bbq sauces, melting chocolate ice cream, robust marinaras and more. But, growing up, I wasn't called a 'stain magnet' just for the food I'd encounter- after all, Momma was smart enough to cover me in a tarp before letting me loose with a messy food. No, I managed to cover my clothes in everything from highlighters and paint to crushed flowers.

Still today, when I see something beautifully colorful I have to touch it- My wardrobe, organized on a color wheel scheme, has pieces in literally every hue, to match any given mood. And when you combine a yellow dress with a neon blue eye-shadow clump you make for a pretty formidable laundry stain.

Yes, I'm proud to say I'm still devising new stains today.

It's not that I don't care about ruining my favorite clothes. Well, I sort of don't. I know I have pretty good odds of removing just about any stain from my favorite threads with a secret weapon on hand. Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover from Walmart is an affordable single treatment laundry remover that goes to work on the toughest stains to cling, penetrate, and lift in wash. Naturally the sooner you treat a stain, the better it will work- just spray Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover on the stained areas, gently rub the solution in, let it sit 1-5 minutes, then wash the stained fabric in the warmest water it will accept. Shout® is suitable for all colorfast materials, so you can truly use it for a variety of stain solutions.

Speaking of a variety of stains- the Shout® brand realizes there's a New Generation of Stains™ and is challenging their customers to put their Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover to the test on whatever life throws at them. Discover some of these stains in funny videos on the brand's YouTube page. Over the past few years one of my most challenging stains have come from the variety of 'fun runs' I've participated in. These casual 5-7k events often involve unusual terrain, excess dirt and mud, or even thousands of gallons of colored corn starch.

Did I catch your attention there? Yes, I have literally rolled in colored corn starch during these events simply to see how close to a living rainbow I could become.

But a good old-fashioned modern color toss shouldn't be something reserved for a once a year event on city streets. No, I need color in my life, and I need it in a big way. How fun would it be to stage gender announcements with a color toss photo-shoot? Or host a color wars themed family reunion party? Heck, even the kids would have a barrel of a good time watching a cloud of color shoot through the sky for no reason other than it's Tuesday. So I bring you the very simple process for making your own Color Toss powder at home-

1. Begin with some basic materials- You are going to want 4-5 Cups of basic cornstarch, depending on how much, and how many colors, you are attempting to yield. You will also need stain resistant mixing bowls (1 for each color,) gloves to protect your hands from staining, gel based food colors of choice, and Water. Here is the supply breakdown for 1 batch (Approximately 1 Cup of Color Toss):

1 C Cornstarch

1/3 C Room Temperature Water

6-8 Drops Gel Based Food Color

Stain Resistant Mixing Bowl

Gloves

Baking Sheet (For Drying)

2. Begin by placing 1 Cup of cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Add the water slowly, but steadily, stirring as you add. This may be easiest to do with a second pair of hands to pour as you stir. The mixture will want to seize and turn into a substance referred to as 'Oooblek'. Keeping the motion constant will help the mixture maintain its’ liquid-like properties and allow all of the cornstarch to be evenly absorbed. You may need to add more water if the mixture thickens beyond a rough slurry. You will know you have reached the correct consistency when the mixture oozes off a spoon rapidly, but with enough thickness to coat it in entirety.

3. If you are lucky, and have that second pair of hands, you can add your food color without ever stopping stirring. Make the color of the mixture significantly darker than your desired result as most of the liquid will evaporate out during the drying process and the powder will be several shades lighter when done.

4. Repeat this process for each color your desire to make. As you go you will quickly find a simple technique and water ratio that works best for you. By my 4th color I was a pro. Once all of the colors are mixed place the bowls in a dry place where they can rest for several days. If you are using large bowls and your liquid pool is shallow your colors will dry much quicker than smaller, taller, bowls. In most cases the colors will be ready for the next step in 2-3 days- you can 'drain' the excess liquid every few hours after the color has initially set, to help speed the process. Otherwise, set them aside and check back in several days for surface cracks. This is how you will know the color is 'done'.

5. Flip the color 'cakes' out onto a clean baking/cookie sheet. The color should crumble with light texture and will feel like soft, cool, red clay to the touch. The texture should remind you of chalk. Pre-heat your oven to 200F and crumble your color 'cakes' while you wait. Try and make the crumble as fine and even as possible, spreading it out in a thin layer along the sheet.

6. Bake your color in a 200F pre-heated oven for 45-60 minutes. Depending on how moist your color was upon crumbling, you may need to adjust this time more or less. The heating process will draw any remaining moisture out. It is important that you allow your color to 'cool' before the next step or any humidity from the heating process could make your final product clumpy or gritty.

7. For this last step you're going to want a nice food processor. Something meant to puree. Carefully add one tray's contents to the bin of a food processor or blender, securing the lid tightly- the color will 'puff' and 'smoke' around any open edge- you've been warned. Hit a quick 'pulse' then puree or blend on the highest setting for 30 seconds. Over processing can cause heat and, again, release any residual moisture, so be careful to take your time and check your product in between steps.

8. Now you should have a very fine, chalk dust, powder that steaks your hands when pressed between a few fingers. The color should lift from most surfaces with ease, unless moisture is added. While it is made with food grade ingredients you may also want to wear eye-wear, such as sunglasses, and be mindful of faces when tossing to minimize inhalation. Unless you don't mind sneezing colors for the next few days, that is.

You may be wondering what on Earth a person would do with colored powder, or why in heavens they'd want to stain everything in sight with it. If you are, then you and I are completely different people. This is okay.

One of the greatest things about this project is that the color can be stored in air tight containers for months. Pull some out for a photo-shoot, celebration, or simply to brighten an otherwise dull day. And yes, you could even smuggle it into your favorite color marathon event. I can only imagine the color combinations and color creations that are possible when one mixes all the beautiful vivid food colors at the local craft store!

If you're still on the fence- and if you read my blog you're probably ALL OVER THIS and making the shopping list now, but IF you are I have a few things to say...

Because this color toss recipe is made with simple food grade ingredients, children, pets, grandparents, neighbors, cars, and more can get in on the fun. Yes, the powder is VERY fine, and wind WILL give it a mind of it's own-but the majority of the color lifts WITH the powder and will wipe off of nearly any surface so long as moisture isn't involved. A leaf blower, vacuum, or box fan makes clean up a breeze- any residual color, outdoors, dissipates naturally within a few days.

I've had a lot of experience shooting color clouds and color events. We spent about 10 minutes on this photo shoot because my week has been bananas, and I captured some pretty fun shots. My best tips for staging photos is to use a high burst setting. If you're going to shoot outdoors obscured direct lighting is best- shoot for a background that is high contrast light or high contrast dark. The less going on, the more action your color will have. Cool tones, such as lime green and electric blue tend to pop the most on camera. The color will offer a beautiful cloud effect immediately as it hits a surface, followed by an entirely un-readable haze. Be fast.

One thing I really want to do is get our friends together for a cookout this Summer and play flag football, tug of war, and other team sports. I think it would be fun to kick our events off with a color toss to 'mark' our team. Can you imagine the group photos?

Okay- Remember how I said that this was impressively easy to clean up? While the color does wipe off of most materials and surfaces, and will pat fairly well out of clothing, cotton fabrics tend to 'inhale' the color into the fibers. Any area where you have perspired in the faintest, or simply come into contact with a high speed clump of color will be stained and discolored. Fear not- I have cleaned up much worse incidents and stains on clothing! Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover got every trace of color out of both our white shirts! Jay actually asked if I'd swapped shirts on him, his looked so remarkably clean! You really can't beat Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover from Walmart! Discover more fun messes on the Shout® Social Hub! Now, tell me, what event or who, would be perfect for a D.I.Y Color Toss event?

What Daughter Says: Shout® Trigger Triple-Acting Stain Remover gets the stains out so you can get back to enjoying the messes that create them!

The Joys Of Living With, And Cleaning Up After, A Cat #BissellClean #Giveaway 5/16

Momma Told Me: Sometimes life gets messy.


There's an age old saying, "Cat's are assholes."

Forgive the foul language but there in indeed few sentiments that can better sum up the combination of shrew, calculating, chaotic intelligence a feline exhibits. Truffles has this trait perfected. Sometimes I feel as though I have our roles reversed and it is I who is her pet, her plaything, there only to amuse and adore her.

If you've ever seen those YouTube videos of cats knocking over glasses of water and swatting the remote off the edge of the couch, then you have a pretty good idea of the psychological warfare I face every day. I don't think a day goes by I don't clean up  mess of fair size; litter, fur, food, dust bunnies kindly drug from the darkest depths of my home, bags of flour knocked off the kitchen counter, or a cup of beads sent tumbling from the craft table. And my vacuum- it hasn't been put away in weeks.

But wait- there's more.

Belonging to a cat isn't cheap. There's food, litter, veterinarian costs, and a plethora of gaudy toys and furniture they'll likely never touch, but you'll feel guilty about not buying, if you don't. And let's not forget all of the things your cat decides to destroy for sheer entertainment-

In our home I'm lucky enough Truffles sticks to knocking things over, more than shredding things up.

Lucky.

I'm also lucky to have found a powerful, lightweight, large capacity vacuum that comes in at under $50- just the thing I need for all of my baking/crafting/pet messes. In fact, the Bissell PowerForce Helix is an impressively powerful budget vacuum with a lot of thoughtful features you typically find on high end competitors. I'd say it's THE vacuum for a college student with it's affordable price point and large capacity dirt cup, or THE vacuum for anyone who has trouble lifting due to age or injury.

The Bissell PowerForce Helix is astoundingly lightweight at just 12lbs. That's 3lbs less than my bowling ball, or 2lbs more than I weighed when I was born. (Yes, I know, my poor mother.) But the most impressive aspect of this feature is that is has fierce suction with multiple levels of height adjust-ability for every floor surface in your house. Because it's lightweight, I don't leave heavy tracks in my carpeting when I use it- and the powerful suction is able to grab everything from the finest dust, or catnip specks, to smashed dry food and dirt clumps.

With it's 5' hose and suction wand cracks and crevices are never out of reach- and I can clean up that potting soil that 'mysterious' wound up on the living room table. I can even get at the hard to reach back corners of our litter cabinet without having to stick me head, and half my body, inside! I only have one complaint about the PowerForce Helix- the 23' power cord feels exceptionally short when you are literally gliding across your floors. Too many times I forgot to pay attention to the length and went 'cold turkey' when unplugged.

This particular vacuum also happens to feature a unique technology hinted to in it's name- the Helix cleaning system captures dirt and other debris using internal "ribs" that are incorporated into the Easy Empty™ Dirt Cup. This naturally encourages large particles of dirt and debris to the bottom of the tank, keeping the filtration area free to do what it does best, filter. A free and clear filter means a more efficient vacuum that functions longer- that couples with the large tank capacity, and I can go longer between emptying the vacuum.

Of course, if you have pets, husbands, or kids you're likely going to discover a plethora messes on a daily basis- thank goodness this vacuum is light and powerful. Almost too powerful I'd say- just look at all that I collected from one session in a recently vacuumed living room! I think it's time to bring out the air filtration system, what do you think?

Of course, the Bissell PowerForce Helix can't stop the fact that your cat/husband/child is going to do what they do best- create more messes. And please, don't attempt to use the handy high suction detailing want to remove that loose catnip from the cat- it could end horribly for all involved. Mostly for the vacuum. Vacuums have feelings too.

But I digress- Cats/kids/life is expensive, and vacuuming can often be tedious and back straining. The affordable Bissell PowerForce Helix is a wonderful compromise of budget and functionality. Head on over to the Bissell product page to learn more and discover where you can buy it (Hint: It's exclusive to Walmart).

What Daughter Says: You don't have to break the bank to keep up with life's messes.

Five readers, across all websites sharing this content, will be chosen to receive a BISSELL PowerForce Helix of their very own! To enter please visit the BISSELL PowerForce Helix website and tell me which feature you love most!

My Handheld Vacuum Does More Than Suck! Moneual Rydis U60 Pro Feature

**I received the following item in hopes I would share my honest thoughts. All opinions and images contained below are authentic and copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2014.

Momma Told Me: Clean goes beyond what you can see.

When I was a young girl my mother started me on chores heading into second grade. Momma had a compromised immune system due to her previous battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma, during my toddler years, and significantly decreased energy. Even at 7 or 8 I was better equiped to haul the tiny Dirt Devil vacuum up and down our condominium's stairs, and it was a task I much preferred over scrubbing the toilets an mopping the floors. There was always something somewhat cathartic about the process of vacuuming; the loud hum, and the silence that followed it, the gentle tracks the rollers left on the carpet, and the satisfaction of seeing the filter clogged with lint, dust, and dirt. To this day it remains my favorite chore.

But Momma also taught me simply because something appears clean does not mean it is in fact, clean. Yet another concept most of us learn as early as the first time we are taught to wash our hands. Microbes and germs live on a level far below standard human eyesight, and can stick to fabric surfaces just as well as counter tops that have just been wiped, or dishes that were merely rinsed. If you stop to consider it, really, you just might find, while your floors receive the most movement via foot traffic, it's your couches and upholstery that likely come into contact with the most germs. From pet dander and bacteria to the simple transfer of agents from your sweaty bum (lovely, right?) your sofa is most likely a breeding ground for Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas Aruginosa (bacterium.)

That's where the 2012 Red Dot design award winner Rydis U60 Pro handheld vacuum, buy Moneaul comes in. This elegantly modern designed handheld vacuum focuses on the efficiency of your suction cleaning efforts through the power of vibration, UV-C lighting, and stick-free 600w suction. Their simple tagline "Breathing is important. Inhaling Dust Is Hazardous. Therefor the process of cleaning is important." pretty much sums it up! While we've owned numerous handheld vacuums in our household, they have often lost suction rapidly, stuck and pulled on expensive upholstery, and only truly removed contaminants at a visible level.

The somewhat space-age saucer designed unit has an intuitive touch screen selector for easy toggle between any of the unit's 3 main cleaning modes; UV-C light, Vibration, Suction. Use them individually or all together for a more dramatic impact. Combine with a touch recognition within the main handle and a floor detection (movement) sensor, this highly energy efficient handheld vacuum will only run when it is in motion and being held! We found this feature a little tentative at first; as I attempted to get photos, and the response time was in fact too fast! The unit would entirely return to standby (with only the touch screen/LED active) whenever I lifted the device off the fabric for more than 5 seconds. This acts as a secondary precaution to protect the user from unwanted UV-C exposure when the unit is not in use.

The Rydis U60 Pro is a bit bigger than one might anticipate from photos but has a beautifully curved body and free flowing movement for lightweight and intuitive use. I noticed no strain when working with the unit, and was very happy with the weight in my hand when scaling the side of furniture. I did, however, feel the units cord was the least designed aspect of this device; somewhat short for me to clear more than one piece of furniture without plugging, and lacking a good method of storage when not in use. The U60 Pro model has the added benefit of an optional lavender air freshener, which inserts into the bottom of the unit; something I would have gladly exchanged for a cord storage solution. While the fragrance was a nice aromatic while cleaning, and did in fact linger for a while after, it seemed to blow directly into my face at most times.

As the first handheld vacuum with UV-C light sterilization, the Rydis Pro's 3600 RPM vibration pad truly works hand in hand to make this an efficient cleaning device. The 4 'feet' like stompers work at high sped to massage fabric and help loosen finer micro-debris and contaminants that may be stuck in aged or wide pile fabrics. The company claims, base on testing at an independent lab, even a second of direct exposure from the unit's UV-C lamp has the potential to remove 99% of harmful bacterium agents from fabrics.

Naturally, I was most interested about this unit's function as an actual vacuum. While the hype of the UV-C lamp and vibration are all great features in theory, I don't have a professional system in place to reassure myself of these features accuracy. What I can test is the power of suction and efficiency of visible cleaning. With an impressively strong 600W suction motor, for a handheld, I was very surprised to be able to use the Rydis U60Pro to clean gentle clothing fabric and upholstery without clogging, pulling, or sticking to the fabric itself- one of the unit's most obvious praises.

The Rydis U60Pro also boasts an easy to remove, washable, filter housed within a pull out bin. Above you can observe the dust and debris collected with a single pass-through on our secondary living room couch. We like to think we keep our living quarters fairly clean, so this was a surprise and huge success to us! The little handheld vacuum was able to pull up considerably more dust and dirt than merely beating and shaking the cushions outside ever could.

With a $229 price point the Moneaul Rydis U60 Pro might not be your first pick for a handheld vacuum- That being said there is a model without the 'frill' of the air freshener or hand touch sensor, that runs $50 cheaper and comes in an assortment of bright modern accent colors. If you consider the efficiency of this unit, and the short lifespan of cheaper competitors, plus the added benefits of UV-C sterilization it's certainly something to consider for homes with heavy upholstery, high traffic living quarters, pets, and children. Sure, seeing everything you were 'missing' when you thought you were cleaning, before, is a double-edged sword, but the piece of mind of true cleansing will quickly outweigh that!

What Daughter Says: Do more than look clean, let modern technology help you truly get your home clean!