BISSELL® CrossWave® Pet Pro Review

I finally got the new BISSELL® CrossWave® Pet Pro Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac and the short of it; I’m ecstatic! I’ve been using it for about seven months.

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Pardon the unfinished wall. This is my kitchen in the raw!

Let me share with you why I still love this machine…

As my readers know, I have the original CrossWave, (the lime green one; Oh Bissell, please bring back that happy color!). (CrossWave review here.)  I purchased the “purple” Pet Pro a few months back and let me tell you, there is ZERO learning curve from the first one. The main difference is the pet hair strainer/debris catcher. I didn’t think it would be all that useful, but I was WRONG. It makes the job even easier. The strainer lifts out easily and I can just toss out the debris in the trashcan. It’s very useful and saves me from having to reach my hand into the container to scoop out the pet hair/solids.

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Pet hair/debris strainer.

Quick recap: Parts copied from my other post on the original CrossWave. Check it out! 🙂 Plus there is a video you can check it out here… That video is on the original lime green machine. Everything about it is pretty much the same as the Pet Pro.

BISSELL® created BISSELL Pet Foundation®. Their mission: to help save homeless pets. I’m all about that cause!

The ability to vacuum and wash at the same time is so amazing.

BISSELL® says: Goodbye pet hair wrap! The Tangle-Free Brush Roll scrubs to remove debris and minimizes annoying pet hair wrap.** **Tested with hair length up to 8 inches…

**I can attest to the pet hair under 8″. I haven’t noticed any pet hair clinging to the brush tool. My hair does get wrapped up in it, though the hair seems to catch in the center and on both ends. To be fair, my hair is pushing 24″. Cutting the hair away is super simple and comes away very easily. Definitely not a deal breaker.

There is a separate compartment for the clean water and a separate one for the dirty water. How cool is that?

Touch of a button and clean water shoots out over the brush. I like that it doesn’t spray out, but goes gently over the brush tool, dispersing the water nicely.

I have used this on polished concrete floors, wood floors, vinyl, and ceramic. I’ve also lifted this onto my couch to clean a spot. (Yes, it worked. I wouldn’t tell you to do that. 😉 This machine is awesome!). I’ve put this to the test many times and on many types of flooring and I can say that it cleans any flooring beautifully.

I have used this on rugs and carpet with fantastic results.

This machine has a lot of suction power! I have yet to find a comparable “wash and vac” machine with this much suction. Nothing beats this BISSELL®CrossWave®!

Got me up off my knees! Which…Eased back tension. Try washing floors on your hands and knees. It’s not easy. If this is you, you’ll thank me for getting the CrossWave® 🙂

Gave me back time! From the moment my eyes open, I’m on the go. The CrossWave® has saved me time! Lots of time!

Two in one; vacuums and washes at the same time. Now who doesn’t love a two in one? Did I mention that already? 😉

Eliminate multiple “tools”. This replaces many.

Easy to use. Maneuverability and size of this machine make it easy to move about my home.

Still easy to take apart and clean. Takes me 5 minutes or less.

Not a big cumbersome machine. Storing it in a small space is very doable.

Makes cleaning fun! Not as fun as eating chocolate cake or hiking with my favorite peeps, though I save time using it so I can have fun eating said cake and going on a fun hike!

I love it so much, I bought two!

It’s a workhorse. I use this a minimum of one time a day, though a usual day is two and sometimes three. I know that sounds excessive, but I really enjoy squeaky clean floors and I have a lot of fur babies.

I can’t tell you how nice it is to put a new post out there and connect and re-connect with you all. I hope this finds you happy and healthy. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to give this a look-at! Until next time…

Peace, Koko❀

 

Bissell Crosswave Review

Bissell came out with a new one! In this post, I will be reviewing the older model. And will compare the two using their site for reference.

Let me begin by saying how much I love my Bissell! It really is a game changer. You can watch the review here on youtube, if you don’t want to watch it, please read on.

What this machine does is it vacuums and washes your floor at the same time! If you are tired of being on your hands and knees scrubbing your floors, if you have kids, pets, a lot of foot traffic, just want clean floors….this is for YOU! It’s lightweight and easy to use and easy to clean. Buy it! I’m seriously in love with this machine. It has saved me so much time and time is something you can’t get back! It has helped my back, as in it got me up off the floor. I can now have clean floors without the stress on my back. Did I mention how much I love this?!

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Here it is in all its glory!

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Pretty!

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Easy push button for different surfaces.

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This button releases clean water.

 

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Only a few parts. Makes things nice and easy!

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All parts easy to put on and take out of machine.

This Crosswave vacuums and washes at the same time, saving me so much time and not to mention energy. (I know i’ve already said it! I’m just so excited about this machine!) It used to take me hours to wash my entire house floors. As the years went by, I’d have to break up my home into sections because it was getting difficult to scrub and clean for so long on my hands and knees. I’d been trying to find a better way. I tried many “tools”, mop, swifter, other types of things attached to a pole and nothing would clean the way I would, using my own hands. There had to be a better way and gosh did I find it! I know this sounds like a bad commercial, but seriously, this machine has given me time back not to mention I’m not exhausted from cleaning. My back thanks me. (I know I’m repeating myself! Haha)

Now if you have the “green” Crosswave; the original or if you have the new “purple” one; the Crosswave Pet Pro, you can’t go wrong. I haven’t used the Pet Pro yet and I no doubt will pick one up so I can show you the difference. In the meantime, from all that I’ve read, the difference that I can find are the bristles on the roller for the Pet Pro might be a smidge longer (could be because mine is worn) and on the Pet Pro there is a “pet hair” strainer. Both new features will fit on the older model and can be purchased through them! Way to go Bissell. Thank you for making something that can enhance the old model without having to purchase a whole new machine.

So this “fur/debris” catcher fits inside the container that catches all the dirty water. It’s like a strainer so you can easily pull out the debris and toss it in the trash and the dirty water you can dump down sink or flush down the toilet. I wouldn’t normally buy this as I don’t find taking out the clumps of hair by hand an issue, however I will, so I can review it for you at a later date.

The (maybe) longer bristles on the “new” roller is something I am very interested in, so I do see myself purchasing that even if I wasn’t reviewing it (I wouldn’t mind a new brush anyway). They also have two other rollers; one for wood floors and one for rugs. I’m going to definitely buy the multi surface roller and will probably succumb to the wood floor and rug roller attachments too, just so I can see how well they work. FYI, the multi surface roller that I have been using works perfectly for all the surfaces that I’ve used it on.

Again, kudos to Bissell for making new attachments that fit the older model. I wish the Pet Pro was the same color as the original Crosswave. I’m not fond of that purple on a machine I use so constantly it is like a piece of furniture in my house! Hahaha. Other than the color, I am a fan! Insert cheering here* woohoo!

You can check out more details on Bissell’s site here!

So, should you buy this? For me it was a no brainer. I’ve been using this crosswave going on two years. I think in the video I said I use it 2-3 times a week. I probably use it 3-4 times on average. Some weeks I’ve used it daily. Basically this machine gets used! A lot! And still running like a champion.

Got me up off my knees! Which…

Eased back tension.

Gave me back time! From the moment my eyes open, I’m on my feet doing something. The Crosswave saved me time! Lots of time! Time you can’t get back!

Two in one; vacuums and washes at the same time.

Eliminate multiple “tools”. This replaces many.

Easy to use. Maneuverability and size of this machine make it easy to move about my home.

Easy to clean. Simple and easy to clean the machine when done using.

Not a big cumbersome machine. Storing it in a small space is very doable.

Makes cleaning fun! Not as fun as eating chocolate cake or hiking with my favorite peeps, though I save time using it so I can have fun eating said cake and go hiking!

If you are teetering on if you should buy this, know that Bissell is donating up to $1,000,000 a year to BISSELL® Pet Foundation™3. That’s pretty awesome to me!

Q and A

How much can you clean before having to dump the tank? On the Bissell site, it says, “700 sq feet”. Just so you all know, dumping out the container isn’t a big deal. Seriously simple and easy and fast.

What kind of surfaces can you use the Crosswave on? On the Bissell site, it says, “Sealed wood, sealed laminate, tile, and linoleum as well as area rugs!” On my video I say I even use it on my carpeted stairs and in the garage. I would also use it on a room that had carpet, but I’m not telling you to do that! 😉

Do you need to vacuum first? I vacuum sometimes before I use the Crosswave, but it isn’t necessary. I have a lot of furry four-legged family members. I vacuum anywhere from 2-4 times a day and I Crosswave a lot during the week.

Thank you sooooo much for popping in here At-Kokos-Place! If you have this machine, I’d love to hear your thoughts and if you have any more questions, please mention them in the comment section and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Have a happy day and happy cleaning!

Hugs and Peace,

Koko

If you know someone that this post would benefit, please share/follow. I so appreciate you and thank you in advance! 

 

 

 

 

Repurposing An Old Cat Tree

 

IMG_2516Breathing new life into something old…My first instinct is how can I fix it. Tossing stuff out and buying new is always easier, but not always easier on the wallet, and besides that, I don’t always find the “new” better than what I already have. They just don’t make things like they used to. All too often I find that statement is so true. Though in this case, my cat tree is nothing special and yes, you can find this style and probably better, but my cats like it and that’s most important. So I’m going to spiffy this one up.

Before I show you what I did, remember when I made a cat tree/bed out of a wooden spool? You can see it here… That was when I found out how much they really liked to scratch on sisal. Which is why I chose to use sisal to freshen up this tree instead of wrap more carpet around it. I may do carpet again another time, but I have a few rolls of sisal, so sisal it is! Here’s what I did…

Supplies:

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one old cat tree

sisal rope

hot glue gun

glue sticks

scissors

vacuum

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Vacuum the tree really well. I usually get to it about once a week to help keep the hair down in the house. If I didn’t vacuum the house a few times a day, it would look like I live in a “hair” house! Ack!!!!

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Cut/trim off any strings or carpet strands. See the hair? That’s because I had helpers while trimming, hence the need to vacuum a lot! Good thing I can vacuum the cats too. I put on the brush attachment and go at them. They actually like it! 🙂

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I really let this tree go! You know, “Oh I will get to it later?”…

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After trimming loose parts, I hot glued down carpet parts that have loosened. (That’s Evan the dog. He is one of the sweetest pups I’ve had the privilege to have in my life. He’s got the most unique fur. I will feature him in a post one day. He’s so cool, he has his own instagram!)

Depending on how your tree was originally made… I found the carpet was stapled along the seam. That’s fine, but if the cats scratched it loose around the stapled part, then the whole carpet piece was loose. I cut parts of the carpet off. Later on, I realized I could have left it. Either way I found it worked whether I left the carpet loose or cut it off.

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Choose a good place to start. I hot glued at the beginning of the sisal rope and then as I wound the rope around I added more hot glue. I wanted this good and tight as I know my cats and they really, really love to scratch on sisal. 

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Here you can see I decided to cut off the carpet. I didn’t see the sense in leaving a little piece here and there, though I doubt it would have made a difference under the sisal. BTW, that’s Chaz. My helper for the moment. 

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Chaz didn’t move at all. I guess he found what I did interesting.

Find another section that needs sisal and keep on hot glueing around and around and around…

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and around…

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That’s Spencer at the top this time and Eva peeking through! One more leg to go…

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The last leg! Finally.

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Done!

Easy project. This did take longer than I expected. I think having “helpers” added to the time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

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This time, at the top, is Sherlock. Aptly named as he is our most curious cat! And Chaz who is always good for relaxing “down at the club”. 

Tree looks much better! The best part is, the cats are happy to use it!

Tips:

Hot glue is HOT so be careful. You can use a chop stick or a screw driver to hold the sisal in place for a few seconds as it dries.

Sisal can poke into your skin. I had to tweeze out a couple “splinters”. You can wear leather gloves. I just sucked it up! Hahaha. I don’t do well with gloves. Which is why I have to deal with poison ivy on my hands when I’m out doing yard work.

You can hot glue a section and just wrap the sisal around a few times and then glue another small section. You don’t really need to glue every inch as you go along.

If your cat prefers carpet, home improvement stores carry carpet remnants. Rugs are also great and you can buy them at places like Target. They are smaller and easier to handle. I’ve used a good razor blade knife (be super careful) and cut the sizes I need.

The sisal I used for this project I bought at HomeDepot a couple of years ago. I did a check and they still carry sisal. Make sure it’s all natural, free from chemicals. This one states:  Safe for use with pet toys like cat scratching posts. Natural fiber-twisted rope is biodegradable and economical. Home Depot also ships! Since this project used up the last of my stock, I will be getting more. Sisal is really handy and I use it for many projects.

We know how finicky cats can be, so I hope this gives you an option to redo a cat tree your kitty already loves!

You are FABULOUS for reading this far! And I thank you so much for doing so! I hope you have a purrfectly happy day!

Koko

Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Link Review

Dyson heats, cools, air purifies your space! All three in one! How cool is that?!

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Look what Santa brought me! Dreams do come true. Santa knew! I don’t know how, I never said it out loud, nor did I write it in a letter to the big guy. Though I have a feeling a special elf was involved!

I am super stoked to be talking about my new toy! I’ve walked by these units on display at stores for a couple of years. I must admit they had me at the “cool” setting during one very hot summer. The delightful coolness had me sighing and the near silent machine had me in awe! Then as winter would come they’d turn on the Dyson units that “heat”. The yummy warmth literally had me dreaming of one for myself. Something I didn’t know was Dyson made a unit that did both hot and cool and to make it even better they made it with an air purifier too! What!? Yes you heard me right.

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Seven is helping me unbox. What a good kitty!

Since I took this out of the box, I’ve been using it daily. I know it’s too soon to review the longevity of it, but I will do a re-review on that later on during the year.

If you get a chance, take a look at the video about it HERE. Or watch below 🙂

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I like its compact size and how quiet it is while on. I love the magnet feature on the remote. When done using it, you can set it on the top of the unit and it stays! No more losing the remote!

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The first thing my daughter said was it reminds her of “R2D2”. Of course we had to give ours a name!

This is really easy to use. The controls are simple even for someone who isn’t techie savvy like me! I love that this is basically a 3 in 1; heat, cools, and air purifies. I love that this will replace three units in my home; space heater, fan, and air purifier and I’m looking forward to not having to carry the many units I do have up in the attic with each season when not needed.

The only con I can tell this far is the filter is not washable or reusable. But…from reading the manual, the filter should last a year if using this unit for 12 hours a day! That really is pretty awesome. I’m sure the filter will depend on individual homes: dust, dander, outdoor pollen, etc.

I didn’t go in to minute details on this, mainly because it really is simple to use. Plug in and go (well after I read the directions).

  • cools
  • heats
  • thermostat (this is fantastic, literally you can program this at even increments of one. my space heater starts at 65, 70, 75, 80. So far I’ve enjoyed the temp at 71!)
  • air purifies (the air quality is so nice. no burning smell you get with space heaters.)
  • airflow control (allows you to control how hard the air pushes out)
  • auto mode (this mode adjusts the airflow to the air quality in the room! smart!)
  • oscillates
  • two modes focused (air blows out directly) and diffused (air blows in a wider direction)
  • sleep timer (i love this feature)
  • night mode (the display on the machine is dimmed and it runs more quiet! how cool is that?!)
  • remote control (easy to use and the magnetic feature to secure it to the top of the unit is smart stuff!)
  • link this up to your phone! (what? yes, that’s what I said. I haven’t done this feature yet, but totally looking forward to it)

All in all I’m excited about this unit. Stay tuned for another re-review on this in about 6 months time.

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Did I mention I had a few pets? Haha. They are enjoying the heating feature! Can you guess how many are dogs and how many are cats in this picture?

Please stay tuned to why I have green tape on my wall and what I do with it and all the other things I’ve been doing while it seemed like i’ve been MIA! 🙂

Thank you so much for all your likes, comments, and follows. They really do make my day, each and every one!

Be well and just love! Peace, Koko 🙂

DIY Cat Tree, House and Scratching Post

Spencer, King of everything!

Spencer, King of everything!

I was given a great spool. You know the giant spools electricians carry massive amounts of wire wrapped around? Well I was given one, and not gonna lie, the array of ideas that invaded my head of all the things I could do with said spool. This is what I came up with…

Cat tree...bed and scratching post. See they love it!

Cat tree…bed and scratching post. See they love it!

Off to my wood pile I went…

I went to my scrap pile and found some 1×6’s. It would do nicely to make the “lid” or rather the top to my kitty condo. I laid out three pieces of 1×6 boards and drew a circle using the “spool” as the template. You can use any size width wood and lay however many pieces it takes to get to the size you need. You could also use a piece of plywood and cut a whole circle instead of using the tree boards. But as I mentioned I wanted to use up my scrap wood. 😉

I clamped down each board and used my jigsaw to cut the shape.

I clamped down each board and used my jigsaw to cut the shape.

One more to go!

One more to go!

All cut out.

All cut out.

Finishing the lid, I used 1×2 to connect the three pieces together. I wish I had a kreg jig to make pocket holes. But this method works too. 🙂

As you can see I used a lot of screws!

As you can see I used a lot of screws!

I set the lid aside and started to assemble the sides. Again going to my scrap lumber pile I was able to find 1×4’s.

Sanding all the pieces…I had to sand quite a bit, to rid them of the dents and discolorations. After sanding the boards I used a chop saw to cut the boards the height I wanted the “cat house” to be.

I contemplated using “L” brackets to hold the boards in place while I screwed each 1×4 to the top of the spool, however I ended up just screwing them straight to the spool using two screws per board.

I screwed two screws per board from the bottom. See the "L" bracket? I removed it as I found it wasn't necessary and the clamps really didn't help much either! :)

I screwed two screws per board from the bottom. See the “L” bracket? I removed it as I found it wasn’t necessary and the clamps really didn’t help much either! 🙂

You can see from this pic that the boards are wonkie. Don't let that discourage you! It will all work out in the end! Promise.

You can see from this pic that the boards are wonkie. Don’t let that discourage you! It will all work out in the end! Promise.

After all the boards are screwed from the bottom, I put the lid on and began to move boards into place so I could screw down from the top of the “lid”.

The wonkie boards will come together...wait for it...

The wonkie boards will come together…wait for it…

I knew the screws would be showing. So I spaced them apart to be appealing to the eye!

I knew the screws would be showing. So I spaced them apart to be appealing to the eye! And see all the wonkie boards are in place as promised!

Onward!

To the base of the tree…I used sisal to give the kitties an awesome scratching feature! I achieved this by using hot glue and good rope. You don’t have to glue the entire base. You can glue a few inches, wrap the rope, glue a few more inches, wrap rope…and so on…Keep going until you’ve reached the desired look!

This is the rope I used. It's sisal; a natural fiber. There was no odor on the rope. I've bought sisal before via online and gosh was that a mistake! The smell was so awful that no amount of soaking it in any type of solution would get the stench out! I make a point now to only buy rope if I can touch it/smell it. This was from HomeDepot.

This is the rope I used. It’s sisal; a natural fiber. There was no odor on the rope. I’ve bought sisal before via online and gosh was that a mistake! The smell was so awful that no amount of soaking it in any type of solution would get the stench out! I make a point now to only purchase rope if I can touch it/smell it. This was from HomeDepot.

I started right under the sleeping quarter.

I started right under the sleeping quarter.

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My helpers!

Glue and wrap, glue and wrap.

Glue and wrap, glue and wrap…

Another helper...

Another helper…

I stained the whole thing with dark walnut left over from a flooring job I did.  I put three coats of water based poly after.

I stained the whole thing with dark walnut left over from a flooring job I did. I put three coats of water based poly after.

As you saw I stained the piece before I added the sisal. If I were to make another I would probably stain and seal beforehand. Though in the end, I was careful not to get any on the rope. This was an easy project that really didn’t take long at all. Maybe a couple of hours? The longest part was waiting for the stain to dry and the smell to dissipate.

The kitties really like it and this piece doubles as an end table! Remember the lamp shade I made? Here I staged the lamp on that. But since then, I’ve moved it about the room where ever an end table is needed!

This was a fun project and I was happy to create something for my furry friends. They really do like it and love scratching their claws on the sisal. I hope you enjoyed this post and it inspires you to make something for your pets too!

And as you can see...not just for cats!

And as you can see…not just for cats!

Please like, follow, and share, your support means the world to me. It really does! ❤

From my furry friends to yours…All the best, Koko❀

DIY Dog Bed Easy as 1-2-3

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Thinking outside the box can be really fun when creating pet beds. This one is made out of a bass drum.  (My son’s very first drum set when he was five!) He didn’t want to get rid of it so he donated it to my many causes…Stay tuned for what I’ve done to the rest of his drum kit!

So what I did here was simply take off one of the heads and added a pillow.  Her blanket was in the washer at the time, but you get the idea.  Lay something soft down and your pup will know what to do! Not only do I find all my dogs loving this bed (except for the great dane and that’s because only her head would fit), but the kitties love sleeping in it too!

This drum was lovingly refinished, sanded and stained by my son, to allow the natural wood to shine through. You did a fabulous job son!

It’s a conversation starter and looks very stylish anywhere in the home. Get creative…re-think…re-purpose!

What creative ways have you used in making pet beds? Please let me know what you think. Be sure to check back, I have plenty more bed ideas for your furry friends! Paws and kisses…Koko

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No More Kisses!

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“Come on Mom, my friends are watching!”

I guess she wanted no part of loving. LOL…It’s incredible to me how much I’ve come to adore this furry little monster.  She’s comical at times, cheeky at best, and loving when only when it’s me and her. If one of her adopted siblings are around, she doesn’t dare snuggle.  She’s off in some hidden place as if to say, “I want mom to myself”.

Today is Monday.  Labor Day here in the United States.  Everyone is supposed to take the day off.  It also signals the end of BBQ season.  In fashion it’s the end of wearing light summer suits for men and the white pants for women.  It’s an interesting custom, one which I don’t practice.  I for one BBQ year round and if I want to wear white in the winter, so be it.

I am off to the market for BBQ things.  I don’t know if I have ever barbecued on Labor Day before.  It just happens the whole family is home and it’s such a beautiful day, grilling just makes sense.  So to you all out there, I hope your day is BBQ beautiful and you are out enjoying it…..Koko❀ ✿ ❁ ✾

Is Your Cat In Pain? Signs To Look For.

Cats are master disguisers of pain. How are we to know when they are in pain? What are the signs?

First off, I hope you know your pet well. If not, get to know her, after all you are her life line. You are whom she puts her trust in. You are the one that feeds her and grooms her and hopefully plays with her. You know her likes, dislikes, wants, and needs. You know things that make her jump; fireworks, rowdy kids, doggie that loves to chase her…

How about the new kitty you’ve adopted or the one you are fostering? How can you tell if she is in pain? Here are some tips in how you can tell if your feline needs more than love, food, and comfort.

What is the difference between being scared or outright pain?

Is your kitty suddenly running off to dark small spaces?
Is she wailing/crying for no apparent reason?
When you touch her does she shy away/bite at you/claw at you?
Touch her paws and move up each leg. Feel around her neck, down her spine, around her tummy. How does she react? (That was the way I had confirmed my kitties pain and what needed to be done.)
Does she seem abnormally tired/sleepy/not as active?
Any signs of discharge from eyes/ears/bottom?
Is she eating normally?
How about her facial expressions? Is she holding her ears back or in an odd way? Are her eyes glazed/sad-looking? (When one of my kitties was ill, I could tell by the look in his eyes. He had a sad hollow look. His whiskers sort of turned down. He was having some issues with his urinary tract…BTW; he’s completely recovered, yay!)
Look at how she walks. Is her back hunched? Does she hang her head low?
Is her breathing odd, too slow/too fast?
Is she pacing the room as if she can’t get comfortable; laying down only to get right back up?

Hopefully some of these tips will help clue you in on your kitty’s pain. Noticing the pain is the first sign in helping her get better. The signs will be there if you just take a moment to look. Paws and kisses…Koko

Clean Without Toxins And Clean On The Cheap!

To clean my home can be a challenge seeing how not only are there humans running around (and a revolving door for friends); there are eleven furry beings, one reptilian, and oh I can’t forget the itty bitty dwarf hamster my son got me for a birthday gift almost 4 years ago. I clean, clean, and when I think I am done, I clean some more.

There are many products we buy at the market that can be very poisonous to our pets and if they are poisonous to our pets just think how toxic they are to us. I’ve been making my own cleaners for better part of two decades as my daughter came into this world sensitive to most everything. Before my little bouncing joy was here I can remember as a girl getting out the mop bucket and vinegar. What vinegar didn’t clean away there was baking soda. Over the years I learned and added some other things to my arsenal cleaning; peroxide and essential oils, oh and can’t forget the power of lemon (yep the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit, skin and all!

I will be posting recipes and what I do to clean my home in a part one, two, three…well you get it? I don’t want to bore you completely by giving it to you all at once!

Okay this is what I do for my sinks and tub (anything with a drain that can get gunk build up over time).

Drain cleaner—A great drain cleaner I use is baking soda, white vinegar, and hot water. I boil two pots of water. Pour one pot down the drain to loosen up debris, oils, just normal gunk that accumulates in a drain. Then I sprinkle 1/2 cup baking soda around the area (I usually take the time to rub the baking soda around (sink bowl) and clean (sink bowl) while I’m at it. Follow up with a cup of white vinegar poured all around the sink bowl. Then I pour a second pot of hot water down the drain. (You don’t have to follow up with a second pot of hot water; I just do). I do this to all sinks and tubs. Kids love watching the foaming action between baking soda and vinegar. Science project! (btw…I do this once a week or two. Better to keep the drains clean and clear then to call a plumber!)

This cleans brilliantly and just smells clean. 🙂

     Hint: If you want a “smell good” smell; drop a drop or two of lemon, orange, or lavender essential oil down during last pot of water.  These essential oils disinfect too; killing those nasty germs!

Baking soda is awesome! It scrubs nice and easy without scratching. It removes most stains (I have yet to meet a stain in my house I couldn’t get out) and gunk. It is amazing polisher for shiny things like my faucets. What I love…it deodorizes! Does all that and is inexpensive too!

White vinegar is my workhorse. Gets through a lot of scum. It disinfects and is a deodorizer as well. Oh and that stuff is inexpensive as well.  Love that!

Try the drain cleaner and please let me know how it works for you…

……In fabulous health, Koko

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