Making your own cleaning products has gained popularity because of their low cost and a preference for knowing what is in the cleaning product you use in your home.

By using safe and environmentally friendly products, you can reduce toxins and chemicals in your home. With so many commercial products on the shelf, sometimes it is hard to know which product will really do the job. Why not venture out and try some “make-it-yourself” products to save money and promote sustainability?

Cleaning in our homes has become more complicated because of the surfaces and finishes that require special products. With just a few simple, basic products, you can put together some general cleaning products that will clean almost anything and save you money.

The first step to any recipe you make is to find good storage containers for the product that you can clearly mark. Most stores sell spray bottles and other types of containers. It is also acceptable to reuse rinsed out and labeled commercial bottles. As with any cleaning product, it is critical that you label and keep cleaning products out of the reach of children.

Invest in a variety of cleaning brushes. A good brush and a little elbow grease go a long way in cleaning grime and dirt. Find a brush with soft bristles for delicate cleaning, as well as a coarser brush from those really hard-to-clean tasks. Also, stock up on a variety of scrubbing utensils like a nylon scrubber and steel wool so that you have a variety of options based on the cleaning task.

You can also recycle old towels for cleaning rags. Cut towels in a variety of sizes and keep in a basket for quick access. Use a new towel each time you clean. You can throw the dirty ones in the laundry and you save on paper towels. 

With that said, try these cleaning product recipes:

Homemade Spray Cleaner

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

Mix in a sprayer bottle.

In the kitchen, use a vinegar-and-water spray to clean countertops, range surfaces and backsplash areas.

In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors and exterior surfaces of the toilet.

Marg’s Homemade Laundry Soap

½ bar grated Fels Naptha soap

½ cup Borax

½ cup Washing Soda

Add grated soap to 6 cups of water in a non-reactive pot. Heat until soap is completely melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until dissolved. In a large container, add 4 cups hot water and then soap mixture. Stir well. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups hot water and stir. Allow soap to sit overnight. Soap will “gel.” Stir before using. Add directly to the washer drum. Average loads take ½ cup. Recipe may be doubled to fit in a 5-gallon bucket. This is a low-sudsing recipe so you won’t see a lot of bubbles.

Everyday Household Cleaner

2 tablespoons of liquid detergent/soap

2 tablespoons of ammonia

1 quart of water

Use for all general cleaning jobs.

Sanitizing Solution

3 tablespoons of liquid bleach

1 tablespoon of liquid soap, detergent

1 gallon of water

This is for hard surfaces such as cutting boards, counters, toys, doorknobs, cribs, and trashcans. Wipe the surface and let stand for two minutes. Rinse and air dry.

Learn more

Join us for the 2017 Eco-Nomic Living Expo on Feb. 11 at Santa Rosa Mall. Several hands-on demonstrations will be offered for the general public, including “Homemade Do it Yourself Cleaners,” at 12:45 p.m. Visit http://economiclivingexpo.com for a full list of workshops.  It's sponsored in part by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Okaloosa County Extension.

Pamela H. Allen is the interim county director and an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 4 cleaning products you can make at home

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this week in Northwest Florida

You can get lucky by finding a parking meter with time left on it. You can "luck out" by having nice weather on your vacation. You can even be lucky at love. But when it comes to financial matters, you're better off not counting on Lady Luck — and focusing instead on setting and pursuing goals.

Here are some suggestions for establishing and pursuing your financial objectives:

•Be specific. You probably have a lot of ideas about what you want to do, but if you're going to turn these wishes into reality, you need to get specific. So, for example, instead of telling yourself that you want to retire early, set a goal of retiring at, say, 62. You can then use this target number to help guide your overall investment strategy. To illustrate: You can determine that you need to invest a certain amount of money each year, and earn a certain rate of return, to be able to retire at 62. You can also estimate about how much money you can afford to withdraw from your investment accounts each year to sustain a retirement that begins at 62.

•Prioritize your goals. Of course, you want to achieve all your financial goals —and you can have a better chance of doing so if you rank these goals in terms of both importance and timing. For example, you may want to send your kids to college, purchase a vacation home and still be able to retire at age 62.

How should you allocate your resources to each of these goals? Should you invest more at any given time for a specific goal? What types of investments are best for each of these goals? Prioritizing your goals can help you answer these and other questions — and help direct your overall investment strategy.

•Be prepared to change your goals. Over time, your family and financial circumstances can change considerably — which means you shouldn't be surprised or alarmed if you have to change your goals accordingly. And you'll find it easier to maintain this flexibility if you've worked diligently to create an investment portfolio with sufficient resources to allow you to change direction, as needed.

•Review your progress regularly. If you're going to eventually achieve your goals, you absolutely need to measure your progress along the way. Are your investments performing the way you had anticipated? Are your goals becoming more expensive than you had initially envisioned? To achieve these goals, are you taking on too much — or too little — risk? To answer these types of questions, it's a good idea to review your overall progress at least once a year and then make whatever adjustments may be necessary.

As you can see, it will take considerable effort to set, review and (hopefully) achieve your goals. And it can be somewhat complex, too, so you may want to work with a financial professional — someone who takes the time to talk with you about your goals, understands your risk tolerance and family situation and has the training and experience necessary to help you work toward your objectives.

But in any case, think hard about your goals and how you might accomplish them. And don't delay in taking action — because goals are generally easier to attain if you have time on your side.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Tips for setting — and pursuing — financial goals

FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — Three childcare centers in Okaloosa County have achieved Healthy Okaloosa Child Care recertification to ensure continued efforts in helping children be healthier.

They are:

•Andrews Family Day Care Home, Crestview

•The Children’s Center, Fort Walton Beach

•Mary Lou O'Connor Child Development & Education Center, Northwest Florida State College, Niceville

Healthy Okaloosa Child Care is a sector of the Healthy Okaloosa 5210 initiative that launched in July 2014. The initiative is designed to reach children in early childhood education through childcare facilities and childcare homes. Healthy Okaloosa Child Care uses a variety of evidence-based practices to help early childhood education providers improve the health of their students, families and staff.

Providers are encouraged to implement sustainable policy and environmental strategies that support healthy behaviors in the childcare setting. The Healthy Okaloosa Child Care team at DOH-Okaloosa provides training, resources and technical assistance to all of its partners.

Visit www.healthyokaloosa.com for more information about Healthy Okaloosa Child Care or other Healthy Okaloosa initiatives.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa childcare centers achieve recertification

DESTIN, Florida — Destin Commons will partner with 16 area charities for the 7th Annual Smoke on the Coast BBQ & Fireworks.

These charities will be teaming up with various restaurants and BBQ aficionados to fire up their grills, with each team preparing their BBQ inspired specialty for the July 3 event. Attendees will sample mouth-watering BBQ dishes hot off the grills and cast their votes for the coveted People’s Choice title. Celebrity judges will also award Judge’s Pick winners of a blind taste test.

The 16 non-profit organizations, along with their BBQ teams, are:

•Air Force Enlisted Village/The Gulf Seafood Restaurant

•Arc of the Emerald Coast/Highway 98 BBQ

•Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast/Big Red Truck

•Children In Crisis/B&C Fire Safety

•Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance/Whole Foods

•Destin Rotary Foundation/Destin Rotary Club

•Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center/BrightView Landscaping

•Food For Thought/Waste Management Company

•Habitat for Humanity/Hub City Smokehouse & Grill

•Harvest House of Destin/Tailfins Seafood House & Oyster Bar

•Heritage Museum of NW FL/Okaloosa Gas

•Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation/BC’s Southern Paradise BBQ & Catering

•Opportunity Place/Classic Catering

•Panhandle Warrior Partnership/Making their own BBQ

•Ronald McDonald House Charities/Voodoo BBQ & Grill

•Toys for Tots/Bass Pro Shops

“We are excited about the addition of so many charities involved this year,” Destin Commons Marketing Manager Heather Ruiz said. “Just by participating, each charity will automatically receive $2,500. This will truly be a charitable event, with the potential of donating up to a total of $80,000 to these non-profits through our Coins For A Cause program and the proceeds of Smoke on the Coast.”

Destin Commons is located at Highway 98 and the Mid-Bay Bridge Road. Visit DestinCommons.com or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Destin Commons sets Smoke on the Coast benefit

HOLT — The roar of engines and the squeal of tires on concrete is back at the Emerald Coast Dragway on Garner Landing Road just west of Holt.

First opened in 1998, the drag strip went through several owners before it closed in 2011. New owners Ozzy Moya and Robert Brown purchased the track last year and have made significant renovations, including a resurfaced track, new concrete guardrails, a new timing system and scoreboard.

Weather permitting, the track is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays for racers to test their mettle, and metal, on the 1/8-mile strip.

"With the Super Pro Class cars, it's not uncommon to see one running over 200 mph for 1/8th mile," General Manager Jim Knight said. "They're probably running close to 100 mph in the first 100 feet."

Super Pro Class cars are heavily modified sport engines of 500 to 650 cubic inches. They burn up the track on 15-inch wide racing tires, called slicks.

However, Emerald Coast Dragway is not just for big-block behemoths from Detroit. Racing categories also include street-legal cars, motorcycles and a junior dragster division for ages 6-17.

"I'm just here to have fun," automotive writer Lucas McGlamery said recently as he stood near his 1991 Honda CRX, waiting for his turn to race. McGlamery rebuilt the car's engine and added a turbocharger that yields 237 horsepower from the 1.6-liter engine.

"The best time I've been able to put down is 9.6 (seconds) at 79 mph," McGlamery said. "The car has not blown up, so it's going pretty good."

The dragstrip will continue to be open Sundays for owners to fine-tune their cars and driving skills. The first National Hot Rod Association points races start Saturday, Feb. 4.

Visit www.raceecd.com for more information on upcoming events or check Emerald Coast Dragway's Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Roar returns to Emerald Coast Dragway

Dollar General’s newest store, at 510 Highway 90 in Holt, is now open.

The store’s official grand opening is 8 a.m. Feb. 4. In addition to grand prizes and deals, the first 50 adult shoppers at the store will receive a $10 gift card. The first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag, among other giveaways.

Dollar General stores offer food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, health and beauty products.

They typically employ six to 10 people, depending on the need. Job applicants can see www.dollargeneral.com for more information. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Dollar General grand opening to feature giveaways

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida — Residents may experience noise when the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group conducts boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay.

Each morning, fighter aircraft will release munitions between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Feb 2 and Feb. 6-9, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.

The test will be conducted within a cleared range safety area which includes boat surveillance. Notices to mariners will be issued prior to the missions and flyers will be handed out at the local marina.

In the afternoons between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., approximately 30 boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the US Highway 331 bridge, to include 10 to 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.

The boat formation will be used for visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area. No weapons or ammunition will be involved with this boat formation.

Some boats will have mock-up, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes. The boats will also use marine flares as visual markers.

These operations are part of the 53rd Wing's Weapon System Evaluation Program.

Contact the Team Eglin Public Affairs office, 882-3931, or the 53rd Wing Public Affairs office, 882-0423, for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Eglin issues noise, boat operations warning

CRESTVIEW — Strong storm cells’ passing reminds Florida residents that hurricanes aren’t the only severe weather patterns moving through the area.

Northwest Florida was hit by 55 hurricanes from 1851-2015, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The area receives a hurricane once every three years on average. However, Crestview receives 119 precipitation days per year, according to the National Weather Service.

“One nice thing about hurricanes is that we have time to prepare,” Okaloosa County Director of Public Safety Alvin Henderson said. “The challenge for us is supercells — storms that pop up over us.”

“Supercells often produce damaging wind, large hail and tornadoes,” the NOAA website states. They offer experts little time to issue watches and warnings and even less time for residents to prepare, Henderson said. The Emergency Alert System, in coordination with local media and a county smartphone app, spread the word, according to Henderson. 

Education is conducted at various levels and aimed to inform adults as well as children. The public safety department gives presentations at grade schools and conducts preparedness training to local government and civic groups. The department also operates an emergency plan to facilitate aid and resources to areas affected by severe weather, chemical spills and terrorist attacks.

Local roadway and public utility management play a role in storm readiness as well. Crestview has an emergency response plan covering events such as hurricanes, floods, fires and chemical leaks in its storm preparedness section, according to Public Services Director Wayne Steele. The plan details goals, responsibilities and expectations of public services personnel during emergencies.

The staff ensures public utilities are functioning and accessible as rapidly as possible during recovery phases. Alternative supply plans are also coordinated, in the event of a contaminated water supply for example.

Beyond utilities, the department ensures roads and evacuation routes are publicly accessible, the plan states. Coordination with local, state or federal authorities on the department’s behalf further increases these capabilities.

The public services department determines local needs, repairs infrastructure, restores governmental operations and tracks recovery costs.

Okaloosa County operates nine emergency shelters as needed, according to the county’s public safety website. On the north end, five of these shelters are in Crestview; one’s in Baker and one’s in Laurel Hill.

Designated area emergency shelters can open for any reason, including fires, floods or whenever there is a demand, Henderson said.

Crestview has constant plans in place to respond to various severe weather events.

See www.co.okaloosa.fl.us/ps/home for more information on what to do in case of immediate storm emergencies.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: How Crestview braces for storms

CRESTVIEW — Jean Todd keeps a class football ring beside her jewelry box, a place it’s sat for nearly two decades.

“I hope one day I find whoever it belongs to,” Todd said.

She found the ring while working at a local gas station around 1997-98 and has been searching for the owner ever since.

The front of the ring depicts a logo of the letter “D” with a large cat of some kind coming out from it. The words “Conference Champions” arch over and under the logo on the silver-and-black ring.

“We attach emotions to material things and that might be someone’s only emotional attachment to a memory,” Todd said. That’s the reason she’s held onto the ring for almost 20 years.

“I forget about it from time to time, but when I remember, I start looking again,” Todd said. “I’ve been doing it for all these years — no sense in stopping now.”

The ring isn’t the only thing Todd has attempted to reunite with its owner. She’s sought owners of lost wallets, jewelry, glasses, clothing and other personal items. Previously, she used phone books and word-of-mouth to find an item's rightful owner but social media and the internet have shifted her tactics.

She’s taken her search online for Scott Walls, the ring’s possible owner. The ring is engraved with his name and featured next to a helmet with the number 16 displayed.

The opposite side reads “1993” and an “11-2” record is etched into the details next to a state outline. Todd believed the state outline was Alabama, but a closer inspection of the ring reveals an outline resembling Arkansas.

The Arkansas Activities Association maintains a comprehensive list of high school athletic programs in the state, and a search discovered a school logo nearly identical to that of the ring.

De Queen High School, located in a town of the same name with a population of about 6,500 residents, appears to be the match. The school’s athletic director, Bob Sikes, could not be reached via phone calls to the school. Calls to head football coach Justin Kramer were also unanswered.

“I’ll leave it in my will and see if somebody else will [find Walls],” Todd said when asked what she would do if he was never located.

Todd might know the school but finding Walls about 24 years after he received the ring is still her goal.

With a new direction to search, Todd has begun to contact De Queen faculty coaches. The search for Walls continues.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Woman seeks missing ring's owner