image courtesy of naturalhomeandgarden.com
Green
Spring Cleaning
My home is my castle and
sanctuary. I like to treat it as such. Sure, I may consider its status as Long Island Real Estate to make
it just a little extra special, but spring cleaning is my way to care for and
give respect to the home that takes care of me, regardless. It's a mutually
beneficial relationship, and I want to nurture it as well as I can. I'm careful
about what I put into and use on my own body. I try to use the same level of
conscientiousness while cleaning my home. Being "green" is just an
added benefit, and one I'll take every time.
There are many "green"
cleaning products on the market, but they're so easy to make yourself.
I'll spend the extra couple minutes and a few household ingredients to mix them
up myself. There are really only a few simple things that I keep in my cleaning
closet: white vinegar, washing soda, baking soda, borax, natural peppermint
soap, a few spray bottles, sponges, rags and brushes. Some people like to add
essential oils to their cleaners, but I'm not much of a fan of most fragrances.
One of the best things about
using these natural cleaners is that I don't have to worry about kids or pets
getting sick if they get into them. My childhood nemesis, Mr. Yuck, does not
live in my house.
Vinegar is probably the one thing
that I use the most for cleaning around the house. It even has antimicrobial
properties. I usually dilute it with water, from as little as a half cup of
vinegar per gallon of water, to straight vinegar. The ratio depends on what I'm
cleaning. If you're less tolerant of the odor of vinegar, you'll probably want
to dilute it more, and maybe add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. A
little oil goes a long way.
For my glass top stove, I usually use a
minimally diluted solution. If I had a particularly messy spill and resultant
burned on ring, I'll sprinkle some baking soda on, spray on the vinegar, and
let it sit for a few minutes. I may add some liquid peppermint soap to the
vinegar solution for a little extra cleaning power. I'll use the same general
solution for tile floors, counter tops and bathroom surfaces. For mopping, I
use a more diluted vinegar solution.
If you have a yard or container
garden struggling with weeds, don't dump your vinegar cleaners down the drain.
Vinegar is also an excellent weed killer. I pour it directly on the offending
plant, and it starts to wither in a couple days. For particularly hearty weeds,
or if it rained, I reapply once a day until I see the weed start to die. Be
careful though, vinegar is not discriminatory. It will kill any plants it gets
on.
Not only my house gets a good
cleaning in the spring. It's the time of year that my family starts to really
get outside and get dirty. Running, hiking, soccer and gardening all take their
tolls on my families clothes. Using the same short list of ingredients, I
sometimes make my own laundry
soap as well. For this, I add either plain white bar soap or fels naptha soap.
Either will work. The soap must be shredded, so you may want to buy powdered
soap instead. Make sure it has no added chemicals or detergents. My recipe is
equal parts borax, washing soda and shredded soap mixed together. If you like,
you can add a few drops of essential oil. I use the same scoop from commercial
laundry detergent to portion my homemade laundry soap.
When I don't make my own laundry
soap, or for those who prefer commercial brands, add half a cup of borax and/or
washing soda to a load of laundry. It increases the cleaning power of laundry detergent.
Borax can also be used to keep fleas, mites, roaches, ants, bed bugs, mice and
other pests away. I sometimes use it on stubborn pots and pans as well. Mixing
2 tablespoons borax and 2 cups of water can also be an alternative cleaner for
those who don't like the smell of vinegar.
The possibilities are nearly
endless. I still experiment with other mixtures. Happy cleaning!
Great article you wrote, really inspired me! I wish I can be like you :)
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