Good morning and happy Monday to all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Now that I'm finished explaining my inspiration for finding a more natural way of life, I'm going to get into some practical, easy ways to change your current routines.
Today's post is all about cleaning house. Love it or hate it, somebody's got to do it.
Have you ever looked at the warning labels on your household cleaners? Scary. Words like "call the poison control center immediately", "only use in a well ventilated area", "harmful or fatal if swallowed" make me really want to use this junk to cover every surface of my house. (That was sarcasm.)
I have a little one crawling around putting everything into her mouth. We all have to breathe the fume filled air this stuff creates.
I have found that baking soda and vinegar can clean just about anything. Sometimes, it takes a little more elbow grease, but sometimes it makes the job easier. It's always safe, and it costs practically nothing.
Also, straight vinegar is useful for killing most mold and bacteria. Added non-toxic bonus.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to clean with baking soda or vinegar:
All purpose cleaner: Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar. Spray anywhere. (wow, that was easy!) You can even use vinegar to deodorize fabric. (the vinegar smell only lasts about 10 minutes)
Soft scrub: Make a paste of baking soda and soap. Any soap will do. Scrub your bathtub, sink fixtures, pots and pans, and anything else that will not etch.
Fabric Softener: Pour one cup of vinegar in during the rinse cycle on your laundry. This helps remove soap and mineral build-up.
Rinse Aid: Fill up your rinse aid dispenser in your dishwasher with vinegar. This works in the same way as above.
Drain Cleaner: Dump 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain. Pour a few glugs of vinegar and stop up the drain while the reaction does its work. Run some hot water down to clear the drain.
These are just a few of my favorite ways to clean with vinegar and baking soda. To find out more, check out these links:
http://www.vinegartips.com
http://thenewhomemaker.com/bakingsoda
*slight confession - I just signed up and started ordering some cleaning products from a company called Melaleuca that sells all natural products that are pretty affordable, so I've been using a few of them. Especially in the bathtub where the buildup can get stubborn.
Tomorrow, I'm going to talk about one more thing you can clean with vinegar and baking soda - your hair! (Please don't put them both on your head at the same time, though. That would make your head look like one of those volcanoes kids make in grade school, and it would probably hurt.)
What's your favorite use for baking soda and or vinegar?
Is there anything else you'd like to learn to clean more naturally?
Great information Sarah. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDid you make that laundry detergent yet? I'm curious to see how easy/hard was it and do you like it!
ReplyDeleteI keep a spray bottle of vinegar by my sink!! I especially like to use it to clean of Isaiah's high chair, but I use it on the floors and counters too most of the time.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on Melaleuca? My sister started buying their products and wants everyone in the family to buy it too. They say they are all natural, but don't give the ingredients on the products or website. I make all my own cleaning products (see Recipes for the Home on my blog delicious-nutritious.blogspot.com) and know what goes into them and the cost is much less than Melaleuca or store bought.
ReplyDeleteI really like them as a "bridge" company between the super crunchy and the mainstream. I really like a few of their products, and they work better than the simple recipes I make myself. In short, if I can't find a homemade replacement for a cleaning product, I turn to Melaleuca. I sold for a brief period of time, but I didn't like their sales model, it ended up costing me too much. Now I just order through my Mom, who is still signed up.
DeleteI was looking at some of your cleaning recipes just last week! Good stuff!