Spring Cleaning! Naturally, of course!

So it is now the time of year when we have to de-clutter and de-funk our winter homes and turn them bright and shiny! The best way to do that is to go to the store, pick up numerous plastic bottles (that we will not re-use and of course you need a different product for each different job) that have chemically colored and scented, flammable liquids inside them and start spraying them all over our homes to breathe in and touch. NOT!

What we can do instead is be lean and green about our clean! Lean meaning you will be using ingredients already found in most homes (or can be easily obtained nearby) that cost a fraction of what the ready-to-use cleaners cost, and green because it is chemical free and safe for you to use around your family and pets AND you will be re-using old plastic or glass sprayers and bottles! Duh!

Just a few to start with!

All purpose cleaner: white vinegar that you add essential oils of tea tree and/or lavender and/or sweet orange to.  That's it??  That's it!! The picture below shows a mason jar with organic orange peels soaking in the vinegar. Hey, we eat oranges anyway so why not use the peel! The orange oil will help with the grease cutting - I let that infuse for about two weeks and then I just add a drop or three of tea tree essential oil for the antibacterial and antifungal properties. Done! This can be used in the kitchen and bathroom. Super cheap AND it works!

Fabric softener: This is used in place of those dryer sheets that have who-knows-what on them. There is a spot in your washer machine for liquid fabric softener and you just put it in before you start your load!
Just take that same white vinegar (getting it now? Buy the huge jugs of the stuff!) and add lavender and/or tea tree essential oil drops to it and keep in near your machine.  Yay, done!

Toilet bowl cleaner: Yes, you have to clean that too. I know you all love those silly little blue things that cling onto your bowl and "wash" your toilet for you but do you know what is in it? Eww....really?
Instead, just sprinkle some baking soda (yes this stuff that you bake with that also comes in HUGE bags for cheap) into the bowl and dump some of that fabulous white vinegar into it and watch it bubble up! So cool...this is Camile's job.
Let it sit for about 15 minutes and the take your toilet brush and scrub around for one minute. Poof! Done!

Welcome to the world of chemical-free, easy breathing cleaning for the spring!
More to follow...