With four children, there are days that I swear, all I do is clean. I do have those moments when I decide to go on strike. I'll look around at the clutter and think, "I'm done! No more! I just cleaned yesterday, I'm not doing it today, or tomorrow, or EVER!" Eventually the clutter becomes chaos and I silently end my strike, picking up toys and washing the hand prints off the glass.
While I was washing my floor (for what seems the gazillionth time this week) I started thinking about the chemicals I use around the house. I recently read a great book regarding chemical build up in our bodies ("Body Toxic" by Nena Baker). You might be stunned to learn that some of the chemicals our mothers have been exposed to have been transferred to us, and from us into our children. There are chemicals we are exposed to that do not break down in our bodies (or in the environment) and then build up with each generation.
Removing some of the toxic chemicals from our cleaning is a great way to reduce some of this exposure. But it can be hard. I've tried some made-from-nature cleaning products, like vinegar. Ugh. I'm sorry, but when you use vinegar to clean your home, it can smell like a stinky foot. I know that clean doesn't have a smell, but I've become so accustomed to clean = lemony fresh (or something like that), that want my clothes and house to smell "good."
I'm trying to break the addiction. I've gotten rid of air fresheners (they contain cancer-causing naphthalene and formaldehyde). And I recently realized that the ammonia I use to wash my floor is actually a derivative of gas!! Some of you may be saying "Duh!" but I thought ammonia was "natural." Recently, a natural cleaning company, Seventh Generation, has started cropping up in nearby stores, including Target, Walmart and local grocers. The company offers a plethora of great cleaning supplies for a reasonable price - and most of them smell great! The website also offers some great reading, as well as coupons. Cheaper yet are household items like baking soda, vinegar, and borax - all in some way can be used to clean counters, floors and more. A quick search on the web provides easy ideas.
Okay, have to get back to cleaning!!
I am a big fan of Dr Bronner's Castile soaps. I use the citrus one for house cleaning,hand soap,dish soap, and even have it diluted 3-1 in all the showers in a pump for body wash.I haven't tried it for my hair or laundry yet but they many claim that it also works well for that. I also like the almond and the peppermint scent but citrus is my favorite. I buy a big bottle of it @ savemart in Lancaster and it really goes a long way because you are diluting it for the majority of jobs.
ReplyDeleteOther great natural cleaners that I use are baking soda,Lemon juice, and vinegar. The lemon juice gives it a nice scent. I'm a dumper when it comes to almost any type of recipe so I dont really have a specific recipe to share but I take an old spray bottle fill about half water half vinegar and a couple tablespoons lemon juice and couple teaspoons baking soda. Oh I should have said maybe not quite half the bottle with the liquids because you need to leave a little room for the fizziness when first mixing.