Day 35 - Mmmmm.... Cleaning....

A few years ago, I got pertussis. As in whooping cough. Oh yes, I did - and it was absolutely horrific. I coughed non-stop for 18 days (and didn't sleep more than about 20 minutes at a time), and then had lingering asthma for the next three months. Now, by the end of it, I had abs of steel from all that hacking, but I had to switch to 100% natural cleaning products because the traditional stuff left me wheezing like a fat Schnauzer on a treadmill.

Now, why am I telling you this? If you have enough chemicals under your sink to make napalm, you might want to consider taking it down a notch to make it a little easier on your lungs, skin, etc. At the moment, I have a bunch of commercially made "natural" cleansers under my sink, all of which cost a bazillion dollars because all eco-minded people are loaded, right? Ahem. Right. Of course. In any case, how cheap and natural can a city mouse go without sacrificing that squeaky clean I crave? (get it? mouse? squeaky?) Turns out, I have everything I need in my pantry. Just call me Donna Reed.

Basics: acid (to cut grease), scouring agent (to, um, scour), micro-fiber cloths (to wipe up the mess when you're done)

Vinegar works beautifully (one part vinegar to one part water) as an all-purpose cleanser. You don't want to use it on marble, and you must dilute it properly or it can eat away at grout. You can even use this stuff as fabric softener, with the added bonus that it makes your detergent work better. My only issue? THE SMELL. Phew. So, I use it only where I really need to cut grease. Or when I'm making salad dressing. Hey, how's THAT for multitasking?

Lemon juice: also cuts grease. You can mix it with olive oil to polish your hard woods, shine your pots & pans, and mix it with a bit of vinegar and baking soda to make a cleaning paste. Removes hard water stains and build up from faucets too.

Baking soda - natural deodorizer (we need a lot of that around here), and absolutely fantastic when you need a little grit to get the job done. Used with a couple of cups of boiling water every two weeks or so, you've also got nature's Drano! Nifty.

My current favorite all-purpose cleaning recipe? 1/2 cup of water, one tsp of lemon juice (from a bottle is just fine), half a tsp of Baby Mild Dr Bronner's Soap.

Olive oil (or any kind of oil, for that matter) shines up stainless steel appliances right purty.

Micro-fiber cloths: amazing. You can clean most things with just a bit of water and one of these cloths. They clean without streaking, suck up dust, polish, babysit the children, take the dog for a walk, and then you just pop them in the washing machine when you're done! (the cloths, not the children or dog...)

And that's it, people! Once I've used up my stash of fancy eco-cleaners, it's scrubbing with marinade from there on out. Here are some good sites to get you started, and tomorrow, we're going to look at why blasting bacteria with assorted sanitizers may not be such a great idea. Now get to work, Cinderella!

Care 2 Make a Difference

EarthEasy

About My Planet