Green cleaning

Here are some make-it-yourself green cleaning products. Also see my earliest post for green laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent:-)

Mirror/Window cleaner

1 cup white distilled vinegar
3 cups water
10 drops lavendar oil

Keep a batch of this in a marked spray bottle. It won't streak as bad as commercial window cleaners. Use a reusable cotton rag for wiping. The lavendar oil has antibactria properties, and lavendar scent is known for relieving stress.
* In a bind, just using straight white distilled vinegar will do.


Carpet cleaner

2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons baking soda

Put in spray bottle, shake well, spray over carpet lightly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes and vacuum it up. It will freshen the carpet without leaving toxic dusty powders that commerical cleaners do.


Furniture oil

1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put in a jar or tupper wear, shake it up, and use it to wipe down furniture.


Homemade dryer sheets

1 rag
5 drops (anymore will stain your clothes!) of your choice essential oil.

the essential oil goes on the rag and goes in the dryer like a regular dryer sheet. When the scent starts to fade from the rag, you can continue to add drops later. If it starts to get a little yucky, just wash the rag and start again.


Ant repellant

sprinkle ground cinnamon around baseboards/bottoms of doorways and this will keep the out while making your home smell great.


Weed killer

water the weeds in your garden with white distilled vinegar. This will do the same job as a commercial chemical weed killer, but it won't poison the ground or get into the water system.


Microwave cleaner

2 tablespoons baking soda or lemon juice
1 cup water

Mix ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up inside the microwave. Wipe down.

Happy green cleaning!

Going Green... damnit

I know it's really trendy to be "going green" these days. At first, I was really annoyed with people about the whole green thing. It seemed like people were all of the sudden jumping on the bandwagon just to be hip. It made me determined to resist it in my own life. Don't get me wrong, I was brought up that it's right to recycle, throw your trash away in garbage cans and not on the ground, to conserve water, etc. I just didn't want to get preachy and obnoxiously deliberate about being especially eco-friendly.

And then I did what I said I wouldn't...... and I'm glad I did.

I'm realizing how important it is to take care of the planet. People matter more than anything else in the world, but people can't be healthy unless our planet is healthy. I also love the beauty of the outdoors, and I don't want to see it destroyed anymore than it already has been. It really is important to take care of the environment. These days, I've tried to be more careful about turning off lights when leaving the room, unplugging eletricals when not using them, conserving more water, etc. One thing I'm really excited about is cleaning green. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday with windex, and I started having a hard time breathing with all the strong chemicals. Luckily, there are tons of natural cleansing products you can make at home (and they're cheaper than commercial products as well.) I'll post those recipes in my next post, so stay tuned.

Thanks for listening to me being preachy and obnoxiously deliberate about being especially eco-friendly.