Basic Household Cleaner

I tried the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide anywhere spray cleaner and just wasn't pleased. It smelled bad and it didn't shine. I expect my house to shine! Well, when I actually get around to cleaning it I expect it to shine. Most of the time I would be happy with a dull gleam. But, the previously mentioned cleaner just wasn't cutting it.

So, asking around, I came across a new idea. Baking soda and dish soap. Now, I realize that dish soap isn't usually all natural. However, I think it's certainly less chemical laden than most of the strong bathroom cleaners out there. At least it's not going to burn my lungs while I clean. So, I feel like it's a safer alternative. Eventually I will try a more natural version of the soap, maybe even a castille soap. At the moment I just have a name brand original dish soap on hand so that's what I used.

I mixed about 2 TBL of baking soda with enough dish soap to make a toothpaste consistency. I then dropped in about 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and 10-12 or so drops of lemon essential oil. Both of those oils are known to have antibacterial properties. And, I personally, love the clean smell they leave when combined!

I tried this in the bathroom first since that is the "make it or break it" room for me. I smeared a dime-nickel size blob onto the surface I wanted to clean. I then rubbed it around with a clean wet cloth. Then I rinsed it with another wet rag and dried it with a towel. Guess what?! My bathroom, including the tub and shower became shiny, clean and nice smelling with very little effort (compared to straight baking soda or even some commercial cleaners). My chrome is shiny too. I did the inside of the toilet and the floors with commercial cleaners. (I am still working on a good floor cleaner for the bathroom.)

So, all in all, I would say SUCCESS! It's quick and easy to make, fairly inexpensive, chemically safer, and it works. So there you have it! Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Household Cleaner

I have continued to use the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide cleaner and I like it. I feel like my counters, stove, sinks are getting clean. I have learned that to make my bathroom sink sparkle I have to wash with the cleaner and then rinse with water and wipe with a dry cloth. I still haven't completely decided what to do with the toilet. I do use the cleaner on the outside of the toilet and the seat. I still like to use my Clorox wand inside my toilet. It's easy and I know it's cleaning and I don't have to stick my hand in the water. However, on the rim and the underside of the ring (where most of the yuck is) I still haven't' decided. I did however find that using Borax in my tub works great! It's easy to use and very inexpensive and it contains no harsh chemicals. The only thing I am still wondering about is the grout in the shower between the tiles. So far it's okay but I think once in a while I'll have to use something that really gets into the grout.

Here's a couple notes about the shampoo free:
I really like not using shampoo and the baking soda/water mixture seems to work well. My hair feel clean. The problem is the rinse. I am still using the apple cider vinegar with honey and tea tree oil but I think maybe it's causing some buildup from the honey. So, I think I have decided to use regular shampoo one every week or two weeks. And as a side note- if you use the apple cider vinegar be aware that if it gets in your eyes it really stings! And since I usually tip my hair upside down to get the back of my scalp I have also learned that it burns when it gets up your nose. Just FYI.

Up next: Laundry soap. I've got all the ingredients and I'm almost out of my store bought stuff. I just need a five gallon bucket with a lid! So, as soon as I get that I will begin. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them here or contact me.

Another Update

Hello all. I had to take a week break to get through the end of school. I have had some people asking me, "How's it going now?". It has been a couple of weeks since my first experiment - The Oil Cleansing Method.

I think I will NEVER go back to using over the counter facial cleansers. I LOVE the OCM! Now, I know it has no anti-aging qualities, so to speak, and none of the "miracle" face lift ingredients that certain products are claiming these days. But, it is natural. It is cheap! It is working. My skin is still feeling clean and it's not overly dry. I still have blemishes but I'm not totally sure how long it takes for my skin to get used to the new cleansing method. The blemishes I do have are smaller than usual and they seem to go away sooner than they used to. The Oil Cleansing Method is relaxing and effective.

The household cleaner:
Well, I'm still not totally sure what I think about it. I like it for the kitchen counter, the stove, the sink, the bathroom counter and sink and even the floor. I added some essential oils and it really cut down on the bad smell of the vinegar. I'm not sure I like it for the bathtub or the inside of the toilet. I haven't tried any alternatives, i.e. baking soda, to scrub the bathtub but I will and I'll let you know how it goes. The toilet has some staining that does not come off well with the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. It might be clean but stains are not an option for me in the bathroom.

Shampoo free:
Still working on this. I like the baking soda and water wash. I still use the apple cider vinegar, water and honey for a rinse. I think I've been adding too much honey though since it seems my hair is feeling like it's not getting completely clean. I also added tea tree oil and I like that. I think it helps with the itching. So, now my recipe is 3TBL apple cider vinegar, 1TBL honey and 1 cup of water. I haven't experimented with my daughter's hair again. I also have used regular shampoo and conditioner once. I think I might do that once every couple of weeks.

I am not sure what I'm going to be experimenting with next.It may be a week or so before I make my next thing but I will update you via facebook when it happens. Some things that I am really excited about are: laundry soap, deoderant, lip balm and perfume. If you have any suggestions please let me know. The idea is find something that is natural, cost effective and fairly simple.

Homemade All-Purpose Household Cleaner

A couple days ago I made my first bottle of all-purpose household cleaner. (Here is the link to the how-to video)I followed the recipe exactly. I used 2 cups of water, 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide. I don't have any essential oils so I didn't use any. I already had a spray bottle (be SURE it's 32 oz.). The spray bottle I had was clear thought. So, I got creative. I got one of my husband's black sock that had lost it's mate long ago and I used that to cover the bottle. (See pics). The first place I used the cleaner was in the kitchen. I was happy with the results but my kitchen wasn't that dirty. I didn't have any greasy spots to try it on. So, we'll have to wait and see about that later. Then I took it upstairs. I noticed a spot on the wall in my kids' bedroom. I think it was chocolate plus lots of grimy hand dirt. So, I sprayed the wall with the cleaner. It came off splendidly! The darker spots I had to spray twice and it I let it sit on the spot for a couple of seconds it seemed easier to wipe.

Next stop, the bathroom. Now, as many of you know, how clean my bathroom is means a great deal to me! This is the true test! My bathroom was not all that messy since I tend to clean it very regularly. However, the children had all taken baths, the sink had little bits of makeup powder in it and basic dirt. First off, the sink. It cleaned well but it didn't shine like I like. So I rinsed it with water and dried it with a towel and voila - there was the shine! I also used it on the mirror. I wondered if the hydrogen peroxide would make it streak. Nope. It looked at first like it might streak but after it dried it looked great. Next, toilet. The cleaner did a fine job on the outside of the toilet. I did not use it on the inside because I still have a Clorox wand and I used that. Then, the shower. I did not do an extensive test on how it handles the grout grime. I just did a basic surface clean. I sprayed the whole shower and tub and wiped it with a cloth. As I got to the tub I was skeptical. I sprayed it and let it sit for a couple seconds. I took the cloth and started scrubbing. I quickly realized it was going to take some serious elbow grease to get the tub clean. I think I might need to get a bristle scrub brush of some kind. As I was scrubbing, thick dark grime was coming off but it had to be scrubbed and scrubbed. I was wondering if what I heard on t.v. might be right- that the cleaners containing bleach just bleach the dirt and they don't actually remove it? Hmmm. I don't know but I think I will have to try it again and see if it gets easier. Eventually, I got all the grime off and rinsed the whole shower and tub and dried it with a towel and it sparkled. I even sprayed and wiped the tile floor. My bathroom looked and felt clean.

In summary, I think I'll keep using the cleaner for most everything. I might eventually try to find a better cleaner for the tub. And for sure I WILL get some essential oils to add. My house smelled of vinegar for a while after cleaning. I admit, I would rather smell vinegar than harsh chemical fumes but vinegar is not a light, happy smell. I think lavender or lemongrass may be in order for the future.