As we move away from the sluggish winter season we start looking forward to all the green and new possibilities of Spring and Summer. Most of us are familiar with spring cleaning rituals, but this year my ritual has changed and I have adopted a new way of cleaning which involves using only natural ingredients and hot steam.
The web is full of natural cleaning solutions and steam cleaning mops that can help keep your home clean and green but I will list some of the things I have tried that have worked and I stick by.
I have found that to clean green you will need the following containers
What you need:
• Plastic squirt bottles of various sizes.
• Plastic spray bottles.
• Misters (plastic pump spray bottles).
• Coffee cans with lids.
• Cotton cloths (to use instead of paper towels).
Natural Cleaning ingredients.
Warning beforehand: If you use natural ingredients like tea tree oil, lemon, vinegar, or baking soda keep in mind that you should treat them as you would commercial cleaners where you put on gloves when you are washing or scrubbing and you do not swallow any of the natural cleaning solutions.
Cleaning with natural ingredients brings you closer to mother nature and allows you to feel easier about cleaning your home especially when you have babies or toddlers that are still crawling around floors and carpets and put almost anything in their mouths. Natural cleaning ingredients I use are lemons, hot water and vinegar. I usually mix it all together and put it to a spray bottle. It can help clean and sanitize counter tops and sinks after preparing raw meat and chicken. However, for the latter, I use my steam cleaner and convert it into a hand steamer and load the top tank with lemon, water and vinegar so that I can get a proper steam cleaning in my kitchen. A simple and effective way to freshen up your kitchen is to cut a lemon in half and just scrub the sink and counter top with it.
This is my favorite dishwashing recipe, I know there are so many out there but if you have any please me know your favorite.
DIY Natural Dishwashing liquid
1/4 cup soap flakes
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil
Directions.
1) In bowl combine soap flakes and water and stir until the soap is dissolved.
2) Stir in the glycerin and the essential oil, leave to cool. As it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into an old shampoo bottle or any other similar shaped container.
3) To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.
Tea Tree Oil
My personal favorite natural cleaning agent is Australian tea tree oil. Australian tea tree oil is broad in its function that its a germicide, fungicide and a bactericide. Tea tree oil helps kill mold and mildew by just mixing in two teaspoons of Australian tea tree oil in a spray bottle with two cups of warm water. When you spray you shouldn't scrub but let the smell and solution absorb for a few days.Tea Tree oil and essential oils are a great way to add scent and disinfect stains and messes. You can use lemon essential oil to clean your microwave
What you will need.
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
5-6 drops thyme, lemongrass, or lemon essential oil
Combine all ingredients to make a paste. Apply to the walls and floor of the microwave with a soft cloth or sponge. Rinse well and leave the microwave door open to air-dry for about 25-minutes.
Make Your own Natural Healthy Disinfectant Spray:
2 Cups Water
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Tea Tree Oil
1/4 tsp. Lavender Oil
Combine and store in a spray bottle. Shake occasionally. Use wherever a disinfectant spray is needed.
As a busy mother of 3 my cleaning time is always cut short so what I do with tea tree oil and my steam cleaner is I put 3 teaspoons of tea oil in the front tank and steam spray my tea tree oil solution into the grout in the shower. This helps repel mold and mildew. If you don't use a steam cleaner, then what will happens is that it will kill the mold but it won't take away the mold discoloration.
I also use tea tree oil in the laundry. I add ½ teaspoon of tea tree oil to towels and bedding and other fabrics that are prone to getting moldy.
There are a lot of natural remedies out there that do work but require more elbow work then most commercial cleaners which means you can be cleaning for longer.I suggest investing in a steam cleaning mop that uses hot steam to help clean and disinfect your home. A good carpet steam cleaner or handheld steam cleaner only uses water and no other detergent. If you are interested in getting one the best thing to do is check out steaming cleaning mop reviews and find out which steam cleaner would be good for you. I myself have purchased many in the past so I always try to look up reviews when I'm getting a new one. The steam cleaner I use now which works wonders and uses nothing but regular warm tap water and anything else I add to it.
So there you have it, simple solutions to keeping your home clean and green.
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