Here is a great example of what our grandparents might have done in the past that was right on in my book.
Homemade cleaners that cost pennies!! Think baking soda, vinegar, lemon, castile soap, borax..
I am still in the process of switching out all my bottles under the sink, but it has been so fun tossing bottles with warnings pasted all over them, and replacing them with cleaners so safe and simple my kids could drink most of them!
I had a few reasons for doing this.
1. I am frugal and love saving money.
2. I want my kids to help me clean but don’t want to worry about their aim when spraying toxic cleaners
3. I don’t like when I feel like commercialism is getting to me (you know, those commercials where everything looks like perfection and unless you use that specific product for a specific project you have, you are a loser mom)
4. Something was triggering my daughters asthma, and after much reading I got suspicious of my windex, of all things! (I was right. It is a trigger for her and with 2 glass tables that we eat on I was using it numerous times a day!)
5. My cleaner cupboard was so full I was barely able to shut it
6. Less bottles and non-toxic ingredients means being a good steward of our environment
7. Did I mention I am frugal??
My favorite that I use every day, numerous times a day, is a simple glass cleaner.
I take a spray bottle that makes me happy, fill it 1/3 of the way full with vinegar, and the rest with water. Some use distilled water and say it minimizes streaking, I have not tried this because I do not notice streaking.
As far as the smell, we are a family that can finish off a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips in minutes, so we actually like the smell of vinegar. For those of you who don’t, once the cleaner dries there is no scent, and I think it is better than snuffing something that the company has to warn you to use in a well-ventilated area. I live in Nebraska people! I can’t be opening my windows all the time!!!
I will continue to post my experiences with natural cleaners. I have a great one for dishwasher detergent coming up, and I am on the verge of trying out a homemade laundry detergent recipe, so I will let you know how that goes!!
