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Natural Housecleaning Carnival

by on Sep 04, 2009 in natural & green

Picture 3Welcome to our Natural Housecleaning Carnival! Do you desire to remove toxic chemical cleaning supplies from your home and need some help getting started? I am so glad you joined us today. Did you know that homemade natural alternatives are not only safer for your family and the environment but they are also far more economical as well! That is one of the reasons I love natural cleaning…it can be done with a few basic and simple ingredients, most of which you already have on hand.

Did you know? The average American uses about 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products each year. These cleaning products contain dangerous ingredients, including neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants, heavy metals, and other agents that cause or contribute to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic reactions, and behavioral problems, among other issues.

Today the floor is open for you to share all your tips and tricks for getting rid of the toxins and filling out home with fresh natural housecleaning!

My Simple, Frugal & Natural Housecleaning Bucket

I am all about simplicity and frugality, so if I can clean the entirety of my house with a few basic tools, I am thrilled! My housecleaning bucket includes the following items: Two shakers, three spray bottles, and three tools.

Baking Soda – I keep this in a small shaker (reusing an old spice container) for dusting in my toilet bowl.
Oxygen Bleach Powder (learn about this natural replacement to chlorine bleach here) – I also use this in a small shaker to dust into my toilet bowl or tub and allow to sit before scrubbing down.
All-Purpose Cleaner – Currently, I use soap nuts liquid & vinegar with a bit of tea-tree oil (details here). Love it!
Window Cleaner - I use club soda and that’s it! Other alternatives or boosting agents: half vinegar & half water, lemon juice & water or soap nuts liquid.
Hydrogen Peroxide – keep this in the original dark container (otherwise it loses its effectiveness) and simply replace the lid with a spray nozzle. I use this to spray down my tub in accompaniment with vinegar or oxygen bleach, and to remove stains in the carpet (read more here).
Toothbrush – for all the small spaces around the toilets, sinks and for cleaning grout on my tile counter tops.
Toilet Brush
Scotch Brite Scrubby – for giving the toilet bowl, tub and tile a good efficient scrub!
Olive Oil - this of course I keep in my kitchen but use it with a soft cloth (t-shirt) for cleaning the smudges off my stainless steel appliances.

What if you want to skip the whole homemade route? Check out the Mrs. Meyer’s line of cleaning products. These are wonderful natural products that I have used and loved in the past. Many products in this line are also sold by the case at Amazon and you can get 15% off with the subscribe & save feature.

Here are some previous posts on the topic:

Housecleaning on A Budget – Part 1 – all basic frugal housecleaning recipes!
Housecleaning on A Budget – Part 2
My Favorite Frugal & Re-purposed Housecleaning Tools
Using Soap Nuts for Household Cleaning
Natural Housecleaning Book Recommendations
Natural Stain Remover & Cleaning Agent: Hydrogen Peroxide!
Natural Bleach Alternatives
Natural Laundry Detergents: Homemade, Charlies & Soap Nuts
Natural Dishwasher Detergent

Let’s seek to be good stewards of the environment and our health by adopting some new practices. Just remember, natural alternatives may not clean as effectively as their chemical counterparts, but I don’t mind a little toilet bowl ring stain if it is not going to cause anyone any harm.

Now it’s your turn…

1. Homemade “Clorox” Wipes (Emily)
2. Washing Windows (Amy)
3. How To Clean Your Stovetop & Oven the Simple, Safe & Frugal Way (Katie)
4. Elbow Grease: The Most Natural Cleaner of All (Meghan)
5. Frugal & Natural Laundry (Vanessa)
6. Frugal & Natural Bathroom Cleaning (Vanessa)
7. Earth-Friendly Laundry for 10 Recommendation (Sarah)
8. Natural Cleaning Round-Up (Jackie)

To participate, post your tips & tricks on your blog. Link to this post and leave a comment with the title of your post and the link address below and then I will add them to the post manually. Make sure to submit a direct link to your post. If you do not have a blog, please feel free to share your tips in the comments. Have a question or problem in your housecleaning routine? Please share it below and let’s help each other out!

What’s in your housecleaning bucket? Do you have a favorite cleaning brand to recommend? How do you solve stubborn stains? Mold? Mildew?

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Housecleaning on a Budget – Part 1

by on Dec 07, 2007 in natural & green

Welcome to my first post in the series on Natural Living on A Budget. I am learning so much in the process of thinking of creative frugality ideas in the home. Since this week, I have been pursuing making my home a haven and doing lots of cleaning around the house, I thought it might be fun to address housecleaning ideas on a budget. The cost of commercial, chemical-based cleaning products can be very high. Plus they promote a separate cleaning product for every project you have. One product to solve your floor stains, another to wash your windows with, and of course another than really does the disinfecting job well. In addition to this, these toxic cleaners can affect the long term health of you family and the environment is being polluted in the process of manufacturing these items.

The average American uses about 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products each year. These cleaning products contain dangerous ingredients, including neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants, heavy metals, and other agents that cause or contribute to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic reactions, and behavioral problems, among other issues.

How can we solve these problems?

Make your own cleaning solutions!

Save on your housecleaning projects by making your own solutions and also protect your health and be a good steward of our environment at the same time!

WHAT YOU NEED:

A few spray bottles - these are available anywhere! I bought mine at Wal-Mart.Old t-shirts – no need for buying special cleaning rags. Grab an old t-shirt and cut it into separate rags. These work the best for deep cleaning, washing windows, and anything else. The thin fabric of t-shirts allows you to clean deep and in the crevasses really well.

Vinegar
Baking Soda
Lemon Juice
Old toothbrush – so useful for getting in the groves around your sink or toilet

RECIPES:

All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc. Can we used to clean stovetop, countertops, appliances, and the floor.

Carpet stains: Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum.

Disinfectant: Mix 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap.

Window Cleaner: Mix 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with 1 liter (qt) warm water. Use crumpled newspaper or cotton cloth to clean. Don’t clean windows if the sun is on them, or if they are warm, or streaks will show on drying. The All-Purpose Cleaner (above) also works well on windows.

Hardwood furniture: Mix 1 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup lemon juice and you have a polish for your hardwood furniture.

A few final tips for the harder jobs

Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl.

Vinegar can be used as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families with sensitive skin. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener.Baking soda is great as a deodorizer. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action.Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits.Put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Orange peels can be used for the same results.

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Hanging Our Laundry: Conserving Electricity

by on Nov 12, 2007 in making a home


Monday is my designated laundry day! I have found it so much easier for me to get it all taken care of for the week if I get it completed on one day. This means I wash somewhere between 3-4 loads of laundry: whites, colors, darks, sheets, towels. Beforehand I was washing a load a day, but could never keep track what I had washed and when, and some days would get overlooked. This plan has been so much more effective for me, since I get it all done at once.

UPDATE: I have come to realize…This method works great in the summer when I can hang my laundry outside to dry. In the winter, I have found more success doing my laundry on Monday and Tuesday and folding it on Wednesday. That gives ever load enough time to hang dry, since I don’t have enough space to hang everything on Monday. ;)

Frugal tip #1: Because I love to save a little electricity, and help out the environment, I also hang most of my laundry to dry. I laugh every time I hang my clothes from our lights in the hallway and fill up the bathroom with clothing lines, racks, etc. It is quite the day! Others think I am crazy…but hey, it’s worth it.

When the weather is nice (this is limited to the summertime around here, but we have had some nice falls days up till now), everything gets hung out on my back deck. I enjoy being creative in saving money. Actually, since hanging my clothes to dry, our electric bill has gone down an average of $8-10 dollars a month. Now it may not be due to just hanging my clothes, but it seems to be the case. It doesn’t sound very much, but every little bit helps. It is also better for the clothes, they will last longer! The dryer definitely deteriorates everything more quickly.

Frugal tip #2 as mentioned in a previous post: Speaking of washing clothes, try using a cooler cycle than what you are used to. Nine times out of ten your clothes aren’t so dirty that they absolutely require the hot wash, and you’ll save 30-60% of the energy consumed using the hot cycle. If you use the dryer, don’t over-dry your clothes, and consider using the cool-down cycle to utilize the residual heat in the dryer.

Now my Monday laundry plan may not necessarily work for you…but having your own plan is the most important thing! This is one way we maintain our homes and serve our husbands and babies. No more hubby’s complaining about their lack of socks or tee-shirts!

Tuesday morning is my ironing time (in the winter it is Friday). After everything is dry, I will iron my husband’s shirts and anything else that needs a pressing. Keep it simple! Whatever works for you…just don’t go without a plan of action for maintaining your home!

This is what my little home looks like on laundry day:

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