Category Archives: cleaning

I love my large dining room table especially after it has been cleaned with wood cleaner.  Nice, smooth and shiny.  I thought that could only be achieved by using Pledge or the furniture oils I have purchased over the years.  They definitely were not all- natural, the smell was bad, I hated cleaning my entertainment center with my baby playing next to it on the floor.

This recipe I found printed on the side of my spray bottle and I tried it and love it.  Mix the following into your spray bottle.

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Shake before using.  Spray  on your cloth or directly onto your wood.  Then wipe with a clean dry cloth.

Another plain and simple alternative to chemical filled cleaners.

up tomorrow carpet and upholstery cleaner

Having little crawlers for the last 5 years of my life, I have spent many hours on my hands and knees hand washing my floors to make sure they were all  sparkly clean for my little ones.  At first I used tough commercial cleaners to get rid of all the bacteria on the floors, then I thought to myself, “this can’t be safe for my babies?!?!”  Then I started hand washing with vinegar everyday, the smell was not so pleasant day after day.  After making my all-purpose spray, that was my choice for washing each day. Needless to say, I went through much of it.

I have since discovered my cleaning “gem”.  My husband bought me a steam mop for Christmas a few years back and I could not believe that I had not purchased one earlier.  Hello???? cleans all natural with hot steam, no chemicals involved.  Wouldn’t you want your babies hands and feet covered in an all natural hot steam instead of chemical filled pine sol????

This was a no brainer for me, I recommend everyone to get one of these, they are great.  I own the Shark Steam Mop and it has worked for years, day after day with no problems. I am sure they have  a more advanced version, like one that vacuums would probably be great too, but this works great for us.

100% all natural floor cleaning.

part 8 wood cleaner

On day three of our challenge to make our homes more natural our next step is actually buying the products you need.

This is where you will have a small expense in the beginning but it will even out over time.  Most of these items you can buy at your local grocery store.  Some you my have problems finding and will have to order online but find a place that does free shipping and then it doesn’t cost much.

Things to buy

• borax
• baking soda
• washing soda
• vinegar
• alcohol
• peroxide
• fels naptha bar soap
• Dr Bronners soap
• essential oils—I have peppermint and orange
• tea tree oil
• 3 good spray bottles – try and get 3 different colored ones

Most all I purchased at Walmart.  Make sure to buy the more costly spray bottles ($3) as they will last longer than a cheaper one.  The only thing I bought online was the essential oils and Dr Bronners soap.  I got mine from vitaminshoppe.com but check the prices at amazon as well.

Once you gather all your ingredients we will begin by making your all-purpose household cleaner.