Green Cleaning Products

by Ruth Soukup

I don’t know how it is for you, but with every box of stuff I get rid of I feel like another little load has been lifted off my shoulders.  We are still going to take some time in the next week for more weeding and purging, but in the meantime I thought it would be a good idea to also start gathering some of the necessary tools you’ll need to get your space spic & span.

I have always had a bad habit of thinking that more cleaning solutions would result in a cleaner house.  At one point we had so many mops and brooms in our broom closet that my husband finally exploded in exasperation: “You do realize that none of them actually clean the floor for you, right?” he snapped.
The thing is, until he said that, I actually thought they might.

As hard as it was to finally accept the sad reality that there are no magic mops, I am happy to report that we are now down to one broom, one dustpan, and one mop in our broom closet, and that is just exactly enough.

A key component of The Big Spring Clean is to STOP bringing in more things, so I am going to challenge you to use the supplies you have on hand as you complete this challenge.   If you–like me–have accumulated mass quantities of cleaning supplies, use those up before you run out and buy something new.  Using what you already have is about as green & thrifty as you can get.

For anything you do still need, you might be surprised to discover that you probably already have the right ingredients right in your own kitchen or laundry cabinet.   I have been amazed to find that a combination of just a few common household products that can tackle almost every cleaning task.  In fact I’ve discovered that just 10 different products–most of which I already have on hand–can be combined in 10 different ways to make 10 different awesome, green, & super thrifty cleaners.  10x10x10….how cool is that?

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Green Solutions for Wood Problems

When you spend the money to have wood floors in your house, its no doubt you want to keep them in great shape so they last a long time. Along with keeping our floors in good shape, we want them to stay clean!  The best cleaning solutions are the ones you can make yourself out of products you know will not harm anyone in your home.  We like to think of these as 'Eco-friendly' cleaning products. 

Here is a list of recipes you can make at home to help keep your wood floors in excellent shape:

Burns: For wood burns that have not fully penetrated the wood surface, rub with thin paste of rottenstone, linseed oil and 2 or 3 drops of peppermint essential oil.  If the burn has penetrated the wood surface, you may have to refinish the area and re-stain.

Black Shoe Marks: These can be removed by rubbing 2 or 3 drops of cedar or eucalyptus essential oil over the mark with a soft cloth.

Crayon: Wipe crayon marks with a few drops of cedar or peppermint essential oil mixed with a dab of toothpaste.  Wipe clean with a cloth moistened with vinegar.

Grease: If you have grease on your wood floors you will want to act immediately. Place ice cubes on top of the spill to harden and prevent the grease from seeping further into the wood. If a grease layer forms, it can be scraped off with a blunt object such as a popsicle stick. If you're wood is unfinished, squirt some vegetable oil soap and  few drops of your favorite essential oil over the spill. Use a paper towel and blot repeatedly.