Friday, November 30, 2007

It's Not Easy Bein' Green

Okay...so I'm just making baby steps, but I'm trying. I think that there may be a link between how sick I've been lately and cleaning products. Today was cleaning day and I decided to try something a little different. I made all of my cleaners today. To my shock and awe, they actually worked better than the commercial stuff that's full of chemicals. The house has a slight alcohol smell from the glass cleaner but I'm quite surprised that there's no real vinegar smell. My stove is clean and shiny. The bathroom is sparkly. The best part, though, is when Hannah asked if she could help, I didn't think twice about handing her a spray bottle. Awesome. Now, I need to go make some furniture polish.

*Update* Michelle asked for the recipes so here are the ones I have. If anyone else has any that are different or are for different things, please post them (especially if you have one for a good floor cleaner)! Just put all of these things in a clean spray bottle and go to town.

All Purpose Cleaner
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water


Glass Cleaner
1 cup isoprophyl alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar


Wood Polish
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
(I halved this recipe)
Shake well before using. Spray on surface...wipe down and, with a clean towel, wipe off excess.

I also used a paste of baking soda and water to scrub my stove and sink.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK - share your recipes.

Barbara said...

Michelle! I thought you fell of the face of the Earth! LOL! I'll post them for you.

Susan said...

I found that a vegetable brush works well for scrubbing sinks. Took off the stuff that the cleaners wouldn't even touch. Just hot water and the brush.

Anonymous said...

I have a couple:

All purpose cleaner (this is my favorite)
1 cup peroxide
1 cup water
put in a spray bottle. This works fantastic on the stove, counter tops, etc.

Scrub for sinks
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
Put in an empty parmesan cheese container (take off the label so you won't get it confused). This is awesome!

Glass cleaner:
(I've been using this for probably 12 years)
2 cups water
1/2 c alcohol
1 Tbs ammonia
1 drop blue food coloring
Put this in an old glass cleaner bottle or a new spray bottle. It is just like windex.

Anonymous said...

That last post was Debbie ;)

Barbara said...

Thanks, Deb! I'll have to try that sink scrub! I was leery of using ammonia...it's not strong, is it?

I also sprinkled 1 cup of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (mixed together) on the carpets as a rug freshener.

Anonymous said...

Barb, the ammonia can be strong - don't sniff it straight out of the bottle. The glass cleaner smells just like windex.

Debbie

Anonymous said...

Impressive!