Wednesday Happenings

We have been working hard around here to get our home organized. I'm excited to say that the only room left in the house to organize is the kitchen! It is such a sense of accomplishment when you set your mind to something and do it! Although with my back hurting like it does it has taken me longer....but as the saying goes....Slow and steady wins the race.

We are also working on going "chemical" free around here. I went to this website and found these natural cleaners:

Surface Cleaner
It seems as if society has forgotten that old-fashioned soap and water actually cleans. Rather than spraying chlorine bleach or ammonia based products on kitchen and bathroom surfaces, consider the following alternatives.

Mix one tablespoon of Ivory or natural dish soap with hot water in an 8-ounce spray bottle. Spray surfaces and wipe with a damp, clean cloth, rinsing as needed.

Mix 1-2 tablespoons of borax with a tablespoon of vinegar in 16 ounces of water. Shake the bottle well, spray surfaces and wipe dry with a clean cloth. (Add 1 tsp. of tea tree oil to help prevent mildew.)

Glass Cleaner

Mix 1/3 cup of vinegar to 2/3 cup of water for cleaning glass. For particularly grimy or greasy windows, you can mix equal parts of isopropyl alcohol and water. Both versions are extremely cheap to make and alcohol will act as a disinfectant when needed.

Bathroom and Heavy Duty Cleaner

To cut through grime, mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of water and add up to a tablespoon of borax. Mix well in a spray bottle and clean surfaces as you would with commercial cleaner. (Add 10 to 20 drops of citrus oil to create scent if desired.)

*My note.....a few drops of lemon juice (any kind) to the laundry will take out odors. My husband works around oil all day and it takes the odor out of his clothes.

Abrasive Cleaner Alternative

Create a thick paste with baking soda and vinegar. Works well on stainless steel. Just rub and rinse.
A similarly thick paste made with baking soda and lemon juice works well on other metal surfaces such as brass or copper.

Laundry Detergent Alternative

You can create inexpensive powdered laundry detergent by mixing equal parts baking soda with borax. Store in an airtight container, using approximately one-half cup per regular load.

Air Freshener Alternative

For a spray freshener, dilute citrus or lavender oil in water and place in a spray bottle with a fine mist setting. Lightly mist the air, but avoid wetting fabrics and upholstery.

To recreate the warm cinnamon smell of popular air fresheners and candles, mix one cup of applesauce with 1 1/2 cups of cinnamon, roll out onto wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into small squares or even decorative shapes with miniature cookie cutters. Air dry for 48 hours or until hardened. This is a particularly moist mixture, but dries out nicely. Place dried pieces in a bowl or jar, mixed with marbles or river rock for color.

We are making small changes here and there. We have not tried the Air Freshener yet, but am going to try it soon.

I also have a recipe for homemade fabreeze. I've searched for the blog that I got this off of. If you are the original "poster" please let me know so I can give you the credit you deserve! I've looked and looked.

Homemade Febreze Recipe (I'm not sure how chemically free this is....but it sure is cheaper than the name sake.)

2 cups fabric softener 2 cups baking soda 4 cups hot water
Purchase a large spray bottle. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water; allow to cool completely. Put fabric softener (Downy is a good one to use) in it and fill the spray bottle. Spray it lightly on furniture, curtains, carpets and bedding for a nice fresh scent.