About a month or so ago, I was cleaning the house. I got out my bleach and was mopping the floors. Apparently I didn't use the right water-to-bleach ratio. My throat started burning and my eyes started watering. I had to step outside. The thought crossed my mind... it doesn't seem safe to be using bleach wtih these kinds of results. But, that's what you clean with when you want a good deep clean, right?
Soon after that incident I saw a blog post on a friends Facebook page. I wish I could find the link. It mentioned that when large companies have their employs clean with bleach, they're required to use gloves and sometimes masks. Yet, here we are soaking our toddlers toys in it! I slowly started switching to some products that claimed to be green, i.e., more expensive. Sometimes I couldn't bring myself to pay the price. Especially, when a big ole' jug of bleach was so cheap! The writer of the blog I had read shared several common household products that you could clean your house with. They were green and inexpensive!
I figured I would give it a try. The first thing I noticed was the price differences. These are the items & prices of what I usually would buy:
Lysol: 2.09
Pledge: 2.93
Windex: 2.00
Carpet Cleaner: 2.50
Toilet Cleaner: 1.78
Clorox Wipes: 3.99
Bleach: 1.98
Total = 17.27
This is what I bought that day:
Rubbing Alcohol: 2.29
Peroxide: 1.49
Baking Soda: 2.39
Oil: 3.94
Lemon Juice: 2.29
Vinegar: 1.99
Total: 14.39
A savings of: 2.88
However, the sizes were way larger on the green items and you use much less.
Once I combined the oil & lemon and diluted the vinegar I ended up with this:
I'm sure you're wondering what I did with the items pictured above. So, here it is:
Toilets: Straight Vinegar
Tubs: Spray straight vinegar, Sprinkle with baking soda, Scrub. Rinse
Glass/Windows: Peroxide. Keep in the brown bottle. Just add a spray nozzle
Wood Polish: Oil and Lemon juice mixed (a dab goes a long way)
Counters: Diluted Vinegar
Carpets: Sprinkle baking soda to help with odors. Rubbing Alcohol to take out stains
Floors & Walls: Diluted vinegar
I was really leery as to whether or not this stuff would actually work. The boys had spilled chocolate pudding on our new tan dining chairs. The rubbing alcohol took it right out! The peroxide on the glass left a brilliant streak free shine. The "furniture polish" left everything sleek looking & dust free.
Mark came home from work the first day I used thse items and his first words were, "The house looks great!" His seconds words were, "Why does it smell like vinegar? It stinks!"
It did take me a little while to adjust my nose. I had to learn clean was not just the smell of bleach or lemon Lysol. I just started opening the windows and after a bit didn't even notice the smell any more.
Mark still wasn't quite sold. The next week he went to clean the bathrooms. He used bleach. He came out coughing & his eyes watering. He had also used the wrong ratio to dilute the bleach. He agreed to do it my way.
I had been using newspaper, instead of paper towels, to clean the glass. I wasn't thrilled with the results. I decided to pick up some new rags that I can re-use. Two micro-fiber for the glass and two dusting rags. They work really well, even after washed.
All that being said... I have discovered that I don't have to be completely green. I can be almost green and still make a difference. My baby steps are taking me somewhere. Maybe one day I will be almost Amish. Well, maybe. The point is - if I can do it, you can do it! Honestly, even if you're where I was a few years ago and you're not really concerned with being green; keep in mind, the few steps that I've taken have also saved money (not just in the long run). It's a win /win.
Hopefully, you've found this information as thought provoking and useful as I did.
Happy Cleaning to you!
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