So now that Spring has officially "sprung", it is time to start thinking about all that comes with it, Easter, spring flowers, rain and mud, and.....yes, the dreaded SPRING CLEANING! In with the old, out with the new, a time to refresh and rejuvenate your home, if you are like me, you are probably looking for the easiest and most economical way to do this. You don't need a bunch of brand name, high end cleaners, they are expensive and contain harsh ingredients such as
Ethoxylated nonyl phenols, Naphthalene and Trisodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) (no, I do not know what those are or how to pronounce them, but I know they are not good for you or the environment!)
Did you know that the Gypsy Sisters swear by using apple cider vinegar in the dishwasher to make the dishes sparkling clean? If you can get over the smell of the cider, this is actually a pretty clever tip! They also insist on using lots of bleach in the sink! I myself cannot stand the smell of bleach, and no matter how careful I am, seem to ALWAYS end up with it on my clothes!
Here is a list of the top 10 "Green" ways to clean your home this spring:
10
. Glass: Effectively clean windows with 4 tablespoons
lemon juice mixed with a half gallon of water. Other effective cleaners
for glass and mirrors are rubbing alcohol and witch hazel!
9.
Vinyl: A cloth dipped in straight lemon juice and rubbing it onto the
stained area can remove stains on vinyl items such as recliners or tile
flooring.
8.
Furniture Polish: Mix 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice and apply it to your
furniture using a soft cloth. The combination gives your wood furniture a
nice smell and a sparkling shine.
When a hot serving dish or
glass of water has marred the surface of a wood table, you can quickly
get rid of the mark by making a thin paste of salad oil or lemon oil and
salt. Wipe the paste on, then lightly buff the area as you wipe it off
with a soft cloth. * I'm kind of leary on using salad oil on my furniture...what if the dogs like it and decide to eat it? (mind you my stupid dogs eat the furniture without food substances being rubbed on it)
7.
Metal: Give loads of
shine to tarnished copper or brass without doing any damage by bringing in salt and vinegar and
adding one more ingredient from your kitchen cupboard: flour! Using equal parts of the three ingredients make a paste; rub the paste onto the
brass or copper item with a soft cloth. Cover entire surface and
let the whole thing dry out ( about an hour). With a clean, soft cloth, wipe off the
dried paste.
Lemon can also be used for
lightly tarnished brass or copper pieces. Slice one lemon and dip it in
salt, then rub the item with the salted lemon. Afterward, rinse and dry
thoroughly.
Another fix for lightly tarnished copper is to use a
spray bottle filled with undiluted vinegar. Just spray the copper piece
and sprinkle the tarnished area with salt. Wipe thoroughly with a sponge
or cotton cloth; be sure to remove all the salt, or the item will turn
green. Repeat if necessary.
6.
Fireplace: If your wood-burning fireplace has gathered soot and smoke smudges
around its exterior, you can spruce it up by applying a paste of cream
of tartar and water. Rub the paste into the stains, let it dry, then
scrub it off.
If it's the inside of your fireplace and chimney
you're worried about, you can help loosen soot buildup by tossing an
occasional handful of salt into the fire the next time you're enjoying
your fireplace. The burning salt will help loosen the soot a little,
buying you some time between major cleanings.
5.
What to do with accumulated "clutter":
Cleaning your home can also lead to a massive decluttering of your
house. Often after a big cleaning binge, you may find that you've
accumulated a small mountain of items that you don't need anymore. If
any of it is reusable, you may want to consider joining an online
community called
Freecycle
(www.freecycle.org), which has localized chapters of members who let
each other know what stuff they have hanging around that they would like
to give away -- anything from kitchen appliances, bicycles, and
furniture to magazines, clothing, and diapers (unused, of course!).
The
Freecycle community takes place entirely online, after you sign up to
be a part of an e-mail group (also called a listserv). The groups are
local even though Freecycle is a nation-wide program. It's a great way
to declutter the house and provide somebody else with something they
need -- all without the hassle of staging your own yard sale. Plus,
moving around possessions already in existence is a way to prevent more
goods from being manufactured or being dumped into a landfill.
Similarly,
you might look into turning other outdated items over to charitable
programs such as Goodwill, or the
Salvation Army. There are also organizations that will take your old
electronics (such as computers and cell phones), your printer
cartridges, your eyeglasses, and even your sneakers and distribute them
to others who need them. A simple Internet search will offer many
options to help you get rid of some of these items in your home.
4.
Drains: Prevent clogged drains with a strainer to keep hair, food and other gunk from building up in the drain. If you cook with a lot of oils,
pour a pot of boiling water down the drain once a week to flush fats and
oils away. When it's time to unclog, first use a plunger (PLEASE use a different plunger than the one you use for your toilet!!!!) -- this works better and faster than the most powerful chemicals. If that
doesn't work, try a combination of 1/2 cup of baking soda, followed by
1/2 cup of white vinegar -- then cover the drain if you can, and let the
foaming pressure do its stuff. Other recipes call for 1/2 cup of salt
and an equal amount of baking soda, followed by 6 cups of boiling water
-- wait a few hours, then flush with cold water. As a last resort, get a
plumber's snake and "snake it out."
3.
Air it out! : Don't kill yourself (or your kids) to get a fresg smelling house.
The NRDC tested 14 different household air fresheners and found that 12
contained the hormone-disrupting chemicals known as
phthalates.
Keeping your house generally clean should eliminate any odors, or try
natural odor-eaters like vinegar and baking soda. Best air freshener of
all - crack a window!
2.
Oven Lovin': If you don't have a self-cleaning oven, there
aren't many green cleaning options, and commercial oven cleaners tend to
be caustic products with plenty of toxic compounds. Some folks recommend sprinkling baking soda on the
oven, then sprinkling water on it, and leaving it to soak overnight. (No
mention of how this will clean the sides of the oven, however.) Then,
the next morning, scrub and scour like the devil in heat. Or, get a
commercial oven cleaner, use it carefully, and don't feel guilty about
it. Placing a layer of foil at the bottom of your oven will make this
task easier next time. I hate cleaning the oven!
Ok...so there are 9 tips....maybe you can come up with the 10th! What are some tips/tricks you have for easy, green, spring cleaning???
So, I love all things animal print, mainly leopard and zebra! When we moved into our new house last year, I didn't really have any plans for our bathroom, until I started randomly finding great deals on leopard print bathroom decor! I was browsing thru a Wal Mart flyer one day, and saw they had leopard print curtain panels on sale for $7.00! I didn't NEED a curtain panel, but I thought it would look really good in my bathroom because of the wooden floors and a dark wood wall. Shortly after that, leopard print towels came on sale for $7.00 each, so I grabbed a few (not shown because they were in the wash at the time of the "photo shoot")
