Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Color me Clean

A few posts back I mentioned my handmade cleaner...great for everything (yes, even wood, but I would recommend a spot test, just in case). I've even found that when I clean a mirror, I don't have to use paper towels to make it streak-free. That's right, just a plain ole cloth....how green is that? Because of the generous gal I am, I'm gonna share it with ya (sorry it took me so long Ash). Send your thank yous to my 'I wanna better camera' fund. Checks and money orders accepted.

But before I do, I'd like to give you a little background on my natural cleaner, um, experience. I know you can't wait. It all starts with mirrors and glass. If you have kids you know that three feet up on any surface is, well, nasty. But on glass, it's yank. Yank, I say. But I wanted to not use chemicals anymore in my home. I'd tried vinegar, baking soda and everything in between and various mixtures thereof, but nothing worked on everything, especially not glass. I could never get something that would clean a mirror or window without making it look like someone spit on it and wiped it with their palm. So imagine my excitement when I used this cleaner and I could actually see myself in the mirror. Whewee. As a side note here, I still use a bit of baking soda in addition to the cleaner on my tub and toilet. Abrasive scrubbing action, right on.

Anyway, the cleaner.

1-1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2- 3 cups vodka (or grain alcohol)

1-1 1/2 tsp essential oil blend (see below)

 

~I give these approximates because you may want to be skimpier with the alcohol as it's more expensive than um, water. But I usually use the 1:3 ratio. As for the eos, 1 tsp is sufficient but if you just like more smell, than add another half.~

The disinfecting, deodorizing, grease-bustin', bacteria-killin', great smelling, rockin' essential oil blend I use is:

3 tsp lavender

4 tsp lemon

2 tsp eucalyptus

3 tsp rosewood

I mix these in a brown glass bottle, labeled ever-so-cleverly as...Cleaner Mix, and add 1 tsp to my cleaner bottle with each making.

Enjoy this very effective, natural cleaner.

Note: Rumors have circulated around my house about the possible selling of this ingenious remedy, if that should happen I will destroy all traces of this post, so get it while you can. :)

2 comments:

Leat said...

Thank you for posting this! I'm always on the lookout for a great homemade cleaner to replace the chemicals from the store!

Leat

kentuckymommy said...

Thanks for sharing! F-i-n-a-l-l-y!
Love you girl...and I will be calling ya soon...Jesse is gone and school just started for us oh and we are hitting the road again soon...in at least on way or another! TTYL!