A Cold Snap

There has been a lot of sickness going around especially cold and flu or flu-like illnesses. My husband came down with a cold just after the holidays and I've been down with a horrid cold with complications for two weeks now. When I was growing up, the winters were colder and believe me our house was poorly insulated at best. There would be frost inside on the windows, huge icicles hanging from the eaves troughs and quickly getting dressed before freezing was a challenge. Our bedrooms were downright cold at night as the only heat to them was via the two radiant heat gas heaters downstairs. We had a floor vent in the middle of the hall to help get heat upstairs. While heat does rise, little of it came upstairs. The basement was unfinished with a mud floor so the first level floors were beyond cold in the winter. I can remember my Mom opening windows on a sunny but bitterly cold day, enough to get a good cross-breeze. She would leave the house like that for a couple of hours! She hang clothes on the line on those days as well even though we had a gas dryer. Her reasons were simple. The fresh air got rid of stagnant winter air and killed germs. She was old school, born in 1903, raised on a farm and lived through two World Wars as well as the Great Depression. Let me tell you, she knew a thing or two about living frugally! We bought our first home in the early 80's and compared to my Mom's house it was quite energy efficient. We are now in our sixth purchased home, seventh if you count our vacation home. This house is a far cry from our first house in that it is so energy efficient and sealed so tightly we need an air exchanger. Heating costs are considerably higher than what my Mom paid but in reality a lot of the heating she paid for went out all the cracks and crevices of the house. Although it sounds like an expensive practice to do in modern, air tight homes her method of using cold air is just as effective now as it was then. Our winters have become warmer so what you need is a cold snap where the temperature is below freezing for a few days. Wait for a sunny day during the cold snap then shut off your furnace. Go through the house and spray all touchable surfaces (eg. phone handsets, door knobs, remotes, light switches, keyboards, etc) with rubbing alcohol. This greatly reduces any germs on those surfaces making the cold air treatment more effective. Change the filter as it may harbour germs. Open at least two windows to create a cross breeze. A kitchen or bathroom exhaust fan can be turned on to help remove the stagnant air. Leave your house like this for at least a half hour then shut the windows and start the furnace. This is long enough period to remove stagnant air in the house without lowering the indoor temperature too much. Germs go out the window along with the stagnant air.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the holiday season for spreading joy, kindness, cheer AND germs!  We were at our vacation home in Florida until December 20, then spent much of our arrival day home in mall and other seedy places where germs like to hide.  It didn't help that we had spent time in a germ laden airport or on a germ infested plane.  Still, by the 26th when we hosted our family Christmas, there was no signs of illness other than our little grandson who had a cold.  They left on the 28th and we hosted a larger gathering on the 29th.  My husband woke up with a cold and our daughter, parent of grandson with the cold called to say she had flu-like symptoms.  I have been in serious overdrive mode between cleaning up from the holidays and germ control.  I should have been on top of it earlier but with the holiday rush, I forgot.

I'm considered high risk with brittle asthma and I refuse to take the flu vaccination.  My husband also does not take the flu vaccination either and before you say we should there are adverse side effects to the flu vaccination that can be long lasting resulting in chronic symptoms neither of us wish to deal with.

My first line of defence is rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle.  Everything hands can touch gets sprayed a couple of times a day until there are no signs of sickness in the house.  I actually start this when I first start hearing of friends or family coming down with colds or flu-like symptoms.  I keep the spray bottle ready so every time I think about it things gets sprayed.  Rubbing alcohol (ethanol or isopropyl) is one of the best anti-biologicals there is because it kills 99% of virii and bacteria on contact.  It's what we used on our lab benches to effectively control biologicals.

And so it begins....'tis the season...

Moving Towards Natural Hair Care

Even before I had health problems and well before I was educated, I was adamant about avoiding white sugar, excess salt and food additives.  I really don't know why, just I knew this was ingredients to avoid in our foods.  Those ideals moved into household cleansers not only as a way of being frugal but also as becoming eco-friendly.  We began making our own 100% all natural, vegetable based bar soap for bathing back in 1995.  Within a year, my husband's psoriasis was completely gone and the patches have never returned.  The last stronghold was my beloved Pantene products.

I have waist length hair, worn straight.  It is prone to frizzing in high humidity.   I was told by one hair salon not to use Pantene products as they leave a build-up in your hair but since I don't colour or perm my hair, I wasn't concerned.  The main problem with a lot of hair products is they contain sodium chloride (drying, stripping), sulfates (strips hair of keratin making it prone to frizzing), sodium lauryl suflate (stripping, carcinogenic), alcohol (drying, stripping, increases frizzing), silicon (synthetic) and scents (synthetic, allergenic).  In short, the majority of hair product are not good for you so I decided to take a bit more natural approach.  

I tried the No-Poo method which is washing with a baking soda solution followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse.  This is the ultimate natural approach for hair care if it works for you.  It takes about three weeks for your hair to adjust but after that it is reported to work rather well.  The No-Poo method does work well but my hair really needed something else.  As hair ages, it loses the protein, keratin.  The loss of keratin results in more frizz so it make sense to replace the keratin rather than use a synthetic like silicone to control frizz.  I switched to the Organix line of hair products that are sodium and sulfate free so they aren't stripping my hair of keratin nor are they drying it.  Before blow drying and styling, I use Moroccan argan oil.  This is almost a miracle natural hair treatment that protects the hair from heat styling treatments, UV damage and frizzing while mending split ends as well as giving the hair a gorgeous shine AND it doesn't leave the hair oil feeling.  I use this a couple of times a day just sprayed on my brush then brushed through my hair.  I also use extra virgin olive oil just after styling my hair.  I don't use a lot, just a little rubbed between the palms of my hands then over my hair.  Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that evens slows the greying of hair while darkening natural hair slightly as it controls frizz.  

Dusting Solutions

One of the selling features of our new home was hard flooring throughout.  It certainly makes you appreciate exactly how much gunk was hiding in our carpeting.  Dust is a mixture of dirt and soil coming in through window screens, pet dander, human hair and sloughed off dried skin, dust mite carcasses and feces, and so much more.  When this gets into your carpeting it is bad enough but carpeting also harbours the proliferation of dust mites compounding the problem.  Dust can give your house that 'old' smell, or just an off smell that says your house isn't clean.

Dusting is a bit more complex than simply dusting.  Many can get away with dry dusting but if you have allergies or asthma, you really need to damp dust without using an aerosol spray.  Damp dusting picks up the dust without allowing it back into the air.  Static cloths and microfibre dusting pads are a must especially if you have allergies or asthma.  They work well without any sprays  allowing you to dispose of the dust easily.  Contrary to many beliefs, dust does not just accumulate on horizontal surfaces.  Every surface in your home accumulates dust including surfaces you wouldn't normally think of like light bulbs and clothes in your closet. Walls should be routinely dusted and if you don't think walls accumulate dust just run a static cloth over a couple to see exactly what is on your walls.

The thing is if you have no carpets you will notice more dust.  That is just the nature of the beast but at least you are seeing the dust and can deal with it than if the dust were hiding in your carpet.  Put an air cleaner on your furnace along with good filters then set about dust control duty.  If you have allergies or asthma, you already know how important it is to get this dust out of your home. Here are a few tools I use and tips for achieving that goal:

• wet dusting - Wet dusting does not put the dust back into the air where it can get into your lungs.  A light solution of Murphy's Oil soap is suitable for most wood, wood veneers and pseudo-wood surfaces including laminate flooring.  Just dip your 100% cotton cloth into the solution, wring it out and use it for dusting.  Repeat if needed.  This does a wonderful job not only of dusting but cleaning at the same time.  I make up a Murphy's Oil solution then pour it into a spray bottle for quick touch up cleaning.  
• wands - Many of the dry dusting methods require using some type of wands.  The most common is Swiffer but there are other brands.  Our local dollar store carries the generic long wands for $2 meaning you can easily have a couple at a considerably less price than the brand name and trust me they work just as well as the brand name for a lot less money.  You will want a couple of the longer wands and at least one short dusting wand (dollar store find with pad $1.50).  The head should be designed to use the static cloths (eg. have teeth grabbers) and the reusable dusting pads.
• microfibre cloths, pads and slippers - I honestly can't say enough about these.  They are a reusable dusting mop pad that goes onto a wand much the same as a Swiffer wand.  They work whether wet or dry and are machine washable.  Surprisingly, our local dollar store is the best place to buy them at $2 each so I have a few.  I am rather partial to the larger loop style but the fine loop style is available as well.  Walmart is now carry the large loop microfibre slippers so you essentially are dusting as you walk about.  I haven't tried them yet but at $7 per pair, I am planning to.  Basically with the slippers you are dusting your floors as you walk about eliminating the need for separate dusting.  
• static cloths - By far the most popular brand is Swiffer and the cheapest place to buy them is Sam's Club.  Static cloths are highly recommended by allergists because they pick up the dust easily without chemicals then with a toss it is out of the house.  A couple of years ago Swiffer started adding scents to their cloths so be aware of that which is one reason I now prefer microfibre cloths over Swiffer.  Also weighing against the static cloths is they are disposable meaning you are continuously spending just to rid you home of dust.  However, and especially when first trying to get allergies and asthma under control, the static cloths are a must for some applications.  Avoid any static cloth that has any kind of scent.  
• hand held steam cleaner - Dust tends to get into lots of nooks and crannies.  It can combine with moisture to create gunk for lack of a better word but not a lot of gunk just a thin layer that can harbor mold spores.  A hand held steam cleaner is a must have for getting rid of this gunk especially in crevices.  Not only does it get rid of the gunk it sanitizes, killing any mold or bacteria present.
• vacuum cleaning - Allergists will stress using a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner as one of the best ways of controlling allergens in your home.  I've tried several models of HEPA filter upright vacuum machines plus a canister vacuum before installing a central vacuum system in this house.  By far, the central vacuum is the way to go and you can actually have it exhaust to the outside meaning nothing from the exhaust comes back into your house!  We did that three houses ago when we had central vac but so far have not vented outside for the new install in this house.  Vacuuming is not just for floors either.  It can be used for so much more like around your windows, horizontal surfaces, blinds, walls and more.  If you have upholstered furniture use the vacuum on that to reduce dust mites, and other dust.
• the dryer - The dryer set on air only is ideal for removing dust from pillows, stuffed animals and other textiles.  If there is a concern over dust mites as there may be with throw pillows or stuffed animals, put them in the freezer for an hour then run them through the dryer on air setting.  The freezer will kill off any dust mites present and the dryer will remove their carcasses along with any dust mite feces.

Bissell Opticlean Cyclonic Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

[Please note: I am not in any way compensated by Bissell.  The thoughts expressed here are my own based on my experience using Bissell products.]

I have used a lot of floor maintenance machines since being a newlywed eons ago.  We bought a Bissell electric broom for our first apartment.  Even though I have had a used and rather old red Hoover cannister vacuum cleaner, a Filter Queen (at one time the creme de la crop), and a central vacuum, I keep coming back to Bissell products.  One reason I love Bissell is because I get consistently good results.  Years ago we were renovating a turn of the century home.  My FIL thought a low pile carpet would be good for the kitchen to quickly get a floor in for winter [we later had it professionally replaced with sheet flooring].  With young kids, a cat and allergies it wasn't the wisest advice but we heated solely with wood and needed anything possible to help warm the house during the renovation stage.  Anyway, Zeller's had a new loyalty program called Z-points so we signed up and soon had enough Z-points to cash in for a Bissell steam cleaner.  It was a tank rather stand-up model but it was free.  That was back in the mid-1980's and do you know we were still using that very same steam cleaner to clean carpets at our last house (2007 - 2011)?  Now that is a good machine!  I've had two Bissell upright, bagless vacuums that are still in action (one at my husband's office, the other at one of our kids) and one DirtDevil that went to the landfill.

When we moved into our new home in September, I knew I would have to get some type of vacuum.  The handheld vacuum is great for quick cleanups but it was obvious that more dust control was needed in the absence of carpeting.  I bought a Bissell 3-in-1 Vac ($29.99).  It's basically a nice, bagless, convertible hand held vacuum.  It did not take me long to realize while the 3-in-1 is great, I really needed a vacuum cleaner with extra cleaning tools for deep down cleaning.

WalMart Canada had a sale on vacuum cleaners including the Bissell Opticlean cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner.   It was originally $149.99 on for $68.99.  I didn't even blink when I put it in the cart.  I wanted something bagless, compact, versatile with cleaning tools and the reality was for our purposes we did not need anything really fancy.

The Opticlean has a lot of very nice features like filters, telescoping extendable wand, onboard attachments, automatic power cord retractor with cord storage, easy carpet to hard flooring, wand storage in two positions and it's bagless.  It lightweight enough for me to carry between the three levels yet is heavy enough for substantial usage.  The previous owners had two dogs and I'm pretty sure they had a cat or two.  You should have seen the area around the furnace and water heater.  Talk about fur balls!  They were huge.  We clogged up the new vacuum three times just cleaning that space then clogged it a couple more times cleaning hair balls from under the refrigerator we wrote into the deal.  Removing the vent cover at the bottom of the refrigerator revealed a giagantic as in never had been cleaned since buying the fridge hair blockage!    Three floor heating vents were equally blocked.  Had we ruined the new vacuum we would have been out $68.99 but well ahead in the resulting energy savings. 

We didn't ruin the machine.  It follows me around like a little blue beetle on my heavier cleaning days.  I've used it a lot with no problems to clean window tracks, door sills, the floors and so much more.  I'm actually quite fond of my little blue beetle!  For the price, I certainly cannot complain but then I wouldn't expect anything less from a Bissell.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Downside to Moving - Cleaning

Moving is undoubtedly a massive amount of work even if you hire some of it out.  Amidst the chaos of packed boxes, packing and moving in there is the extensive cleaning that needs to be done on both ends of the move.  The house or apartment you are moving from needs to be cleaned top to bottom before it changes ownership.  For the most part this means surface clean, no garbage or debris laying around, and everything neat and tidy.  If it is not the real estate agent can be held liable on a house or apartment that is sold or on a rental property it could mean you lose your security deposit. 

If the house or apartment has been reasonably maintained, the final cleaning shouldn't be much of a problem.  Simply dust down the walls, wash any marks on the walls off using a Mr. Clean Magic eraser, clean the windows, dust the wall, vacuum the floors and shine any chrome like faucets or mirrors.  That way the new homeowner/tenant is greeted to a clean house or apartment to which they can clean further to their specifications.

Moving into a new house or apartment means you will be cleaning, period.  You can hire some of it out or do it yourself but it still needs to be done.  The amount of work required will of course depend on the move-in condition of the premises.  The problem with this is you more than likely will have to deal with some cleansers you normally would not use.  We tend to use as natural of a cleaning process as possible (eg. steam, vinegar, baking soda, Mr. Clean Magic erasers, soap, Simple Green, Murphy's oil soap, household ammonia).  Our new house was left somewhat surface clean in that the surfaces were wiped down but definitely not what I would consider clean and the previous owners admitted they hadn't had the time to clean the house better. 

I was surprised at the amount of cleaning I have had to do.  The house was neat and tidy when we viewed it but quite frankly the previous owners either didn't know how to clean or were too lazy to do so.  We were lucky in that we took possession on September 1 but most of our furniture did not arrive until September 6 so that gave us five days for cleaning and moving smaller items.  The cleaning continues though.  I've spent more time on my hands and knees cleaning as well as getting into nooks and crannies for cleaning than I really wanted but it has to be done.  While I resorted to my tried and true, eco-friendly cleaning methods, I had to buy a special cleaner.polisher and sealer for the marble floor in the kitchen, another special cleaner for the laminate flooring and pinesol to clean the grout on four floors plus the countertop.  I bought a large container of TSP for the walls as that will be needed for painting anyway.  I've had every cleaning device imaginable (eg. handheld steam cleaner, steam mop, dust mop, wet mop, and etc.) in use almost daily.  The vacuum cleaner and electric broom have been huge assets for getting dust and dirt up and out of the house.  We even had the house powerwashed because it was quite obvious the previous owners had never washed the exteriour.  I'm looking forward to getting the major cleaning behind us!  Once everything is cleaned, maintaining it along with spring and fall cleaning is a cinch.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Where To Start?

I found myself in the unenviable position of waking up to a house that looked like a cyclone had blown through it.  It many ways it had.  We arrived home Thursday evening after being on the road for a couple of days ending a lovely three week vacation.  Along with our luggage there were various bags of food and other items collected along the way home and during our vacation.  Putting things away that night might have been easier but the foodie finds had to be readied for their photoshoot and we were tired.  I took the foodie shots on Friday and puttered tidying up while being quite thankful that other than the clothes we wore on the way home the other clothes were cleaned so there was no massive amount of laundry to do.  On Saturday we debated going for a much need grocery shopping, I made a homemade chicken noodle soup and we settled in for the afternoon.  That evening we hosted an inpromtu get together of 11 people not including ourselves.  The following morning as we were still cleaning up oldest and youngest grandkids arrived so the toys came out.  We had a great barbequed meal and after they left caught up on Coronation Street while ignoring what needed to be done.  By then we were exhausted.  Sunday morning despite the weather reports was lovely so my husband went to the store for bread for the turkey stuffing, we popped the stuffed bird into the oven, then headed out to do a bit of boating that would likely be our last trip of the season.  When we got home we finished up prepping dinner as one of our kids and significant other were coming as well as a couple of friends who cancelled at the last moment.  The kitchen filled up with the larger pots, pans, roaster and a few platters that all needed to be hand washed, kids toys were everywhere, bathrooms needed cleaning, floors needed washing, vacuuming needed to be done and entertaining extras put away.  In short the house was utter chaos.  That was my morning greeting!

What do you do when faced with this type of situation?  Let's face it everyone gets tired enough or sick that even clean-up gets left for the following day.  The problem is the clean-up can pile up more so it is important to tackle as quick and as systemmatically as possible without getting over tired or discouraged.  Here are a few of my tips for dealing with this type of situation:

• don't try to do everything at once - A surprising amount of tidying and cleaning can be done in 15 minute bursts.  Do as much as you can for 15 minutes then take a break and do something else.
• start small but start - Pick up one thing and put it away.  This morning I started by just gathering all the platters into one spot beside the sink followed by putting away those little things like the salt & pepper shakers that had been left out.
• use the one in one out rule - During heavy household use as in entertaining items from the kitchen end up in the family room and visa versa.  Everytime you leave a room take one item that doesn't belong there and put it in its proper spot.  As you leave that room do the same thing.  All misplaced items will soon be back where they are supposed to be but you won't even noticed you did the tidying.
• take a stretch break - About every 15 minutes I take a 5 minute stretch break from the computer.  If I spot something out of place or a little task that needs doing (eg. load the dishwasher) I do it.
• focus on one task - A lot of my cleaning tends to be in the form of multi-tasking however focusing on one task can help big cleaning jobs go a lot smoother.  Noticed how I focused on gathering the platters.  There were 6 platters and while aside of the turkey platter were not really dirty having just held snacks they still needed washing.  Visually those they created a lot of clutter.  Washing and drying them took less than 10 minutes but when put away the kitchen suddenly looked cleaner.
• once the puttering is done - Once everything is put away I wipe down the counters, shine up the fixtures and mirros in the kitchen and bathrooms then vacuum the floors.  Finally I wash the kitchen, bath and utility room floor.  The house is back to neat, tidy, and presentable for the next round of guests.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Kitchen Towel

According to a recent study conducted by the Hygiene Council, a group of international experts in microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, immunology and public health, the dirtiest item in Canadian homes is the kitchen towel.  In fairness though they only examined 20 Canadian homes as well as 20 homes in 8 other countries.  I doubt that this small of a sampling is indicative of homes across their respective countries.  Still their findings are something to consider especially since some of the towels were highly contaminated with Escherichia coli, a bacteria that is responsible for causing food borne illness.  Apparently one of the causes for the contamination is washing kitchen towels in cold water.  They recommend towels be washed in water hotter than 60°C to kill E. coli.

E. coli contamination can come from meats especially ground beef but it can also come from improperly washed hands and contaminated salad greens.  All of these sources can contaminate cutting boards, kitchen knives and kitchen towels as well as other kitchen surfaces.  When it comes to kitchen towels, I use cotton bar towels bought from Sam's Club.  One of the things I insist on is changing out the towel after each use to help prevent contamination.  It is not uncommon for me to go through several kitchen towels during heavy cooking or canning sessions so I have a small laundry basket in the kitchen where I toss used towels to be removed from the kitchen during the final kitchen clean-up.  I also wash my kitchen towels in hot water with no fabric softener.  Kitchen (and bath towels) can kept free of contamination by:

• changing out the towel after each use
• hang towels outside of the kitchen area to dry until laundry day as damp towels will encourage bacteria to multiply as well as mildew to develop
• bleach or a couple of drops of tea tree oil can be added to the wash water or vinegar can be added to the rinse to kill off any bacteria that may be present
• white towels can be hung outdoors in the sun after washing to whiten and kill any bacteria that may be present

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Stove Cartridge Clean-up

I can on a Jenn-Air® customized slide-in range with cartridges so that I can change the stovetop features as desired.  I bought a special canning element to customize one of the coil cartridges.This time of year my stove takes a huge beating!  While I can year round usually at least once weekly this is the busiest of the canning season when I am canning oodles of tomato products.  That means the canners run two or three times a day. 

The problem with both boiling water bath (BWB) and pressure canner (PC) is both spew out water droplets over the stove surface.  The PC spits out water droplets but only until it comes to pressure whereas the BWB canner spits water droplets during the entire canning process.  These water droplets seem harmless but they turn into ugly black spots on the stove.  Compounding the problem is the splattering from various sauces cooking prior to being canned. 

As you can see the canning cartridge becomes quite unsightly.  Quite frankly I could leave it as is because the cartridge is only on the stove for canning so no one really sees it other than my husband or me but that's not the point.  I don't like it looking this grungy.  When I canned on a regular stovetop I had the same problem so I learned a few tricks to cleaning up after a canning session to keep the stovetop looking good.

One of the best stovetop cleaners I've found is Bar Keepers Friend.  This cleanser comes in both powder and liquid form.  I like the liquid but they both work well and it is one of the best commercial cleansers I've found for stainless steel.  It's one of the very few commercial cleansers I buy.  This cleanser contains citric acid so it is quite effective on most surfaces including smoothtop stove surfaces.  A 13 oz bottle costs $4 so is a fraction of the cost of other smoothtop stove cleansers.

Pictured is the cleaned stove cartridge.  It's not perfect but it looks a lot better than after the canning session.  The majority of the cleaning was done simply by wiping on Bar Keepers Friend, letting it sit for a minute then rubbing.  Some small spots that remained were easily flicked off with the side of a paring knife tip.  Once the busiest of the canning is over I will take the canning element out, clean the drip pan well and clean up the rest of the cartridge.  Then I will be able to give the entire cartridge a good cleaning that will remove all of the spotting but for now it at least looks presentable.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Down and Dirty on Keyboards

My Keyboard

September 6, 2010

I am not a germaphobe but I like things reasonably clean.  Our main computer keyboard is used on a daily basis several times a day unless we are away.  While it is used mainly by my husband and me, it is also used on occasion by one or more of our kids and friends.  I do the old dust off routine so it usually doesn't look too bad.  The other day my husband said he heard that computer keyboards were less sanitary than toilets.  Well that doesn't surprise me all that much since most kitchen sinks are less sanitary than toilets [something to think about].  So I pondered his statement then decided to act because I couldn't remember the last time I gave the keyboard a good cleaning.  Note that I said I couldn't remember when not that I haven't cleaned it.  I've heard a lot of ways to clean a keyboard including putting it into the dishwasher.  Here's the way I clean ours:

• unplug from the computer - Ours is a MAC but this method works on a PC as well.
• turn the keyboard over and hold on an angle resting on solid surface
• lightly tap the keyboard to dislodge any larger pieces dust or dirt
• vacuum the keyboard to get any remaining dust or dirt
• wipe the surface of the keys with rubbing alcohol
• dip a Q-tip into rubbing alcohol to clean between each key, changing Q-tip as needed
• any stains that remain can be removed with a Mr. Clean magic eraser
• wipe the surface again with rubbing alcohol
• plug the keyboard back into the computer - The keyboard is now clean and sanitized ready for use.

This method also works well for other well used surfaces like telephones handsets, cell phones, computer mouse and control devices.  Tapping may not be necessary for some items. Using the rubbing alcohol will not only get the surfaces squeaky clean but help spread germs during cold and flu season.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Pressure Washer

Many outside surfaces can be cleaned using eco-friendly soap and a garden hose with a spray nozzel or brush attachment.  Our last house was vinyl sided that was sadly in need of pressure washing.  We had it pressure washed for $200 which was an excellent discount because it was done through one of our friends who owns the pressure washing business.    A couple of years ago Canadian Tire had a pressure washer on sale for $129.99 so I made the executive decision to buy it.  The reasoning was that a pressure washer would take care of a lot of the outside cleaning needed here including vehicles without having to hire it out.

The pressure washer is a Simoniz 0091S 1600 PSI unit.  It is light weight enough that I can wheel it around.  The pressure is strong enough to easily clean windows, trim and it does a nice job on the vehicles.  I like that it is fairly compact so storage isn't an issue either.  There are a couple of sprayer attachments and a separate hose to hook up to a cleaning solution.

Pressure washing is an easy DIY project for cleaning most outside surfaces.  It easily removes built-up grim, moss and mildews with little effort.  Some items though cannot stand up to the pressure of pressure washing as the poor little gnome by the window found out.  He now needs a new suit of clothes.  Pressure washing can also loosen older mortar, strip any loose paint and damage vegetation.  So caution should be used when directing the pressure washer spray.

Our property is heavily treed which means we have light moss and mildew on some exterior surfaces.  Normally we get enough air circulation and dry enough weather during the summer months that neither moss or mildew presents much of a problem.  This spring brought more rain than originally predicted.  Over the past month we have had high heat and humidity followed by a fair number of afternoon/evening thunderstorms.  Some of these thunderstorms have been quite violent.  The result this year is we are seeing moss and mildew growing on surfaces we normally would not see.   Pictured is the window sill that has been partially cleaned of both moss (top) and mildew (facing).  The pressure washer makes quick work of cleaning surfaces of both without using any cleaning agents. 

The pressure washer is working to clean our current staircase project.  I was surprised at how well it removed loose paint while cleaning exposed wood quite effectively.  I'm actually impressed enough that I am considering trying to return the staircase to natural wood which would look quite nice.  Once we do a bit more cleaning on the staircase we will know whether we can get the wood to a point it could be stained then varathaned.  I'm almost thinking a two toned wood stain might work depending on how the wood comes out.  Painting is likely the more feasable option. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

My Handy Kitchen Helper

A few years ago when we moved from an urban to rural setting we discovered mice. That house was sandwiched between the water and farmland much the same as this house is. We embarked on an extensive rodent control program at the last house then continued it when we moved here since we knew we would be dealing with the same issues. Aside of sealing rodents out of the home I feel it is extremely important to remove any food supply so meet my handy kitchen helper.

The kitchen is by far the first place food crumbs occur. It's hard to keep the crumbs picked up all the time and rather a pain to get the big vacuum cleaner out every time just to pick up the crumbs. This cute little Dirt Devil® helps keep those dry kitchen spills under control. I can easily clean up dry spills as they happen. We bought it on sale a couple of years ago for $30. Surprisingly this hand held vacuum has become one of my most used tools in the kitchen even though it is not nor ever was billed as being a kitchen appliance.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Cleaning - A Woman's Work is Never Done

The say that a woman's work is never done and in many respects that adage is so true when it comes to cleaning. It honestly never ends! Just when you think you have everything sparkling it's time to start over again. In today's world cleaning is a huge issue and it isn't just for women anymore. In many single parent households men take the role of main homemaker and that included cleaning as well. Now there is a difference between tidying up and cleaning. Homes can be quite neat and tidy but not clean and visa versa. In addition to that homes can be surface clean but not really clean.

The main thing with cleaning is you want neat and tidy with the dirt and grim up and out of your house. In order to do that you want to use methods that trap the dirt so you can discard it. In order to do this you need to wet dust and use a vacuum with good regularly changed filters . Use good eco-friendly cleaners on hard surfaces. Ok so you know how to clean but finding the time is a different matter and lets face most people don't want to spend their entire weekend cleaning. Here are a few of my cleaning tips:

• clean as you go - This really is a very simple method but often overlooked. I got into the habit when cooking of cleaning when doing any prep work which means starting with an empty dishwasher and loading as I use dishes and utensils. When I'm canning I always have a couple of wet bar towels to clean up any spills on the floor. Wiping as you go means no huge clean-up later. At the end of each day when I clean the counter I wipe it down with 50% ethanol. This is an effective germ control while providing that sparkle effect. Cleaning as you go means dirt doesn't have a time to build up.
  
• use small blocks of time - It is surprising how much cleaning you can get done in a 15 minute period. Even more surprising is how much cleaning you can get done in the period of a television commercial. Grab a clean cloth and your eco-friendly cleaner of choice or plug in the vacuum cleaner. When a commercial comes on do as much cleaning as you can during that time period then go back to your program. Now the nice thing about this method is you are consistently getting a bit of exercise as well. Never sit through a commercial if you can do a little tidying or cleaning. If used consistently daily you are always on top of those cleaning jobs. This is especially usefully for tidying and decluttering but is also useful for deeper cleaning.
• keep cleaning cloths and solutions handy - Keeping solutions and cleaning cloths handy allows for easy spot cleaning. During food prep I keep a spray bottle of 50% Ethanol on the counter for wiping any spills from raw meats.
• declutter as you go - Every time you go into a room remove one or more items that doesn't belong there or put something away. Attack those vertical surfaces that are just magnets for clutter. Every time you go by a vertical surface grab something that doesn't belong. Keep 3 boxes - give away, keep, toss and use them. Getting the clutter out of your house makes it a lot easier for cleaning.
  

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Fall Cleaning

When I was growing up fall cleaning signified the official end of summer. At one time it was common to do a complete attic to basement cleaning twice a year usually in the spring and in the fall. By complete cleaning I do mean complete from sweeping out the cobwebs in the attic to scrubbing down walls and ceilings. All the light fixtures were cleaned and polished, screens were removed from the window then after the windows were sparkling clean the storm windows were put into place. Floors were stripped then re-waxed. In the spring winter clothes and bedding were put away with the reverse in the fall. Quite often a couple of my Mom's friends would come over to help with the cleaning and in return she would help with theirs.

I continue to follow the tradition of seasonal cleaning to a bit lesser degree as do many older folks but for the most part this type of seasonal cleaning has gone by the wayside for the younger generation. Now that's a shame because seasonal cleaning greatly lowers the level of germs and allergens in your home. It removes any droppings that may have been left behind by little visitors and vacuum up any spiders getting ready to set up home.

My cleaning products are: concentrated Simple Green, Murphy Oil Soap®, baking soda, vinegar, liquid Bar Keeper's Friend®, ammonia, Mr. Clean® magic erasers and rubbing alcohol. I of course have dishwasher detergent and dish soap for hand washing. I have 6 commercial grade spray bottles with the dilutions on them bought for less than 6 cheaper spray bottles at the dollar store would have cost. I make the Simple Green concentrate (1 gallon, $8.99) into 3 different strengths depending on the use. One gallon of Simple Green goes a long way! Cost per ounce works out to less than the cost of dollar store cleaners. I bought the Murphy Oil Soap® (96 oz,) so long ago I forget the price but it would have been well under $10. I bought the bulk bag of baking soda at Sam's Club ($4), cheapest white vinegar (4 L, usually $1) at no frills, jug of ammonia (1.8 L, $1.50) at no frills, magic erasers 8 pk (Sam's Club) and rubbing alcohol (450 ml) at the dollar store. Murphy Oil Soap® is a must as much of our main living area is wood as in wood wainscoting, wood cabinets and wood ceiling and all dusting is damp dusting not dry. I have six solutions I make from these ingredients - mild/medium/heavy Simple Green® solutions (one 32 oz bottle each), one 1:1 vinegar solution, one of rubbing alcohol and one of Murphy's Oil solution. Here's my reason and why I think these are frugal choices for me:

• Simple Green®: great, low cost indoor/outdoor multi-cleaner that can even be used as a laundry booster, concentrated, non-toxic eco-friendly
• vinegar - cheap, best solution for washing ceramic tile and many other surfaces, has anti-bacterial properties
• Murphy Oil Soap® - safe for all wood surfaces, ideal for damp dusting to prevent allergens from becoming air born
• baking soda - cheap, idea for cleaning shower stalls and bath tubs, used for removing burnt on food in stainless steel pots, a good all purpose stain remover and deodorizer
• ammonia - the ultimate de-greaser that works great indoors and out, strips wax build-up
  
• Bar Keeper's Friend® (liquid) - less than half the cost of the smoothtop cleaner yet works better, can be used to shine up stainless steel or polish other metals
• rubbing alcohol - kills most biologicals not just bacteria, the true way to a sparkly clean surface especially windows, mirrors, ceramic tile and faucets, a little goes a long way
• magic erasers - overall quite inexpensive yet work well without chemicals
  

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

A Forgotten Cleaner - Rubbing Alcohol

When it comes to eco-friendly cleansers the top of the list cited are: baking soda, ammonia, soap, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. However, rubbing alcohol has played a role in cleaning laboratories for years. In labs the alcohol of choice is 95% ethanol but that isn't available to the general public and if it was it would be more expensive than isopropanol or rubbing alcohol. Isopropanyl alcohol is not ingestible so does not present a health risk so is available over the counter at most pharmacies and department stores.

Rubbing Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) serves two purposes when used for cleaning. First it will wipe out most biologicals like bacteria and virii on surfaces so it is a very effective disinfectant. Rubbing alcohol is the perfect shiner for mirrors, glass, windows, and your faucets. Not only that if you want your faucets or stainless steel to sparkle wipe them down with rubbing alcohol. It is one of the best cleaners for eyeglasses as well. Disinfect door knobs, counters, sinks and handles with a wipe of rubbing alcohol. if you have shiny ceramic tile floors a quick wipe down with a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol will keep them shiny. It doesn't take a lot either unlike a lot of cleaners.

Isopropanol is flammable in liquid form so should not be used around an open flame. It dries very quickly which leaves no residue or fire hazard. I keep rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle in the kitchen for keeping my counters and faucets clean and spot free but it gets used on a lot of kitchen surfaces because it is one of the quick cleaners I reach for first. Rubbing alcohol is readily available in the dollar stores and because a little goes a long way it is a more than affordable but extremely effective eco-friendly cleanser.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Spring Cleaning (1)

Note: This is one of a series of three on the importance of spring cleaning followed by both chemical and natural pest control.



I started spring cleaning today. I'm a bit behind what with being away waiting for the birth of our newest grandbaby. From my earliest memories, spring cleaning was a family ritual. This was nothing like the spit & polish cleaning because company is coming by any stretch of the imagination. My Mom would watch the gardens. The first crocus blooms signaled the cleaning frenzy. It started in the attics with everything hauled out, floors swept and contents gone through. Mothballs were replaced then the boxes and trunks rearranged. Next was the upper floor consisting of two bedrooms. Cleaning began at the ceiling and worked its way down. There wasn't so much as a corner left untouched. Unused and too small clothing was cleaned out during the process. Following that was the main floor that housed the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and two living rooms separated by an arch. Once again it was from ceiling to floor with all cabinets emptied, everything cleaned. Windows sparkled greeting the sun and promise of warm weather. Finally we were onto to the basement. I dreaded that! It was a dirt floor basement full of spiders and the occasional snake or mice. We lived on the water so also had muskrats and snapping turtles get in along with skunks and raccoons. My job was always to remove the jars from the canning shelves so they could be dusted down (although heaven knows why), the jars wiped down again then replaced where they belonged. Invariably a mouse would skittle across my hands or feet and that just wasn't a good thing!

When I got married I continued the ritual spring cleaning and to a lesser degree the fall cleaning never really understanding why just knowing that's what needs to be done. Now thanks to my genealogy research I understand why spring cleaning came about and because of my scientific background I understand why spring cleaning is a good habit. If you look back as to how our ancestors lived spring cleaning accomplished a lot more than making the house sparkle. It was a practical solution to the living conditions our ancestors had to endure. It was a way to rid the house of the dirt and grim accumulated over the winter but more importantly it was a way to rid houses of rodent droppings and insects both that could mean sickness and disease. Our ancestors knew a bit more about keeping homes clean than some give them credit for!

Fast forward to 2009, spring cleaning is an eco-friendly approach to pest control as well as providing the opportunity to find air leaks or ports of entry. This is a good time to find any leaks and seal them! Insects that over winter in the house become active in the spring and begin laying eggs. That is the time to take action! Do a thorough vacuuming to remove any insect eggs, manually remove any adults you see and if necessary do an complete kill. Insects are attracted to cool drafts (spiders), moisture (centipedes, millipedes, sow bugs, pill bugs), wood rot (carpenter ants) and other desirable habitats. Spring cleaning is one way to be able to troubleshoot any of these types of conditions, remove any insects and correct the problem. Generally this means sealing them out and killing off what is left indoors. It is very, very important after any kill off to vacuum up any carcasses otherwise they will attract other scavenger insects. Rodents can be another huge problem and remember if you see droppings they have urinated somewhere as well which is one good reason to wash your walls and baseboards down.

Spring cleaning also gives you the opportunity to create a check list of what needs being done around your house. If you find an insect, rodent or moisture problem while spring cleaning that means you need to take action immediately to prevent further damage to your home. If you find even the smallest air leak you need to seal to help with energy conservation. Spring cleaning means you are on top of home maintenance so you can catch problems before they cost you money! It also means you are protecting your investment.

next: spring cleaning using chemical pest control

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

We have been seeing an increase in allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivity due to indoor air pollution in our homes and workplace. The problem is manufacturers convince us that our houses need to smell of the latest, greates scent du jour in order to be clean. An earlier entry focused on what chemical free cleaners I use in my home that don't harm our indoor air quality or the environment. Several recipes for cleaners follow.

Cleaners

My last entry didn't give a picture so I thought today I would post one. My favourite non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaner is Simple Green®. It can be used for so much! Since I make up my own solutions, I splurged and bought commercial spray bottles at Sam's Club but you can find similar at the dollar stores or if you really want to save, just put the word out to your friends to save their empty spray bottles for you. Notice, I do lable my spray bottles and that is important. The pile on the left is a small portion of my cleaning cloths. I bought two 25 packs of terry cloth wash cloths at K-mart for $2.99 a piece. I use these for wiping up spills and cleaning. The handheld steam cleaner is on the right and by far could almost eliminate everything else but the wash cloths!

Steam Mop

Let's see, floors - we all have them and somehow we have to keep them clean. I use three tool: swiffer, steam mop and carpet steam cleaner. My steam mop is likely the second most used cleaning appliance in my home. Floors are squeeky clean with no chemical or residue. It has more than paid for itself! Not shown in the picture is my Bissell Carpet Steam Cleaner. It is an older model earned though Z-Points years ago. It's still going strong and does a great job of cleaning carpets.

Ok, so you are all gun ho on going towards non-toxic cleaners BUT you don't want to or can invest in a handheld steam cleaner ($39.99), steam mop ($79.99) or Simple Green ($8.99). The first thing is to congratulate yourself on making one more step to a healthier home and you. The second step is to arm yourself with a few inexpensive supplies: vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, spray bottles, pure bar soap and bleach if you can use it. Total cost should be under $15. From there you can start replacing your regular toxic cleaners for more environmentally friendly onew with one or more of the following recipes. Your home will smell clean and be clean without you polluting your indoor air or your body.

Warning: Even homemade cleaners can pose a risk to children and pets. Always label your homemade cleaners including a complete list of the ingredients. Keep them out of the reach of children and in case of accidents, call your poison control centre.

All-purpose Cleaner
50 ml borax
125 ml pure soap
1 drop eucalyptus oil
4 L hot water
Mix thoroughly

Wall & Floor Tile Cleaner
125 ml shredded coarse soap
125 ml washing soda
4 L hot water
Dissolve ingredients in hot water. Use a stiff brush to scrub the tiles with the cleaner. Rinse well as soap based cleaners toend to leave a film. Dry.

Laundry Powder
250 ml pure soap flakes or powder
25 to 50 ml washing soda
*Do not use in high efficiency front loading washing machines!

Descaler
1 part vinegar
2 parts water
For kettles, pour the solution into the kettle, bring to a boil then let sit for a few minutes. Pour out solution and rinse well. For shower heads or spayers, remove and let sit 30 minutes in the solution, rinse and replace.

Window Cleaner
1 part vinegar
1 part water
Place in a spray bottle. To use spray then wipe.

Disinfectant
25 ml chlorine bleach
1 L water
Mix then pour into a spray bottle. Use for killing mould, germs and bacteria.

Non-caustic Drain Opener
125 ml baking soda
50 ml white vinegar
1 kettle boiling water
Pour the baking soda into the drain followed by the vinegar. Leave for 15 minutes. When the fizzing has stopped, pour in the boiling water.

Silver Cleaner
1L warm water
5 ml baking soda
5 ml salt
small piece of aluminum foil
Mix and place the silver in the cleaner. Replace the foil whenever it turns black. Be careful when cleaning silver plated items.

Oven Cleaner
25 ml dishwashing soap
15 ml borax
1 L warm water
Mix and pour into a spray bottle. Spray on dirty surfaces and leave for 20 minutes. You may need steel wool to remove some stubborn spots.

Scouring Powder
50 ml pure sop flakes
10 ml borax
375 ml boiling water
50 ml whiting (fine chalk powder available at art supply or decorating stores)
Dissolve the soap and borax in boiling water. Cool to room temperature and addwhiting. Pour into a plastic or glass container and seal well.

Garden Gnome
© 2007

Spring Cleaning

I grew up in a household where spring cleaning was a must. I could always tell when Mom was gearing up for it too. There would be empty boxes, a couple of large package of garbage bags and buckets with mops, dusters and any other cleaning aid possible. The ladder would be brought out for the windows and the plank brought out for the one attic. I hated that plank! It rested on the stair landing on one side and the attic opening on the other side. To get to it you had to crawl along the plank over the staircase! Worse than that there were mice in that attic. The other attic had mice as well but at least there was no stairwell. Everything was pulled from the attics, dressers, cupboards, cabinets and I do mean everything. She left no stone unturned! Everything had to be gone through for whatever didn't fit or wasn't of use to us for the donation boxes and bags but nothing was ever tossed in the garbage. Well as if that wasn't bad enough then the cleaning began and it was from top to bottom, one end of the house to the other. It just was not a good experience when spring cleaning time came around.

Spring is a busy time of the year for me and if you've read my gardening blog you would see why. Still despite my childhood spring cleaning trauma, I still spring clean. I still follow a similar way of doing the spring cleaning too. Mom was right, remove the clutter or items you can no longer use first. I made an earlier entry on clutter so here's what I do for spring cleaning. First, I break it down into manageable working units of time focusing on one room at a time since I simply have too many things to do in the spring to spend a week or so just cleaning. Second, since I keep up a regular cleaning routine, I don't find that the big spring cleaning takes as much time inside. Outside is a bit more and then there is the garage. Over the winter it gets piled up with recyclables and anything I've decided is no longer needed in the house. Since the car goes in the garage there is usually a lot of mess on the floor that has to be cleaned out and of course we can't forget the freezer.

Clutter: I use the three box method - keep, toss, donate. I start with the clothes then work my way up. Anything that hasn't been worn or used in the past year goes mainly to donation. The trick is to get the stuff in the appropriate box without thinking. Set a time limit then just go.

Closets: Sorry the only way to deal with closets is remove everything. This pertains to closets being used for storage only. Use the three box method, clean the closet then replace only what you are keeping. At this time you may want to add space saving tips or organizers to make things easier to finds and discourage future clutter.

Cleaning: Unlike my Mom, I have new gadgets to help me so I don't have to lug heavy pails of cleaning solution around and I don't use toxic chemical cleaners. Everything I use to clean our home is on a previous entry. Also unlike Mom, I do not wash every piece of clothing I'm going to donate. It was clean in the drawers and they are going to wash it anyway. I have kept some of the old habits though like working from top to bottom. It makes good sense. Start with the ceilings then work your way down.

Outside: This can be as simple as picking up twigs and broken branches or in my case cleaning the garden beds to prepare them for planting. We tend to get a lot of branches and twigs so even during the winter, if the weather is nice, I'll take a 10 or 15 minute break and pick up whatever I can. It doesn't seem like a lot but it does save from a major having to do it all at once cleaning. Cleaning the garden areas is as simple as removing any rubbish and debris. But this is also the time to look at problem areas or pest problems like mice or spiders. Deal with these problems now.

Garage: Here's our nightmare! We start with the recyclables. During the winter months they pile up because they are in huge bins and bringing the bins back in with winter conditions is difficult for me but I can't leave them out there to blow away either so they pile up. Starting right about now we try to get whatever recyclables out possible. Empty beer cases, while we don't drink it ourselves but I cook with it on occasion, do pile up. We have kids and friends that tend to leave their empties after poker parties despite my warnings they must take them with them. We gather these for one load for our son to take the empties back. The funds goes towards filling his gas tank so everyone is happy. My husband crushes all the cardboard which is taken to a larger recycling drop-off. Once that is done it is time to tackle the clutter. We have three walls of industrial shelving and it holds a lot, too much! What it tends to gather aside of the necessary (Christmas & seasonal storage) things are things we don't need in the house but aren't sure whether we will need it again. We try to pare this down to one shelf. Then it is off to sweeping out the garage.

Spring cleaning is a tradition and one that can easily be worked into most schedules by breaking it down into bite size chunks. Pace yourself. As long as you do 15 minutes per day on the declutter stage followed by the cleaning broke into rooms, it will be more than manageable and your house will be squeaky clean freeing up a lot of time to enjoy those summer rays and that what it's all about.

Image by: Free
Clipart or Photos: www.ace-clipart.com

Garden Gnome
© 2007

Frugal Household Cleaning

I think one of the most common questions when it comes to housecleaning is what products to use. We are always searching for the latest, greatest or bestest cleaning agent. What we fail to realize is quite often these agents are toxic to ourselves, our loved ones and our pets. Sure they get the job done sometimes but at what cost? They are expensive and pollute our indoor air. The very same chemicals we are willing to use in out home can leave concentrations that if outdoors in that level there would be an outcry! Many of these cleaners are anti-bacterial increasing the chances of superbugs! Superbugs are bacteria that make us sick but because they have been so exposed to antibiotics they are now resistant. That is bad news as that means they can be fatal. The problem is many are using multiple anti-bacterial products in their homes. Couple with use of prescribed antibiotics and the stage is set for superbugs. The best thing you can do when cleaning your home is to use other products instead of anti-bacterial ones.

Several years ago, I decided to clean my kitchen floor with household ammonia. This has long been tooted as a natural cleaner for Now at that time it was a product I had used several times and I still think it is the best thing for cutting grease. However, in this case while it cleaned my floor wonderfully, I almost immediately noticed a shortness of breath so I went outdoors. After that subsided, I noticed my beautiful green houseplants and at that time I had a lot that had turned a sickly blue but some were a bright blue. Some never recovered, some only partially recovered and a few hardier ones made a full recovery. That was a clear signal this is not something I should be using in my home. The problem is and was at that time finding products that would clean without being toxic. The old natural stand-bys were soap, baking soda, vinegar, ammonia (clearly toxic) and good old fashioned elbow grease.

The second problem with cleaners besides toxicity is scent which in itself may or may not be toxic and can certainly cause problems for those with respiratory problems and/or allergies. Most cleaners are heavily scented and as if that is not bad enough many households are constantly bombarded with heavily scented products aimed at making the house smell good all the time. These seemingly benign products can cause a lot of problems but at least your house smells good. The manufacturers would have us believe that in order for our house to be clean it must smell of the scent du jour but that simply is not the case. All the scent does is mask odours.

Here's my list aside of laundry soap (now fragrance free) and dishwasher soap of must haves:

- white vinegar
- baking soda
- plain, unscented bar laundry soap (eg. Fels Napa or similar)
- handheld steam cleaner
- Bissell steam mop
- Mr. Clean® Magic Erasers®
- Swiffer® cloths/dusters
- 20 Mule Team® Borax
- Murphy's Oil Soap
- plain white terry cloth washcloths
- Simple Green® (non-toxic concentrate that can be made into varying strengths)
- green backed scrubbie sponges
- rubbing alcohol
- spray bottles
- toilet brushes
- scrub brush

Notice there are no air fresheners, no toilet cleaners, nothing with chlorine, nothing with ammonia, nothing heavily scented. In fact, I could easily clean most of our house with the handheld steam cleaner and washcloths AND it would be clean without the chemicals! Our homes do not need to smell of citrus, pine or heaven know what else to be clean. They need to be clean period without the smell or toxicity. You can get that smell by boiling a few spices and citrus or apples on the stove or baking a loaf of bread. At least that isn't an artificial smell! If you want something stronger, dry your own flowers and herbs for a natural potpourri or sachets. You can even make a bed spray using dried lavender buds and filtered water. Now think of the money you will save not buying into all that "you need the latest cleaner" that never works as promised anyway. Think of the space you will be saving not having all those one purpose cleaners. Best of all, think of how much better for you and your family it will be by eliminating the toxic chemicals and improving your indoor air quality.

Image by Free Clipart or Photos: www.ace-clipart.com