Tuesday, February 17, 2009

favorite things

lately so-cal has been under a rain cloud; and we have been spending much more time than usual inside hibernating. more time inside means more time to think about things i usually don't... like my cleaning supplies and how much i love them.

i thought it would be appropriate to give a little big up to my two favorite, life-saver cleaners.

1. 4 parts water 1 part vinegar...
in an old squirt bottle under my sink lives this solution. actually, most of the time it lives on top of my counter because i use it constantly. it is amazing. if you don't have a squirt bottle with 4 parts water 1 part vinegar, go dump out your windex and fill up the bottle with this right now. it's cheap, it's antiseptic so it cleans EVERYTHING and cleans it good, it leaves my windows and mirrors streak free, and my children can drink it and all that would happen is that they would be grossed out and maybe gag a little bit. before mary was born and hero was just getting to the age where i had to lock things up i realized how many cleaning products i had...one for every job...and they were all toxic and would really hurt or kill my child if they got ahold of it, and they all left a smelly residue on everything. so even if they didn't drink it, they were huffing it. on top of that i was always replacing something for six or seven bucks here or there. i decided to start fresh, so i threw them all out and i filled up my jug with 4 parts water and 1 part vinegar. now i am in love and i am never going back. i can get everything from toilets to high chair trays clean and my house smells fresh and airy and not like something that could burn a baby's lungs.
seriously, try it on for size... you wont be sorry

2. dr bronner's magic soap "18-in-1 hemp almond pure-castile soap made with organic oils"...
this morning i was washing dishes and i realized i was down two a squirt of two of my dish washing soap. then i remembered my dr bronner's! while i use it to wash me and my babies... i can use it for LOTS of other things... like washing dishes, cars, clothes, floors, butts, dentures (if i had dentures)...you name it. aside from all the weirdo "moral abc of all-one-god-faith" propaganda written in a teeny-tiny font all over the bottle (which does make for good emergency potty reading) this soap is amazing. it's made from pure coconut, hemp, olive and jojoba oils... no funny chemicals or fragrances (although the almond is scented with almond oil and smells lovely). i can trust it on brand new babies and my dishes if i'm in a pinch! how awesome! it's also super concentrated so you by a big bottle for 11 bucks or so and it lasts you 8 months. cleans you good, smells good, new-baby and sensitive skin friendly, economical, even fair-trade! what more could you ask for? sorry, johnson & johnson's, dr bronner's magic soap is getting my penny.

i love you, my cleaning products.

6 comments:

  1. I've been trying to get over my laziness and do the same. I'm sick of all the bottles of crap under my sink. Also, I have really sensitive sinuses and I'm sure the vinegar will be much better. I also like the mini Dr. Bronner's bottles for traveling since it's small and cleans everything.

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  2. I've been wanting to get rid of my traditional cleaning products. I think you just converted me. Thank you.

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  3. That's great. Funny, me and the buddies were just talking about natural cleaners. I like the grapefruit method of cleaning/ scouring a bathtub. You cut a grapefruit/ lemon/ orange/ acidic fruit in half, pour salt on it and scrub down the surface. HOOORAY. Easy as pie?

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  4. wow...that is an amazing tip! thanks, amina...what a good housewife you will be!

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  5. just bought some almond dr bronners last night. smells amazing. do you dilute it?

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