Sunday, July 28, 2013

Clean cleaning...with vinegar!



I try to minimize my kids exposure to chemicals, so I use 100% natural cleaners in our home.  There are so many environmental toxins that we come in contact with  that we cannot control.  So, I feel that if I can minimize my children's exposure in any way that I can it will help their developing bodies.  For me there is no mystery to the prevalence of diseases in our society.  From birth many children are pumped full of chemicals, their skin is exposed to chemicals, and then they are fed foods that have been showered in even more chemicals.  What are we to expect?  The CDC, the food and drug administration, along with many companies that have been attacked for having toxic substances in their products, all claim that the small amounts of these toxic/questionable ingredients are so minute that they wouldn't cause any harm to humans.  How is this acceptable on any level?  I don't want to feed my children traces of toxins!  While these small amounts might not produce immediate harm, what are the long term effects and what about continual exposure and build up of chemicals from the vaccines, shampoos, body wash, toothpastes, house hold cleaners, and food?  What about children, such as mine, whose bodies have the inability to process, filter, and get rid of these chemicals?  They just build up in their little bodies and cause so many diseases and developmental disorders.  So, as I mentioned before, my first line of defense is to keep the chemicals out of my home by making my own household cleaners.  These are simple recipes that I use for all my cleaning needs.

Laundry Detergent
I have been using this recipe for well over a year and I absolutely loved it!  Our clothes are clean and fresh.  I've never had problems getting stains out, even with my messy toddler.  I usually make this in the evenings after my kids go to bed and it only takes me about 30 minutes AND it lasts me 2-3 weeks!  Not only is this healthier for my family, but it saves us so much money!!


Ingredients:
1 bar of Dr. Bronners soap (I like lavander or almond)
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda

First start by grating the bar of soap.  


Then, fill a large pot about half way with water.  When the water is boiling  add the grated soap and stir occasionally until all the soap has dissolved.  Once the soap is dissolved,  add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washer soda.  Add these slowly as they can cause the water to bubble up and over flow.  Continually stir the pot until all the ingredients have dissolved.  Turn off the heat and wait until the mixture is warm.  I like to use empty vinegar container (as I have so many of them!) to store my homemade laundry detergent.  I use 4 vinegar bottles and pour my mixture into them so that each one has equal amounts.  Then I turn my tap water on very hot and fill the bottles up the rest of the way.  Fill them very slowly so your mixture doesn't bubble up and you end up with a lot of foam on top.  Give them a good shake and you're done!  

The laundry detergent will thicken over night, but a few good shakes in the morning should even it out.  If your mixture becomes too thick, just pour some into another container and add hot water until you have a nice consistency ( about that of regular laundry detergent).  I add about a cup to a regular wash.

Fabric Softener


Vinegar!!  That's it...one ingredient!  I add white distilled vinegar to the liquid fabric softener cup at the beginning of a wash and that's it!  Vinegar removes all soap residue from clothes, which is what causes clothes to be stiff.  What I'm left with is clothes that feel just as soft as any fabric softener could do and no static.  What about the smell you might ask?  There is none!  As soon as your clothes dry any trace of a vinegar smell (I never even notice a smell when I pull them out of the wash) is gone!  I promise...not even a slight smell of vinegar.  My clothes have no real smell, fresh is the only word I can use to describe their smell (if you can't tell, I'm a little obsessed with my laundry).

Multipurpose Cleaner

Again, I only have one word...vinegar!  As you can probably see by now, I have a love for vinegar!  It's cost effective, safe for the environment, and 100% free of chemicals.  It's effective in killing mold, bacteria, and germs.  I never have to worry about spraying it on food work surfaces or on my kids toys.  I keep a spray bottle of pure white distilled vinegar in my kitchen and that is what I use to clean EVERYTHING from my counter tops to my daughters highchair.  The smell of vinegar really doesn't bother me, but I know that most people don't like it in such a pure state.  I've also made Lemon Vinegar, which completely masks the smell of vinegar and all you're left with is a fresh lemony smell in your home.  I first read about lemon vinegar in this amazing blog One Good Thing by Jillee.  

Bathroom cleaner
I use a mixture of white distilled vinegar and borax to clean my toilets.  Baking soda and vinegar for my tubs, showers, and sinks. If I have any mold I use 3% hydrogen peroxide.  I just spray the moldy surface until it is saturated and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Then, I scrub to remove all mold and mold stains, wipe the surface, and give it an extra wash with pure white distilled vinegar :).  Again, for my bathroom counter I use undiluted vinegar.

Floors
As you can probably guess, I use vinegar to clean my floors!  I mix vinegar (probably more than I really need) with water and mop away!

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