Cleaning, My Least Favorite Activity

Ok, so I'm notably not a neat-freak, germ-o-phobe, or compulsive cleaner. As a matter of fact, I really don't like to clean my house, and I only do it because I also really dislike a grimy kitchen or gross bathroom. So who am I to give cleaning advise? Well, I'm someone who understands that a clean home is a happy home...and I don't want to harm our planet so that I can have a sparkling sink or windows.

My mother tested dozens--maybe hundreds--of cleaning products through her years. As a mother and woman who ran a housecleaning service, she was one of the most knowledgable people I knew when it came to cleaning things, whether it was the trash can or laundry. Many of the products she used were highly toxic and gave me lingering headaches. The labels read "use only in a well ventilated area," "wear rubber gloves," etc. I, for one, don't want to don a HAZMAT suit to clean my bathroom. Fortunately, both my mother and my father also used many simple and effective cleaning solutions.

For only a few cents and little time, you can easily clean just about anything in your house with three ingredients: vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide.

When you buy vinegar, make sure that you buy natural white vinegar (some vinegar is actually made from not-so-friendly petroleum). I put straight vinegar into a spray bottle and use it to degrease my oven, clean cooked-on spaghetti sauce from my stovetop, and make windows shine. Yes, it smells like vinegar, but only until it dries. Once dry it smells like...nothing. And nothing is the smell of clean.

Yesterday's newspaper works well as a cleaning cloth for windows...spray on the vinegar, and wipe with the newspaper, then chunk into your recycling bin. Presto--you've reused a newspaper, reduced your waste by not using paper towels, and also recyced the whole mess.

Clean your microwave by heating vinegar OR water and lemon in a coffee mug, then wipe away with a reusable cloth that can be cleaned in the wash. (An old white t-shirt is best!)

Sanitizing our surfaces is not necessary on a daily basis. "Super" germs and weakened immune systems come about partly due to our overuse of anti-bacterial products. Really, we only need to sanitize surfaces after contaminating them with something...like raw chicken, or if you have the flu. When you do need to clean and sanitize, simply spray on the vinegar, then follow with some good ol' hydrogen peroxide. Wipe. Done.

Deodorize your sink by wiping with baking soda. If the drain smells, dump in some baking soda, then pour in some boiling vinegar. (I clean my coffee pot with vinegar...run through vinegar, then follow with water. I simply put baking soda in my drain before pouring the vinegar from my carafe into it.)

Clean fruit and vegetables with baking soda and a vegetable brush.

Make a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to lift stains out of white clothes (be sure to test for colorfastness on your particular garment). This can also be used as a toothpaste (not very tasty, but it works well...just look at all the commercial toothpastes that add these ingredients!)

These cleaning methods do not take any longer than using highly toxic, smelly, harmful commercial products, and these ingredients are readily available and much cheaper. In other words...no excuses! Just give them a try, and let me know what you think.