Cleaning House Naturally

Wouldn't it be great to mix up cleaning products in your kitchen? When I was little my mom wanted to try washing windows with newspaper & vinegar. While it was great to be frugal and upcycle- decades before it became popular- it also took a lot more time. And we still ended up with streaks. Not that you shouldn't try newspaper & vinegar- I'm sure someone has figured out a perfect method by now- but I don't want to compromise time or quality to clean naturally. Streaky windows are no fun, no matter how frugal or environmentally conscious you're being.

But recently I've tried again, with great results to share. While I usually keep the messier corners of my house to myself- who really needs to see more laundry?- I'll be sharing a few today for educational purposes (wink). These are the homemade concoctions that have been helping me defeat the mess, and I want you to see how well they're working for me. I'm not sure that I like them better than the store-bought stuff, but I definitely think they're doing a comparable job. And being able to mix them in my pajamas without packing up two kids and leaving the house? Yes, that's a great motivator too!

Home-made Window Cleaner

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 cup vinegar

1 cup water

2-4 tsp Dawn*

*I've tried a variety of natural dish soaps, but none have worked as well in these concoctions as Dawn. Mix up all the ingredients and pour into a clean bottle. When you're using this cleaner I recommend starting with just a little. I have found that squirting it on liberally, like my 3 year old loves to do, makes it streak badly. Otherwise it's been cleaning great, here's the proof: 

Good-bye little hand-prints! And now onto the next cleaner, which has been handy lately as my husband perfects his demolition skills... but more about that in a second. 

Home-made Laminate Floor Cleaner

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 TB Dawn soap

A few drops of essential oil (I use Tea Tree).

Mix up the ingredients and pour into a clean bottle to use on floors. Just a reminder that I'm sharing my success with my windows and laminate floors. Always make sure you test a small area of your windows & flooring first. 

As I was saying, Cory's been busy fixing our house. I left with the kiddos on Friday to run errands only to return to two large holes in our kitchen ceiling. While the holes needed to happen, we have a small stubborn leak on our hands, they were still a bit disconcerting to see in our on-the-market house. Not to mention the dust that was left behind. Then I put the floor cleaner to use...

And we were back to clean, at least for a brief moment. With busy little feet I never expect them to stay that way for long!