Natural Cleaning

For the past couple of years I have tried to eliminate as many chemical cleaning products from our home as possible. I used to use a lot of bleach based cleaners, but since I would usually get a headache and stuffy nose after using them, I decided to try some products that are more natural. I still haven't mastered the recipe for an all purpose cleaner that I think disinfects as well as bleach, but I use one that I think works well. I use straight vinegar with about 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. It leaves everything shiny and it smells good. (You shouldn't use vinegar or any other acid on natural stone).

I tried an experiment on Saturday and I was amazed with the results. I saw it on TV, but was a little skeptical. We have very hard water, so mineral deposits build up on our faucets and shower heads. The faucet in our Kitchen is only a couple of years old and it was covered with build up. I took half a lemon and squeezed it, seeds and all, into a plastic bag. I tied the bag to the faucet with a rubber band and left it for a few hours. I rubbed the seeds against the mineral deposits and the deposit came right off. The faucet looks brand new. I am totally impressed with how well the lemon juice worked.













I also used half a lemon to clean the grill pan after I cooked fish. I dusted the pan with baking soda and then scrubbed it with the lemon. It did a wonderful job cutting through all of the grease and left the pan smelling like lemon.


Dwight came across a product that we can no longer live without. He found De-Solv-It at a store when we lived in Washington. We use it to take off the residue left behind from stickers or price tags. We also use it on the driveway to dissolve oil that dripped from cars. The first time we tried it, we stood there amazed as we watched the oil spot disappear leaving nothing behind. We also use it to clean the soap scum on the showers and bath tubs. It works better than any other product we've tried. We had a hard time finding it here in Utah, but after calling the company that manufactures it, we found it at TrueValue Hardware. I highly recommend this product. It is organic and amazing.

I enjoy trying these natural cleaners. If you have any good recipes I would love to try them.