A Different Way to Clean

Cleaning our house has always been a challenge for me. I don't mind cleaning, but using cleaners always seems to aggravate my headaches. So, I attack our cleaning with hesitation, planning carefully, because I know it will probably be the last worthwhile thing I can do in the day, unless I'm loaded up on meds. (...not my favourite option!)

I've been doing a lot of reading and researching and trying to figure out if there is a way to clean without feeling awful as a side effect. I have stumbled across a solution... and the greatest thing is, what I'm doing now actually works better, doesn't give me headaches, AND saves money! Can it get any better?!

[Note: Most of these ideas were inspired by a book series called Over 100 Helpful Household Hints. I have taken general ideas found in there and modified them to something that works for me.]

My two new favourite cleaning buddies are vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it's really that simple. I've always known that these were good products to use for various cleaning challenges, but it never occurred to me that I could use them for almost everything. Here's some of the ways I've put them to work:

Bathroom:
The shower and sink/vanity get sprayed with vinegar. (Straight vinegar in a spray bottle.) For the vanity, I sprinkle baking soda right on it, use a wet sponge to lightly scrub (or just wipe), and then rinse well with water to wash away any baking soda residue. In the shower, I sprinkle baking soda onto the damp sponge, and lightly scrub the walls. Reapply baking soda as needed. I sprinkle baking soda right onto the floor of the shower, and scrub there too. Again, rinse well with water to get rid of baking soda grit.

Toilet - pour a little vinegar into the toilet bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes. (Can let this sit while scrubbing the shower and sink.) Sprinkle baking soda in the bowl and on the sides of the bowl. Once it has stopped foaming, scrub with a toilet brush. Currently, I'm still using Lysol wipes on the toilet, but I am almost finished research on homemade wipes, and will hopefully transition soon.

Kitchen:
Vinegar and baking soda have done wonders for my kitchen sink. It shines more after a quick treatment of these two products than anything else I've tried. For tough water stains, adding a little salt to the vinegar and letting it sit for a few minutes sometimes helps.

Floors:
Floors can be washed with a small amount of vinegar added to water. The vinegar will help to remove water spots, especially on wood floors.

So there it is! So easy. Other than putting vinegar into a spray bottle, you don't even have to take time to make your own cleaners. You will notice a distinct vinegar smell on cleaning day (Andy isn't too fond of this!) but other than that, we haven't found any drawbacks. And, feeling healthy and energized is certainly worth a bit of vinegar smell!