Natural Cleaning Archives - Graceful Order

Benefits of Green Cleaning

May 6, 2015 · by Maria · 5 Comments

Green, green, green! Everyone is looking to eat greener and cleaner and more attention is now given to the types of products we use to clean our homes. Is it really worth it?

I think it is worth it on every level! Why would we focus on cleaning our bodies of toxic foods and then spray our homes with toxic chemicals, having no idea how they will affect us or our families?

Here are some common myths about green cleaning and some of the products I use to replace toxic chemicals:

Aren’t green products more expensive? Nope, not if you make your own. Homemade cleaning products are not only safer, they also way more economical.

Vinegar, for example is inexpensive and its acidic qualities help to kill germs and reduce microbial growth. I love to add vinegar and tea tree oil (Melaeluca) to my homemade cleaning products for a natural and safe disinfectant.

Don’t homemade cleaners lack scent? I am a sucker for products that smell good. Actually there are some green cleaners that I choose to buy because I love the scent. However, when you are making your own cleaners you can also customize your scent using essential oils. The essential oils work double-duty because they will enhance the cleaning properties of your solution while adding your favorite scent.

Why make my own cleaners when I can buy already-made natural brand cleaner? I do buy cleaners and I don’t always make my own. Just be sure to read the ingredients before purchasing. There isn’t a strict regulation behind the word “green” and some products still contain toxic chemicals. The best thing about making your own cleaners is that you know what the ingredients are because you put them in there.

Organic Castile Liquid Soap is one of my favorite products for making homemade cleaning solutions. It is a type of soap that is made from plant oils. It is sensitive on skin and it’s Earth-friendly, making it a perfect product to use when making your own household cleaners.

Do green cleaners work as well? Do they disinfect? Yes! We have been fooled into believing that only products that emit crazy fumes can possibly provide a deep clean. Many essential oils have antiseptic and bactericidal properties and these can be added to your homemade cleaning solutions. For example, tea tree oil (Melaeluca) is an essential oil with anti-fungal properties.

Baking soda is also one of my favorite ingredients because it is mild enough to use on most household surfaces. The applications/uses for baking soda are endless and I will share some with you on the blog soon.

Another one to make the list is Borax . It is a natural occurring mineral and has been used by people for over 100 years to clean their home and do their laundry. I sometimes use it as a component in my cleaner recipes or even on its own, as I would any powder cleaner. I have even mixed it with lemon juice to remove rust.

So that’s a little Cleaning Cabinet Makeover! Overall, the biggest benefit to green cleaning is more peace of mind, knowing that your home is clean and fume-free.

I will definitely be sharing some natural cleaning recipes using all the above cleaners, on the blog very soon!

Also as part of this series:

Spring Cleaning Challenge: The Kitchen

Spring Cleaning Challenge: The Bathroom

There are a few affiliate links in this post (although most of the products mentioned above are in your local grocery store). Thank you for your continued support!

Homemade Natural All Purpose Cleaner

February 12, 2015 · by Maria · 6 Comments

Homemade Natural All Purpose Cleaner Recipe

This year I am trying to share more cleaning tips, side-by-side with organizing. Cleaning, organizing and decorating – they go well together.

I don’t make all my cleaning products. As a matter a fact, I love brands like Shaklee, Method, the Honest Company, Mrs.Meyers and J.R. Watkins. But sometimes it’s fun (and inexpensive) to customize your own product and scent.

Here is a Homemade natural cleaning spray recipe that I use on any surface that is not marble or wood.

1/4 Cup of White Vinegar

2 Cups Water

30 Drops of essential oil*

1 Teaspoon of Borax

Add these ingredients to a spray bottle and shake.

Below is an image with the recipe, just in case you want to PIN it for later.

I like lavender and lemon essential oils for cleaning products. You can choose whichever scent you like best. The spray bottle in the picture is a glass spray bottle and you can find it on Amazon here.

* As always, test product on a spot before using any new cleaner on surfaces.

I hope you are enjoying these easy natural homemade cleaner recipes. I will share more next week!

Cleaning with Lemons

August 8, 2014 · by Maria · 5 Comments

Got lemons? A week ago I shared how I clean my microwave using lemons, and I thought I would also share some of the many ways of cleaning with lemons. Going green has been a priority for me, and it has also been a process. I have slowly replaced my old cleaners with more natural store-bought ones or even homemade cleaners. I think we are all second guessing our cleaning supplies and we want to get away from anything potentially toxic. Of course, we need to replace them with alternatives that are natural and effective. Lemons are both.

Since lemons are acidic, they have antibacterial and also antiseptic properties that can help clean our homes, the natural way.

I use lemons to clean:

The Sink

Surprisingly, sinks can be one of the dirtiest places in the home. You can clean the sink by sprinkling some baking soda and scrubbing it clean. Once you clean and dry it, you can use a lemon half to scrub the sink some more. Squeeze as you clean and use both sides of the lemon and even the pulp. If you have any rust stains in the sink, you can try a mixture of salt and lemon (paste consistency) to scrub that area.

Cutting Boards

I recently shared in detail how I clean my cutting boards. I use a mixture of salt and lemon to scrub the board, before oiling it. You can also remove food stains from plastic cutting boards by using half a lemon, squeezing it into the board and letting it sit a while. Then rinse.

Garbage Disposal

To get rid of odors in the garbage disposal, you can cut up a lemon, throw it in and grind it up. I usually do this after I have already used the lemon to deodorize my microwave. If its just a drain, pouring a little hot water with some lemon juice will help to deodorize the drain!

Microwaves

For details on how I clean the microwave, you can read about it here. You can use a microwave-safe bowl and fill it up halfway with water and a couple tablespoons of vinegar and add a lemon half to the mix. Microwave this for 5 minutes and let stand for a couple of minutes. (Don’t stand in front of the microwave while it’s heating up the water, just in case your microwave is super strong and 5 minutes is too much.) Wipe down the microwave. Squeaky-clean!

Kitchen Odors

To get rid of lingering smells, fill a pot with water and add slices of lemon rind and bring to a boil. This will not only do the trick in the kitchen but your home will smell so fresh! You can also add a cinnamon stick to the mix if you like the scent.

Stovetops and Ovens

I have a glass stovetop and anytime that food splatters, or worse, boils over, a simple wiping down of the stove won’t do. You can make a paste of lemon juice, water, and baking soda and spread on the food spill. Let this paste sit for about 20 minutes and then scrub the area as much as needed before rinsing. The same will work for cleaning the oven.

We know that lemons have great properties for our bodies, but they are also great for maintaining the home!

Let’s remove toxins from our homes and let’s clean the natural way. It’s like cleaning with a “twist” 🙂 . Are you also trying to go “greener” with your cleaners? Do you already use lemon as an alternative?

Maria

How to Clean a Microwave

July 22, 2014 · by Maria · 5 Comments

Last month, we cleaned our wooden cutting boards, and we are here to tackle another forgotten kitchen workhorse. The kitchen is clean and picked up, but there is a little forgotten area in the kitchen that waits patiently amongst splatters of tomato sauce…the microwave. And it’s actually really easy to clean, without using any harmful chemicals. Here is my step-by-step suggestion on how to clean a microwave.

This is my microwave BEFORE cleaning. It really wasn’t that bad this time, but it could use a little cleaning and deodorizing.

There were splatters along the walls and under the turntable.

There are a couple of different ways to clean or deodorize the microwave. Sometimes the microwave doesn’t need a big cleaning, but it’s smelling a little “funky”. I hate heating up coffee in a microwave that smells like “food”. You know what I mean? Like I feel the flavors will jump into my cup-o-joe. Eww.

My favorite way to deodorize the microwave, is to place half a lemon on a plate with a tablespoon of water. Then microwave for 60 seconds. (In this case, I placed the lemon right on the turntable because I was going to wash it afterwards.)

Then the lemon will be super soft and the microwave will be steamy enough to wipe down and it will smell pretty darn good.

Don’t waste that squishy lemon! I cut it in half and throw in the garbage disposal to deodorize that as well.

If your microwave needs more than just deodorizing, a steam bath is in order. Place a couple of tablespoons of vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl and fill the bowl halfway with water.

Microwave this for 5 minutes and let stand for a couple of minutes. Don’t stand in front of the microwave while it’s heating up the water, just in case your microwave is super strong and 5 minutes is too much.

Then carefully remove the bowl and wipe down the walls of the microwave ~~with a super cute argyle-patterned sponge in a oblong shape~~.

Then remove the glass turntable and give it a good wash or place in the dishwasher.

Check out the AFTER! So clean and no nasty chemicals.

Other Options: If you don’t have vinegar, you can also put a halved lemon in the bowl of water before microwaving it, and if you have neither – a bowl of water alone will suffice. It’s basically the steam that will help to clean the microwave, the other additives are a plus. Also, don’t stay away from vinegar because of the smell, it will quickly dissipate once it dries.

Of course, the best way to keep up a clean microwave, is too quickly wipe up spills before they stick AND convince your family members to use a lid over the food.

Now that you have steam cleaned your microwave, don’t forget to wipe down the outside. There are so many ways to keep cleaning easy and natural and this is just one of them.

Do you already clean your microwave using one of these methods? Do you have another method that I didn’t mention? Share it with me…

Happy Cleaning!

Maria

Keep in mind that super-heated liquid can cause an explosion and all microwaves heat up at different rates and intensities. You can almost always prevent this from happening, by simply leaving a wooden spoon in the cup or bowl when you boil liquid in your microwave. I have never had an explosion, but this suggestion won’t hurt.