Donating my windex to charity

My homemade cleaners &  ingredients.
 (I recycled the empty "Mrs. Myers" spray bottle for the "Fantastic")

ahh.   After a grueling semester and at the end of my first year teaching, I have a few days to relax and unwind.   There's something really special about being able to own your own time, at least for a little while.   I find I can keep my mind on the one task ahead of me, instead of always trying to see what I'll need to be doing two or three steps ahead, like I do when I am teaching a full schedule.

So what did I decide to do on my first day of total freedom?  Why, clean the house, of course!   No, seriously, there's something totally cleansing about having the time to take care of your space and return it to a condition that looks, feels, and, as of today, smells good.  For some reason it feels kind of luxurious, like taking a long bubble bath, to really be able to get in and clean all those cobwebs, crumbs, stains and streaks that have been subtly pissing you off/grossing you out for some time.   And living in a house that looks cared for makes me feel, well, pampered.   (Do you get the idea that deep cleaning is something that happens fairly rarely around here?   eep. )

So as I was cleaning today, I realized that I was running out of my $12-a-bottle all-natural cleaner.   And I hate to go to the store, so that's a bummer.   Then I remembered that I had a list of all-natural recipes from Vida Verde, an eco-friendly cleaning co-op started and run by Brazilian women.   These women came and spoke to our ESL students a few months ago about the dangers of chemical cleaners and handed out recipes.  They were friendly, charming, knowledgeable and totally rad.   (If you are looking for an earth-friendly and worker-friendly house cleaning service, for sure check them out!  http://verdeamarelo.org/vidaverde/ ).



I've known about using natural cleaners for years, but for some reason only used them occasionally.  Maybe, raised on Fantastic and Windex, we got the idea somewhere along the line that if it doesn't smell toxic, it's not really cleaning.  (Think of the Lysol ads, where their miracle product wipes away a disgusting green-brown layer of invisible toxic germs).   And it seemed both too hard (what?  mix my own cleaners?  I'll just buy something) and too easy (What? vinegar can clean the house?!).  I mean, if vinegar and baking soda are plenty to de-germ your house, then why in the world does anyone buy Fantastic and Lysol and Windex, etc. etc?    (Good question, as it turns out).


  When I looked at the Vida Verde recipes, however, I realized that I already owned almost all of the ingredients necessary to make the recipes.  (yes, as a good pseudo-hippy girl I do have Dr. Bronner's soap, lavender oil and a big container of white vinegar at the ready).  And the fact that they had recipes, with different ratios for floor, glass and general purpose cleaner, gave me confidence that they would, in fact, clean.   Also, they recommended adding essential oils to give the whole thing a nice smell - a nice touch.  (In the past, when I was first experimenting with this stuff, I would just mix vinegar and water in a mixing bowl and use it to wipe down the kitchen.  My girlfriend, referring to the ubiquitous health-teacher recipe for "female" cleansing, would come home, sniff the air, and ask if I had douched the house.  8 years later, "to douche the house" is Dawn & Abby speak for a deep cleansing.)

So, this afternoon, in the course of FIVE MINUTES (no joke, you could clock it), I made grapefruit-scented glass cleaner, peppermint all-purpose cleaner and lavender-and-sandalwood floor cleaner.   The hardest part was finding spray bottles to put them in.

Now, the most important question:  do they work?   The answer is a resounding "yes".   My mirrors have never looked more streak-free.   The dirt came right off the counters.   And the floors look great.   best of all, the house doesn't have that toxic reek it used to after a cleaning: Mop 'n Glo mixed with Windex mixed with the ammonia we used to clean the floor.   It's nice to know I can get the house clean without inhaling something that gives me a headache.   It's doubly nice to know that if the cleaner sprays back in my face or touches my skin, I don't have to worry about irritation or inhaling something toxic.

So, for the future, I'm sold.   I mean, for someone who makes her own tomato sauce, pickles and jam, this should be a no-brainer.  No more spending $8-$15 a bottle on "natural" cleaners.   I'm done.

Make it yourself:

"Fantastic" - all purpose cleaner.

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp borax*

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup vegetable soap (ie: Dr. Bronner's, flavor your choice) .

Directions:  Mix soap, vinegar and cold water together.   In a separate container, mix boiling water, baking soda  and borax.   Combine everything together and pour into a spray bottle.

Since it has soap, you can rinse with a wet cloth or natural glass cleaner to take out soap film.

*find Borax in the laundry section of the grocery store. Non-toxic but can irritate eyes or be harmful if swallowed. I still have to buy this stuff, and my recipe worked fine without it)

 More Vida Verde Recipes  (you have to scroll down a little to find the actual recipes)