Have you gotten into Pinterest yet? As a visual person, I’m gotten quite addicted to it and have learned several new recipes, tips and tricks, and do-it-yourself (DIY) stuff. I’m happy to say there are sustainable living ones for household maintenance. Some of which are just so cool I’d like to share them with you.
One of them, believe it or not, is from Martha Stewart, who is famous for gracious living tips. The Pin was on her Cleaning Products 101. On the actual article where the Pin links to, she starts off by saying you can clean without chemicals and that “You can make your house sparkle with just a few simple supplies, many of which are already in your cupboards.”
What was interesting only for me to note in her article, save for the good advice on keeping all cleaning products together in one place, albeit organised, is the use of baking soda. According to her, “baking soda has scrubbing power but won’t scratch surfaces. Mix a paste of 3 parts warm water to 1 part baking soda to scrub kitchen stains or clean the oven. Make a bathroom cleanser by mixing dishwashing liquid with baking soda until you have a thick paste.”
A natural cleaning ingredient I was glad to see are lemons. Why? We have a nice, little lemon tree in our backyard and I can’t bake lemon squares, lemon cake, lemon cupcakes or make enough lemon water. Har har. Anyway, lemons, due to its natural acidity, is great for removing hard water stains. Just cut a lemon in half and rub it on the shower or faucet fixture. The hard water spots will disappear right there and then, leaving you with a shiny fixture that smells good, too.
Lemons are also good at other household cleaning stuff:
- As a natural bleach and disinfectant, lemons cleans copper and brass. Just sprinkle salt over half a lemon, rub it on the metal fixture, and afterward wash the fixture clean.
Got a smelly microwave oven? Fill a heat-resistant bowl (ceramic would be best) with water and put half a lemon in it. Turn the microwave oven on high for five minutes. You’d have a clean and sweet smelling one after that.
- Wooden furniture can get sparkly clean with lemon, too. Simply put 1/2 cup of water in a spray bottle and add a few drops of lemon. Sprinkle onto a somewhat damp cotton cloth and wipe furniture with it. If the wood is, however, unvarnished, best to mix 2 teaspoons of olive oil and lemon juice each, put it on a soft cotton cloth. When wiping, use wide strokes for even distribution.
- Whitening linens can be with lemons, too. Fill a pot with water and a few slices of fresh lemon. Turn off heat after the liquid has boiled, add the linens, and let them soak for an hour. Wash them as you normally would afterward. To make them even brighter, spread them out to dry under the sun.
- Rid of dust particles and do away with allergies from them. In a spray bottle, mix 10 drops of lemon oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and a few drops of olive oil. Spray onto surfaces; wipe with a cotton flannel cloth.
This Pin on homemade laundry detergent is such a good idea, but I have to confess I have yet to try it out. Linked to the blog One good Thing by Jillee, the post relates how Jillee got fed up by “overpriced, wastefully-packaged laundry detergent” and so she went on the journey of making her own and perfecting it. She includes in her blog the instructions for both liquid and powder detergent recipes.
Her quips are mighty interesting, though, that I just might make my own batch soon. What about you, how about giving these sustainable living housekeeping tips a go yourself?
Images: Pinterest
