Sustainable Suburbs

Any time I have to clean off my counters, I reach under the sink and pull out a bottle of antibacterial spray. You know….the kind that tends to smell “clean” (I.E. of chemicals) and has to be kept out of the reach of little ones?

At the end of last year, I began to learn the wonders of vinegar. Have a stain on the rug? Kid peed on your couch? Pour some vinegar on it and wipe it up. I’ve seen the magic firsthand with orange juice on white carpet. After blotting…you couldn’t even tell. Since then, we’ve had a bottle with half water/half vinegar to use for carpet stains.

But…why stop there?

I’ve always been a little iffy of the “natural” cleaning products; mainly, their price turned me off. That’s great if YOU can afford a small bottle for $10, but that’s not really in the budget for me. I need something easier.

Back to the vinegar drawing board. Today, I poured some vinegar in the toilet and topped it off with a bit of baking soda. A few swishes of the brush and BAM! clean potty with minimal damage to the environment. I used my vinegar to clean off our table today. But, vinegar isn’t for everything. Sometimes, the smell gets a bit old. I went and bought Mrs. Myers All Purpose Cleaner today. I didn’t know that a cleaner could smell so good. What I liked about this was that it is a concentrate, so it is going to hopefully last me as long (or longer) than a regular bottle of cleaning solution.

I wasn’t necessarily wanting to buy any more cleaning products, but figured this one would last a while.

I’m currently considering making my own laundry and dishwasher soap, though I don’t know if my husband will get on board. I think he already feels I’m off the deep end with my “green” and “simple” ideas, though I know even he can appreciate not worrying if one of the kids accidentally sprays something in their eyes that we’re not going to be visiting the emergency room.