I have noticed a lot of posts online about cleaning products and how hazardous the ones supermarkets sell are.
I already knew this. Anyone who is on my Facebook or Pinterest also knows. But, I wanted to share my feelings on the subject in this week's post.
For the past year, I have been trying to take a more natural approach to life. Less fast food, more homemade products. Less pharmaceutical medicines, more herbal remedies. However, I always thought I was stuck with chemical filled cleaners. Nothing I tried worked well, cut grease as good.
Eventually I came across a "recipe" for an all natural citrus cleaner. Super easy to make, so I decided to try it. It works amazing! I use it in the kitchen and bathroom, to clean windows and dust. It doesn't leave residue, and cuts through grease as good as any heavy duty degreaser. I will share it at the end of this post.
The reason I am trying so hard to be more natural about my life is for a few different reasons. When I was a child, my family had a large backyard filled with fruits, vegetables, and a variety of herbs. Most of the meat we ate was hunted and fished out of nature. It was rare I ever took medicine for anything. We even made our own cleaners. I was healthy.
When I became a teenager, that changed. My mother and I moved to a small apartment, and we started eating fast food, and I became depressed. (Part of the reason was environment, part was diet. If you havent thought about how your diet affects you, please contact me.) I ended up on antidepressants which only made things worse. At 18, I got pregnant and moved back with my dad. I went off my medication, ate better, and felt better. I moved out and went back to the same diet, same depression.
Lately, I've been trying to embrace that natural approach for the sake of my daughter. I have seen what chemicals do to a growing child. And that goes for household cleaners as well. Everything you touch gets absorbed into your skin. All chemicals have some type of airborne fumes. They make you sick. Some are toxic. So why would I use that on surfaces that touch our skin or food?
I won't post my research on here, however I do invite you to do your own. Grab a bottle of your favorite stove cleaner, and look up the ingredients. Even better, read the WARNINGS on the label. Anything that has warnings on it is dangerous and had no place in your home.
My home cleaner
In a glass container, fill halfway with citrus (I use some used peels, as well as pulp and some fresh). Fill the rest of the way with white vinegar. Close container and leave for at least two weeks, shaking every few days. The longer you leave it the stronger it becomes.
After the two weeks, throw into a blender and blender until only small pieces remain. Pour back into container, straining through a cheesecloth (I use a square of an clean old shirt). Mix 1:1 ratio of mixture and water in a spray bottle.
