Side Note from Pam:
I'm going to Arizona next week for vacation with my hubbie and I'll be blogging from there....We will be visiting the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley (in picture) can't wait!!
Also, since the weather is perfect now where I live for hanging laundry outside….I have a couple of clothes lines hung on my sunny back porch.
Earlier this Spring my clothes pin holder, a cloth bag hung on the line, was confiscated by a little wren, who made a nest inside and laid some eggs, and now has 4 little babies, tweeting away for food….so, I’m sharing my clothes-hanging porch with some new "birdie friends" this season!
Luckily, most of my clothes pins were on the line, so I can still hang laundry!!
Best Natural Cleaning Tips and Tricks
Reuse the vinegar rinse water from hand washing dishes to wipe down counters and kitchen sink. Spray with Hydrogen peroxide and let sit for an easy sanitizing technique.
Reuse the vinegar rinse water from hand washing dishes to wash the kitchen floor.
Reuse a Parmesan Cheese container, in the kitchen, by filling it with baking soda for a non-toxic scrubbing powder. (Works great!)
Reuse the hot soapy water after washing dishes to pre-soak dirty pots or yucky refrigerator containers. (Let the soap and water do the work. You just wipe up after the mess is loosened.)
Also, since the weather is perfect now where I live for hanging laundry outside….I have a couple of clothes lines hung on my sunny back porch.
Earlier this Spring my clothes pin holder, a cloth bag hung on the line, was confiscated by a little wren, who made a nest inside and laid some eggs, and now has 4 little babies, tweeting away for food….so, I’m sharing my clothes-hanging porch with some new "birdie friends" this season!
Luckily, most of my clothes pins were on the line, so I can still hang laundry!!
Best Natural Cleaning Tips and Tricks
Reuse the vinegar rinse water from hand washing dishes to wipe down counters and kitchen sink. Spray with Hydrogen peroxide and let sit for an easy sanitizing technique.
Reuse the vinegar rinse water from hand washing dishes to wash the kitchen floor.
Reuse a Parmesan Cheese container, in the kitchen, by filling it with baking soda for a non-toxic scrubbing powder. (Works great!)
Reuse the hot soapy water after washing dishes to pre-soak dirty pots or yucky refrigerator containers. (Let the soap and water do the work. You just wipe up after the mess is loosened.)
Microwave a rinsed-out, but wet kitchen sponge, for 1 min. to kill germs. Do this daily at end of each day. (See reference on scientific proof at link, "Homemaking Tips" section)
Wipe out your microwave after heating up the sponge; it will be moist from the steam and easy to clean.
Wash counters and tables with a dishcloth. It is easier to feel the grit and know that you got it all. When done cleaning up for the day, wipe up the floor around dining room table and the kitchen floor and throw in the wash. Changing kitchen dishcloths every day will keep germs at a minimum.
Use bamboo dishcloths which have natural antimicrobial fibers.
Quick Daily Disinfect Techniques
Don’t have time to disinfect everything? Disinfect only what you or your family normally touch with your hands. This can easily be done every day to minimize germ transmission.
***light switches, door handles, cabinet and appliance handles, trashcan lids, stairway banisters, toilet handles, faucets in sinks and showers, common counter areas, table and desk tops, highchair trays, computer keyboards, piano keys, TV remotes.***
Regularly, soak for 5 minutes, washable plastic or wood toys in a vinegar and lemon solution to sanitize. (See scientific proof.)
Stuffed animals and fabric toys can be hand washed or machine washed on delicate for regular sanitizing. (Using laundry soap and a vinegar rinse.)
Keep windows open during cool parts of the day to air out house. This minimizes germs and toxins from indoor pollution—without any energy consumption!
During other times let a HEPA air filter clear the household air of dust, pollen, and microbes. This greatly helps to minimize cleaning needs.
Sweep/vacuum daily. This also minimizes dust and cleaning needs. (I still need to improve on this, particularly because we have a Golden Retriever!)
Bathroom Quickie Clean
Clean bathroom tub and shower just before taking a shower, easy to rinse up, during your shower. This is only possible when using all natural, non-toxic cleaners!
Clean Bathroom Sink and Toilet just after using it and before washing hands. Easy way to keep it clean throughout the day, so no real dirt and germ build-up!
Reuse old toothbrushes for spot scrubbing fabrics, tile grout, small edges and corners. Just make sure you label the toothbrush “for cleaning only”!
Vinegar and Baking Soda Tricks
Use a little vinegar and squeezed lemon juice or concentrate in water to clean coffee pots, toasters, toaster ovens, tile floors.
Use baking soda and soap solution and as a scrub for refrigerators, microwaves, and sinks.
Essential Oil Air Fresheners
After cleaning and/or before company, place a small bowl of water, with a few drops of essential oils in front a fan or on a central tabletop, to freshen the room.
Citrus oils, like orange, tangerine, grapefruit, or lemon, brighten the mood. This is a great substitute to chemical “air fresheners”!
A dab of essential oil also can be placed on a cool light bulb before turning it on to permeated the aroma in a room.
Hope you enjoy these Natural Cleaning tips and tricks! I absolutely love finding out new techniques to streamline my green cleaning, recycling and reusing when possible, and having the pleasure of cleaning with natural cleaning products, that I am confident are healthy for my family and pets.
Peace, Green Keen aka Pamela Palmer
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