Make your own cleaning products

After my Aunt Cheryl passed away, I started thinking about cleaning products differently. My Aunt Cheryl was a “cleaning lady” for almost 40 years. That was her career and not only that, her passion. She loved to clean and felt fulfillment after doing so. Now I know where I get it from! Anyway, the products that my Aunt Cheryl used were the typical ones you would buy at Wal-Mart, Target, the grocery store, etc. I don’t think she was much into reading the labels because she knew these products got the job done. She liked the smell of them and felt like they really did a nice, thorough job cleaning tubs, toilets, sinks, kitchen floors and much, much more. Once my aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer, my family all asked if it could have been from all of her years as a cleaning lady? Of course, doctors can’t say  yes or no, but they can of course say..”Well, maybe.”

Here is a very moving picture of my Aunt Cheryl on my wedding day. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make it to the wedding…

After my Aunt’s diagnosis and us speculating her cleaning lady days and the cancer, I immediately started thinking about my own health and how I could be an advocate for it when it came to using cleaning products. This meant, I no longer wanted to use harsh chemicals to clean my house and wanted to come up with a way to create cleaning products that still got the job done but didn’t jeopardize my health and well-being. I did some research and always heard how vinegar is a great, cheap cleaning product. You can purchase a large jug of it for a dollar and some change – pretty sweet. Also baking soda is inexpensive and can be combined with vinegar to create a cleaner. I also add a touch of lemon oil, peppermint oil or lavender oil. Now these are a bit more expensive, $6.59 at the health food store, but you need only 10 drops or so and it will last you for months or even a year. That’s not so bad. Read on for the recipe…

Homemade Cleaning Product:

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces vinegar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 18 ounces of water
• 10 to 12 drops of lemon extract (could use lavender, peppermint or other oil of choice)

Directions:

1. Pour 6 ounces of vinegar into squirt bottle.
2. Add baking soda.
3. Slowly add water – fizzing will occur.
4. Give the bottle 10 to 12 droplets of extract.
5. Shake a bit and ENJOY cleaning!