Spring is Here!

Or so I think.  I am often wrong on these things.  I don't check the weather often and consequently am normally dressed wrong or don't have an umbrella.  However, spring makes me think of spring cleaning and since on of the things I wanted to address in this blog is natural cleaning it seems like this would be a good time to start!

I have several recipes for home cleaning products but the one I toy around with the most has got to be my daily shower cleaner.  My shower does not have enough ventilation in it.  This is great for keeping steam from the rest of the bathroom and generally makes for a great shower.  The draw back is that it takes hours for the shower to dry.  It also has very deep grooves between the tiles that catch a lot of water.  All this adds up to the possibility of mold in the shower.

I have on occasion had to go after it with bleach.  I take a day when I can usher the children out of the house and spray the entire shower (ceiling included) with a 50% bleach solution.  Not natural cleaning, I know, but the only thing I have found to be truly effective.

On a daily basis though I don't want to use anything nearly that harsh.  I also love the daily cleaners you can get for the showers that make cleaning so much easier.  I have made one of my own.

1 part white vinegar
1 part water
2 drops essential oil

I normally make this in a 24 oz. spray bottle so it is 12 oz vinegar, 12 oz water, and 48 drops of oil.

My question was always what kind of oil to use.  I have used both tea tree and grapefruit.  I have read that tea tree oil is anti-septic and anti-fungual but I haven't had as much luck with it as I have the grapefruit oil.  The grapefruit oil kept the mold away.  The vinegar will also keep the mold down.  It also reacts with any soap left in the shower to help make it go away as well.

Once every two or three weeks, I will use a cloth with some baking soda to scrub the walls and floor to remove anything that has been missed by the daily cleaner but it normally isn't much.  The spray also makes a fantastic glass cleaner so I use it to clean the glass in the bathroom and the sinks.

It is easy and economical.  And my daughter loves getting to make the cleaner with me.  She gets upset if I don't wait for her to do it.  The other plus side to this, I don't have to worry about my children helping me clean and the chemicals they are getting into.  I have only seen positive things come from this!