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Cleaning Up:  Lots of Cleaners  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 18 2005 : 11:49:22 AM
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Hi Everyone-
I am sure this topic has seen a lot of mileage, and please forgive me if I cover a few things that have already been chatted about.
One thing that I think is hilarious when going to Winco or any store that sells cleaning supplies. When you walk down the aisle you are bombarded with guarentees that some products contain "Real Orange/Lemon Oil" Sure. Thats not hard, add some lemon or orange essence to oil and bam...there you have it...orange/lemon oil. There really isn't "oil" so to speak in the zest of any citrus fruit. So if you do buy your cleaning supplies at a store, don't be conned by the "Orange/Lemon oil" promise. All it does is make the oils smell good.
I own my own cleaning buisness and I have been experimenting with what does and doesn't work. I hate spending any more time than necessary cleaning (especially my own house).
Now as you probably know, vinegar and water makes and EXCELLENT window wash. Much better than Windex ever was. It also does a great job on any chrome/stainless steel.
Baking Soda and Vinegar react to each other and foam, so this works great to clean out slow drains. (Also if your bathtub is draining slowly, and you have one of those push down pull up drain plugs located at the bottom of the tub, spend a few minutes unscrewing the plug and check for hair clogs that are wrapped around the stopper)
Vinegar also disinfects so after you are done using your cutting board, spread a clean towel or rag over it and soak it with vinegar and leave it there for the evening. A quick wipe in the morning and it is clean!
Also Vinegar works better than febreeze...the vinegar smell disipates in an hour or two (depending on how saturated you made the fabric)
And vinegar and water does a great job on floors.
Baking Soda is awesome as a great alternative to Soft Scrub
And a damp cloth does a great job of dusting.
Beeswax is amazing for furniture as well as block oil.
Well I hope some of that helps and I hope I did not repeat too many tips that have already been mentioned.
Also if anyone is interested I have some great recipies for linen powders and how to make you house smell great when vacumming
Ciao
Alee |
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JoyIowa
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Joy
273 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2005 : 6:18:22 PM
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Alee,
I would love to have the receipes for linen powders and vacuuming carpet. Thanks for offering!
JoyIowa
To live without farm life is merely existing, to live with farm life is living life to it very last experience. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2005 : 7:16:56 PM
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Linen Powders:
Either get some essential oils or some dried herbs that you LOVE the smell of...I know it is a staple, but I adore lavendar for linens.
Then you get out you handy dandy corn starch.
In a non-porous mixing bowl you add cornstarch equal to the amount of linen powder you would like to make. I usually mix up about one or two cups at a time (depending on your family size and usage ect)
Then you drop a few (three or four) drops of the essential oil into the corn starch and mix extremely well.. At first you will notice that there are "Clumps" but as you break up the clumps the scent will be distributed to the corn starch.
After all mixed together you can put it in a shaker (even a mason jar with holes punched in the lid works) and after you put your fitted sheet on you sprinkle this on. You can either massage it into the linen as you smooth out wrinkles or you can let your body do that when you go to bed. This feels great on your skin as it is somewhat similar to "Baby Powder"
An alternative to the Essential oils is to grind up your dried herbs and then mix a few teaspoons worth in with your corn starch. However I have noticed a better scent with the oil.
Now to make your house smell GREAT when vacuuming...
Most vacuums have filters of some sort or you can treat the bag itself. The trick is to take a drop or two of essential oil and drop it on the filters in your vacuum where the air is most forcibly released. Or if you can't find the filters, put it on the bag away from where the dust is going to pile up most.
Another idea is to make the above mentioned linen powder, but instead of using corn starch...use baking soda. Then sprinkle this on your carpets. The baking soda will absorb the smells, release the essential oils, but will not hurt your carpets. (Be careful that you don't put too much oil into the mix or you could have stains) Your vacuum will pull up the baking soda with the dust but leave behind your essential oil smell.
Also you can put a few drops of essential oil in your mop water when mopping or rinsing the floor for more pleasing scent.
Ciao
Alee |
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JoyIowa
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Joy
273 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2005 : 2:05:53 PM
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Great ideas Alee, Thanks so much for sharing!
Joy
To live without farm life is merely existing, to live with farm life is living life to it very last experience. |
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Jana
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Jana
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2005 : 12:39:39 PM
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I would love to find a recipe for a beeswax furniture polish, or some sort of oil that I could use on wood or wicker/rattan. I've looked at a couple of recipes and it seems most everything involves adding turpentine  or in order to get a lemon scent, adding lemon detergent (!!!). I'm wondering how "natural" one can be when formulating a polish?
Jana |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 3:20:07 PM
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I can look into the beeswax thing for you, if you would like. To add lemon scent, just go get some lemon essential oil and put in a few drops! Don't add detergent!
I will post again shortly
Ciao
Alee
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2005 : 3:43:28 PM
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Basic Polishing Cream Waxing Formula
4 ounces oil (2 1/2 ounces olive oil or jojoba, 1 1/2 ounces coconut oil)
1 ounce beeswax
1 ounce carnauba wax
4 ounces distilled water
Melt the oils and waxes in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from the heat, pour in the water, and mix with a hand mixer until thick and creamy. Dab some cream onto a soft cotton rag and rub into the furniture. Buff and polish until the oils are well worked into the wood.
Shelf Life: 6 months to a year
This sounds good....Also try adding a few drops of lemon essential oil to some mineral oil or even olive oil (any clear oil really) and buff that into your furniture...make sure to buff with a clean dry cloth to get the "floating" oil that did not sink in so you don't stain clothes.
Also I have heard that Whicker is best cleaned by just gently washing with a mild soap and water. But you could put a thinned down version of the furniture cream (add more water) into a spray bottle...make sure to spray sparingly and buff well to protect.
Hope this helps
Ciao
Alee |
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Cleaning Up: Lots of Cleaners |
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Lots of Cleaners
