My recent musings on the topic of cleaning should make it obvious that I’m no cleaning powerhouse. Even so, I’m going to jump in with some of my favourite cleaning recipes. I’ve failed to note the sources when I’ve jotted them on my recipe cards, so unfortunately I can’t give credit where it’s due.
Simple Disinfectant
Take a large dish detergent or spray bottle. It should hold at least a couple of cups of water to make it worthwhile. Fill it and add 1 tsp of tea tree oil for every cup of water. Any time you want to disinfect something, squirt or spray your solution around and then wipe it with a clean rag.
One thing I love about this is its clean but non-chemical scent. You’ll know what I mean when you try it.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Pour a couple of cups of vinegar into a bottle. Add 2 tsp. of tea tree oil. Let it stand for a bit and then swish away.
Porcelain Sink Cleaner
Stop up the sink and add a cup of vinegar, then fill it as far as possible with water. Let it soak for a while, then wipe it and rinse. You can get fancy and add an essential oil for fun (tea tree oil, lavendar, and citrus are my favourites).
Furniture Polish
Combine 3T olive oil, 1T vinegar, and a few drops of your favourite essential oil.
Floor Cleaner
Add 1-2 c of vinegar to a pail of water. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil if you’d like. Mop the floor — no need to rinse.
Image by Alan Cleaver
