Cleaning the Green Way...

I'm a clean freak, and have become even more so with the arrival of Miss Lucy. This has become tricky as along with becoming (even more) of a clean freak, I've also become completely paranoid about the chemicals that go into our regular household cleaners and are then dispersed into my home for all to inhale. After reading the book Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barrett I chucked each and every bottle of our harsh store bought cleaners-- goodbye Comet, goodbye Soft Scrub, Goodbye Clorox Bathroom Cleaner, Goodbye Windex.

In the book the author pretty much constantly pimps out her husband's company's green product line, something that somewhat turned me off and made the book a little less objective than it could have been, but she did still have a wealth of information about the adverse effects of these chemicals on on our bodies. So, instead of going out and buying up the entire product line I did some research of my own and found recipes to make my own green cleaning products. Four empty spray bottles, a gallon of the cheap white vinegar, a vial of tea tree oil, a jug of Castille soap and a box of both baking soda and washing soda later I was totally set up with all I need to clean my home. I've used these cleaners for almost 4 months now and they work just as well, if not better, than the commercial stuff. What I've noticed the most about them is that my throat and eyes don't burn after scrubbing the sink or the shower and I can pick up Lucy after cleaning without feeling like I reek of bleach for the rest of the day, even after a shower I used to be able to smell it on my hands and inside my nostrils. Ew. That's got to tell you something right there!

The only caveat to homemade cleaning products are I don't feel like I get the bathroom clean enough for my(somewhat obsessive) liking. To remedy this I popped on over to our local Whole Foods and purchased a ecologically friendly bathroom cleaner from one of my favorite local Northwest Companies Bi-O-Kleen. If you don't want to make the cleaners yourself I definitely recommend anything in their product line, I stock up on their Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator for Lucy's diapers whenever it is on sale (seriously, last time I bought 10 bottles). The bathroom cleaner was definitely more pricey than plain old Clorox Bathroom Cleaner, but with the money I save with not having to buy my other cleaners (it is so much cheaper to make them yourself) I'm still saving money in the end.

Lastly, I receive these daily emails from Ideal Bite with tips on being a "green" mama and I found the one that I received today to be particularly helpful. See here about some great ways to disinfect children's toys without using harsh chemicals that aren't good for your baby or the planet!

Coming up next -- recipes!

"My idea of a superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors."
-Bette Midler