Green Clean- Vinegar and Dawn

I'm trying to make the move to using only natural cleaners. This decision has a few factors behind it.

1. I'm cheap. I love to save money and hate spending it... or at least on things like cleaners....
2. We try to be environmentally friendly around here when we can.
3. I read bizarre things like dishwasher detergent releases formaldehyde into the air every time the dishwasher runs. I don't know the truth to these things, but I think about this EVERY single time I start the dishwasher. -unfortunately I'm too good of a bargain shopper at times so I currently am trying to get through 2 bottles of formaldehyde-releasing detergent so I can try out some homemade stuff! I already bought them... I have to use them...:)

So far, I haven't done all that much "green cleaning". I'm trying to get through all the cleaners I have now before I really start to hit it hard. So, this is my warm-up.

Things you need:
a spray bottle
vinegar
Dawn
water
rag

I filled the spray bottle 1/4 of the way up with vinegar, added a few "squirts" of Dawn, and filled up the rest with water.
My mom uses this on her glass shower door and shower stall. It is always sparkly clean. Our tub wasn't so "sparkly" and was actually just embarassing. Note the lack of before photos.... I sprayed down our tub, the tile surround, and the faucet and let it set for about 10 minutes. Yes, it stunk like vinegar, but that only lasted until I was done. When it dried the smell was gone. Then, I went in with the rag and just wiped the tub and surround down. Soap scum, dirt from work, grease, general nastiness all wiped off with one swipe. And I didn't have to scrub- I really just wiped it. Then, I turned on the shower for a rinse and voila! I had a spotless tub. I hadn't used bleach cleaners, so I wasn't nervous about chemicals mixing and producing a poisonous gas. (I have an unnatural fear of this in reality! I think Mom must have scared me about this as a child or something.....)

I had about half the bottle left. Later that day we went on a kitchen cleaning spree. Dustin is a pro at kitchen cleaning. I convinced him to try out my cleaner in the oven. (by the way... Thanksgiving was here last year and we hadn't cleaned the oven since--- well, since we moved in three years ago, I don't think.. (yikes! maybe I should keep a few things to myself!ha!) He sprayed away and let it set. Then he ran the "clean cycle" On the oven and a few hours later, it was spotless. (I'm not sure how much the cleaner helped... but I like to think it did......)

I make no promises. But, I in my brief green cleaning spree, I have found luck with vinegar! I also haven't done much research on it, but I wouldn't use it on things like wood and other finished. I've only used it on things like ceramic tile, whatever my tub is made of--fiberglass, maybe??, and the metal faucets. I'd test it on a spot if you are nervous.

Another vinegar use..... about once a week or so we just have a load of glasses fresh from the dishwasher with gunk in them. This REALLY grosses me out (gagging, Dustin has to talk me down from the ledge kind of gross me out.. what if I drank from it without noticing until I was done! UGH...been there, done that..). No matter how much we handwash and rerun them through the dishwasher, the gunk is set. This past time, I put a splash of vinegar in each glass and filled them up with water. I let them set for the afternoon and stuck them in the DW that night. You guessed it... gunk be gone when they were done!

Coming soon-- home made toilet bowl cleaner, home made laundry detergent, and the third annual Spa Day that all the girls in my mom's family get together for. All homemade spa treatments. This year it is here and on Halloween so we have a spooky theme. I'll post those recipes once I know what they are.

PS- The kitchen back splash got a coat of primer this morning!