The cowgirl gardener takes us through some of her favorite green cleaning tips…
Cleaning Naturally-
No harmful chemicals, no harsh smells or headaches. So many people are sensitive to chemicals and so is our planet and water supply. Some easy ways to keep your home clean and smelling fresh are inexpensive, as well as no harsh chemicals.
Green cleaning tip- Cotton Ball+ essential oil
When vacuuming up your home use essential oils on a cotton ball. Place anointed cotton ball inside of your vacuum cleaning bag and smell the difference. No harsh sprays or chemicals. Some great oils for this use are grapefruit, lavender, bergamot, orange, rose, rosemary, eucalyptus. Keep your home smelling fresh naturally with no carcinogens. Some of these essential oils are in fact pest deterrents as well.
If you don’t have essential oils on hand then you can use herbs that are growing in your garden. I take mint, lavender, rose petals, rosemary, or chamomile tear a handful of the leaves and run my vacuum right over them. It works like a charm and smells wonderful.
Green cleaning tip- coffee grounds for air freshener
When trying to rid your home of unpleasant odors try a small container of fresh coffee grounds; place the container open to the air in a place out of site. The results are amazing. Every few days shake the container to keep the grounds filtering odors.
Green cleaning tip-lemons and baking soda
The most amazing cleaner can be found in lemons and baking soda. I could not believe how well it cleaned my sink. There are no chemicals entering back into our precious water supply. After squeezing the lemon juice from the lemon sprinkle baking soda on the surface of area and scrub it with the inside of the lemon. The results will amaze you! I found this method worked better than harsh cleaners that are on the market. When you are finished cleaning you can either put the lemon rind into the compost bin of your garden (or community garden). The other option for disposing of the lemon rind is to use it to clean up the smells in your disposal. Leave your kitchen smelling fresh and wonderful.
Green cleaning tip- out with the paper towels!
Paper towels are not only expensive; but, wasteful. Think about how many paper towels your household uses per week. It will astonish you when you start to calculate! Imagine how many trees are being cut down to mop up “dirty” things; when you could use towels that can be washed and reused. Our environment should outweigh convenience. If you don’t want to buy new towels, consider using old stained t-shirts or even old socks. These items are usually bound for the landfill and still have a life as a useful cleaning tool. Remember: Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
-Margeaux Denham
