Spring Cleaning, Without Lots of Time or Money
With spring upon us, the trees are growing new leaves, grass is greening up, and naturally the birds are singing. It also means that it's time to clean a winter's worth of dirt, dust, grime, and other nastiness out of our homes. But before you start cringing, you should know that it needn't be the dreaded time consuming and expensive event that it has been in the past.
One of the main problems about spring cleaning is the fact that the commercials tell us every day on television that we must buy a different product for every possible element of cleaning. By filling our cupboards, shelves, and under-sink areas with all of these different cleaners, cleansers, wipes, sponges, and other "miracle" products, we are only needlessly increasing the time it takes to spring clean, while substantially increasing the bill for getting it done.
However, when it all comes down to it, your home can be quickly, easily, effectively, and hygienically cleaned with only a few household products that are probably already in your kitchen. Furthermore, this not only makes cleaning faster and cheaper, but it's also much better for the environment and your own health. The last thing that you need is another chemical in your system!
The following are a few quick and frugal housecleaning tips to help you to get your new spring cleaning strategy under way.
For all-purpose cleaners...
Add 2 tsp of borax to 5 cups of hot water and mix. Add 1/2 cup of dishwashing soap to the mix as well as 10 to 15 drops of your favorite essential oil. This is ideal for general cleaning that will add your personal favorite perfume to your whole home.
Straight or water-diluted vinegar has incredible cleaning properties. To make the smell better, simply add essential oils.
Hard to clean surfaces and dishes need only a sprinkling of baking soda with a misting of water. Let that sit a few minutes and then clean as you usually would. Surprise! The mess is all gone.
Cutting boards can be a real pain to clean- unless you know the right tricks! For a plastic cutting board, sprinkle with salt and squeeze half a lemon over it. Scrub it and then rinse with warm water. For wooden cutting boards, lightly sand them once per month and then rub a small amount of olive oil into the wood. Never immerse wood cutting boards in water.
To clean your drains, or even to unclog them when they're very stubborn, simply pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then add 1 cup of vinegar. Let the mix brew and fizz for 15 minutes, and then chase it down with hot or boiling water.
For truly shiny faucets, put a coupe of drops of olive oil onto a dry rag. Spray the faucets with club soda and then wipe them with the rag. This will also protect them from getting spotty in the future.
For the floors...
To 4 cups of hot water, add 2 cups of vinegar. Add two drops of tea tree oil (a disinfectant). Then add 3-5 drops of your favorite essential oil.
For the windows...
Fill a bucket half full with warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mix. Clean your windows as usual, and then wipe them dry with a lint-free cloth.
For air fresheners...
The most effective and least expensive air freshener is simply opening your windows whenever weather permits.
For something a little bit extra, place the peel of your favorite citrus fruit into a pot. Cover it with water and then let it simmer on the stove. The kitchen and the entire home will soon be filled with a clean, fresh smell.
As you can see, spring cleaning isn't as hard or expensive as you may once have thought. By refusing to fall prey to those commercials that insist that you need several dozen expensive products to get anything done, you may actually find yourself enjoying your spring cleaning experience. Don't forget to work to uplifting music!
