Tips on Tuesday: Natural Spring Cleaning

As spring is moving into summer, I'm trying to catch up on spring cleaning that I missed. Over the past few years, I have been working to use natural cleaning products instead of chemicals.

I use a lot of vinegar and baking soda. And before you tell me that vinegar smells, did you know that when it dries, the smell dissipates with it??

I had been told that vinegar works for cleaning as well as antiseptic and/or antibacterial cleaners. Did you know that the disinfectant properties of vinegar have been verified by numerous studies including those conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute? A straight 5% solution of vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses, however in the USA, Heinz can't claim on their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since the company has not registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency. However, it seems to be common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial.

I've been using Vinegar in place of fabric softener for quite a while and you can read about that here.

I've noticed an odor in my disposal lately so we took care of it with baking soda and vinegar. (OK--we probably didn't need the vinegar but who could resist the science experiment of foaming stuff in the sink?) After you put soda in your drain, let it sit a while then rinse it with extremely hot water. It takes out the stink.

I use a mix of vinegar, lemon juice (for a pleasant odor) and water to clean showers and surfaces like counter tops. For the entire recipe, check out my original post.

Let me know what ways you clean naturally.