Over the years I have tried lots of home care tips that claim to be eco-friendly and effective. Some work, some are so-so, some aren't worth the effort at all... but every once in a while you find a gem of a formula you want to tell everyone about.
Not polluting our water table with toxic cleaners and products is so important...water is life. I was thrilled to find these two recipes on Pinterest to help with my spring house catch up blitz. They absolutely knocked my socks off.
First off I tried a recipe that promised to make my shower shine. I have an acrylic insert in my bathroom and because I have better things to do than polish the shower every day it was looking a little sad and seriously not-shiny.
Here is what it takes to make the cleaning paste...
Super Sparkly Bathroom Cleaning Paste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 dawn dish soap
4 tablespoons baking soda
On Pinterst there are many variations to this recipe. This is what I find worked best for me.
In the glass measuring cup heat the white vinegar in the microwave for 60-90 seconds till it gently boils. Be careful. Pour it into a heat safe bowl.
When it's cooled slightly mix in the baking soda, 1 tablespoon at a time till it's disolved. It will foam up and kids love watching and helping.
Then measure out the dawn in the measuring cup and add to the bowl.
Use a cloth or sponge to spread the paste all over the shower walls and floor. You will have lots and lots. Do the sinks and bathtub as well.
I also found it great to rinse the microfiber cloth under water with the bowl below. It will create so much cleaner. I took those bowls of sudsy remnants and filled the toilets with the bubbly cleaning liquid.
This one recipe allowed me to do four bathrooms this way by using the cleaner up that kept rinsing out of the cloth.
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That is my dull and dingy neglected shower before.
Note the frosted glass doors. I had them done as a special request, and it was one of the smartest things I did with all the showers during our build. It is next to impossible to keep clear doors looking lovely. Frosted glass allows for a lot of grace for busy families. Okanagan folks can have this done inexpensively at Sun Valley Glass here in Vernon. The locally owned shop offers amazing service. They also recently replaced a windshield and picture glass for me quickly and economically.
Here is what the shower looked like with the paste on.
I put a nice thick layer all over the walls, doors and floor and let it sit a couple of hours. That's when I went around the house in a cleaning frenzy with my bowl and cloth.
Sinks came first and faucets...then counters if needed and lastly the dreaded boys bathroom toilet. Warning this is a horrific image and as much as three boys and one man claim to clean this toilet I always find it in this state that brings me to tears quite often.
You will never catch me in the boys bathroom...they are revolting. I dumped lots of paste everywhere even onto the floor and used a brush to force it under the toilet and into all the hideous nooks and crannies.
After a while I went back with paper towels and the foam had loosened most everything up and it wiped clean and the pee smell was gone. I asked their Dad to witness this and actually made him crouch down and see the mess that escapes the piece of toilet paper wiping the seat version of cleaning they do.
As for the shower it was almost midnight before I got back to my room. I went in and gave a quick wipe then rinsed it using the shower head and cloth. Attempting this in my clothing was a terrible idea...you really need to get naked and get in there and rinse everything well...you will get soaked. But as it rinsed the acrylic was so shiny, bright and smooth. It was divine.
Look at that tap and the shiny shower wall...just like new again. This will be the only thing I ever use now on the shower, tubs and sinks. I must say that leaving that bubbly mix in the toilets worked wonders overnight as well. In the morining I used the toilet brush to give them a good scrub and flushed it down and they were spotless...even the nasty boys toilet.
Thanks Pinterest, I will share this on my eco savvy love board.
The next day I used simelar ingredients to mix up a batch of weed and grass killer from a recipe I have seen over and over on Pinterest and hear amazing things about. Roundup and those types of toxic yard care chemicals are pure evil and they are expensive to boot.
We have lots of grass and weeds growing through the pea gravel on our driveway and it's too much to pull, it needed to be sprayed. We got a large sprayer like this and made the recipe shown.
Organic Weed Spray
1 gallon white vinegar
2 cups of epson salts
1/4 cup Dish Soap ( you could use eco friendly stuff...it just helps the formula stick to the plant surface)
Now...I didn't have quite enough white vinegar so I used white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar too but their acidity levels are higher so if anything it was stronger.
We sprayed the gravel early in the day and by dusk the grass and weeds were already brown and dying.
Impressive isn't it? I went today and bought two more gallons of vinegar and a big sack of Epson salts to make a double batch to finish the job. Try and do it when rain isn't predicted as it will be more effective. The link to this recipe and heaps of versions of it are also on Pinterest and can be found on my Eco savvy love and Gardening love boards.
I am so excited. Today at Walmart I told several people in the garden center who were buying Round Up to put it back and save their money and our planet. They all were intrigued and went to buy their vinegar and salts intead. Help spread the word folks...this is good stuff!
oxo
Where do you get the big sprayer? I must do this ASAP!
Posted by: Louise Rukin | May 15, 2014 at 11:35 AM
hello, home depot is where i got that one...works great!
k
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Where do you get the big sprayer? I must do this ASAP!
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Posted by: kerry macLeod | May 16, 2014 at 10:06 AM