Natural Homemaking: Cleaning (Part 1)

While I have not given up the series Natural Remedies, I am running out of things to properly put into a weekly series.  I will have Natural Remedies posts in the future when I actually have something profitable to say.  Writing about things I don't really know about wouldn't be very interesting, and I don't have much else to say in that area at the moment.  :)  So I am sticking with the "Natural" theme and adding a twist! Natural Homemaking is this week's topic! :)

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One of the things I have been working on during my marriage this past year is eliminating all those chemical bottles that we have for cleaning and replacing them with natural, home-made products.  This not only makes it healthier, it also makes it far cheaper!  After experimenting for quite some time, here are a few of the recipes that I use in my home! :) I hope you might enjoy them and put them to use!

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Furniture Dusting Spray and Polish
1/2 cup olive oil
6 Tbsp white vinegar
4-5 tsps lemon juice

Mix together and place in an old spray or squirt bottle.  Spray or squirt on to wood furniture or rag and dust and polish the furniture! :) You will need to shake this mix everytime you use it as the "ingredients" separate so make sure you have a good top on it.  I have some friends who say that it needs to be refrigerated as the lemon juice sours, but I have never had a problem with it.  I prefer to leave it at room temperature (but in a cool area) as I don't like the consistency of cooler olive oil quite so much.

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All-Purpose Cleaner
4-5 Tbsp White Vinegar
1 Tbsp Dish Soap (I usually use Dawn, as I think it works better)
2-3 Cups Warm Water
4-5 Drops of Lavender or Tea Tree Oil

Mix together while water is warm (it dissolves the soap better). Pour into spray bottle.  This is perfect for using on appliances and countertops - but it can be used for many other things, too. :)

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