Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Natural Homemaking: Cleaning (Part 3)

Welcome to Natural Homemaking: Cleaning (Part 3).  Today's post will be quick - full of quick hints that I use in my house!  Ready? OK!
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Want something to quickly disinfect the countertops or cutting boards without having to scrub and pull out all sorts of different solutions?  Here are two options!

Keep a squirt bottle of hydrogen peroxide under the kitchen sink.  Spray down those countertops and cutting boards, and wipe clean with a paper towel or rag.  You are then good to go. 

....Or you could keep a squirt bottle of 50/50 white vinegar and water with 5-6 drops of tea tree or lavender oil mixed in and use the same process!

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Want a fast fabric softener but don't have one on hand and don't want to have to mix it up? 

Drop a capful (approximately 1/4 cup) of white vinegar in your load of laundry and they will come out feeling nice and soft!

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While this one isn't exactly "natural" - this is my go-to for stains in the clothes.  With a baby in the house and plenty of action flying around, inevitably a shirt or some sort of clothing gets something in it that will stain.  When I have a chance, I pour some Dawn dish soap (it does have to be Dawn, at least, in my experience) and scrub it into the fabric.  I let it sit for about 15 minutes, then rinse it out.  I then place that wet article of clothing in front of a window to let it get natural light (it does not need to be sunny - just natural light).  I check it the next day to make sure it looks like the stain is getting out.  If it is, it goes in with the next load of laundry.  If not, I repeat the process. I've never had to do it more than twice.  This works for oil and grease stains, as well.

If it is not a really bad stain, I will simply dampen the clothes with water, and place it in the natural light in front of the window (living in a rainy, cloudy climate has taught me that it does not need to be sunny!).  I leave it for a day, and then throw it in the wash with the rest of the clothes!

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...Ok, so that wasn't as quick as I expected...  But...those are your quick hints for today!

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