It’s cheaper being green

In my quest to switch over to natural cleaning products, I’ve discovered that it’s actually often cheaper to use green products.

1st switch – I was pretty much addicted to cleaning wipes because of how convenient and easy they are to use, but they get to be expensive and wasteful, not to mention how toxic a lot of the ingredients are. So, when Target had all of the back to college stuff marked down cheap at the end of the summer, I bought a huge stack of plain white wash cloths for about two bucks. I use these with a non-toxic all purpose cleaner to wipe down everything from kitchen counters to bathroom surfaces. I pop the cloths in the wash once a week, but if any of them ever get too gross to re-use, I don’t have to cry over it because of how inexpensive they were.

2nd switch – Our bathroom sink is prone to the occasional clog and I’ve found a cool new way to fix them. Drain cleaners are full of gross chemicals, but there is a simple and fun way to get rid of the gunk. Start by pouring some good old baking soda down the drain. Be pretty generous. Next, pour some plain white vinegar over it until you get a little volcano fizz a la 5th grade science fair. Wait until it stops fizzing, and then pour a little more. Repeat until the fizzing stops. Leave the drain alone for a few hours and it should be as good as new. Really gross clogs may need a second dose.

3rd switch – Speaking of vinegar, it is seriously a super hero. You can use it to clean pretty much anything. I buy it in a huge jug and use it all the time. You can use it to clean everything from mirrors to toilets. If you add half a cup to a load of dingy whites it brightens them up. It is my favorite thing to use to clean the coffee maker. I usually run a cup mixed with two cups of water through the machine about once a month.

4th switch – No more dryer sheets. I had a really bad skin reaction a few months ago, and in an effort to figure out what was causing the irritation I stopped using dryer sheets. I don’t miss them one little bit.

Any other ideas for inexpensive and natural ways to keep things neat?

<3

Hattie