March 8, 2009, Multiply, Natural cleaning for the home

In my last ‘kitchen make-over’ blog I mentioned the air purifying spray I made to purify the air of toxic fumes left by decorating. After that I decided to take things a bit further and make more cleaning remedies from every day natural sources. I’m really taking the problem of toxic fumes and pollutants inadvertently caused by my kitchen make-over seriously and I’m trying to compensate by using as many natural products as possible. I know lots of people have collected recipes and natural remedies before but the ones I write about will only be ones I have made and used myself. 

My air purifying spray doesn’t just mask the smelly fumes in the way commercially produced air fresheners do, it purifies the air by using natures own ingredients. I used a 50/50 base of water and alcohol (vodka), with a generous amount of eucalyptus and lemon pure essential oils, it smells divine and the smell lingers all day. Apparently the spray lasts a lot longer if it has an alcohol base and the reason for using vodka is, it’s a pretty pure alcohol and has no smell of its own. What ever the reasoning behind it ………..the end result is really nice.
The second thing I decided to try was a glass cleaner.

I have a lot of glass in my house, picture frames, a fish tank and a glass fronted cabinet that houses my collection of green glass.

 It’s really easy, just a mix of 50/50 white vinegar and water then add some essential oil of lemon.  Spray it on, buff it off and it really works.

The smell of the lemon covers the smell of the vinegar and the glass sparkles.
To complete the trio I decided to try a wood furniture polish. I like old fashioned wooden furniture and have quite a lot of it in my house, but it does need looking after. I used good quality virgin olive oil and essential oil of lavender, it smell wonderful, cleans, polishes, protects and really brings out the grain of the wood.

Traditionally linseed oil is used for furniture but it has quite a distinctive smell that is more difficult to mask with essential oils than olive oil is.

Also, linseed oil would need to be bought especially for the furniture but every one  has olive oil in their cupboards so it is more convenient. All of these are natural, non toxic, efficient and inexpensive, and they make your home smell naturally nice!!

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Jul 26, '09 What to do with a bottle of vodka, drink it or clean with it? I really like the sound of this spray, so some of that bottle could be saved for some orange and ice cubes.

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on Jul 26, '09 great! how much lavender oil do you use per olive oil for your furniture?

delete reply deystar wrote on Jul 26, '09 Love the recipes! I can't use eucalyptus as I am allergic to it. Any suggestions for a good substitute? I really liked the idea for vinegar water glass cleaner with lemon in it! I already knew about vinegar for cleaning glass as that is what my mom and grandmom used but I never liked the smell. Now why didn't I think of lemon in it? I will have to give that a try!

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Mar 10, '09 This is great, I really love a scented room and natural products. I'll use your info as a future resource.

delete reply luckebabe wrote on Mar 9, '09 thanks for all of these great ideas.

delete reply djdx wrote on Mar 9, '09 I appreciate you posting things you have actually used yourself.

delete reply maggie4u wrote on Mar 9, '09 Gosh these are great recipes. I love a natural clean smell so these ideas sure will be great to make and use. Thank You.

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on Mar 9, '09 Sounds great. I like a naturally clean smelling house.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Mar 9, '09 These all sound wonderful. Thanks for the recipes.

delete reply sandycaar wrote on Mar 9, '09 all very nice to know, loretta,,ty for sharing

delete reply starfishred wrote on Mar 9, '09 I use linseed oil in my painting but like you use olive oil on my furniture-another good window cleaner is glycerin just good old glycerin on your sponge it cleans your windows fast and glides like crazy which makes the cleaning really easy- great blog loretta-

delete reply notajones wrote on Mar 8, '09 Very useful tips!

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Mar 8, '09 Thank you. I'll have to give some a try, I do have the ingredients.

delete reply ruraldiva wrote on Mar 8, '09 I've copied them. Linseed oil btw can be terribly irritating to people with asthma. That is why I am always looking for substitutes that don't require a trip to a pharmacy or Home Depot. Thanks very much.

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on Mar 8, '09 loved the recipes-thanks so much

delete reply wulfshado wrote on Mar 8, '09 Nice one! Thanks for the recipes.