Having five daughters means there’s a healthy mix of likes and dislikes, beliefs, and personal or world views to consider. One of my kids is a vegan, two are vegetarian, a few are worried about global warming, some are concerned about animal cruelty, and my 16-year-old pretty much thinks the entire world and everyone in it sucks right now.
I try to remain open-minded and support them, but it can be tough and frustrating at times. I’ve stopped buying paper towels and paper plates, though I refuse to stop buying toilet paper! I read labels carefully to be sure they aren’t tested on animals, and I’ve even begun writing a four-ingredient vegetarian cookbook to share with others.
Although I’m not a fussy housekeeper, I do like things to be clean and smell good. I also want the cleaning to be done as quickly as possible so I have more time for myself. In the past, I could only accomplish this with harsh chemical cleaning products. I never thought twice about using pine cleaner for my floors, spraying furniture polish on my tables, or pouring harsh soap into my dishwasher. My kids have gotten me to think twice though.
Keeping in mind the overflowing landfills, chemicals seeping into the earth, and planning around my very frugal budget, I found it quite a challenge to create my own Green products that actually work. In one of my blog posts I mentioned natural air fresheners and drain cleaners. This time around I’ll focus on an all-purpose bleach cleaner.
Clorox bleach to the rescue! This product has been a lifesaver for me when it comes to cheap, Green and effective cleaning. Sure, I’ve used it for years to whiten whites and clean toilets, but not until visiting the Clorox website did I realize the huge potential I was missing out on.
Clorox bleach is safe for normal home use as it breaks down into mostly salt and water. It also kills many germs, keeping your family healthier. Since using this cleaning product, if and when a cold or flu bug is going around, we seldom get sick or get it mildly.
Okay, so how to use this wonder product?
*For mopping floors I mix one cup or more of bleach into a bucket of hot water then mop as usual. My floors look great, they smell nice (they have different fragrances of bleach now) and they get disinfected as well. No need to rinse.
*To clean the toilets I just pour some bleach into them, swish the Clorox with the brush, close the lid and let it sit for 30 minutes or more. I then go back, scrub it with the brush again and flush. This gets rid of even the darkest rings and mold-buildup.
*As an all-purpose cleaner, I simply take an empty spray bottle and fill 1/4 of the bottle with bleach and the rest water. This works on counter tops, appliances, and all areas in the bathroom. Tough stains are gone. However, it doesn’t work well on glass or mirrors and shouldn’t be used on wood or colored fabric. It’s also not a very good degreaser, but I’ll cover making a homemade degreaser in a future blog post.
I’m not sure if other brands of bleach are as safe or work as well, but even buying the Clorox brand costs pennies when compared to other cleaners. It’s also safe for the environment, cuts down on germs, and leaves the house looking and smelling fresh.