Carleen and Mike » 2006 » December » 24 http://www.huggin.net/blog Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:58:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en Cleaning Day with Mr. Mom http://www.huggin.net/blog/2006/12/24/cleaning-day-with-mr-mom/ http://www.huggin.net/blog/2006/12/24/cleaning-day-with-mr-mom/#comments Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:13:29 +0000 Mike Huxley http://www.huggin.net/blog/2006/12/24/cleaning-day-with-mr-mom/ Recently, Carleen brought home a very dangerous book for me: Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck. Why dangerous? Well, I’m already a heavy environmentalist, walking behind Carleen shutting off lights, turning down the thermostat and putting on sweaters, shuddering everytime I throw away a plastic bottle or aluminum can since the city of Bartlesville refuses to recycle. This book, I knew, would only make it worse. One of the biggest tips Mrs. Sandbeck has is to use vinegar and baking soda for all your cleaning needs. And you know what? They work. For the past month or so, I’ve used baking soda and vinegar exclusively with great results. I use vinegar on our tile, to disinfect the counter tops, and as a toilet bowl cleaner; it even makes metal shine beautifully. It even works great to get rid of acne, since the acidity of the vinegar helps to balance the pH of your skin. I use baking soda anywhere I would use Comet - to clean the tub, sink (the advantage over Comet is that it’s a non-abrasive cleanser - so it can be used on most surfaces without damaging them), you can spread it over your carpet, let sit for 15 minutes and vaccuum to pick up odors. You can pour baking soda down a slow running faucet, then pour about a cup of vinegar down - the combination fizzes and works well to unclog drains.

The best part about using these two hard-hitting cleaning products is the zero impact on the environment - vinegar is a natural substance, and baking soda is pretty much just a salt. There is much less smell also, so that my house smells clean without burning my nostrils, and, if I need to pick up Liam while I’m cleaning, I don’t have to worry about him accidentally sucking on my hands and swallowing a harmful chemical.

She also discusses vermicomposting - using earthworms to compost your household waste. It’s pretty neat sounding - if a bit messy, but it’s something I’d really like to get into. You see, the worms eat through all your kitchen waste and organic material much faster than your standard compost pile. It sounds a bit more work intensive, as you have to seperate out the worms and drain the soil occasionally (which does provide an excellent liquid fertilizer for trees, shrubs or flowers).

All in all, I highly recommend the book to anyone, even those who couldn’t care less about the environment, using vinegar and baking soda to clean your house will at least save you money - and who doesn’t want to do that?

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