How having a baby changed my perspective, AND how to make your own cleaners

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm going to start adding some more posts here about me, Tom, our stuff. I've been having a hard time coming up with things to say about Jemma on a frequent basis. Don't get me wrong, she's adorable, and I love her dearly, but mostly her days consist of eat, play, sleep. You can only talk about that so many ways. So, I've opted to start adding some things about our parenting and lifestyle, mostly because Jemma has had such a profound impact on my view of the world. She's kinda turning me into a hippie, frankly. Before Jemma, I never put much thought into what or how I ate, what kind of cleaners and toileteries I used, what kind of impact I was having on the world. Now, I have someone to worry about, someone who needs me to be healthy, needs me to protect her, someone to leave a legacy for. I want to leave her with the best world that I can.

When I first got pregnant, I had just read Marly and Me (awesome book, by the way). In it, the author's wife has a miscarriage shortly after using some heavy duty chemical cleaners, and although the doctors said that didn't have anything to do with it, the couple was convinced it did. Being newly pregnant, this scared the dickens out of me, so I started looking for some more "green" alternatives to my household cleaners. I searched loads of websites and found that I could make safe gentle cleaners on my own! And on top of it, it was super cheap!

I've been making my own cleaner for over 2 years now, and I would not go back to buying commercial products. In fact, I bought some bathroom cleaner a few months ago because I could not get rid of this mold in our grout, but the smell made me so dizzy I got rid of it. (Fixed the mold problem with bleach, by the way) This weekend I made everything I'll need for several months, and I did it in a few hours with things I keep at home. I wanted to share my recipes and show you how simple and easy this is. I purchased some essential oils at Cincinnati Natural Foods, but really they are not necessary, they just add a pretty smell :)

My ingredients!


Supplies!


All-Purpose Cleaner:
1/2 tsp castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's in Peppermint)
1/2 tsp washing soda
1 tsp Borax
1 cup water
*optional* 10 drops essential oil of your choice

Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/2 cup soap (I like Dawn for this)
1 cup bleach *The bathroom is the only place I use bleach and only because our toilet bowl seems to grow this obnoxious mold I cannot get rid of in any other way)

Window Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp castile soap

Soft Scrub - Baking soda mixed with liquid soap to a frosting like texture.

Deodorizer - for the trash cans, carpet, etc. - BAKING SODA! Sprinkle and let it be or vacuum if it was put on carpet. Sometimes I mix some essential oil with the baking soda before I sprinkle it if I'm wanting to smell something pretty.

Those are the main cleaners I use for everything. I've learned to use vinegar, baking soda, and soap to clean. There are lots of nice alterantives at the store, too, but they cost a lot more and really, this is so easy. My friend makes her own laundry detergent and I can't wait to try that out. I'd also love to learn to make my own soap!

On a side note, I'm on the lookout for a kid-friendly bug spray, so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear it! Jemma is a mosiquito magnet.