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2/28/12

shedding winter skin

the weather around here has me nesting in the worst way...open window-dusting and scrubbing away this little house's winter skin!
we've been so lucky this winter to not have gotten sick, but after waking up the past few mornings with a head cold and the aches i've been surrounding myself with lots of juice and herbs...fresh air and clean smells.
 
i started making homemade house cleaners that are better for me and baby and so far i'm a little bit hooked!
my first attempts have been an all-purpose lemon cleaner and a grape fruit//kosher salt bathtub scrub...

 all purpose lemon cleaner- 1 cup warm water//1 cup white vinegar//30 drops tea tree oil// 4 Tbs lemon juice
( i added a few dashes of non-scented castile soap...and everything can be found at your local health food store)

 grapefruit bathtub scrub- 1 grapefruit cut in half//1/4 cup kosher salt. 
(sprinkle salt, scrub with grapefruit half, and rinse)

cleaning doesn't get much better with such color and good smells (minus the vinegar...bleh!)
i would love to hear what you guys are using for homemade cleaners!

p.s. there are lots of other great ideas on minimanor's blog...

happy happy tuesday! 

27 comments:

  1. all your pictures are so pretty!! I love your blog.

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  2. That grapefruit scrub sounds divine. I've been using brown sugar and honey but I need a change. And lemon scented cleaner rather than Lysol? Yes, please.

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  3. I've only used lemon so far, interesting post. I do love the color of your cardigan, where is it from?

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  4. I love Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products when I need something tough, but for regular cleaning I mostly use baking soda and water to clean stains or just vinegar and water for wiping surfaces. I love the addition of lemon or grapefruit! Thanks for the great idea!

    Have a great day!

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  5. Beautiful pictures, as usual! Hope you feel better soon! :)

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  6. I have many homemade cleaners - son with asthma.
    This time of year I make a great citrus solution. I save all the rinds from the citrus in a mason jar. Cover the rinds with white vinegar and let it sit for about 2 weeks. Strain out all of the peels and then put it through a strainer with a coffee filter to remove any tiny bits. Then mix this with 2 parts distilled water for a great all purpose cleaner. It's a great degreaser and sprayed over a sprinkle of baking soda it makes a great scrub for the sink and the oven.
    Tea tea oil water and lemon juice is my go to for the bathroom! Nice disinfectant and nice smell.
    I still love Meyers for the windows and mirrors and when I want something different.

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  7. grapefruit scrub? yes please! i need this now.
    -jocee <3

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  8. I love this, thank you Katie. I have been using Myers cleaners, I think that is what they are called. They are more natural and I like them. They make a counter cleaner I use and dish soap. I have not ventured in to making homemade cleaners, but I have to say... you have given me inspiration! Have a lovely Tuesday.

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  9. i am swimming in lemons and grapefruits. yesterday i juiced alll our lemons, and the house smelled great. if i had a little more energy i'd whip these up! but i will probably just stick to my mrs. meyers.

    i want to live inside of these photos...

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  10. I want to make this just in hopes that the finished product will give my house the kind of warm glow your photos have! By the by, did you know that citrus scents are natural mood boosters? I like to mix a few drops of tangerine oil in with a cup of baking soda, and bam! Instant (and dirt cheap) carpet/mattress freshener! I'm totally into filling my house with these scents lately :)

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  11. How in the world do you get all of your pictures to be so consistent and pretty!? Every time! xo, rv

    http://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/

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  12. I can't wait to try these. I love the smell of citrus and your photos are beautiful as usual.

    Vintagehoneybee.blogspot.com

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  13. Oh my goodness these photos are so gorgeous! It seems these images make me want to clean my house! I am very excited to try the all purpose cleaner. And thank you for the links!

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  14. Sounds like a lovely way to clean. I'll have to try it!

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  15. i would like to know how it is possible for you to make even *cleaning* look beautiful! but you do. :)

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  16. I make all my own cleaners including laundry detergent. I'll never go back, it has saved me so much money. For cleaning glass for a streak free finish as well as disinfecting hard surfaces I use a mixture of half water, half vinegar. The smell goes away very fast. I also use vinegar in my rinse water for my dishes to leave them streak free and remove hard water spots. For laundry detergent I use 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup borax, and one bar of Dr.Bronner's lavender bar soap grated up. I use 1 Tbsp per load and in the part for liquid fabric softener I use half a cup of vinegar. Olive oil with some lemon juice in it also makes a great furniture polish. I love the grapefruit trick, it made my bathroom smell divine. For everything else I use some sort of baking soda and vinegar mix for.

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  17. I hope you're feeling better! That grapefruit looks delicious.

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  18. great photos and thanks for sharing the recipe

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  19. excellent home-made beauty recipe that I did not know. besides I am in love with the meticulous beauty and the innate poetry of your blog.

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  20. i love that fresh citrus smell. i adore a little drop of orange & lavender in the oil burner.
    happiness...
    dannelle@nestenterprises

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  21. I am going to try that lemon cleaner, it looks so easy and it means no more day-glo lemon cleaners that make my hands so dry :)

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  22. Brilliant spring clean the house and yourself stunning photos as always xo

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  23. such a good idea to make your own cleaners, and i can smell your fresh clean house just through these photos :)

    and it's so funny that you say "blech" about the smell of vinegar because that's actually one of my favorite smells! white vinegar smells so good to me :) ha isn't that funny how one person's "gross" can be another's "yumm"?

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  24. I would have never thought to make my own cleaners. Such a neat idea that's natural!

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  25. These photos are completely amazing!! The clean + light feeling is simply stunning. I'm a huge fan of making my own cleaning products, deodorant, etc. so this is next on the list!

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  26. I really love how you can use the grapefruit half as a scrubber! It's like repurposing the skin from the trashcan!

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