Spring Cleaning with Natural Products

Sitting here this morning early, with coffee in hand, watching the sun rise behind the mountain. Well sort of, its cloudy this morning but there is still a glow as the sun creeps into the sky. Behind me is a steep incline to the top of Piney Mountain, my son's work shop sits about half way up. In the winter I can see the top of the mountain through the bare trees, but now they are all green again so only looking at the tops of the trees can I see the top. It takes the sun a long time to come over the mountain, if I go to town early, it's already up as I get away down the hill. God has put me in a truly breathtaking place to spend the last of my life. I have been lucky to see a lot of places, some great, others not so much. Today I got a newsletter from Mountain Rose Herbs with some great cleaning recipes. If you are still buying harsh chemical products, I urge you to consider going green and natural. These ingredients clean as a well as clorox, and other caustic products, and are so much safer for you, your kids, pets and the environment. Lets start with a general surface cleaner for kitchen counters, cabinets, glass, blinds, tubs, fan blades etc. In most grocery stores you can purchase spray bottles for just over a buck, I found mine at Walmart. You can also clean and reuse old glass cleaner spray bottles, just be sure all the old stuff is removed. okay, Surface Cleaner: 16 ounce spray bottle 8 ounces white vinegar 6 ounces water 2 ounces vodka or rubbing alcohol 10 drops essential lavender oil 5 drops essential rosemary oil 5 drops essential lemon oil. Combine all in spray bottle shake before use On to soft scrub, for your sinks, tubs, toilets etc glass jar 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid castile soap, 15 drops of essential oil, like rosemary, tea tree or your choice. Mix well, apply to paper towel or cloth and scrub away, rinse well. Have you used Febreze? I was told by a vet many years ago it may be toxic for pets, had a kitty get sick and she thought that was the cause. Well, here is a home made version that won;t harm a thing: 16 ounce spray bottle, 3 ounces vodka or rubbing alcohol, 15 drops lavender essential oil. 12 ounces rose hydrosol. Put in your bottle, shake and spray curtains, rugs, furniture, pet beds, cars upholstery etc. I ran across an article in my new Mother Earth on blood sugar, if you are working with that problem, did you know that dandelions are most helpful? They contain alpha-glucosidaze, which is natures blood sugar reducer. You should check with your doc of course, but a tea made with flowers and leaves can reduce the amount of medication needed. It's finally spring, almost summer, we seem to jump from that lovely cool period right into very warm weather. My garden is mostly up, have beets, St. Francis beans, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce and herbs doing well, also potatoes and my berries are looking good, both strawberries and blueberries are getting ripe. Love this time of renewal, when the earth once again becomes green and lush. Hope you are taking time to enjoy and not just stress out from yard wor, all too soon winter will make its return. Enjoy the weather, and your life, and give thanks for all your blessings. Til next time, be healthy. Final note, all ingredients need for cleaning recipes can be found at Mountain Rose Herbs, and most of them also at Swanson Vitamins, or Amazon.