Keeping the Cave Clean

Hey there! It's been a while! I do have a some food related posts in the works, but I wanted to talk about something different today. While I've been walking, running, skipping, lunging & occasionally dancing (when nobody's looking) down this paleo path, I've also been taking a long, hard look at the products that I use to clean my cave & myself!  I will save the cave-girl cleaning for another post. Today, I want to share with you a few simple things that I've learned about keeping my cave clean.

There are a few simple reasons that I have been slowly changing how I clean the cave:

1) I am trying to eliminate as many toxins in my life as possible (with the understanding that I can't avoid them ALL!)

2) Regular cleaners can be expensive

3) Organic cleaners are even more expensive

I have been researching DIY cleaners and essentials oils were popping up everywhere in my research. I put a post out on facebook asking local people where I could find good essential oils to purchase and within hours I found myself at an open-house celebration at a local doTERRA oil retailer. And thus began my essential oil adventures. I'm still very much in the baby stages of learning how to use these oils, but there some methods that have worked wonders for me in the past few weeks.

BASIC CLEANER

A very simple mixture of 1 gallon of water, 1/2C of vinegar & about 6 drops of Wild Orange essential oil (I think any citrus oil would work here) has been a fantastic cleaner for my laminate wood floors, tile floors, painted wood baseboards & even my kitchen cabinets. The dogs have been tracking in mud and smearing it all over everything and this cleaner works great for that!

STICKY STUFF

I read yesterday that eucalyptus oil works great for removing stickers...etc. I put that to the test today and it worked like a charm! 

RELAXING IN THE BATH

I found this recipe for scented bath salts using only empsom salt, baking soda & lavender essential oil and whipped up a double batch yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but stay tuned for a review!

CLEANING THE BATH

I found this simple recipe for a tub/shower cleaner and tried it out today. The vinegar smell was bothering the Huz, so I added about 12 drops of wild orange oil to it. It helped the smell and increased the cleaning power.

TOUGH LAUNDRY ODORS

I have one of these Dirty Dog Doormats that I purchased at my favorite local pet supply store. I keep it under the water dish because our new German Shepherd "puppy" (ie. 80lb clutz) tips it over a lot and often drips water out of his mouth all around it! The thing was getting a "musty" smell to it despite being washed weekly. So, last weekend when I washed it, I put a little vinegar and a few drops of both lavender and eucalyptus oil in the washer during the rinse cycle and guess what! It hasn't stunk since! Amazing.

LAUNDRY MONEY SAVER

Speaking of laundry. While I haven't yet tried making my own laundry soap, I have been saving money by using less of it. I don't use soap to wash my towels any more. I use this method that I found on pinterest instead! I don't bother with two separate loads though. I just use vinegar in the wash cycle and baking soda in the rinse cycle. Works like a charm :)












I hope you find these cleaning methods helpful and I look forward to hearing other ideas from all of you!