Spring Cleaning Naturally in a Nutshell ^{by Deborah Dolen}

^{I have talked a lot about "whatever goes on your skin ends up in}

^{your blood stream."  This is true when use use cleaning products also.  For that reason many people, including cleaning services (who are exposed to cleaning solutions all of the time) are turning to natural liquid soaps or natural liquid castile soaps for cleaning to reduce their dialy exsposure to toxic chemcials.}

^{Making a Natural Cleaning Scrub PasteBon Ami [the little yellow chick] is my all time favorite natural scrubber, very inexpensive, and simply made from a soft ground stone.  The particulars are round in structure so it does not tend to scratch surface area's either.  You canmix 1:1 or if you need it really thick, 2 parts Bon Ami and 1 part natural liquid soap will work.  For scent you can add a few drops of lemongrass essential oil per pound of paste.}

^{Mop Water Has Never Smelled So Good!}

^{I use the natural liquid castile soap in a bucket of mop water.  I use a few ounces of natural liquid soap per gallon bucket of warm water.  When mopping I always add a few drops of lemon grass essential oil to the mop water or lavender essential oils when I am mopping bedrooms or bathrooms.  Actual lemon essential oil is very high priced and does not smell as "lemon" as Lemon grass does. *Note:  Your best value for essentials oils are never local, as many are so diluted, and your best value by far will be on line, such as eBay.]} 

^{What is Natural That Kills Mold in the Shower Areas?}

Tea tree oil,  Tea tree Oil and Tea tree oil.   I spray it directly on the area I am worried about after I am done cleaning.  As far as bugs go, bugs hate Cedar too, and Cedar essential oil runs fairly cheap as Texas is full of those cedar trees.   I dilute some citric acid in my bottle because mold can also not live in a highly acid environment.  Which brings me to my next passion--citric acid.

Citric Acid to shine Your Dishwasher and as a Vinegar Alternative

I cringe when I see "vinegar" this or "vinegar that."  It just smells, and citric acid does not.  a fine white powder, I get mine off eBay.  A five pound box lasts me a year.  Teh finer the citric powder the better your chances of it remaining a liquid when mixed with distilled water.  I mix a few table spoons of citric acid in a Windex sprayer full of distilled water to do my glass.

Natural Soap Pest Control in the Garden

A few tablespoons of natural liquid soap and water in a 16 ounce spray bottle will keep bugs at bay in your garden.  I use five tablespoons or more, because I really want to send a message to the bug community.  A few drops of black pepper essential oil and/or geranium essential oil can also do a knock out job on spiders and slugs in the garden.

For the Love of BORAX

Borax is a natural whitener (more so when clothes are dried in the sun) an natural booster for cleaning.  It is a natural element, the American Indians used to wash their clothes near borax deposits.  Borax has a more technical real name, but we all know it as the "Mule Team Stuff."  I love this product and use it all of the time.  I cannot count how many people write me thinking Borax is a harsh synthetic and wonder why I use it as a pH adjuster when I make natural liquid soap.  They may be thinking of barium which is not Borax. 

You can get natural liquid soap at NaturalLiquidSoap.net or Mabel's Miracles.

_{This is an excerpt from "Maid Holistic" writen by Deborah Dolen, which will be available on Amazon's Kindle Whispernet Platform before Easter 2011.   Deborah Dolen is the author of dozens of DIY books on cooking, entertaining, homekeeping, beekeeping, canning, making bath and body products, and gardening. Deborah Dolen who got her start on Amazon in 1999, is also the host of several DIY shows, a syndicated writer having her own RSS feeds and over a million subscribers. When not writing, Deborah Dolen is very active in environmental and animal issues. Deborah Dolen is also founder and now Editor in Chief of Mabel White DIY, and Mabel Media which publishes DIY material on several platforms including, TV, print, video and radio.}