Hi guys! Spring has (almost) sprung but here in Nashville it feels like it's been here for a while. This weather has been so crazy! But honestly, I've quite enjoyed it! So in honor of spring being just around the corner, this blog is devoted to spring cleaning, or spring cleansing as I like to call it.
Growing up with a mom who cleaned houses, I've been used to a very, very clean house my whole life. So I really like to give our house a really good head to toe cleaning at least once a week. Especially since we have 3 dogs, the basic cleaning is a must. Something about a clean house is more than just cleanliness. It helps your state of mind, your attitude, and it just feels good! Having a clean home reduces stress & anxiety, and also calms and relaxes you.
I really am a firm believer in moon phases and cleansing the house with sage when it's a new moon, also when there's negative energy, sickness, starting a new phase in life, anything like that. So it only makes sense to do a cleansing when you're on the brink of a new season!
I'm starting my spring cleansing somewhat early because I'm not just cleaning & cleansing the house. I'm doing some major deep cleaning. I love Chip & Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper so when they came out with a magazine, you bet I subscribed! Off the subject but I have LOVED both Magnolia magazines so far! I have found each one to be very profound and fitting in my life at that moment. I love when things speak to me and come to me at the right place & time. So, once again, this magazines focus was simplicity.
Simplicity. That's the name of the game right now! Me and Corey want to simplify so bad!!! We want to de-clutter, get rid of excess, keep it simple. That's our goal in our life, our relationship, our friendships, our home, our clothes, our everything! We just went to Shaker Village in Kentucky and it was so inspiring to see the simplistic living the Shakers believed in & how resourceful and mindful they were. So, all of this is just falling into place with us.
So on today's subject of simplicity, I'm going to focus on simplicity of cleaning and de-clutter in the kitchen, because that's the room I focused on today. Not only did Magnolia Magazine speak to me about simplicity, but the spring edition of this magazine goes over spring cleaning and this magazine has an awesome cleaning check list. So I'm following it!
Today is the kitchen-I got rid of all those silly plastic cups you collect, random Rubbermaid containers, expired foods, organized and cleaned my oven, appliances, and dishwasher. I'm going to share some green cleaning with you.
All you have to do for a good "spring cleansing" is get some good music going (of course!) light some sage for cleansing, open doors and windows and start on my check list. Once that's done, get to work! Get rid of things that don't serve you, or you haven't used in forever. Deep clean the fridge, throw out old food, organize. It feels so good to actually have an organized kitchen, or house for that matter! It's therapeutic, and it makes you feel good. You want to be in there and cook, and be in there with friends and it's just good for your state of mind! You wake up happier, you feel more productive, you're at peace, a clean house makes such a difference.
Here are some quick and easy home made house cleaners I love-
All purpose cleaning spray-
2 cups of water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 T baking soda
20 drops of essential oil
I use this for the heavy duty cleaning. Stove tops, tile, floors. I use this when I'm doing my deeper weekly clean.
Easy Upkeep Spray-
16oz of water
20 drops of on-guard
Or
10 drops lemon
5 drops lavender
15 drops rosemary
15 drops melaleuca
This is a great disinfectant spray. I use this daily, multiple times a day, for upkeep.
I also love the Doterra OnGuard cleaning concentrate. You can dilute it with water and there are TONS of options!
Glass Cleaner
1 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
20 drops lemon essential oil
I like to use old glass Perrier bottles as my spray bottles because remember-using essential oils in blends will NOT go well in a plastic bottle, always use glass. I will buy those sprayers and just screw those on the bottle, done! If you need, cut the straw thing to fit the glass bottle. I love to reuse glass bottles for so many different purposes and essential oil recipes are perfect for that.
A couple of my favorite clean household cleaners you can buy at the store-
Sal Suds by Dr. Bronner-it's amazing!!!! I buy this by the gallon when I can. You can mix it with water and use it for anything and everything! I even use it for laundry detergent (just 1 tablespoon will do a loaf of laundry!) love this stuff!! Super multi-purpose
DoTerra OnGuard Concentrate-this stuff is similar to Sal Suds. You mix it with water and it has multiple uses. This stuff smells like heaven too! Major antibacterial benefits and I always bring it out during flu season.
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes-I just love these wipes! I use them constantly! The smell of these wipes, oh man. It's one of my top 10 favorite scents lol. These are great for sticky messes and wiping up food. Corey doesn't like them because they leave a streak across our counter, I don't care. They wipe out tough stains on countertops and stove stops, they smell great, and I always use another spray cleaner with a towel after I use the wipes anyways, so streaks don't happen anyhow.
Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lavender Multi-Surface Cleaner-this stuff. Wow. One of my friends and loyal facial clients gave me a bottle of this because she loved it so much and now me and Corey are obsessed. We are so obsessed with this amazing smell, we are going to buy the Mrs. Meyers lavender cleaning concentrate next so we can use it for everything. We want to buy the Mrs. Meyers lavender laundry detergent too. I'm telling you, we are obsessed. This is usually what I use after my Seventh Generation wipes, or I'll use a homemade mix. I always spray everything in my house down with this stuff before guests come over because your house will smell like heaven! When my friend gave me a bottle of this, she said she stocks up at Target because the one near our house had it priced wrong for .97 cents instead of the $4 or so that it's supposed to be. So she said she would stock up whenever she would be in Target, which then led to me stocking up whenever I went to Target, which led to my mom stocking up when she was in Target. Until the price changed to $4. It was good while it lasted, lol. I will continue to buy this even at it's regular price.
Dishwasher cleaner-
Put 1 cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher safe glass. Place it on the top rack. Use the hottest water cycle option & run it through one cycle. The vinegar will eat away at grime, sanitizes, and cleans odor. After that cycle, sprinkle a cup full of baking soda around the bottom of the dishwasher and run it through a short cycle. This is a great way to deep clean that dishwasher every 6 months or so.
Ok! I hope this helps!! Happy Spring Cleaning & Green Cleaning!!
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