Hey,

I have had at least 5 animals in my life for a long time.  I have been told that you can never smell I have animals when you come in my house.  At one point I had 9 animals in a 2 bedroom apartment (my 5 plus my roommates 4!!!!) and the landlord was cool because the apartment was clean and fresh smelling!!!  Geez it was a lot of cleaning for such a tiny place though!!!!

Now years later I have 5 animals in a full size house.  Much easier but still a challenge!!  The kitty litter is cleaned both morning and night, I poop scoop after the dogs each evening (I know nothing to do with in the house!!), I vacuum (although quickly) every day or two, I wash ALL the animal bedding once a week just like I do my own.  Blah, blah, blah.

For years I have spread baking soda over my carpets once a week to ensure all scents are out.  Yes, my animals are groomed daily and bathed every 3 months...but still.  Curly 64 suggested adding essential oils to the baking soda.  I LOVE IT!!!

I hate Febreeze but have used it for a few years now.  Thanks to Curly I know I no longer need to use it on my carpets.  Can anyone tell me if using water plus essential oils will be okay on my couches, curtains, etc?  I realize you would have to shake up the mix, but would it work?

I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to wash my floors, kitchen, bathroom, etc.  Can anyone tell me, if I add essential oils in, will it be good?

What about laundry...can I add an essential oil to my laundry....since I use a 50/50 mix of detergent and baking soda.  Worried that essential oils might be a determent since we know OIL is bad in the machines.

And what about washing my floors ( I do the hands and knees scrubbing technique).    Can I add essential oils into my rinsing water?

Curly uses lavender.  I have a small sized house so when I did the carpets I used peppermint to do the main part of the house andc did half of the hall to me bedroom with peppermint (stimulant) and lavender for the other half of the hall and bedroom (to sleep well).  

Open to a tonne of suggestions about doing natural cleaning...even if it does not fall in the area I have spoken about.  I like clean...but I especially like natural!!!!

LOL, thinking I should buy shares in baking soda and vinegar.  We will all come around to the natural way instead of Mr Clean (I mention this one because I used it for YEARS).  Good cleaner...but anything that is flourescent...you have to worry about!!!

Will love to hear what you all use to clean...well....ANYTHING from normal stuff to silver or whatever.

JD

WOW

I wish I had the motivation you do for cleaning :o

I have to force myself to just vacuum and we have a pretty small apartment so it probably takes 10 - 15 minutes ::)

My wife has two cats but I told my wife since she wanted them she has to do all the caring for them.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions on the questions you asked, heck I could learn from the answers you will get :P

Jerry

several good questions!
I really don't have to clean since i have a cleaning person  :-X
So all i really know about natural things are: food and cosmetics/hygeinic products (mine are all organic, both)
I know that the "health foods" store I go to for groceries sells many cleaning products, but I have heard of people just making their own with lemon and essential oils, etc.
Sorry, I wish I was more knowledgeable on the whole cleaning thing.

Yaku,

I am writing since nobody but you responded!!  I know there are several people on this site that use all natural products.  I am surprised that they have not commented, since I am very interested.

I looked up your profile...you do not way where you are from...I am willing to guess though!!

JD

BTW Jerry, I hope we get some input too.  I know there are a LOT of poeple out there with ideas!!!

JD

Lets see....I use water mixed with lemon juice and baking soda to get out smells, like bunny pee from the rug.  I use coarse salt to scrub the john and tub.  Vinger to clean TV and computer screens. http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/onion.gif

Lemon juice with baking soda.  Would not have thought of that.  I will try it!!!

Lisabelle, you mentioned course salt (I presume like rock salt) for cleaing.  I presume you do not dissolve it first as you might as well use any salt to do that!!!  Do you find that the abbresive nature causes scratches?  I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water for cleaning....but it is so so in the toilet bowel.  I mean...it all looks clean...but it isn't convincing me it is clean there.  As for the rest..I am happy with the V/W mix.  Toying with adding essential oils like orange or something to give a nice fresh smell when I clean!!

JD

wrote on Sep 9^th, 2007 at 6:48pm:

Lemon juice with baking soda.  Would not have thought of that.  I will try it!!! Lisabelle, you mentioned course salt (I presume like rock salt) for cleaing.  I presume you do not dissolve it first as you might as well use any salt to do that!!!  Do you find that the abbresive nature causes scratches?  I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water for cleaning....but it is so so in the toilet bowel.  I mean...it all looks clean...but it isn't convincing me it is clean there.  As for the rest..I am happy with the V/W mix.  Toying with adding essential oils like orange or something to give a nice fresh smell when I clean!! JD

I don't find that the salt scatches the john, its an old john and tub.  One neat thing to clean a mirowave oven is to put a bowl of water with some lemon juice in it and mirocwave for about 2 mins or so.  This looses all the food splatter so you can just wipe it clean! ;)  EO's are a great way to freshen up a room.  I put them on cotten balls and hind them around a room.

Funny that you mention the lemon in the microwave recipe!  I use 1/2 of a lemon,sliced,put it in some water and put that in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes to get rid of fish smell in the micro if I heated up some fish.  Works like a charm!
For the dark coffee/tea stains in coffee cups,I use alittle bleach with hotwater in the cup and let it sit a few minutes.  The cups come out like new!

Curlgirl64 wrote on Sep 10^th, 2007 at 1:55am:

Funny that you mention the lemon in the microwave recipe!  I use 1/2 of a lemon,sliced,put it in some water and put that in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes to get rid of fish smell in the micro if I heated up some fish.  Works like a charm! For the dark coffee/tea stains in coffee cups,I use alittle bleach with hot water in the cup and let it sit a few minutes.  The cups come out like new!

Oooh thanks for the tip with the coffee cups! :)

You're welcome.  Just be sure to wash with soap and water after you dump out the bleach/water mix.  Your cups and mugs will be sparkling clean! ;)

wrote on Sep 7^th, 2007 at 7:46pm:

For years I have spread baking soda over my carpets once a week to ensure all scents are out.  Yes, my animals are groomed daily and bathed every 3 months...but still.  Curly 64 suggested adding essential oils to the baking soda.  I LOVE IT!!! I hate Febreeze but have used it for a few years now.  Thanks to Curly I know I no longer need to use it on my carpets.  Can anyone tell me if using water plus essential oils will be okay on my couches, curtains, etc?  I realize you would have to shake up the mix, but would it work? I use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to wash my floors, kitchen, bathroom, etc.  Can anyone tell me, if I add essential oils in, will it be good? What about laundry...can I add an essential oil to my laundry....since I use a 50/50 mix of detergent and baking soda.  Worried that essential oils might be a determent since we know OIL is bad in the machines. And what about washing my floors ( I do the hands and knees scrubbing technique).    Can I add essential oils into my rinsing water? Curly uses lavender.  I have a small sized house so when I did the carpets I used peppermint to do the main part of the house andc did half of the hall to me bedroom with peppermint (stimulant) and lavender for the other half of the hall and bedroom (to sleep well).   Open to a tonne of suggestions about doing natural cleaning...even if it does not fall in the area I have spoken about.  I like clean...but I especially like natural!!!! LOL, thinking I should buy shares in baking soda and vinegar.  We will all come around to the natural way instead of Mr Clean (I mention this one because I used it for YEARS).  Good cleaner...but anything that is flourescent...you have to worry about!!! Will love to hear what you all use to clean...well....ANYTHING from normal stuff to silver or whatever.

I'm just starting to get into natural cleaning methods, but I have found a wonderful book by Valerie Ann Worwood called "The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy".

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780931432828&itm=4

She covers everything you could possibly think of to use essential oils for, from beauty and hair products, to first aid, to treating illnesses, to cleaning, relaxation, gardening, pet care, etc.  She has a complete chapter on home care and cleaning that I would be more than will to PM to you if you were interested.  It's a pdf file, not too big.  Actually, that offer is open to anyone who's interested - I believe in sharing good books! :D  There's so much information in just this one chapter that I would have to retype the whole thing right here - and I don't think there's enough room! :P

Another good book that just has different blends of essential oils for a lot of purposes is Carol Schiller and David Schiller's book "500 Formulas for Aromatherapy: Mixing Essential Oils for Everyday Use".

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780806905846&itm=1

I have used essential oils in a water/vinegar mix for floors and surfaces and absolutely love it!  Vinegar in a fabric softener ball (so I don't have to remember to add it to the rinse) is great for removing odors and residue from laundry, but use ACV, because I've found that white vinegar odor actually lingers even after drying.   :-[ blech!  And a couple drops of essential oils on a small piece of cloth or a part from an old towel added to the dryer leave a wonderful, but not too heavy, scent on your clothes.  And according to the book, you can add a couple drops of just about any oil except for the heavy or resinous ones to the rinse water of your laundry.  I haven't tried that yet, but I'm planning too this next laundry session this weekend.

Anyone know any other good essential oils books?

www.care2.com
TONS of natural solutions (for everything).   :)

Trisha wrote on Sep 13^th, 2007 at 10:51am:

www.care2.com TONS of natural solutions (for everything).   :)

Wonderful site!  I'm going to have to bookmark this one!. Thanks!

OHHH, I am sooo excited about the info supplied by you all (ya' obviously I don't have a life that cleaning materials exicite me!!!).  I really plan on reading all about it all more thoroughly this weekend and purchasing the books.  Being on a septic tank I NEED natural, and aside from that I like the natural smell as opposed to the fake stuff (frebreeze) and frankly, I have found, while essential oils are expensive, they last forever and are much cheaper in the long run than the commercial s#@& we buy and do a much better job (well when mixed with the right ingredients).  Thank you all for the info.  Pls, keep it coming.

JD

Just reading and catching up on some questions JD had about cleaning floors etc.  I use and have been for a few years now,microfiber clothes for my parque floors and for dusting and cleaning in general.  With my disability I have to find ways to do things smarter and more effectively.  With the microfiber clothes,I just use it damp,attach to the special mop head and off I go!!  No chemicals,they work great and are re-useable about 300 hundred times.  
I also use a Scunci steam cleaner to do  the bathroom without chemicals.

Hi Joey--I also have a small petting zoo (that might be getting one dog bigger 'cuz we're suckers!)  I'm curious to try out some of the things listed here.  I have tried to clean with vinegar before, but I don't care for the smell and DH hates it.  So those routines never last long.  

Valerie,

Well, I have to admit that the smell of vinegar does not bother me...but I could think of better smells!!!  I plan on learning about using essential oils to improve the smells.  Now I have most essential oils here.  Are there any in particular you would like me to experiment with first?  I was thinking orange, cinnamon or something like that.  Cinnamon sounds sooooo cozy in the fall/winter and orange so refreshing.  Anyway, tell me your preference and I will experiment with those first!!

JD

Valerie wrote on Sep 21^st, 2007 at 9:06pm:

Hi Joey--I also have a small petting zoo (that might be getting one dog bigger 'cuz we're suckers!)  I'm curious to try out some of the things listed here.  I have tried to clean with vinegar before, but I don't care for the smell and DH hates it.  So those routines never last long.

I always wondered if I was the only one in the world who hates (and gags) on the smell of vinegar :P  I hate it so much I hate any kinds of food which has it in it.  I don't mind distilled vinegar so if I get a cheeseburger at McDonalds or one of the fast food places I get ketchup only ::)

Anyway, if I cleaned with vinegar I would have to use one of those masks people use when they use a paint sprayer ::)

Jerry

Hi Joey--I agree, cinnamon sounds yummy!  Do you use white vinegar?  How long before the vinegar scent disapates?  I'm thinking I might be able to get away with it if I cleaned after DH went to work, if the smell was gone by the time he got home.  

I have a commercial carpet product that I am using up that helps release the pet hair from carpet and make the room smell fresh, but once that is up I was thinking of trying the recipe posted with some patchouli oil.  I like that because its very earthy which seems quite appropriate for the critters rooms.  I don't like the house to smell like I'm trying to cover anything up.  

Jerry,

As I said, the smell of vinegar does not bother me and I wonder if we can cover that with e/o.  About the taste though...ugh...hate it.  Yesterday I treated myself to a hot dog at a chip stand and in the short 5 minutes I stood there waiting, a young lad came and put vinegar and salt on his chips (as they went down) 3 times!!!!!  Yuk!!!  I was quite amazed to see him do this but I guess he really liked vinegar and salt!!  BTW, it was a small fry so there was only about 2 inches square of fries showing when he did it.  I have to say...I like salt but each time he put on about as much salt as I would have for a full thing of fries and he spent as much time on vinegar so I guess it would be the same idea if I like vinegar.  Oh, I ended up tossing my hot dog because the fry episode grossed me out too much!!

JD

Val,

I do use white vinegar.  I do a 50/50 mix with water.  I find the smell goes quite quickly but I have a 2000 sq foot house. I am going to try adding a bit of cinn. tomorrow and will tell you how that goes on over the week.  Cinn just sounds so warm and cosy as we come into fall.  Like I said though, orange sounds refreshing when the winter blues come.  

Curly 64 uses baking soda with lavender or whatever moves her for the carpets.  When I was down I tried it with peppermint to give me a boost.  I like it....only problem was the smell of the peppermint was gone within 2 hours.  That bumbed me out...but at least the carpets did not have the smell of a petting zoo!!!

I am dying for laundry type cleaning suggestions!!!

I had better go...been in bed most of the weekend with a migraine and HAVE to get to work tomorrow so I had better get some sleep.  Thank you all for giving me ideas.  I would love to use all natural cleaners for myself and my house...if I can just figure it all out!!!

JD