Fresh Air

This past week I took the opportunity of having a full day without the kids to give my house a thorough cleaning.  I de-cluttered, dusted, swept, vacuumed, mopped, washed, scrubbed, and disinfected, until I was literally aching.  It was totally worth it, my house looked amazing.  I picked the kids up from school and had dinner ready when Nick walked in from work.  I was expecting praise, but before he even noticed how clean the house was he commented on how bad it smelled.  I had been breathing in my cleaning fumes all day and hadn’t noticed our house smelled like chemical warfare. 

I have spent the rest of the week in a panic of online research.  I have read articles, blogs, and random posts about the ill effects of commercial cleaners and the benefits of homemade, natural alternatives.  This, of course, came as no big surprise.  I don’t get dizzy while cloroxing the toilet because I’m scrubbing so hard.  But I was still operating under the assumption that unless my cleaning products got me high, they weren't doing the job.  Now I feel like I’ve been poisoning my family for years.

So I have given myself a goal to completely rid my house of all chemical cleaners.  I have been compiling recipes and formulas for homemade cleaners.  Last night I received a challenge to start me off.  Just as I was getting ready for bed my dog gave me the “please let me out” look.  I immediately regretted opening the door as she ran off, barking like mad.  I figured she was after some sort of critter and I went out to call her back in.  The critter she was after was obvious as soon as I stepped outside.  Skunk odor filled the air. 

I am not going to get into my night of cleaning, let’s just say it was no fun.  When I woke up this morning the bathroom I had washed the dog in reeked to high heaven.  I was about to get out the bleach when I decided to try out some of the natural concoctions I had been researching.  I scrubbed the entire bathroom, top to bottom, using nothing more than baking soda, vinegar, and a little dish soap.  The bathroom sparkled.  I have never gotten a bathroom so clean without the partnering noxious odors that come with it.  I have been made a firm believer in homemade cleaning products.  As of this moment I am clearing everything else out of my house.  A clean house, full of fresh air, is a beauty I can feel really good about.