Natural and Organic Cleaning – Bring in Spring the Essential Way
Spring is here in all its beautiful flowery glory, birds are singing, plants are showing their first buds, and summer is just around the corner! After a long, long winter it’s time to throw open the windows, let in that fresh spring air, and celebrate the change of seasons with some vigorous spring cleaning!
We know, cleaning is not exactly first on the list when you’re thinking of what to do on these oh so welcome sunny days, but we also know how good it feels to finally clean away those last remnants of winter. Many of us here at Essential are doing just that. We’re moving furniture to get those last dust bunnies and getting ready to cart off all that stuff we thought we needed but really never made much use of.
So now that you’ve decided to shrug off winter once and for all, a great way to start the spring cleaning frenzy is to get rid of those chemical cleaning products. They clutter up your space and pollute your fresh spring air! This year, go green and take care of spring cleaning with natural cleaning alternatives. Essential has an excellent Liquid Castile Soap made with organic Aloe Vera juice, organic Coconut Oil and organic Olive Oil, without any artificial colors, fragrances or preservatives. You can feel good about using a green natural product. Castile Soap is most often used as a shampoo and body wash, but this gentle natural cleaner is the perfect way to start off the spring cleaning craze.
Add 3-5 tablespoons of Castile Soap to a bucket of water for an effective mopping solution. Castile Soap cuts through dirt and it is 100% biodegradable, leaving behind absolutely no harmful chemical residues. Your pets and kids can roll around on the floor and you can feel good knowing they aren’t rolling in chemicals. Add a quarter cup of Castile Soap to one cup of water to make a carpet cleaner strong enough to work out a winter’s worth of accumulated dirt. Castile can also be used as a dish soap and laundry detergent.
Some areas may need a tougher cleaning, we recommend you employ another great natural cleaning compound: Baking Soda. Baking Soda is an excellent all natural cleaner and deodorizer. We all know that an open box of Baking Soda left in the fridge or freezer can help to prevent stale odors, but it can be used for more than that. Sprinkle the area you wish to clean with Baking Soda then apply your Castile solution. The Baking Soda will act as a mild scouring powder, increasing the Castile solution’s cleaning power. Sprinkle Baking Soda over the carpet the night prior to vacuuming to remove odors. Letting to sit overnight gives more time for the Baking Soda to absorb as much odor as possible. Baking Soda can also be used to absorb odors from closets, laundry bins, garbage cans, shoes, etc.
Borax is another excellent, but slightly more controversial natural cleaner. Borax is a base, similar to Baking Soda, but it is stronger in addition to being deodorizing. Prolonged exposure to the skin can be irritating and inhaling Borax can result in lung irritation. However, while Borax is a little harsher than Baking Soda it is far milder than any of those chemical cleaners we are trying to avoid! One teaspoon of Borax in the Castile mopping solution will add a little muscle to the mixture making it more effective on hard to clean areas like the bathroom tiles and the toilet. When working with Borax, wear gloves and to keep the area well ventilated.
We always use certified organic extra virgin Olive Oil in our Essential personal care products, however, plain pure Olive Oil is amazing as a non-toxic wood polish. Olive Oil softens and naturally moisturizes wood surfaces, leaving them rich and glossy, and preventing cracks and splitting. Use one quarter teaspoon of Lemon Essential Oil to one cup of Olive Oil for a zesty lemon aroma. Pour a few drops on a soft cloth and work into in the wood in circular motion until the surface is replenished and lustrous.