So naturally we thing I need to find a different natural, chemical free cleaner for all these different areas in our home. That is the wrong way to look at cleaning. Instead of thinking of the product you may need think of the ingredients you need. 

There are 5-6 simple ingredients we need to cover all our own homemade cleaning products.

• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Castile Soap
• Essential Oils
• Rubbing Alcohol (not actually natural but a much safer alternative for disinfecting cleaners)
• Olive Oil (for wood)

With these 6 ingredients you can mix and match to make just about any cleaning product you want.

The Ingredients for Natural Cleaning Products

When cleaning with natural cleaners we simply need to understand the ingredients of natural cleaning. Understanding how each ingredient works give you the knowledge you need to create the best cleaning products for your needs.

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic cleaner. The acid in the vinegar brakes down mineral deposits, cutting through grease and grime, stains, loosening dirt and calcium build up. Vinegar also has antimicrobial properties helping to disinfect and stop bacterial growth. 

Vinegar is great for bathroom, kitchens, appliances, glass, mirrors, metal, tile, vinyl, fabrics… Most anything except materials that brake down easy by acid. 

Now this is where I’m supposed to say, you can use on tile but you can’t use on tile because you shouldn’t use on grout, or the vinegar will eat away at the finish of the tile or wood so you should use on that either. Don’t use vinegar on TV, computers or phones it will eat away at the anti-glare film. Although these things are true, they will not ruin your table, or cabinets, doors, chairs, floors, tile by a little cleaning with a vinegar based cleaner. Extensive cleaning with harsh vinegar I will not advise. I would also advise to clean with a soap based cleaner for these items for better results. 

Marble and other natural stone carter-tops are more porous surfaces and should not be cleaned with acid cleaners. And that is okay, vinegar, although the most popular is not the only way to clean. 

Use Cleaning Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar or White Vinegar for cleaning. Do not use Apple Cider Vinegar, white wine vinegar or other cooking vinegar for cleaning. 

*Lemon juice is a citric acid and can also be used for cleaning in replacement or along side white vinegar.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a alkaline cleaner. We all know that when you mix this alkaline with our acid vinegar we get a carbon dioxide gas (or bubble). When cleaning we tend to not want to mix these two because they neutralize each other. 

We clean with baking soda when we want to scrub something. Baking soda has a fine abrasive texture making it perfect to use when we need to scrub out a deep stain or tough build up. it also has deodorizing properties as well as whitening properties. Its a great ingredient for diy cleaners for cleaning clothes and stains, grout and toilet bowls and so much more.

Castile Soap

Castile Soap is a vegetable based soap. It has no synthetics, its no toxic ingredients, and hypoallergenic. Its safe for your skin and hair as well as your clothes, furniture, kitchen, bathroom you name it. Except plants, apparently. Don’t clean your plants with it. 

Castile soap is the base that you can use for all your soap needs. Dish soap, hand soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and even all purpose cleaners.

Essential Oils

Essential oils have many benefits to them in our homemade cleaning recipes. Many of them have antibacterial properties making them perfect for disinfecting and stopping the bacterial growth. There scent is probably the most enjoyable benefit that essential oils have. Smell is a huge indication of cleanliness and makes our house more enjoyable and inevitable. 

The biggest benefit I have found with essential oils not the smell or the antibacterial properties but the benefits to my own immune system these oils give. Cleaning with a few drops of essential oils means that all around my house are beneficial, immune boasting properties all around me. Other chemical based cleaners are harmful to my healthy while cleaning with essential oils builds up my health. 

Read in more detail what essential oils are best for cleaning on my post about cleaning with essential oils.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing Alcohol is not technically natural, it is a synthetic product. Although alcohol is the natural occurrence of certain fermenting sugars, Rubbing Alcohol is not made the same way. It is man made through a chemical process involving petroleum derivatives. In order to find out more on how its made visit BiologyInsights.com. Rubbing Alcohol is extremely toxic to drink, but not to touch. With long exposure it can cause skin dryness and irritation.

Although Rubbing Alcohol is not as safe or natural as vinegar but is still considered a safe cleaning product. Rubbing Alcohol is not as toxic or cancer causing as the harsh chemicals in other cleaning product ingredient are. Just to name a few… Phthalates are known to cause hormonal issues such as low sperm count, birth defects and reproductive cancer. Sodium Hydroxide is really bad for your skin and can causes respiratory damage. Formaldehyde can cause asthma or throat and nasal cancer. You can find out more about these and other cleaning products ingredients you may want to avoid at thegoodnesswell.com.

If you don’t feel comfortable using rubbing alcohol as a cleaning product there’s good news! You don’t have too! You can also use Vodka. Or vinegar, it can stand on its own or can be pared with antibacterial essential oils or lemon oils from lemon rinds. To learn more about making lemon vinegar from your lemon rinds check out my post on Lemon Vinegar Cleaner.

Olive Oil

Olive oil may seem like a strange ingredient to use for cleaning, and it is. There are two main reasons we use olive oil to clean with. One is to get gunk or sticky residue off of things. You can use olive oil to moisten and soften something that is hard and stuck on to the item you are cleaning. 

The other ways to use olive oil is as a polisher. Polishing is not actually considered cleaning but it does help keep our homes clean when surfaces have a little polish on them. The polish will keep grime and dust from sticking and building up on certain surfaces. 

Surfaces to use olive oil on when polishing would be stainless still, wood, cast iron and leather.

Recipes for Natural Cleaning Products

I have two bottles of cleaners made up at all time for my daily cleaning. An All Purpose Cleaner and a Bathroom/Kitchen Cleaner. I also have these six ingredients always stocked in my house for when I need to make another cleaner for something specific. Here are all your will need diy cleaning recipes.

All Purpose Cleaner Recipe (soap)

Mix together in a glass spray bottle about 2 tablespoon soap to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Add about 8-15 drops of your favorite essential oil. My preference is Thieves or On-Guard for my all purpose regular cleaner.

Bathroom/Kitchen/Window Disinfectant (vinegar and alcohol)

This is my favorite bathroom cleaner. In my glass spray bottles I mix 1 part vinegar, 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water. Add 8-15 drops of you preferred essential oil (Tea Tree Oil/Melaleuca and Thieves/On Guard are great choices). I use this cleaner for every part of the bathroom, including the mirror.

Other cleaning products you can make with these ingredients

I keep these 6 ingredients stocked in my house so I can make any needed cleaner at any given time. When needed you can also make these cleaner with our 6 natural ingredients for cleaning.

• Laundry Detergent – 1 cups Baking Soda, 1 cup Washing Soda (learn how to make from baking soda) 1 bar of grated Castile Soap (You can get unscented or a scented soap, I like lavender).
• Stain Remover Baking soda or washing soda, hydrogen peroxide, Castile soap. 
• Dish Soap – 16 oz glass dispenser, 1/2 cup Castile soap, 1 1/2 cups water, 10-20 lemon/orange/grapefruit or any citrus essential oil.   
• Hand Soap – 1 cup Castile soap, 3 cups water, 10-20 drops essential oils, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Disinfectant Spray – 1 part water, 1 part rubbing alcohol, for strong disinfectant 
• Disinfectant Wipes – Check out Laura’s recipes
• Over Cleaner – Mix together baking soda and water to make a paste. Wipe the oven down, let it sit for 30 minutes or overnight. Wipe down with a rag and spray some vinegar to get the rest. 
• Grout Cleaner –  Mix together baking soda and water to make a paste. Use a toothbrush to clean the grout with the paste. Wipe down with damp rag. 
• Drain Cleaner – Poor hot water down the drain. Then poor 1/2 – 1 cup baking soda down the drain add 1/2 cup vinegar. Place a rag over the drain and let fizz for 20 minutes. Rinse again with more hot water. 
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner (comet replacement) – Baking soda or washing soda
• Dust Cleaner (Pledge Replacement) – 2 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup Castile soap, 10-20 drops essential oils.
• Fabric (couches, pillows, beds, curtains, rugs) Deodorant (febreze Replacement) – 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water, 20-30 drops essential oils
• Mirror, Glass and Window Cleaners (Windex replacement) – 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water.  
• Hardwood floor cleaner –  2 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup Castile soap, 10-20 drops essential oils.
• Fabric Softener – Vinegar

The post All the DIY Natural Cleaning Products Recipes You will Need appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Vinegar, A natural Cleaner

Vinegar is natural products that you can literally consume. Not just edible but good for you! Although, I do not recommend drinking this cleaner, that would be gross. There are also different types of vinegar, and some are better to consume with and other better to clean with… Cleaning vinegar is the best choice for cleaning due to it being high in acetic acid, white vinegar is second best. I would not use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar to clean with. Those vinegar’s are best cooking with.

Is Cleaning with Alcohol Natural?

Rubbing Alcohol (or isopropyl alcohol) is a super powerful disinfectant yet it is a synthetic product. Although alcohol is the natural occurrence of certain fermenting sugars, Rubbing Alcohol is not made the same way. It is man made through a chemical process involving petroleum derivatives. In order to find out more on how its made visit BiologyInsights.com. Rubbing Alcohol is extremely toxic to drink, but not to touch. With long exposure it can cause skin dryness and irritation.

Although Rubbing Alcohol is not as safe or natural as vinegar it is still considered a safe cleaning product. Rubbing Alcohol is not as toxic or cancer causing as other commercial cleaners and household cleaners ingredient are. Just to name a few… Phthalates are known to cause hormonal issues such as low sperm count, birth defects and reproductive cancer. Sodium Hydroxide is really bad for your skin and can causes respiratory damage. Formaldehyde can cause asthma or throat and nasal cancer. The toxic elements of these cleaners are major concerns for me. You can find out more about these and other cleaning products ingredients you may want to avoid at thegoodnesswell.com. 

If you don’t feel comfortable using rubbing alcohol in your natural DIY cleaners there’s good news! You don’t have too! Vinegar can stand on its own or can be pared with antibacterial essential oils or lemon oils from lemon rinds. To learn more about making lemon vinegar from your lemon rinds check out my post on Lemon Vinegar Cleaner.

How to make All purpose cleaner with Vinegar and rubbing alcohol

Its really very simple. In order to make your cleaner mix together 2 part water, 1 part rubbing alcohol 1 part vinegar into a glass spray bottle. That’s it!  

This ratio is even adjustable. I often use a 1:1:1 ration when making my cleaner, especially when cleaning the bathrooms and both version work great. Now, be aware that not enough vinegar or rubbing alcohol wont keep things as clean and too much can cause some damage to paint, wood and sometimes plastics.

add essential oils

If you want to make a great smelling and extra cleaning strength then add a few drops of essential oil to your cleaner. Add 15-25 drops of your preferred essential oil to your 16 oz glass spray bottle. For more effective recipes you can read more about using essential oils in your cleaning products here. Some great essential oils to use for cleaning are Tea Tree Oil, Lemon, Orange, Eucalyptus, Thieves, On-Guard and so many more. My favorite blends are Thieves and Tea Tree Oil.

add citrus rinds

I you don’t have essential oil you can also make your own citrus cleaner by soaking lemon, orange, lime or grapefruit rinds in a jar full of vinegar for 2 weeks or adding 1/2 a cup of lemon juice. The vinegar will start to brake down and mix with the de-greasing oils and antibacterial properties of the citrus making a powerful cleaner. Then use that vinegar in your cleaning solution. To read more details on making your own citrus vinegar cleaning here.

Are Homemade cleaning products cheaper?

Lets do some math…
-1/4 gallon, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Spray, Lemon Breeze Scent, 32oz – $3.97, $1.98 per 16 oz bottle.
-DoTERRA’s Multi-Purpose On Guard Cleaner Concentrate 12 oz, makes about 9, 16 oz spray bottles, $24 $2.67 per 16 oz bottle
-1.5 gallons, Homemade Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner – Cleaning Vinegar 64oz, $2.62 + Rubbing Alcohol 91%, 32oz, $3.98 (x2) + On Guard Essential Oils, DoTERRA, 15ml $52OR Revive 30ml $28. TOTAL (with revive) is $38.58 at check out. 64oz of vinegar, 64oz of rubbing alcohol, 64oz water makes 12, 16oz spray bottles. When using 15 drops of oil per 16 oz spray bottle the total comes to about $1.78 per 16 oz bottle.

30ml of essential oil is approximately 500 drops. That is about 6 cents per drop. 15 drops per 16 oz spray bottle comes to 90 cents per bottle.

So yeah, this homemade cleaner is pretty cheap compared to most store-bought cleaners.

Vinegar and rubbing alcohol Cleaner is a Antibacterial Disinfectant

Vinegar is very strong acid creating a hostile environment for bacteria making them inactive but not always killing the germs… There’s a lot of different thoughts on this. We are all taught and know that there are good germ and bad germs but its not always easy to know when to kill germs and when to embrace them. 

If just using vinegar as a cleaner then clean is what you get. If you want to kill germs and disinfect you will need to add the rubbing alcohol. It is the the alcohol that disinfects. Disinfectants kills all germs both good and bad. A good cleaner remove dirt, debris, grime and germs on the surface level, making most germs inactive but does not kill them. Cleaners make it so germs don’t grow. Disinfectants will make them go away completely. So for best results in making a disinfectant with safe ingredients is to add a rubbing alcohol to your own cleaners.

FAQ

Can I use any vinegar to clean with?

There are lots of different types of vinegar and not all of them are ideal for cleaning. However, cleaning Vinegar, or distilled white vinegar are you two best vinegar for cleaning. I personally wouldn’t use Apple Cider Vinegar, or Rice Vinegar, or any other cooking vinegar for cleaning with.

What is NOT safe to clean with vinegar?

Vinegar is an all purpose spray cleaner but there are a few things to avoid cleaning with vinegar. 

• Natural Stone. The acid in the vinegar can cause pitting in natural stones like Marble or Granite. 
• Grout. Vinegar can cause deterioration of grout. 
• Stainless Steal. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting the the steal. 
• Waxed or unfinished wood should not have full strength vinegar but diluted is fine. The vinegar can cause discoloration if full strength. 
• Cast Iron. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting.  
• TV’s, Computers or other screen as the vinegar will take off the anti glare coating. 
• Rubber. Rubber with lots of exposure to vinegar will start to deteriorate. A little here and there wont hurt it too badly. 
• Hardwood Floors. Vinegar can dissolve the finish on the hardwood. For hardwood I suggest Murphy’s Oil Soup

What is safe to clean with vinegar?

• Glass, windows and mirrors. Mix a little rubbing alcohol for with the vinegar and you will get a quick dry, streak free cleaning. Toilet. For a deep clean you can put 2 cup of vinegar in your toilet and let sit for 2-3 hours. Clean with a toilet brush to help remove/prevent hard water lines and odor. Dust a bit of baking soda on the floor around the toilet and let sit for 20 minutes or longer spray with your vinegar cleaner let it bubble and do its work then wipe up.
• Bath/Showers. Your vinegar helps prevent and remove watermarks as well as preventing mildew. Use your cleaner for weekly wiping down of your shower and bathtubs. For deeper cleaning use undiluted vinegar. 
• Faucets. If you have hard water cleaning your faucets with vinegar is almost a must. The hard water build up can ruin your new faucets and daily or weekly cleaning with vinegar can prevent hard water build up to keep your faucets clean.
• Dirty Floors. Except hardwood floors or waxed floors. All other floors are safe for cleaning with vinegar.
• Dishwasher. Again, keep your dishwasher safe from hard water build up and crud with vinegar. 
• Appliances.
• Microwave, stove tops, oven, refrigerator etc, vinegar is a great cleaner for these appliances. I also have such a peace of mind cleaning around my food with a safe, natural cleaner. 
• Laundry. A miraculous deodorizer for your clothes, sheets, rags is adding vinegar to washing your laundry. Just be sure to not mix bleach and vinegar in the same load. 
• Coffeemakers. Run equal parts of vinegar and water through your coffee maker for a good cleaning. 
• Wood. If you want to clean natural wood with vinegar add an equal part of olive oil to your vinegar.
• Carpets and Upholstery. Spot clean you carpets with with vinegar. The profession carpet cleaner we use at our church told me to use vinegar for coffee spill and hot water and dish soup for sugar based spills (soda, lemonade).

What is NOT safe to clean with rubbing alcohol?

Here are a few things to look out for when cleaning with rubbing alcohol.

• Natural Stone. The alcohol can remove protective laying making it more porous and prone to stains and scratches.
• Painted or Finished Wood. A diluted cleaner should not do much or any real damage to the finish or paint but straight alcohol will strip some of the finish or paint off of your wood.
• Leather. Dries out, causing cracks and discoloration.
• Delicate Fabrics. Shrinks or discolors materials
• Rubber. Rubber with lots of exposure to rubbing alcohol will start to deteriorate. A little here and there wont hurt it too badly.
• Hardwood Floors. Vinegar can dissolve the finish on the hardwood. For hardwood I suggest Murphy’s Oil Soup
• Acrylic Plastics. Causes cloudiness and weakens material.

What is safe to clean with alcohol?

• Counter tops
• Stainless Steel Carpets and Upholstery. Make your own homemade carpet cleaner with Karries DIY carpet cleaning solution here. 
• Appliances.Microwave, stove tops, oven, refrigerator etc
• Glass, windows and mirrors. Rubbing alcohol is has a quick evaporation time, when mixed with the vinegar and you will get a quick drying, streak free, glass cleaner.
• Toilet, Bath/Showers.
• Faucets.
• Sticker Residue.
• Electronics. Rubbing alcohol is great for electronics and your computer keyboard because it drys quickly without leaving any residue. Its not great for electronics because it can damage the anti glare protection.

More of my favorite natural cleaning Formulas 

In my option the best cleaner out there is good old fashioned elbow grease and a clean cloth or paper towel with warm water. I’m never disappointed when I simple go around the house with a clean damp cloth, maybe with a drop or two of dish soup and go around my house cleaning. But obviously, I’ll probably do an even better job would if I take an all purpose cleaner around with me. 

Use these other natural all purpose cleaners, avoiding harsh chemicals to get a professional cleaner level cleaning in your home.

• Essential Oil Cleaners
• Castile Soup Cleaners
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

The post Cleaning with Vinegar and Rubbing Alcohol appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Are Chemical Cleaners Bad?

YES!!! VERY BAD! …okay, maybe I’m overreacting… Let me just say right now, I have Bleach and Comet (Natural version here) and even Windex in my house right now that I use. Now, you are not going to keel over and die from them as your spray your window to clean it. With the toxic chemicals in our store-bought cleaners the danger is in long time exposure. 

Lets use bleach for example. Breathing in bleach fumes irritates your lungs. Sometimes while cleaning with bleach you might cough a little, feel a burning in your noes or throat from just the smell of bleach… that is the chemicals burning your lungs. The feeling might goes away with a drink of water or some fresh air but that doesn’t mean there’s no damage. Healing is needed. Breathing in bleach everyday keeps the healing from happening. The more chemical burn your experience the longer its going to take to heal. Then you get a cold… and your lungs struggle. The coughing hurts, it turns in to bronchitis and then it goes crazy and you have lung cancer. It’s the constant damage, without healing that causing tissue and cell damage. To learn more read “Is Breathing in Bleach Bad?“

Yes, I keep these bad cancer causing chemical cleaners in my house. No, I do not use them daily, or even weekly. My daily and weekly cleaning needs are met with all natural cleaning products.

Does Cleaning with essential oils really work?

YES!

In all honesty I wouldn’t clean with only essential oils. I will always pair them with vinegar, soap or rubbing alcohol. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not using essential oils just for the fragrance and fresh scent but as the cleaning agent in the cleaner. Both the essential oil and the vinegar or soap work to clean. Essential oils have cleaning, cleansing, antibacterial properties that really do work. For best all purpose cleaning in your home it will be best to combine them with another natural cleaning agent.

What Essential Oils can I use to Clean with?

There are so many great essential oils that you can use in your daily cleaning routine. The oils you want to use are oils that have antibacterial properties. Antibacterial essential oils stop the growth of bacteria. Keeping you home clean from bacterial growth without killing both the good and bad bacteria completely. Cleaning with essential oils benefits our immune system rather than harming it like the commercial cleaners full of toxic fumes do.

Essential Oils for Cleaning

• Eucalyptus Oil has antibacterial properties 
• Peppermint Oil contains anti fungal and antibacterial properties 
• Lavender Oil has powerful antimicrobial properties 
• Cloves Oil contains both anti fungal and antibacterial properties, a great at disinfecting and cleaning mold.
• Lemongrass Oil has both anti fungal and antibacterial properties, brakes down grease and grime. 
• Cinnamon Oil is one of the most powerful antibacterials and anti fungal of the essential oils. 
• Tea tree Oil (Melaleuca) has both anti fungal and antibacterial properties.
• Bergamot Oil is another antibacterial with a large amount of limonene, which is also found in citrus oils. 
• Oregano Oil has strong antibacterial properties  
• Thyme Oil has antiseptic properties 
• Basil Oil has antimicrobial properties and repels insects 
• Rosemary Oil has antibacterial and antiseptic properties
• Geranium Oil helps remove dirt and grime
• Wild Orange Oil cuts through grease and dirt and is antibacterial
• Lemon Oil antibacterial properties
• Grapefruit Oil natural de-greaser and has antimicrobial properties 
• Lime Oil high in limonene helping disinfect bacteria

Mix and Match

Some of these essential oils are stronger cleaners than other or have different cleaning abilities. Some being better de-greasers, some being better for molds and fungal. To make a all-purpose cleaner you can combine oils to create your own cleaners that fits your needs. 

Some essential oil companies have blends already that are specially for cleaning. Young living has blends like ‘Thieves’ and ‘Purification’. DoTerra has ‘On Guard’ and ‘Purify’. Revive has ‘Clean’, ‘Purify’ and ‘Immunity Boost’. You can make things simple and buy one of these blends or you can create your own household cleaning products.

How To Make An Essential Oil Cleaner

Here are 3 simple recipes for natural cleaners using essential oils   

1. Mix together 2 part water, 1 part rubbing alcohol 1 part cleaning vinegar or white vinegar into a reusable glass spray bottle. Add 15-25 drops of your preferred essential oil to your glass bottle. 
2. Mix together 3 parts water with 1 part Castile soap and add 15-25 drops of your preferred essential oil to your glass spray bottle. 
3. Mix together 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar and add 15-25 drops of your preferred essential oil to your 12 -16 oz glass spray bottle.

For more all purpose cleaner recipes check out my post just on DIY Natural Cleaner Recipes for different types of cleaners using essential oil, baking soda, Castile soaps, rubbing alcohol, vinegar and olive oil.

Is Homemade all-purpose cleaners cheaper?

Lets do some math…
-1/4 gallon, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Spray, Lemon Breeze Scent, 32oz – $3.97, $1.98 per 16 oz bottle.
-DoTERRA’s Multi-Purpose On Guard Cleaner Concentrate 12 oz, makes about 9, 16 oz spray bottles, $24 $2.67 per 16 oz bottle
-1.5 gallons, Homemade Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner – Cleaning Vinegar 64oz, $2.62 + Rubbing Alcohol 91%, 32oz, $3.98 (x2) + On Guard Essential Oils, DoTERRA, 15ml $52OR Revive 30ml $28. TOTAL (with revive) is $38.58 at check out. 64oz of vinegar, 64oz of rubbing alcohol, 64oz water makes 12, 16oz spray bottles. When using 15 drops of oil per 16 oz spray bottle the total comes to about $1.78 per 16 oz bottle.

30ml of essential oil is approximately 500 drops. That is about 6 cents per drop. 15 drops per 16 oz spray bottle comes to 90 cents per bottle.

So yeah, its pretty cheap.

What brand of Essential Oils is Best?

Not all Essential Oil brands are made equal. For cleaning you want high quality essential oils. High quality essential oils are not always found at your local grocery store. Young Living, DoTERRA, Revive and Plant Therapy are all good, high quality brands you can trust for your diy cleaner. For more about these brands read Emma’s Post on the Top 10 Best Essential Oil Brands on her website, Essential Oil Haven.

Mistakes when Cleaning with Essential Oils

Mixing with bleach

Bleach and essential oils are completely different ways of cleaning. They do not mix well, its not considered to be safe. Bleach will overpower the sent of the essential oils. Essential oils are meant to be breathed in, benefiting the whole body. Bleach is not to be breathed in or put on your skin. Just don’t do it. It doesn’t make since to mix the two.

Using by themself

Essential oils alone are not are compete cleaner or disinfectant. Cleaning with essential oils is very effective and should be diluted to clean with. For best results mix with and non-toxic cleaners like Castile soaps, vinegar, witch hazel or rubbing alcohol to make your DIY cleaning spray.

Using too much/using too little

There no absolutely right amount of oils to use but there is a wrong. I typically find people use too little, trying to save the expensive oil. But its also true that you don’t need to over do it. 5 drops is not enough for a 16 oz spray bottle but 30-35 may also be more than enough, therefore being wasteful. Use your nose. If you put 15 drops in but you can’t smell the oils when you spray it, then its not enough. Add 3-5 more till you can smell it. If you use Vinegar along with your oil and you can’t smell of vinegar at all, maybe you used too much oil, or not enough vinegar. I am always looking for both smells while not letting either one over power the other.

Using low quality oils

One of the biggest mistakes I think you can do buying poor quality essential oils for your homemade cleaning products. You need 100% pure essential oils or they oil will not have enough or any of the antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, de-greasing properties to them. Don’t use oils that are not 100% pure, or have other ingredients listed other that oils, like ‘fragrance’. Check out these 7 simple test to tell if you oil is pure or not.

Improper Storage

You should store your essential oils in a cool dark place. Using glass bottles, best if they are dark glass but not always necessary if you keep in a dark cabinet. UV rays can cause the oils to brake down and the dark glass helps keep them safe.
Plastic bottle react with the oils. The plastic can even start braking down and mixing the plastic toxins in with your oils. The oils can also pass through the plastic as it is more porous than glass. In both cases makes your oils not as pure or effective in their cleaning.

Forgetting to shake the bottle

Oils like to separate from water when sitting in the cabinet, shake for an even mixture before cleaning.

The post How to make Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner With Essential Oils appeared first on Embracing The Home.

This is a honorable goal and can bring joy to the home as long as its not paired with overwhelmed and stress. Here are 5 ways to keep the joy in your home and the stress elsewhere.

• Letting Go of Perfection
• Declutter Your Decorations
• Keep Your Everyday Meals Simple
• Consumable or No Clutter Gifts
• Remember, All Glory be to Christ

Letting Go of Perfection

No matter what trick you use to simplify your home, avoid overwhelm and make the holiday’s less stressful nothing will actually work unless your attitude and perspective are right. Some people call this taking care of your ‘mental health’. I would say this is much more of a heart issue than a mental issue.

When you love something it becomes important to you. Once something is important to you, you get anxious and stressed when that thing is not going the way it should. As a homemaker, we are responsible for the things going on in our home. The cleanliness, the meals, the way the home functions, we are the ones who get to work that out and accomplish it. It becomes important to us.

What do you love?

I love homemaking! Creating a home that is comfortable, hospitable, clean and has the smell of homemade meals delighting the soul is what I love doing. I love when my kids want to be home. When my husband comes home from work with a smile on his face. I want people to feel welcome and at home in my house. This is all good, until it is more important, loved more than my own families well being.

So what do I love more? I love the Lord and the most important thing I can do as a wife and mother is emulate Gods love to my family. Show them love, teach them love. Walk in His way and teach my kids to do the same.

Proverbs 25:24 says “It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” It says similar things in Proverbs 21:9 and 27:15-16. If I’m continually stressed over the well being over the home and I’m yelling, complaining and getting frustrated with the kids, I’m in the wrong. My love is on my home and myself more than my family who the home is for. I have become a contentious women.

Let go of perfection

If you find yourself overwhelmed, bitter and contentious over the busy holiday season you need to let go of the perfection of your home and seek perfections or sanctification in your relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Avoid overwhelm by resting in the Lord. Remember His holiness. Be thankful for His sacrifice. Serve you family for His glory. Let go of the ideal perfect home and seek the perfect Lord. Let go of the idea of the perfect holiday experience and see the perfect Lord. Don’t hold onto the standards of the crunchy homemaker but seek the standards of the Lord. Only then will you be able to truly avoid overwhelm.

With that being said, lets get into some of the tips and trick that can help simplify our homes now that our hearts are set.

Declutter Your Decorations

To avoid the holiday overwhelm in your home, simplify you decorations. Now, I’m not saying you have to go all minimalist with your holiday decorations but try to avoid a cluttered look. Not every little angel, nutcracker or snowman has to be out every year. If your decorations make you feel like your house is clutter and uncleanable, simplify them.

A cluttered house can be hard to relax in. During this time of year our schedules are often full and cluttered. Our home should be able to give us all rest and peace. If the decorations stress you out, simplify them to fit your family’s needs.

Letting the kids help Decorate

When you have little kids who want to help decorate things can get stressful very easily. We imagine we will be making wonderful memories with our kids when decorating until they have their own great ideas of how things should look. Then its messy, unorganized, and chaotic.

I want my kids to be creative and celebrate our saviors birth with joy and not memories of mom controlling things and taking the fun out of it. But I also can’t stand the numerous messy, mismatching kids ornaments and cut outs, drawing and such. Its all clutter to me.

In our house, each of the kids rooms get their own tree with their own ornaments. My kids can also display all their arts and crafts and decorate in their own rooms however they want. They get to be creative and make memories. I get a tidy house with decoration that bring me joy and not stress.

Maybe you don’t want a tree or decorations in their room. You can also take same idea and apply it elsewhere in the house. Like a table, shelf or mantle that they get to decorate and arrange. Giving them some boundaries to their creativity is a good for them. When given boundaries they become more intentional with what they do.

Keep your everyday meals simple

The holiday season is all about food (and Jesus). From Thanksgiving to New Years there are so many traditional meals, sweet treats, from scratch family recipes we have to make. There are parties that we are baking for and edible gifts to make all on top of all the expected amazing holiday day-of meals.

For the homemaker it can be a lot of fun or stressful days in the kitchen. This is when meal planning and freezer meals come in handy. I love cooking, but it can be exhausting during the holidays to keep up with all the extra baking and cooking on top of the daily meals. Having a monthly meal plan laid out for the month of November and December help me a lot. Here are more resources on monthly meal planning.

When planning these meals I choose easy, simple meals that my family loves. Meals that can be make ahead of time if needed. In November I often make a few freezer meals for some of the busy days in December. This makes it easy for us to eat a healthy home cooked meal on days we have been out all day enjoy the seasons festivities. Having freezer meals ready also makes it easy for me to relax and not worry about dinner when I’m overwhelmed with all the extra holiday baking.

In all, to avoid the holiday overwhelm as a homemaker plan our a months worth of meals ahead of time. Choose simply easy meals. Have a well stocked freezer of meals ready to go.

Consumable or No Clutter Gifts

As a homemaker, as your family receives gifts, it can be stressful. As a mother with 5 small children we receive a lot of toys at Christmas time. It doesn’t help that we have November, December and January birthdays in our family. Lots of new things coming through that I must now find a place for in my home and teach my children to put them away properly.

The day after Christmas, about 3 years ago I remember looking at the mess and realizing I had not place to put all these new toy and I cried. I was overwhelmed. That day I made a plan, went to Walmart, bought bins and a new shelf, organized and threw out a lot of old toys to make room for the new ones. Here are a few tips on how to the avoid overwhelm and stress of gift receiving as a homemaker.

Tell your family and friends what gifts are appropriate

You don’t have to make this a joy killing moment of making harsh boundaries. It can be as simple as mentioning “We are getting out kids fun art supplies this year, they would love more coloring books too”. Often times that sparks a good conversation with friends and family as to what type of gifts are joy giving in your home.

In the past, to avoid overwhelm, I have had to give some family members a limit of how many toy and gift they can give my kids. Thankfully we have such good relationships that this was not offensive. When giving these types of boundaries I have often worded them like “We have a lot of toy right now, for Christmas I’d appreciate it if you only got them 1 toy. You can get them as many gifts as you want but can you keep the toys to a limit of 1 per child?” If you need more boundaries you can say something like “We have so much right now, and would appreciate a limit of only 3 gift this year.” Or what ever it needs to be.

What type of gifts to kids that are not toys

To avoid the clutter and overwhelm of toy during this seasons think of consumable or easy to store gifts for you kids. Gifts like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, coloring books are great non food consumable gifts. When they are done they are gone.

Food gifts, like their favorite snack in their stockings is always loved. I always fill my little kids stocking with applesauce, banana, boxes of yogurt covered raisins and fruit snacks and they love it! As they get older treats like, breakfast cookies, chocolate bars, trail mix. You can be as crunchy or not, food gifts are always loved.

For more ideas for no clutter consumable gifts here I have a list of 27 gifts ideas you can check out.

Remember, All Glory Be To Christ

Now that you have decluttered, stocked up on freezer meals, and your gifts aren’t stressing you out, you can remember again, this is all for the glory of Christ. It may be tempting to say what I do is for the glory of God. Christ is honored by my work. I give honer to Christ with what I accomplish. Like a knight saying he will win this tournament for the beautiful lady. Its not about me giving God glory with what I do but doing what He would have me do that brings Him glory.

All glory be to Christ means I seek His will and workout His plan that He has for me. God has prepared work for us to do and yes, doing the dishes, making the meals, wrapping the gifts so beautifully is a part of the life that he has given to us. But the work he desires for us is in our heart attitude towards Him and our neighbors. He desires us to love Him with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourself. Put off sin, confess and repent, giving glory to our Lord.

When you do the work of a homemaker, don’t come to God saying “Look what I did for your glory” but come to God asking “What can I do to give your glory”.

The post How to find joy and avoid overwhelm as a homemaker this holiday season appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Glorify the Lord and Enjoy Him Forever

What is you goal in life? What is your purpose in life? And what is your chief end in life?

It is easy to think that keeping the house in order is the main purpose of my life as a stay at home mom. The routines is repetitive, the daily tasks and daily chores make us think, because we do these things daily they are the reason we exists. But just because we do the laundry daily it does not define us as to who we are or what are purpose is.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. Although these exact words are not in scripture the concept is clearly seen through the whole bible. God calls us to a relationship with him just like He had with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. But due to our sin we have been separated from the relationship. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ coming from heaven, God with man, suffering for our sin on the cross and giving us new life apart from sin in His own resurrection.

Now that we are saved from the power of sin in our lives we have a restored relationship with God. What does God now have for us in this relationship? To enjoy Him and glorify Him for who He is and what He has done. Revelation 4:11: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

How Does the Gospel Apply to Housework?

Now that we are reminded of the gospel (the good news) of Christ how does that overflow outside of Church and Bible Study and actually apply to my chores and housework? 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you are eating or drinking, or whatever you are do, do it all to the glory of God”. How? What does that mean?

This is a mindset, or change of heart we must have. Let’s first ask “why am I washing the dishes?” “Doing the laundry?” “picking up these toys again?”. Is it for the shallow reasons of simply just having a clean house? What is your motivation? Be honest with yourself. Is it a pride issue? Or to earn favor from man? Often when we feel overwhelm over life it is because we have the wrong motivation behind our actions.

With the gospel in mind and Gods word in mind, lets ask again, “why would God have me do these chores?”. First lets remember that God created all things and he created us in his likeness. Then in the garden He gave Adam a job… before sin… to take care of the garden and the animals, naming them. Just as God has named all the stars and every grain of sand, He holds all things together, He then made Adam (man) his steward to work similarly. In His likeness. He gave Adam purpose and enjoyment in the works he prepared for him. 

In sin, these works that God gave us can be burdensome. To work is something God created for us to do while in perfect relationship with him. Without the gospel there is no true joy or satisfaction in our work. But in Christ we have joy unspeakable and freedom with do good works for Gods glory without the weight of sin telling us we are not good enough.

Christ Our Life, Not Just One Part

Often we try to compartmentalize our relationship with God. Sundays we go to church and that’s when we worship, In the morning I read my bible, and once a week I volunteer. Check, check, check. I’ve met up with God this week. NO! The scripture clearly states that Christ is to be Lord of our lives. In every aspect. Not just in “churchy” things but while mopping the floor, cleaning the toilets, even in the dentist chair.

The Israelite’s were told to remember, and to continually teach and give thanks for what God has done for them. In Romans 12 we are told to renew our mind and be transformed by the gospel. When Christ is our head, and to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever is our priority, there is joy and satisfaction in everything else that we do.

Psalms 16:11 says “In His presence there is fullness of joy and His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Continue in his presence through out the day, though out the chores and housework and you will have fullness of joy.

Keep A Simple Schedule

Now, even with the gospel in hand we cannot do everything. We are not God. He has prepared his good works us to do but that doesn’t mean we must be doing everything under the sun. 

When your schedule keeps you out of the house for most of the week then household chores and housework are going to get neglected. You might think that because you are out of the house it wont be so messy or need as much work. Wrong, the laundry still piles up, the dishes don’t get done as you are eating and running out the door. You are tired when you get back from you outing and you think you will have time the next day to get the work done.

Staying home will get the housework done. But never going out and always saying no to outings is another mistake. There’s a different balance for everyone and it take trial, error and instinct to figure it out. Here are some tips to help you though.

Schedule Regular Outings

Schedule weekly outings for you and your family to be apart of as well as time at home. Our weekly schedule looks like this.

• Monday – I teach piano lessons from home, evening is family time.
• Tuesday – Story Time at the Library with friends – evening bible study with church friends.
• Wednesday – Homeschool co op – evening youth group bible study we serve at.
• Thursday – I bring the kids to clean the church – evening church worship band practice for me, kids have a fun night with dad.
• Friday – Is reserved for the random appointments and staying home.
• Saturday – Adventure or rest.
• Sunday – Church and extended family lunch and dinner.

This may not look like a simple schedule and some weeks it does not feel simple at all. But it is consistent. I’m able to work each day around my consistently scheduled events throughout the week. Being consistent makes the decision making and planing simple.

Make a list for yourself first on what outing naturally happen, then write out what you want your outings to look like.

Schedule Daily Blocks

Now that we have our weekly outings written out we can give ourselves a rough daily routine. First write out what your natural daily routine looks like, the good and the bad. Address the times you scroll though Instagram to much or what too much Youtube. Allow yourself some down time but be aware of your time wasters.

Write our your daily schedule out in time blocks rather than exact times. When your weekly schedule interferes don’t stress. Our daily schedule is more of something to fall back on rather than to control us.

Here is my daily schedule.

• 6:00am – Write on Blog
• 7:30 – Workout
• 8:00-9:00 Kids get up/Breakfast/Read Together
• 9:00-12:00 Household chores/meal prep/homeschool.
• 12:00pm – Lunch
• 1:00-3:00 – Catch up time or projects/hobbies. If I we were out in the morning I will catch up with chores and meal prepping during this time. If I’m all caught up on housework, I like to throw myself into a project or hobby like sewing, flipping furniture, creating a new recipe, deep cleaning or decluttering job.
• 3:00-5:00 – Nap time/Quiet time. My younger one take there naps while my older boys play and I go to my room and rest, work on blog, bible study.
• 5:00 – Finish making dinner
• 7:00 – Evening outings or family time.
• 9:00 – bed time for kids.

Again, this is the schedule I fall back on when I don’t know what to do next. It does not control me, I am not a slave to my schedule but it is a tool that helps me stay on top of all the housework I have to do and want to do. Friday’s are the only day that I might follow this schedule exactly. Every other day there is an interruption somewhere but I always know how to come back.

This daily schedule changes with each new season of life, too. With all of lives changes we should adapt our schedule to the life changes rather than our lives to the schedule. I like to rewrite this out every 6 month or so according to what comes most natural to me during that season of life. In the summer things are a little different than in winter because we our outside more. Gardening take a priority as well as swimming/water play, everyday. I’m due with baby number 5 this summer and nap times and nursing are bound to change the schedule.

List Your Priorities

Make a list of what is most important to you and your family with your husband. Start with your weekly commitments. Rank each item so that when you feel overwhelmed and you need a day at home you know what is important and what you can miss out on.

Know what is important to your husband and let him know what’s important to you. There will be times when you will have to sacrifice your ideals for his and he will sacrifice his for yours. Knowing each other passions will help you remove this unimportant commitments in your life before having to sacrifice too much.

For example. Two things my husband sees as priority is our ministry with the youth (wed) and family adventures (sat). I too priority our shared youth ministry as well as my music ministry (Thur & Sun). We both love our Tuesday night bible study but its the first evening activity to get thrown out if needed. Second is my Thursday night band practice (we have a Sunday morning practice too) and unless we are sick or have a newborn we do not miss Wednesday Youth Group. 

Ranking each item on your weekly schedule and daily schedule help you see in the moment of what is truly important for your family. Giving you the freedom to take the less important things off in order to make the priorities happen without stress.

Declutter

The more stuff you have in your house the more housework and stress you will have. Now I’m not saying you need to be a minimalist in order to be successful in your home. What you have needs to bring you joy rather than stress. Having useless items around your house is, well, useless. If you love all the kitchen gadgets and use them then there’s no need to get rid of them. If you love your clothes and wear them, keep them. But if you find things in your closet that you know you are never going to fit in again or that is just not practical with your lifestyle anymore. Get it out.

Declutter a little bit at a time each week. Make decluttering a normal part of your chores and housework. Clean out the fridge, freezer or the spice cabinet. Do you really use all those towels in your linen closet or can two or three go making the door actually closable. If you are having a hard time containing something ask yourself if you need it as that much of it. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to reorganize and declutter your whole house at once.

Weekly Check-in with your husband

Another wonderful way prepare yourself for a successful week is to set your priorities with your husband for the upcoming week. Know his schedule, let him know yours, even in areas he’s not involved in personally. Saying out loud, to your husband, what is important for you this week keeps you on the same track. One of the things this week for me is changing the kids winter clothes to summer clothes. This is not a daily or even monthly task so it becomes an item on my list that I want my husband to know about. Now that he knows he will understand why I might ask him for helping with the laundry or getting boxes out of the closet. When he comes home to a with clothes everywhere instead of being overwhelm himself, he will know exactly whats happening and ready to help with big chore on this weeks list. 

This weekly check in can also be used as a time to ask about prayer request for each other. Sharing with one another what’s on your heart, or what the Lord has taught your this week. A time to minister to each other not just in how to improve the messy house and daily routines but a time to know each others heart and desires. Supporting each other spiritually, materialistically and physically.

Realistic Expectations

You can easily set yourself up for failure in by giving yourself unrealistic expectations. It is unrealistic to have all the housework, chores, cooking, cleaning and laundry done completely. Its the way of life, we eat, clean up and make more food to eat again only to clean up again.

Its easy to get frustrated with the cycle thinking you are failing because the cycles continues but that is not the case. The cycle is beautiful and ordained by God. God created cycles in season, in weeks, in days, in weather and in the way plants grow and the way we are born to grow, live and die. This cycle of time that God created FOR us is beautiful and for his glory.

The cycle of the work within our home is a beautiful thing. We get to make life enjoyable with the work we put into the cycle. Making food that’s taste good, creating a space for relaxation and fun. Teaching children to read and watching them grow to love the Lord. It is a beautiful life.

Expecting the toys to cover the floor again minutes after you were finally able to vacuum after 2 or more week… will not disappoint you. Remember you kids are eager to work their brains with creative playing as a part of the beautiful cycle of life. 

Don’t give yourself unrealistic goals but be honest with yourself. What housework can I get done today? How can you improve your schedule? Be aware of what is realistic and strive for it. As a christian stay-at-home mom, don’t get down on yourself or give up because you can’t obtain the Instagram or tik-tok house. The Instagram house is a stage, its not something people live in. Your purpose in life is not the perfect home but to glorify God in your home. Your home contains life, embrace your home.

More Verses for Encouragement

For more encouragement from scripture read some of these passages. Comment below with other scripture, points or resources that help you gain peace in craziness of life.

1 Peter 4:11, Romans 11:36, Philippians 4:6-8, Matthew 6: 25-33

The post Overwhelmed by Housework – Motivation for Christian Moms appeared first on Embracing The Home.

To clean all the dry burnt food out I had to take the whole top off. This was not hard, it is made to come off for cleaning. Once it was off I was able to see how bad it truly was.

Natural Cleaning (no harsh chemicals)

I do not keep a lot of chemical based cleaning products in my house and I am a great advocate for warm water and a little soup. With a little patience you will find the warm water and a little soup cleans very well. Patience is the key.

Often the ads are showing how quickly you can get your stains and scrum off with a little spray of this beautiful foaming, fragrant, cancer in a bottle. I believe they work wonders and work quickly. The chemical based cleaners will eat away at the scrum to loosen it for an easy wipe down. Warm water will take long as it softens without breaking down the scrum off your stove. It takes more time but often is just as easy to wipe down.

Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

My go-to all purpose, all natural cleaner is my homemade lemon vinegar cleaner. Cleaning with natural products in our home is important. I want to embrace my home and family with healthy living by protecting them from harmful germs and bacteria as well as harsh chemical.

I did not use my lemon vinegar cleaner till the end of this cleaning although I’m sure it would have worked well if I had. The acid in the vinegar and lemon would have helped deteriorate the muck off my stove a little faster, not as fast as some other chemical cleans but probably a little fast then just water.

Learn how to make your own lemon vinegar cleaner here.

Products I Used To Deep Clean

• Warm water
• A little soup
• Bowl
• Rag
• Dish scraper
• Soft bristle brush
• Soft bristle toothbrush
• Lemon vinegar cleaner

I didn’t use much cleaning products and this made for a very simple cleaning.

Step By Step, How To Deep Clean

Step One: Water

Get any loose food off the surface. After that, take your warm soupy water and a rag and gently get everything wet. Do not dry, get it all water. Let water sit on the really dirty parts. If the water is not staying where you need it set the soaking wet rag on that spot and leave it there for 5 minutes. This will keep the water were the rag is.

Step Two: Scrape

Once everything is soft from the water soak it up and ring out your towel till most of the water is up. This way you don’t make a splashy mess. Take your scraper and gently scrape the needed areas. If it is too hard and not coming off, use more water for longer. 5-10 minutes more.

As you can see the underneath of this stove was so gross that I got another bowl to clean my scraper off into. There was a lot of build up.

Step Three: Brush

Once the majority of the crud is scraped off use your soft bristle brush to get more detailed closer cleaning. You may need to wipe down with your rag and fresh clean water a few times.

Use a toothbrush to get into or around some even smaller parts if needed.

Step Four: Wipe Down

Use your rag and fresh clean soupy water to do the final wipe down. At this time I might also use an all purpose cleaning to disinfect and get more of the unnoticeable germs away.

Step Five: Repeat

Repeat any steps that are needed as many times as need to get your realistic desired results.

Progress Over Perfection

The top is stained and scratched from my younger years of still learning how to care for my stove top. I clean it now with progress and not perfection in mind.

When cleaning anything you might have an unrealistic expectation to clean everything till it looks brand new. This is a dangerous way to think. My stove top is used daily. If I expect it to look new all the time I am going to be greatly disappointed and stressed that I’m not living to my expectations.

It is important to me to keep things clean. I feel more comfortable and less stressed in a clean environment. With four kids and cooking everything we eat from scratch, its possible to let the untidiness and used look of our house overwhelm me. But that is no way to live.

I want to embrace my home as it without being irresponsible with what I have. I want to keep my stove clean and usable with realistic exceptions of the outcome. When I can’t easily clean off stains I leave them. I embrace the used looked remember how delicious the pasta sauce or chicken tacos are that make the mess in the first place.

My motto is progress over perfection. If my home is cleaner in the evening they it was in the morning I have had great success. It may still need a lot of work, but progress has been made. If my stove is cleaner after I work on it then I have succeeded, even if I didn’t get it back to looking like new.

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How To Clean Your Oven With Heat

Here’s the trick. Turn your oven on the hottest it will get for 1 hour. Most ovens will go up to 550. Some ovens, including mine will go higher on the self cleaning function. I don’t know exactly how high mine goes but some sources say the self cleaning functions can go up to 900 degrees!

The idea is to burn everything that has spilled till they turn to charcoal and our easily wiped or swept out of the oven. Depending on how high your oven goes it may or may not burn everything and some scrubbing may have to take place.

Smoke or Fire?

While you are heating and burning the mess in your oven you will have a little smoke and odor coming from your oven. This is normal. You can open the window and turn on a fan to avoid setting off the smoke alarm. Try not to open the oven door while it is cleaning.

If there is a concerning amount of smoke then first turn the oven off and then open cautiously. If you have a fire extinguisher or a emergency fire blanket and you suspect a fire, get those ready before you open the oven.

Cleaning With Baking Soda

I like to clean with baking soda and vinegar, hot water. Cleaning with natural products is important to me. To be honest the easiest way to clean an oven is to buy the foamy chemical spray but I just can’t get myself to spend money on chemicals that I don’t want in my house simply for connivance.

To make cleaning your oven easy, without compromising my principles, I heat my oven on the highest degree for an hour, let it cool, then scrub any needed areas with baking soda. After a good scrub I spray it down with my lemon vinegar cleaner and wipe down with a rag.

Benefits of Cleaning with Baking Soda

Baking Soda is a natural chemical called sodium bicarbonate. It is a white powder or soft crystal that gently scratches off grime and dirt without scratching the surface of what ever you are cleaning. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts to acidic greases and grime braking them up and making it easier to clean.

Wipe Your Oven Down

Once you have scrubbed down the oven simply wipe everything down with a wet rag. Sometimes it take a while to get all the baking soda off. Use some vinegar or a vinegar cleaner to help remove all the baking soda.

Clean, But Not Perfect

When cleaning anything you might have an unrealistic expectation to clean everything till it looks brand new. This is a dangerous way to think. My oven is used often, even daily. My stove top is used even more. If I expect them to look new all the time I am going to be greatly disappointed and anxious.

It is important to me to keep things clean. I feel more comfortable and less stressed in a clean environment. With four kids and cooking everything we eat from scratch I can let the untidiness and used look of our house overwhelm and stress me out. But that is no way to live.

I want to embrace my home as it without being irresponsible with what I have. When my oven is full of drippings and splatters and smells like its burning every time I turn it on… I clean it with realistic exceptions of the outcome. When I can’t easily clean off stains I leave them. I embrace the used looked remember how delicious the cobbler was that make the mess in the first place.

My motto is progress over perfection. If my home is cleaner in the evening they it was in the morning I have had great success. It may still need a lot of work but progress has been made. If my oven is cleaner after I work on it then I have succeeded, even if I didn’t get it back to looking like new.

How To Clean Your Oven

Print

Materials

• Baking Soda
• Scrub Brush
• Vinegar Cleaner
• Wet Rag

Instructions

1. Turn your oven on the highest it goes (500, 550 degrees) Or use your self cleaning function for 1 hour.
2. Let cool completely. Sweep or wipe out any ash or charcoal.
3. Scrub, if needed with baking soda and a scrub brush, I like to dip my brush in a little water so the baking soda becomes like a paste.
4. Spray the oven with your vinegar cleaner and wipe down with your wet rag. You may need to rinse your rag a few times.
5. You can wipe down with a dry rag if needed and enjoy the sparkle!

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Are Chemical Cleaners Bad?

YES!!! VERY BAD! …okay, maybe I’m overreacting… Let me just say right now, I have Bleach and Comet (Natural version here) and even Windex in my house right now that I use. Now, you are not going to keel over and die from them as your spray your window to clean it. With the chemical store-bought cleaners the danger is in long term exposure. 

Lets use bleach for example. Breathing in bleach fumes irritates your lungs. Sometimes while cleaning with bleach you might cough a little, feel a burning in your noes or throat… that is the chemicals burning your lungs. The feeling might goes away with a drink of water or some fresh air but that doesn’t mean there’s no damage. Healing is needed. Breathing in bleach everyday keeps the healing from happening. The more chemical burn your experience the longer its going to take to heal. Then you get a cold… and your lungs struggle. The coughing hurts, it turns in to bronchitis and then it goes crazy and you have lung cancer. It’s the constant damage, without healing that causing tissue and cell damage. To learn more read “Is Breathing in Bleach Bad?“

Yes, I keep these bad cancer causing chemical cleaners in my house. No, I do not use them daily, or even weekly. My daily and weekly cleaning needs are met with all natural cleaning products.

Benefits of Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

Lemon Vinegar Cleaner is Natural

Both lemon and vinegar are natural products that you can literally consume. Not just are they edible but good for you! Although, I do not recommend drinking this cleaner, that would be gross. There are also different types of vinegar, and some are better to consuming over others. The best vinegar to use when cleaning is called cleaning vinegars. You could also use distilled vinegar or white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, or cooking vinegar is not recommended for cleaning.
When you clean with lemon and vinegar you are not breathing anything harmful into your body. Nor will this citrus vinegar cleaner irritate your skin with like other store-bought cleaners can.

Lemon Vinegar Cleaner is Cheap

Another added benefit is that making your own cleaning products is so much cheaper. Like by a lot. 

Lets do some math…
1/4 gallon, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Spray, Lemon Breeze Scent, 32oz – $2.58
2.5 gallons, Homemade Lemon Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner – Lemons free from my tree, Cleaning Vinegar 64oz – $2.62

So right there the vinegar is about 1/2 the price of the cleaner. But don’t forget, we are going to dilute the vinegar with water. The directions on the Cleaning Vinegar bottle say 1/2 cup vinegar to a gallon of water. With that math you can get 8 gallons of cleaner for lesson than $5 (depending on if you need to buy lemons or not). The Lysol cleaning is $2.28 for a quarter of a gallon.

Myself I don’t dilute the vinegar that much. I do a 2:1 ratio of water and vinegar. This gets me about 2.5 gallons of homemade vinegar cleaner for the cost of 1/2 gallon (64oz) of vinegar. That’s 10 times the amount of the Lysol bottle. To buy 2.5 gallons (320oz) of Lysol that would cost about $40.

So yeah, its cheap.

Lemon Vinegar Cleaner is a Antibacterial

Lemons and vinegar are both acidic creating a hostile environment for bacteria making them inactive but not always killing the germs… There’s a lot of different thoughts on this. We are all taught and know that there are good germ and bad germs but its not always easy to know when to kill germs and when to embrace them. This cleaner is simply a cleaner, not a disinfectant, but it still has antibacterial properties. Disinfectants kills all germs both good and bad. Cleaners remove dirt, debris, grime and germs, making some germs inactive but does not kill them. Cleaners make it so germs don’t grow. 

If you want to make your vinegar cleaner a disinfectant you can add rubbing alcohol.

How to Make Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

Step 1: Juice Your Lemons

For the cleaner we only need the lemon rind (peel). So juice your lemons and make some lemonade! If you are interested in more things to do with your lemon juice, I have more idea’s here.

Step 2: Place Lemon Peels in Jar

After you have juice you lemons, take all the lemon rinds and put them in a quart or 1/2 gallon size jar.

Step 3: Fill Jar With Vinegar

Fill the jar up with vinegar to the top. You want all the lemons rinds to be fully covered.

Step 4: Wait 2 Weeks

Seal the jar with a lid and let the lemons and vinegar sit for two week before using.

Step 5: Dilute with Water in Spray Bottle

Once all the oils have released from the lemons the vinegar is ready to use. Pour Into a spray bottle 1/3 full. Fill it the rest of the way with water. Use a strainer when pouring just in case any little lemon pieces get in and clog the spray bottle. Now you are ready to clean!

FAQ

Can I use any vinegar to clean with?

There are lots of different types of vinegar and not all of them are ideal for cleaning. Cleaning Vinegar, or distilled white vinegar are you two best vinegar for cleaning. I personally wouldn’t use Apple Cider Vinegar, or Rice Vinegar, or any other cooking vinegar for cleaning with.

What types of lemons are best?

Any type of lemon works for cleaning. I have a Meyer lemon tree and although the rinds are thinner and the lemon less acidic then most it still cleans great. Meyer, Citron, Eureka they all work the same.

Can I use other Citrus in place of lemon?

Yes! You can use any type of citrus peels, orange peel, lime peels, and even grapefruit peel for you natural cleaners. 

Can I use essential Oils in place of citrus rinds?

Yes! You can use any citrus essential oils instead of socking the rinds in the vinegar. Use 10 to 15 drops of essential oils in your 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 cups water in a reusable glass spray bottle. Here are more essential oil cleaner recipes.

Do I need a glass all purpose cleaning spray bottle or can I use plastic?

No, you don’t have to use a glass spray bottle for your lemon vinegar cleaner but I do recommend it. The vinegar and acid from the lemon will brake down the plastics over time. If you use essential oils in your cleaner be sure to use a reusable glass spray bottle, or the power of the essential oil will absorb into the plastic.

Can I add soap to a vinegar cleaner? 

Yes, Castile soap is a great way to boast the cleaning power of your homemade lemon cleaner. Just add a tablespoon of Castile soap to your spray bottle and remember to mix/shake your own cleaning spray bottle before use.

What can I NOT clean vinegar with?

Vinegar is an all purpose cleaner but there are a few things to avoid cleaning with vinegar.

• Natural Stone. The acid in the vinegar can cause pitting in natural stones like Marble or Granite.
• Grout. Vinegar can cause deterioration of grout.
• Stainless Steal. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting the the steal.
• Waxed or unfinished wood should not have full strength vinegar but diluted is fine. The vinegar can cause discoloration if full strength.
• Cast Iron. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting.
• TV’s, Computers or other screen as the vinegar will take off the anti glare coating.
• Rubber. Rubber with lots of exposure to vinegar will start to deteriorate. A little here and there wont hurt it too badly.
• Hardwood Floors. Vinegar can dissolve the finish on the hardwood. For hardwood I suggest Murphy’s Oil Soup

What is safe to clean with vinegar?

• Glass, windows and mirrors. Mix a little rubbing alcohol for with the vinegar and you will get a quick dry, streak free cleaning.
• Toilet. For a deep clean you can put 2 cup of vinegar in your toilet and let sit for 2-3 hours. Clean with a toilet brush to help remove/prevent hard water lines and odor. Dust some baking soda on the floor around the toilet and let sit for 20 minutes or longer spray with your vinegar cleaner let it bubble and do its work then wipe up.
• Bath/Showers. Your vinegar helps prevent and remove watermarks as well as preventing mildew. Use your cleaner for weekly wiping down of your shower and bathtubs. For deeper cleaning use undiluted vinegar.
• Faucets. If you have hard water cleaning your faucets with vinegar is almost a must. The hard water build up can ruin your new faucets and daily or weekly cleaning with vinegar can prevent hard water build up to keep your
• Floor. Except hardwood floors or waxed floors. All other floors are safe for cleaning with vinegar.
• Dishwasher. Again, keep your dishwasher safe from hard water build up and crud with vinegar.
• Appliances. Microwave, stove tops, oven, refrigerator etc, vinegar is a great cleaner for these appliances. I also have such a peace of mind cleaning around my food with a safe, natural cleaner.
• Laundry. Deodorize your clothes, sheets, rags by washing your laundry with vinegar. Just be sure to not mix bleach and vinegar in the same load.
• Coffeemakers. Run equal parts of vinegar and water through your coffee maker for a good cleaning.
• Wood. If you want to clean natural wood with vinegar add an equal part of olive oil to your vinegar.
• Carpets and Upholstery. Spot clean you carpets with with vinegar. The profession carpet cleaner we use at our church told me to use vinegar for coffee spill and hot water and dish soup for sugar based spills (soda, lemonade).

Homemade Lemon Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner

Print

Materials

• Lemon Rind/Peels
• Cleaning Vinegar

Tools

• Glass Jar with Lid
• Spray Bottle

Instructions

1. Juice your lemons and place the peel in a 2 quart or 1/2 gallon jar.
2. Fill the jar with cleaning vinegar covering the lemons.
3. Let sit for 2 weeks on the counter, top of the refrigerator, under the sink. Anywhere safe.
4. Combine a ratio of 1 part lemon vinegar to 3 parts water into a spray bottle and start cleaning!

All Purpose Cleaner

• 3:1 Water & Lemon Vinegar

Disinfectant Vinegar Cleaner

• 1:1 Ratio Water, Lemon Vinegar & Rubbing Alcohol

Wood Cleaner

• 1:1 Ratio Olive Oil & Lemon Vinegar

The post How To Make Lemon Vinegar All Purpose Cleaner appeared first on Embracing The Home.

There are many ways to clean and polish copper and to be honest I was skeptical of a few of them… Today I found 3 copper pots at a yard sale for $2! They looked pretty bad and I wasn’t sure if the natural remedies and cleaning tricks where going to work on these copper pots. I want to avoid commercial copper cleaner and see if natural acids really does work to clean copper pans. After doing a little research I decided to try three different cleaning methods and see which one was the best way. These three methods are all made out of natural solutions. By using natural acids to clean copper the acids dissolve the oxidized copper exterior making it shine like new and safer to use. Here are the results and cleaning process so you can determine which is the best methods and best results.

1. Lemon and salt
2. Vinegar, flour and salt
3. Ketchup

Lemon and Salt

The first pot I used a combination of salt and lemon. This method is simple. Cut a lemon in half and dip it in table salt or sea salt. Then rub the lemon with salt all over the pot in circular motions, dipping into the salt as needed.

My daughter loved helping with this one and as you can see in the photo it started working right away! This made me very excited because I wasn’t sure how well the natural cleaning tricks would work.

To clean the copper pot off you can wipe it down with some warm water and dry with a clean cloth.

Vinegar, Flour and Salt

The next pot I mixed together a combination of white vinegar, 1/4 cup fine sea salt and 1/4 cup flour, just enough vinegar in it to make a paste in a small bowl. I spooned the paste onto the pot and scrubbed it down with my scrub pad. You can also use a soft sponge.  

The vinegar is the true cleaning agent in this method but the flour helps keep it from just flowing off the pot. I can place more paste on the more affected area and the stubborn stains and let sit for longer. The flour and salt paste keeps the vinegar on the surface of the copper pot for a satisfying result.

Ketchup

Now to try the Ketchup. I know by now the vinegar and lemon both work well. Both vinegar and lemon are both acidic foods and that seems to be the trick. Ketchup is also an acidic food, both from the tomatoes and the vinegar in the ketchup. So in theory this should work…

And it did! I was actually very surprised with the ketchup method but it works really well.

Copper Pots Results

Now let’s look at all three natural ingredients compared them to each other.

I’m super impressed! And a little disappointed that they all work so wonderfully. I thought I would be able to compare and tell you all which one work better and which one didn’t work. So let me see if I can find fault in one of these methods…

Lemon and Salt:

The lemon and salt worked great but I felt like I couldn’t scrub it the same as the other. I still used my scrub pad and got a little cleaner. As I scrubbed I felt like I couldn’t keep the lemon juice where I wanted it like I could do with the vinegar paste and ketchup.

Vinegar and Four:

I like this one the best. Although the results of all three turned out the same this was the easiest to scrub with. I could see the vinegar at work because of the flour and I could paste the worse areas with more and let it sit there for a while for an easier clean. I could not do that with the lemon and salt mixture.

Ketchup:

Ketchup worked just as well as the others! This one was super easy to just grab out of the fridge and clean with. Its a little sticky because of the sugar but it all washes off well with hot water. For simple cleaning/maintenance for my copper pots I will probably just use ketchup. It was quick, simple and worked great. Although, if I have another deep clean that needs to happen I will use the vinegar and flour.

In Summery – Before and After

These were all very effective ways with simple steps to cleaning the surface of copper pots. Cleaning copper items are a lot easier then I expected. The Lemon, Vinegar and Ketchup are all acidic and clean the copper equally well. So there are no needs to buy any special commercial copper cleaner or harsh chemicals to get your copper clean. You can use natural cleaner that you already have in your kitchen. 

Note: I do not advice using steel wool on your copper item. Copper is a soft metal and is easily scratched. Although you may make it shine again by de-oxidizing the copper you will most likely leave swirl marks and scratches on your copper pots, pans and cups. Use a soft sponge, soft cloth or microfiber cloth you clean copper with.  

You can try this with other copper items such as copper cups, copper pans, copper sink, really anything that is made with a copper surface.

Want a Natural All Purpose Cleaner?

Did you know that you can make your own lemon scented all purpose cleaner? Its really easy and effective. Simple take lemon peels and put them in a jar. Fill the jar with vinegar and let sit for a week or two before you use. Pour into a spray bottle and you have a natural, effective all purpose clean!

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Embracing Peace, Not Overwhelm

Keeping my kitchen cabinets organized is not always easy but so very rewarding. In my kitchen I have few cabinets and little counter space. With a space things can pile up really quickly. Cleaning up after every meal or cooking time in the kitchen is necessary which leads to tip number 1.

Tip number 1: The One Touch Rule

The One Touch Rule is once you’ve touch something you put all the way away the first time you touch it. Don’t create little piles to be put away at a later time. Wash that one dish right away to avoid fifty dishes to wash later on. Put the toys all the way away, the rags to the laundry basket not a pile on the floor…etc. These are real life tasks that I struggle with finishing. So I remind myself, “one touch” and finish the little task it keeps things from building up and causing stress and overwhelm.

Imagine you have a list of all the things you need to put away and every time you pick something up you put it in another spot closer to where it should go so that its “easier” to put it away later. You will never be able to actually check anything off the list because every time you pick something up you aren’t actually putting it away you are just reorganizing your mess but never cleaning it up.

Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes we do need to organize and sort through the mess. Like when my kids dump the Lego’s, cars, play food, and blocks all out in the living room floor. In that case sitting down with the kids and sorting through the toys is a great method of cleaning.

The One Touch Rule applies when I’m washing dishes and one of my daughters toy dishes appears in the sink. I wash it, dry it, and put it away in the toy box right away. Now I’m tempted to put the clean toy on the edge of the counter thinking I’ll put away later… but then I forget… I think I wont but I do. Now her toys are sill in my kitchen, I’m running late, I making dinner and I need to stay focused on the meal… So I toss it into the living room, still not putting it away… teaching my kids its okay to just throw toys in another room in order to say that you “cleaned up”. The one touch rule saves me from this cycle.

Tip Number 2: Keep The Sink Empty

This rule is huge for me. Not having a dishwasher I wash all our dishes by hand in the sink. I like washing dishes and I’ve never cared to have a dishwasher. The one thing I hate is when my kitchen sink is so full of dishes that I can’t wash the one pot or bowl or knife that I need. To get what I need I first have to empty the sink so I can wash the one bowl.

There are two things to keep this from happening. 1, wash dirty dishes right away with the one touch rule. 2, Place dirty dishes on counter not inside the sink. Washing dishes right away keeps them from piling up. Setting dirty dishes on the counter for later make it so the sink is always available a quick wash.

If you do have a dishwasher I suggest you never put dirty dishes in the sink or counter. Rinse and place them in the dishwasher right away, even if you are not turning it on till the end of the day. Don’t make a habit of creating piles in your kitchen to do later. This will just cause stress at the end of the day over all the thing you’ve saved for yourself to do. Finishing the little tasks throughout the day for simpler living and avoid the overwhelm and stress.

Tip Number 3: Relationships Over Cleanliness

When the kids are crying, the house is messy, food is burning on the stove, we moms sometimes get stuck. Unable to focus and we don’t know what to do next. Trying to focus in we get frustrated with all the distraction and interruption. Instead of focusing in, broaden your view.

Remember relationships are more important than the cleanliness of the home. Your relationship with your husband and kids is more important than a clean house. Broaden your view, look for ways to build up your relationships instead of focusing on the chores. Focus on relationships over tasks. If the kids are upset, love on them. When your husbands is coming home from work and the house is a mess and your hair is a mess. Brush your hair first. He wants to look at you, not the house.

When focused on building up your relationships within your family you can then decided on what tasks are most important. Cleaning the same thing over and over again can get discouraging. But when we have the right mindset and motivation we can love and serve others selflessly. The chores become acts of love, giving us joy and purpose in doing them.

Tip Number 4: Declutter Often

Every couple months I like to go through a drawer or cabinet and clean it out. Throw away any junk, reevaluate if any of the items in the back of the drawer or that mug in the back of the cabinet is actually worth keeping. I don’t get rid of everything but consider what works and what doesn’t for your house using wisdom. I encourage you go through the whole kitchen at once (unless necessary) but one or two drawers or cabinets a month. Making it a quick job of it, maybe 30 minutes of decluttering and deep cleaning that area of the kitchen. Rather than a days worth of going over every cabinet, nook and cranny of the kitchen in one full swoop.

Keeping the clutter down by going through my kitchen often keeps me from wasting my limit storage space. We have a cabinet that is deep with a narrow door so its hard to see and reach items in the back. For the longest time I stored tea cups and small items in this cabinet. This week, as I cleaning it out I realized I never use my pretty cups and plates. So I switch things up a bit. I moved my pie dishes into the small cabinet and the tea cups and pretty items to a more convenient shelf. The pie dishes take up the whole shelf leaving no room for little things to be hidden. It’s perfect! I only need the pie dishes when I make pie and I now I have the opportunity to use the pretty plates and tea cups when ever I want.

Tip Number 5: Romance The Ordinary

Keeping my cabinets clean and organized doesn’t just improve the function of my kitchen but adds beauty and peace, it adds romance. It brought me joy to move my tea cups to a cabinet they can be seen in and easily accessed. Eating a simple snack of almonds or a rice cake off of a pretty plate energizes and fills me up so much more than eating off a paper plate. It feel romantic to eat and serve your family in a beautiful way. The going above and beyond to make something beautiful for someone is a way of showing love.

Whenever I bring flowers in the the home or make eye catching meals my kids get excited! They enjoy beauty even at a young age. My son is always asking to pick flowers to have on the kitchen table. I have to remind him that we can’t have flowers and decoration around if the table is going to be messy. We first need to clean the sticky oatmeal or dinner dishes or arts and crafts off the table and then add the beautifying elements.

I love adding the romantic beautiful elements to my home but they are only effective with a clean house. So first we clean, we keep up on the clutter and do our do diligence. Have you ever notice all the pretty inspirational photos of kitchens on Pinterest are clean? Clean the kitchen and then add beauty. Creating inspiration for your family to see and enjoy.

In Summery

I hope you are encouraged and ready to embrace the kitchen with all its messes. I hope you are able to embracing cleaning consistently with love and service towards your family. Remember the “One Touch Rule” and simplify your cleaning with habits that benefit your whole home. Declutter often and save things that bring joy not stress. Embracing your family with beauty for them to be around, romance the ordinary. Keep your mind on what’s most important, your family. Build up your family with love as you create a clean and peaceful home for them.

Please share in the comments some encouragement that you have found helpful when it comes to keeping your kitchen/house clean. Sharing can be so powerful and you never know who you might be able to help with a encouraging comment.

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