Tips for pre-holiday cleaning
T minus 4 days until our first time hosting Thanksgiving. The bird is ordered, the sides are planned-ish, and tomorrow’s weather forecast is supplying me with the perfect day to get this place clean.
In case you are also hunkering down to the same project tomorrow, I thought it might be a good time to share a few of my favorite DIY cleaners.
This is where you really start seeing my dependency on Dr. Bronners and coconut oil.
All-purpose cleaner
I can’t stand the smell of vinegar. I do use it for a few things, in a pinch, but I try to steer away from it as much as possible. This cleanser is super simple, smells amazing and can be made in a stronger concentration when needed.
1-2 part Dr. Bronners depending on concentration needed
1 part water
10-20 drops of essential oil(s) of your choice. My go-to used to be tea tree since it’s antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal. I still do this in certain parts of the house, but my husband hates the smell of tea tree as much as I hate vinegar so I’ve switched to a 50/50 blend of rosemary and lemon. It still has antibacterial properties and it smells amazing. I use this oil blend in our mist diffusers during flu season as well.
This works great on floors. For use on hardwood floors add a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Wooden Furniture Polish
This one doesn’t count as a recipe. I use straight coconut oil on all our wooden furniture. It works amazingly well. One caveat: if you have dogs, keep them out of the room until the oil soaks in. I’ve caught mine licking coconut oil off of chair and table legs on more than one occasion.
Shower and Tub Cleaner
This one could be considered a little odd, I suppose, but it’s THE best way I’ve ever found to get rid of soap scum.
All you need is a lemon and a dish of baking soda. Cut the lemon in half, dip it in the baking soda and use it to scrub down the tub, shower, counter, whatever you want. It cuts through soap scum better than anything I’ve ever found in a store. It’s also great on pans and therefore good to keep in mind for the post-Thanksgiving cleanup.
So now you know what my day looks like tomorrow. Hopefully, you’re staying safe and dry and looking forward to celebrating the holiday in your favorite way.
Full disclosure: I’m starting to feel like a bit of a poser with these posts. I’d love to hear back from you. What are some of your favorite sustainability tips?