~Green Cleaning~

With Earth Day being last Thursday, there was a lot of "green" talk on the blogosphere, and of course in communities too! I really appreciated Stephanie's view of Earth Day and "green" living. You can read it here. It's worth the read!

I attended a little workshop on "green cleaning". It was fascinating, and not only did I learn a lot, but I came home with two cleaning products I made in the class: a disinfectant and an all purpose cleaner!

I'm excited about learning more about green cleaning. So far I have loved cleaning with the two cleaners that I brought home. They smell so good and I know that as I spray them I'm not releasing harmful chemicals into my home!

As I replace my cleaners I plan on sharing my recipes. To me "green cleaning" equals "healthy cleaning". A lot of companies are now offering "green" products. But if you read the ingredients or look closer online (since they are not legally required to list their ingredients, you might not find a complete list anywhere) the ingredients are about the same as regular cleaners. So I have come to the conclusion that they have fewer chemicals in them, but they are not free from chemicals. This may not be the case for every green cleaner on the shelf, but for the ones I have looked into it has proved to be the case.

So the obvious solution is to make your own! :-) It is very inexpensive to buy the ingredients for your own cleaners. I checked, and my grocery store (Meijer) has all the ingredients, with the exception of the essential oils. Now, I did say it is inexpensive, but if you go out and buy all the ingredients at once, it will cost you something. However, once you make up your cleaners you will see how long the ingredients you purchased will last!

Next up: recipes for the all purpose cleaner and disinfectant
Tell me: do you make your own cleaners? and if so, what are your favorites?