Natural Cleaning in our House!

I have been planning to write this post for ages now but am only getting around to it! Life is such that the ordinary often takes over!

After hosting a couple of chemical free cleaning workshops (our next one is on Friday 1st March…head here for details!) I thought it might be helpful to have a post to let you know exactly what I do on my cleaning whirlwind round my house. I am by no means a guru on cleaning and nor do I overly enjoy it – but I do like a clean and tidy house! I have pared back a lot of my clutter and find my house easier to keep clean so that always helps!

Thieves Household Cleaner is the stalwart of my cleaning routine. I dilute a capful of this cleaner into a spray bottle and top up with water. I use this to spray down all my surfaces as I clean around the house. You could add a few drops of lemon as an extra citrus-y smell too! When I write about spraying in the outlines below – it is the Thieves spray that I am using. I also use Young Living essential oils…to see why I use them head here and if you are interested in signing up or would like to buy a starter kit I’d love to help you along…head here!

So here is what I do…it is not set hard and fast and everyone makes their own decisions for their own homes but you might find it helpful!

Before I start:

• Set up the diffuser – a few drops of Purification, Thieves and Lemon or Citrus Fresh into the base of the diffuser and top up with water. The Purification cleans the air and gets rid of any smells – especially in a house like mine with a dog. Thieves helps to tackle any germs in the air and the scents of citrus leave you with a fresh, clean smell in the house.

• Make up my all purpose spray – 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner topped up with water in 500ml amber bottle (found here).

Bathrooms:

• Sprinkle baking soda in loo and spray with cleaning spray. Leave to sit before scrubbing.
• Spray all surfaces (including mirrors) and leave for 5/10 mins – I usually spray down each bathroom and then come back to the first to wipe down.
• Use microfibre to wipe down.
• Wipe mirrors with a newspaper.
• Clear any rubbish – wash out and spray bins.

Kitchen/Utility:

• A few drops of Purification in the base of the bins and change liners.
• Spray all surfaces, tiles and doors and wipe down.Clean fridge, microwave and oven – leave the spray on these for 5/10 mins and then wipe down.
• Put empty dishwasher through cleaning cycle – using homemade dishwasher powder and white vinegar.
• Sprinkle baking soda in my sinks and leave before rinsing and washing down.
• Lift animal dishes and deep clean area around and underneath. Clean mats.

Bedrooms:

• Clear any rubbish and tidy any clothes.
• Use spray to clean any tables, shelves or windowsills.
• Vacuum.

Hall & Landing:

• Clear any rubbish and spray down surfaces and inside of door.
• Spray and wipe down bannister and any spot stains on stairs.

Floors & Rugs:

• One capful Thieves Household Cleaner to a bucket of water to wash floors.
• 5 drops Purification in a jar of baking soda and sprinkle on a vacuumed rug. Leave for 20 mins and vacuum off.

So that’s about it! Obviously I haven’t gone into any thoughts on deep cleaning or clearing out rooms etc. This is my basic weekly clean – my girls have daily jobs to stay on top of their rooms so that my weekly clean doesn’t end up a mammoth operation.

Sometimes I think cleaning like this would be better doing as daily tasks instead of one big clean a week…which do you do? I can’t decide!