I'm so tired I've been falling asleep in the chair off and on since 3:00 pm or so. I did enjoy a nice soft taco for dinner, but that seems to have done nothing to rouse me. By 6:30 pm I was upstairs, in bed, nodding off again.
And I could have slept for another 4 or 5 hours this morning, no problem.
But there is a problem! I forgot my blog post last night! So, today you get two posts. Starting with this one... A little bit about Crunchy Cleaning.
Lets talk about flat surfaces, counters, tables, and the like. There are lots of books on the market on how to 'Green Up Your Clean' with titles just that catchy. And there are lots of commercials for stuff like clorox wipes and the like.
Those commercials are an excellent example of manufactured demand. You wonder how the human race managed to survive for millions of years before the advent of lysol and clorox and purell and all the other antibacterial crap. Seriously, you'll probably die if you touch a shopping cart without first rubbing it down with a disposable cloth soaked in methylethylbadstuff. Or maybe you won't.
Now I'm not going to lie to you and say I never use clorox wipes. I do, I have, and I will again. But it's limited to those times when the family seems to be passing the same stomach bug or other creeping crud bug back and forth. But most of the time, they stay in the cabinet. They are expensive, disposable (which is BAD), and I think they are probably helping (along with over use of antibiotics) to create more virulent creeping crud bugs.
What I use probably 90% of the time is simple. A 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. The vinegar cuts through grease and gunk pretty easily, and I really enjoy not breathing in the fumes from harsher chemical cleaners. And I like knowing there is no methylethyl residue left on the surfaces my kids are eating off.
Some people don't like the smell of vinegar. Well, it will disapate as soon as it evaporates. But if that's not quick enough for you, you can add a few drops of essential oil to your 50/50 mix for a more pleasent aroma. If you want to get really fancy you could add some tea tree oil, which is supposed to have some antibacterial properties as well.
I'm good with a few drops of lemon or orange oil. It's a nice scent that registers 'clean' on my brain. Except for the creeping crud mentioned above, I don't worry to much about germs. I'm allright with the boys building up some nice healthy immune systems. As long as they keep licking the dog, they are probably going to need it...
So there you go, and easy crunchy cleaning tip. It will save you bunches of money as well. I use it on just about everything. Not only is it cheap, but it smells nice, cleans well, doesn't pollute or add toxic chemicals to the waste stream. Heck, if you use bar rags like I do, you don't even have to add paper towels to the trash. And you won't have a dozen bottles of different cleaners cluttering up your cabinets
So, to recap:
1. Get a spray bottle
2. Fill it halfway with water. Fill it the rest of the way with vinegar.
3. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)
4. Spray
5. Wipe (preferable with something reusable)
Repeat as needed
Look for future tips on how to clean like a man here. Well, how to clean like a semi crunchy man...
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