Does It Work????

I love those little "Does it work?" news segments!  In fact,with the exception of the weather, it's about the only thing I enjoy watching on the news.  Everything on there is so negative as if we as a society only want to hear about all the sins people commit, and the tragedy we endure.  Wonder what would happen if they actually showed positive stories? 

Speaking of positive stories... Chloe and I made it to the grocery store WITH our green bags... this is actually my 4th or 5th consecutive time to remember them so I'm on a roll!  Chloe even brought her special reusable tote I made her at a mom's meeting a couple of weeks ago.  She LOVES how big it is and she calls it her "purse", (because "it's big and I can fit lots of stuff in it just like Momma's".) LOL!

And yesterday was my "big day" of spring "green" cleaning!  Chloe totally cracked me up in the grocery store.  I had to buy some spray bottles to put the liquids in and she was telling EVERYONE, "My momma is going to make potions in these!"  LOL!  Needless to say I got a LOT of strange looks and especially after I got tired of explaining it to everyone.  It was actually really funny to watch people's reactions to her and me.  Too funny!

So, back to the cleaning... Does it work????   I have one thing to say... Y-E-S!!!  Oh my goodness I'm still amazed and pretty much speechless of how great everything worked!  All this time I've had everything I've needed in my pantry to clean my house 10 TIMES better and about 99% cheaper!!!  It was super easy and I think it might have cost me about $1 or at the most $2 to clean everything!  Here's the breakdown of what I used and how I "made" it!

For the granite counters in the kitchen & bath I used a mixture of 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water in a spray bottle.  We have black granite in the powder bath and I've NEVER been able to get that streak free and really clean... until yesterday!  The granite in our kitchen is really dark too, but after I wiped the spray off I could actually see myself in it.  I tried to "smudge" the counter afterwards... something that has always happened with the other cleaners I used... and because there was no "film" you couldn't even see the millions of finger prints that almost instantly show up from the kids!  Needless to say I'm sold!

For the bathrooms I used vinegar.  Yup, that's it, vinegar!  You pour 1/2 cup of vinegar in the potty after you flush it (while it's re-filling) and let it sit for a few minutes.  Then you mix a 1 part vinegar to 1 part water in a spray bottle and you use it for everything else.  You even mop with a vinegar/water mix!  The part that amazed me the most was how great it cleaned the mirrors and the glass shower door!  It dries completely streak free!  One of the things I read was that you can use newspaper to clean mirrors & windows with, but I opted for my typical burp rags transformed into cleaning rags!  Those cloth diapers make the BEST cleaning rags.  I've used them for years!  Completely lint free! 

The only other product I actually used yesterday was baking soda.  You can use it with a little bit of water to make a paste to clean your glass cooktop and sinks!  Whoo Hoo!

So, what do you think???? Pretty nifty (& thrifty) if I do say so myself!  I'm so glad I tried this.  The only "downer" was the slight smell of vinegar & alcohol but you know, that's why I have a bazillion candles!  Another really cool thing was that Chloe "helped" me the entire time!  It's completely safe.  Something to consider for all you out there that have little babies, curious toddlers, and/or are pregnant.  It also "saved" me on laundry because I didn't have to change into special cleaning clothes for fear of getting bleach on them and I didn't have to wash the rags seperately! 

Okay, okay, I'll stop now.  I'm not trying to run an infomercial on how to "clean green"... I'm just excited!

Well, the sun is FINALLY shining here today after being gone for over a week!  Chloe and I have big plans of heading out to the park and having a picnic! (However, at this moment we're both still in our jammies snuggled in my bed. LOL!)  Guess it's time to get our day started...it's 9:15.