Although the calendar says it’s Spring, most of the past few days still feel like Winter.

I’m anxious to fling open the windows and curtains and bask in the warm sunshine of Spring. (You, too?) But the colder winter-like temperatures haven’t stopped the beginning of the Spring Cleaning season.

It’s a ritual.

A purging. A much-welcomed seasonal awakening. It’s our cue to end our seasonal winter hibernation. Time to dust off the dust, gather up the clutter, donate the un-wanted and un-used items taking up valuable space, and better organize our living areas.

One cleaning ritual that I take with me from season-to-season pertains to what I use to clean with. I try to be as ‘green’ as possible anyway, for my health and the health of the environment. This notion really took root when my hands had a very serious reaction to the cleaning wipes I was using. My skin started to peel and basically looked like hamburger. From that point on, I’ve used protectant gloves and more natural cleaning solutions.

There’s nothing wrong with Old-School

Our grandmothers used more natural ingredients to clean their home, partly because ‘the new miracle cleaner that cleans everything’ hadn’t been invented yet. And yet, when that miracle cleaner did arrive, it had some drawbacks that grandmother’s old-school method probably didn’t have. Like chemicals, that were harmful if inhaled.

So, my old-school, or using today’s trendy word ‘throwback’, recipe for cleaning the Winter and everyday dirt, dust, nasty spills and purifying surfaces, is an old effective favorite:

1/2 cup Distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup distilled water

But, I add a little twist to it. Just like you, I don’t want my home smelling like vinegar. So, I have a bunch of inexpensive spray bottles around filled with several combinations of this recipe with the addition of essential oils.

For cleaning glass and mirrors, I may use just the vinegar and water combo. But, for other areas of my apartment I may add these essential oils to the mix, like:

Lemon (deodorizing)
Eucalyptus (purifying)
Tea Tree (purifying)
Peppermint (purifying)

My trusty labeler helps me to keep track of the spray bottle ingredients/uses. And the essential oils add great aromas to my home. I even have a recipe for a great air-freshener/disinfectant: Fresh Air Inside