being chemical free

I would love to say that the main reason I am on a quest to becoming a chemical free household is because of how bad chemicals are for you not only to breathe in but also when it comes into contact with your skin... but I will honestly admit that it is mainly because I'm cheap.  There I said it... cheap.

With the awesomeness that is Pinterest I have found so many great homemade cleaning recipes.  I do not know if I would have looked for or even thought it was possible to make your own cleaners that actually work.  So far I have made and successful use Laundry Soap (both liquid and gel), Dishwasher Soap, Shower Tile Cleaner and today's success... floor cleaner.

My kitchen floor is textured which means it's a nightmare where all the dirt and grime gets stuck in the little crevices.  Ack.  So gross.  With a dog, cat, and a door that leads from the kitchen to the outside the floor gets pretty grimy.  I have tried everything and the only thing that seemed to work was on my hands and knees scrubbing with a bleach solution.  No. Thank.  You.  I used a steam mop which works but only when the floor is mostly clean.  It's good for the in between the major clean cleaning. 

Today I found on Pinterest something called along the lines of "super heavy duty floor cleaning" where both professional house cleaners and daycare workers sang it's praises.  So super simple to make... 1/4c vinegar (but I ended up using a 1/2 cup because it was the end of the bottle), 1/4 cup Washing Soap (made by Arm and Hammer but not to be confused with Baking Soda) and 1 tbsp dishwashing soap- I gave a nice healthy squirt of the blue Dawn soap.  Next time I might try it with Castile Soap.  Put that in a bucket add 2 gallons of hot tap water.  Ta da.  It still took a little elbow grease but the floor is sparkly clean.  Used it on both of the bathroom floors and then tried it on the hardwood floors in the guest room and the living room.  Not sure if I should have used it on the hardwood but it seemed to have worked pretty well. 

All in all... a cleaning WIN!