Spring Cleaning

It’s here ~ finally ~ SPRING and that means it’s time to start cleaning and not just cleaning the everyday things we think of but those down and dirty icky things we have in our home {see my icky laundry tub below…and then the CLEAN version!}.  It’s also time to start thinking GARDENING(I am shouting when I use those capital letters with joy) and I have a gardening tip to share that was told to me by an older couple in my neighborhood years ago when I first moved into my house and they saw me outside watering my garden.  All these tips and the products I’ll be sharing with you are part of my healthy home.

 First things first ~ A clean home to me is a happy home.  I feel so much better when my home is clean ~ I love to open the windows, let the breeze blow through and just smell the air ~ the clean inside and the awesome fresh outdoor scent but now…it’s truth time.  I grew up in a home where my Mom was a clean-o-holic.  Now that is not a bad thing but bleach was the scent of the day ~ it didn’t even phase me….it was bleach (or ammonia but NEVER the two together…that’s dangerous you know!) and to me it was the smell of home.  When I became a wife and mom that’s what I did…..I bleached.  I mean bleach was the way to clean…no germ stood a chance in the way of bleach ~ BUT I have been trying like the dickens to get away from that and get to the point of having a healthier home.  Not so long ago it really hit me ~ what in the world am I exposing my kids (and me and my husband) to?  I would always make sure they were no where near me or the area I was cleaning because of the chemicals but still those chemicals were in our home.  I started to switch to my own home-cleaning formulas but sometimes I just don’t have those on hand {or I get lazy and don’t feel like making them} and so I would switch back to store bought products (most of which do contain chemicals).  Thankfully, and I mean this from the heart, I found #WalgreensOlogy products through doing this post for #CollectiveBias.  They are truly a wonderful product to use.  

They were easy to find in the paper goods, laundry and household cleaners aisle of the store ~ and don’t just limit yourself to this aisle ~ they also have personal care products and products for babies and kids.  

The Walgreen Ology Products Contain NO Harmful Chemicals ~ they are free from:  Ammonia, Chlorine bleach, DEA {diethanolamine), TEA {triethanolamine}, Parabens, Phthalates, Formaldehyde, Nonylphenol ethoxylates, Triclosan, SLS, and SLES.  Plus, the Ology products contain NO artificial dyes or fragrances. 

Ology All-Purpose Cleaner ~ It’s Citrus Based, Meyer Lemon & Lavender Scent, and Cuts through Grease & Grime ~ look at this before and after of my Laundry Tub ~ My house is older and this is the original laundry tub ~ I use it to clean paint brushes, glitter up crafts, scrub mud off of shoes and do any other nasty scrubbing and cleaning that needs done in the house.  I scrub it up maybe twice a year and it has always been a ‘bleach’ task until today ~ the Ology All-Purpose Cleaner literally cut right through the muck and now my laundry tub (and the scrubbing brush) are squeaky clean.

Ology Bathroom Cleaner ~ it’s Plant Based, Peppermint Scented and is Tough on Soap Scum ~ to try it out I used it to clean this large glass pickle jar.  I keep this jar in my laundry tub {tip for why in the next section!} and it gets all soap scummed up from laundry soap.  

I sprayed the Bathroom Cleaner on and used the Ology Paper Towels {which are 100% tree-free ~ they’re made from sugar husks and quick-growing bamboo} ~ the paper towels were ultra-absorbent, i.e., I didn’t need to use a wad of them, and in no time my glass pickle jar was sparkling!

Gardening Tips

The older couple I mentioned previously told me to re-use my laundry water….say what???

They told me to put buckets, watering cans, etc., under the hose as the water exits the washing machine on the spin/rinse cycles and use that water ~ which they referred to as gray-water ~ to water my plants.  I have done that for years on my flowers but now because I’ve switched to Ology Laundry Detergent {the Spring Lavender & Vanilla scent made me think I was at a spa!}, I can use this water on my veggie garden as well ~ no worries about harmful chemicals~ yay! 

We recycle in our area but I love to find new uses for containers ~ the Ology Laundry Detergent Bottle will be perfect for watering my porch plants.  

Once empty I’ll poke a few holes in the cap with a nail, fill the container with my gray-water, and water my smaller pots on my front porch {once this container is empty I’ll update the picture for you}.

These products do what they say they will and that always makes me happy {insert happy song here}!  They are available only at Walgreen’s, they contain NO Harmful Chemicals, are NOT tested on animals,  and they are 100% tree-free ~ I like that I can have a clean, fresh-smelling home and laundry, and leave behind a happier, healthier world for my kids! 

Sharing at:  Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop