{"id":19706,"date":"2025-09-16T17:21:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=19706"},"modified":"2025-09-16T17:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:21:16","slug":"spring-cleaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/16\/spring-cleaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Cleaning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pleasure of working in my garden is matched by the fulfillment I get from using my\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0every day\u2014for seasonings,\u00a0Teas<\/a>, tonics, and beautifully textured craft materials. I use many of the same\u00a0Herbs<\/a>, along with essential oils and other common supplies, in my everyday chores around the house, from scouring the floors to tucking moth-repellent sachets into drawers and freshening the air.<\/p>\n

Making simple herbal cleaning products gives me a sense of harmony with my environment. I also feel a connection with all the women who first gathered plants in the wild and nurtured seedlings in their gardens, then harvested the plants and prepared them for a multitude of uses. I can imagine them hovering over their concoctions in stillrooms, experimenting with new combinations of\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0to improve their efficacy, and eventually using their products all around the cottage or castle. Many of these women, and not a few men, wrote down their \u201creceipts\u2019\u2019 in books so that subsequent generations might benefit from their knowledge.<\/p>\n

I believe that safe, gentle cleaning products are better for people, animals, and the environment than harsh commercial ones. The National Research Council has estimated that hypersensitivity to chemicals found in common household products results in acute or chronic health problems for about 15 percent of the population. For the sake of my family\u2019s health, I don\u2019t mind the little extra time it takes me to make my own cleaning products.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, none of the formulations I\u2019ve developed requires much time to make. I\u2019m not a glutton for housework, and I\u2019m always looking for shortcuts, but I confess that I look forward to making up one or two different formulas a week to help me with the sweeping, wiping, vacuuming, dusting, and endless other chores that our little yellow brick bungalow demands.<\/p>\n

Taking my cue from herbalists of the past, I\u2019ve incorporated\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0into scouring compounds, floor and wall\u00a0Soaps<\/a>, sanitizing room sprays, and fragrant sachets. The ability of some of these\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0to inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms and repel insects certainly contributes to the effectiveness of the products. Cleaning up<\/p>\n

For cleaning fine china and glassware, bathroom fixtures, kitchen counters, lightly soiled walls, appliances, and painted woodwork, I like to use a warm solution of\u00a0Borax<\/a>\u00a0or baking soda spiked with an infusion of fresh or dried aromatic\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0such as\u00a0Lavender<\/a>,\u00a0Rosemary<\/a>,\u00a0Thyme<\/a>, and\u00a0Sage<\/a>. I steep a cup of a single herb or a combination of several kinds for about 15 minutes in 4 cups of boiling water, strain, then stir in 1 to 4 tablespoons of baking soda or\u00a0Borax<\/a>. I wipe the mixture on with a sponge, then lightly rinse.<\/p>\n

For tough jobs like vinyl floors, walls, woodwork, or furniture\u2014even wicker baskets\u2014I use my Herb\u00a0Soap<\/a>\u00a0Concentrate (see recipe below). It\u2019s my favorite all-purpose cleaning solution, and it\u2019s quick and relatively inexpensive to make. It has as its base a mild commercial\u00a0Soap<\/a>\u00a0concentrate, to which I add\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0and essential oils. I wipe it on with a sponge or mop, then rinse quickly, sometimes adding a dash of vinegar to the rinse water to discourage the growth of bacteria.<\/p>\n

Caution: Never mix cleaning products! Mixing cleaning products such as chlorine bleach with cleaners containing vinegar or ammonia produces toxic chlorine gas.<\/p>\n

Incorporate\u00a0Herbs<\/a>\u00a0into scouring compounds, floor and wall\u00a0Soaps<\/a>, sanitizing room sprays, and fragrant sachets.<\/p>\n

Herb\u00a0Soap<\/a>\u00a0Concentrate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Makes about 1\/2 cup<\/p>\n

By incorporating essential oils into an oil\u00a0Soap<\/a>\u00a0concentrate (I use Murphy\u2019s Oil\u00a0Soap<\/a>\u00a0paste, available at hardware stores), then diluting the mixture with the herbal infusion described above, I get a double shot of herbal cleaning power. I usually use\u00a0Lemon<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Orange<\/a>\u00a0essential oil because they are relatively inexpensive, but many other oils may be used.<\/p>\n