Cleaning Solutions: In the Toilet

In trying to simplify our lives, cut down on the toxins we bring in, and save a few bucks we have been trying to find better alternatives to cleaning chemicals. I am starting in the bathroom because a) it is the smallest room, b) we only have one, and c) it is the DIRTIEST place in the whole darn house!!! How is it that a room where you are supposed to get clean is so effing dirty?!

Anyhow, I came up with a method to clean the inside of the toilet that fits all the cleaning criteria and as a bonus it smells really good. Want to hear it? Two simple ingredients: Borax and lemons!!! Yes, that is all… seriously.

 

So here’s what I do to get a nice, fresh smelling, sparkling toilet.

1. Tell everyone that they better use the bathroom now because nothing is worse that cleaning the toilet and then someone wrecks it in a hot minute.

2. Cut the lemon in half and grab about 1/4 cup of Borax (can be found in the laundry section of your store of choice)

3. Squeeze the lemon into the toilet, dump the Borax on top, and let it sit there while you clean the rest of the nastiness bathroom.

4. Stir it around, use the scrub brush on the bowl, then flush. Now you can bask for a minute in your good smelling, clean bathroom!!!

Do you try to eliminate chemicals from your cleaning routine?? What is your favorite non-toxic helper?

 

Book Review: The Rhythm of Family

I turn and look behind me, and I see the open doors, the mud on the floor, the art cabinet door open, the mud boots sitting dry inside. And suddenly this time- thankfully, this time- I look back to her playing and it becomes clear. I see the fact that I nearly forgot in the details of my day, perhaps the most important thing to remember of all these busy days of family life: Her work is to play.

~Amanda Soule, The Rhythm of Family (pg.24)

For the last couple of days I have been poring over this book, trying to memorize every word, and ingraining all the wisdom it had to offer. It is a book about connecting with your family and the beauty of the world around you, about giving more and enjoying it, and about finding a balance in yourself.

In The Rhythm of Family you will find month by month a collection of essays written by Amanda Soule and her husband Stephen, recipes that correspond, and activities to do with your family. I loved reading Amanda’s soft but meaningful words in her essays, feeling the love that Stephen has for his children and wife… I was left with such a feeling of peace. The photos in the book are carefully taken and displayed to compliment each page. If you are a fan of her blog, found here, then this is definitely a book you should own!

My favorite parts of the book:

Let Them Play (February)

Do: Ask Why (March)

Soule-sa Salsa (September)

Take a Season’s Walk (October)

Really though, everything in this book is wonderful. It is inspiring to see how simple life can be if you go with nature and let things fall into place naturally- eat with the seasons, prepare for the upcoming seasons joyfully, and most importantly- let your children see all the wonder of making and doing. This is one book that is not going to be kept in perfect condition. It is going to be earmarked, opened over and over again, and taken from kitchen to craft room and back again for months to come- Highly recommended!!!