for the love of Baking soda and vinegar

many of you have begun to ask many questions about the changes we have made in our home over the past 4 years to simplify, to live on less, and build values beyond our "self".

So, this is the first post of many over then next year or so.... of what I have labeled "a simple house". A simple house will cover much of my uses for baking soda and vinegar but will also include organization, helpful hints, and the simple fun that we have done in our family that has made our home a simple house.

I have fallen in love.....

well, of course- I am married and have two sweet boys.

but I also have fallen in love with making my home a simple safe and sustainable place for family to grow.

After going through a rough patch in life almost 5 years ago- I began to seek out a life change that in turn, changed me completely.

It is in this time that I began my love affair with Baking soda and vinegar. These two are the go to's for anything that needs to get cleaned..... which in this life I live- I visit these two daily.

The greatest thing is that my kids can visit with them too.

which means they get to learn to clean, care for themselves, and help when I need it.

my all purpose cleaner recipe

(sorry, I am not sure where I got the recipe, but a web search was all I did)

this cleaner is used to clean most surfaces in our house for the simplest mess, or the dirties of grime.

1/2 gallon of water

1/4 cup vinegar

3 Tbs. baking soda

and 5-10 drops of a citrus essential oil (I love grapefruit peppermint, but tea tree oil and tangerine citrus are also favorites)

I mix the ingredients together (be wary of the initial reaction you will get- if not prepared, you will get a small water mess) and pour into a mason jar ( and label). I then have a small spray bottle that gets refilled in each bathroom/kitchen and laundry room. For rags I use old t shirts, flannels, PJ's and socks.... its works great, its super cheap, and environmentally safe.