Spring is my favourite time of the year (followed closely by Fall but we’ll get to that in a few months). A fresh start, a new beginning and of course there are the tiny yellow daffodils sticking their head out of the ground reaching for the warm sunshine. Sounds quite lovely, doesn’t it? Spring is also the time that I move things around and discover the grime and filth that has stayed hidden during the cold, winter months. I’m talking about the sticky remote controls and switchboards, dusty baseboards and that unmistakably musty wintry smell.

With all this grime I’m sure you will want to know why Spring is my favourite time of the year. I love this season for ONE BIG reason – because I have the solution to all this stickiness and muck that has collected over months. Actually I have TWO solutions! And they are all-natural, using ingredients that you may quite possibly have lying around the house.

For Wiping and Disinfecting

Mix a pan of my magical cleaning potion. And believe me I call it magical because it is.

You will need a 1/4 cup of water, a 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of Eucalyptus Oil, stirred together. Dip your sponge in it and start wiping everywhere those adorable but filthy little hands may have touched. You know what I’m talking about. From doorknobs to switchboards to cabinet handles to remote controls. For the last make sure your sponge isn’t too wet, you don’t want to get moisture underneath the buttons because then you’ll have to get up to change the channel on the TV, and who has the time for that! The rubbing alcohol disinfects and the eucalyptus oil adds it’s own anti-bacterial quality. And it disguises the smell of alcohol. You can see here for more ways to use this natural cleaning solution. 

For Deodorizing

Make a natural citrus cleaner using orange peels. No, I’m not kidding! The orange oil in the rind is a natural cleaning agent.

Take a good handful of orange peels and put them in a mason jar. Cover them with white vinegar. Put the lid on and leave the rinds submerged for a couple of weeks. Shake every couple of days. Sieve the vinegar out into a spray bottle and use it like you would any other cleaning solution. I use it to clean the bathroom counters, the stove top and kitchen counters (just not granite – vinegar and stone are not friends). The power of vinegar along with the oils in the orange peel make for a double whammy cleaning combination. And the smell of this solution is unbeatable, like standing in an orchard by the Mediterranean Sea. That’s not the best part though. The solution also repels ants. Spring, bring it on! I’m so ready for you!