Spring Cleaning...How To Use Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda To Get Your Home Spotless

There is never a bad time to clean your home, but since spring is almost here, I thought I would dedicate a blog to spring cleaning. Personally, spring cleaning is not my favorite thing to do, but I do love finding creative, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient ways to clean.

Did you know you probably have the essential products for getting your home spotless sitting right in your pantry? Lemons, vinegar, and baking soda are perfect for every day, and spring cleaning. The citric acid in lemons helps cut through dirt and grease.

Vinegar is also acidic and works to dissolve dirt, and clean sticky surfaces. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is basically salt. It is the opposite of acidic, with a higher Ph balance.

There are many uses for lemons, vinegar, and baking soda. When it comes to cleaning, they get the job done.

Cleaning With Lemons

1. Freshening Garbage Disposal - Toss lemon peels down drain, and run with running water until peels go down.

2. Clean Microwave - Place lemon slices in microwave safe cup or bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes, allows to steam, then wipe off inside of microwave

3. Clean Cutting Boards - Squeeze juice onto board and allow to sit for a few minutes, and then scrub.

4. Grout Stains - Squeeze lemon juice into a spray bottle, and spray on grout and use in conjunction with baking soda, and scrub.

5. Cleaning Stove Top - Squeeze juice into a spray bottle, and spray on grout. Use in conjunction with baking soda, by adding a bit of baking soda to damp sponge and scrubbing.

Cleaning With Vinegar

1. Cleaning Windows/Mirrors - Mix vinegar and water, equal parts, and add to spray bottle to clean.

2. Clean Bath Tub - Scrub bath tub with vinegar soaked sponge. Rinse away grime.

3. Cleaning Coffee Pot - Brew a pot with white vinegar, to decalcify. Then brew again with just water to clear out vinegar.

4. Clean Show Doors - Spray shower door with vinegar, and leave to get rid of soap scum.

5. Clean Stainless Steel Sink - Add vinegar to damp sponge and scrub sink. Add a little baking to your sponge, for added brightness.

Cleaning With Baking Soda

1. Clean Tiles - Clean tiles with baking soda and damp sponge. For even better results combine with vinegar.

2. Brighten Laundry - Add a cup of baking soda to your load of laundry to brighten clothes.

3. Clean Pot and Pans - Scrub greasy pots and pans in hot water, with sponge, and thick layer of baking soda.

4. Scrub Canyon Off Walls - Scrub walls with damp sponge and baking soda to remove crayon.

5. Scrub Stove Top, Range Hood, and Backsplash - Scrub down you kitchen with baking soda, and damp sponge, and wipe clean.

As you can see, you can use lemons, vinegar, and baking soda for spring and everyday cleaning. The best thing about these products is that they are cheap, non-toxic, and normally found in your fridge and pantry.

Combine vinegar and baking soda together for even more deep cleaning in your showers, tubs, and tiles. I recommend getting a large spray bottle to keep the vinegar in, specifically for cleaning. Please label the bottle, otherwise your daughter might end up with vinegar scented hair before heading off to school. Not my finest moment.

After you have completed all of your cleaning, splash some vinegar in your flower vase for longer lasting flowers. Bake some cookies with your baking soda. And if all else fails after all long day of cleaning, make some lemonade, and relax.

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My Scent Addiction...The 5 Bath&Body Works Scents I Am Obsessed With!

I don't know if there has been some type of physiological or hormonal shift in me, but lately I am all about wonderful scents all of the time. Fortunately Bath and Body Works is feeding my addiction. I get my fix in the form of lotions, candles, body washes, and plug ins.

I have no affiliation with B&B, but I love all of their products for the most part. I have some new favorites, and they have brought back some of their retired scents to love as well. There is Juniper Breeze, Cucumber Melon, and White Tea and Ginger, and my all time favorite Freesia, just to name a few of the oldies that are back.

As we head into Spring, some wonderful new scents will emerge. Now, I am a girl who is all about a clean, fresh smell. I love it on a man, and I love it in a candle. No food like smelling candles for me, like pumpkin or marshmallows. Yuck!

My 5 Favorite Scents

• Focus - Blends of eucalyptus essential oils, and tea extract
• Bergamot Waters - The scent blends of bergamot, pristine blue waters, and sugared citrus
• At The Beach - Blends of frangipani, toasted coconut, and bergamot water
• Rose Water and Ivy - The scent of soft rose petals, rain-kissed ivy, and spring musk
• White Tea and Sage - Blends of tea, lemon, and herbs

Bergamot

Last year I fell in love with the scents Sweater Weather (which is seasonal), Bergamot, and Bergamot Waters. The Sweater Weather scent consists of fresh sage, juniper, eucalyptus, aromatics, and fresh woods. Sweater Weather is my favorite candle to burn. I stock up on these in fall. I am also a big fan of Bergamot. Bergamot is a french citrus that smells wonderful. Add to that sandalwood, and a blue water like clean scent, and it is heavenly.

For my body I am loving "at the Beach".  I like the body cream and bath soak. It has quite the coconut influence, with some bergamot water added. Is there any wonder I love it? So now you know all about my scent addiction. I am always fully stocked with enough products for myself, and extra for my gift closet for last minute presents. There is always someone's birthday, or teacher appreciation week, and having extra B&B on hand will save the day. And if you are a close female friend or relative in my life, you are likely to receive some  Bath & Body Works products as stocking stuffers for sure. 

So what scent are you addicted to? I bet you have one. Maybe it's the smell of fresh baked cookies, or the way your love or crush smells. We all experience it at one time or another. That smell that invokes memories and feelings. Think about the smell that makes you smile. 

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