The Organic Lemon

Here are several “Green Cleaning” recipes I have come across throughout the years…

Main  Ingredients:
Baking Soda
Hydrgen Peroxide
White
Vinegar
Lemon
Salt
Castile Soap
Lavender
Oil

Disinfectant:
To one gallon of water, add two cups of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide. The mixture may foam when it comes in contact with bacteria. This just means it is working.

All-Purpose Cleaner:
In a 16oz spray bottle, mix 1 tbs of liquid Castile Soap (For those of you who have a Trader Joes around you, that is where I buy my Castile Soap), 1/8 cup of white vinegar and 2 cups of hot water. To mitigate the vinegar smell, add 5 to 10 drops of an essential
oil like lemon or lavender.

Hardwood Floor
Cleaner:
In a bucket, mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar with one gallon of warm water. Add a couple of drops of castile soap. Mop, then rinse with clear water. Use a towel to mop up excess moisture.

Floor Cleaner:
In a bucket, mix 1/8 cup of Castile Soap, 1/8 cup of white vinegar and one gallon of water. Use on any floor type.

Oven Cleaner:
Sprinkle the oven with Baking Soda and spray with water. Let stand for at least 10 minutes or over night. Scrap, then rinse with
water.

Toilet Cleaner:
Sprinkle the bowl with baking soda, drizzle in about 1/2 cup of vinegar and scour.

Non-Scratching Sink and Tub Scrub:
Mix enough castile soap and baking soda to make a creamy paste. Apply to the sink or tub and scrub, then rinse.

Other Tips:

Clean your windows and mirrors with white vinegar – vinegar also works great for removing
grease.

Pour salt over liquid carpet stains – wait 15 minutes – once it is dry, vacuum it up. Salt is also great for removing smells from your cutting board and rinse your shower curtain in salt water to help keep it free from mildew.

Microwave half a lemon in for about 1 1/2 mintes. The juice permeates and softens food that might be stuck on the walls of your microwave to make it easier to clean off.

I have always been concerned about what is on the fruits and vegtables I buy in the store because I really don’t know where they have been and what type of sprays could have been used on them. EWG (Environmental Working Group) came out with  handy grocery list for what produce you should definitely try to buy organic and what you can get away with not buying organic (and save yourself some pennies) based upon the pesticide level detected. Here is a visual:

However, whether you buy organic or not, ALWAYS wash your fruits and veggies well!

Here is a Produce Washing Tonic recipe I found at Passionate Homemaking.

Produce Washing Tonic
Adding a bit of lemon juice or 3-4 drops of grape­fruit seed extract can give it an extra boost!

3 cups fil­tered water
3 Tbsp white dis­tilled vine­gar or apple cider vine­gar
2 Tbsp baking soda

Mix ingre­di­ents together in a spray bottle. Spray it on fruits and veg­eta­bles. Rinse well with cold water. You may also com­bine in the sink to dunk your pro­duce if you desire to wash in large batches. This tonic is not rec­om­mended on mush­rooms as they will absorb the flavor.

Produce Washing Tips

1. Use a scrub brush for root veg­eta­bles, and pro­duce with rinds, groves or waxy sur­faces, and rinse well. This includes melons!

2. Dis­card outer leaves of leafy veg­eta­bles. Rinse each leaf indi­vid­u­ally. Make sure they are dry before stor­ing in the refrig­er­a­tor as mois­ture can encour­age the growth of bac­te­ria.

3. Wash more tender fruit (berries, grapes, etc) in a colan­der.

4. Cut pro­duce on a clean cut­ting board with a clean knife.

5. Thaw meats on a sep­a­rate tray or plate in the refrig­er­a­tor to pre­vent meat juices from drip­ping into pro­duce draw­ers.

6. Clean and san­i­tize the refrig­er­a­tor pro­duce drawer regularly.