Green cleaning

I dont claim to be one who has been super into the "green" revolution. I know it may not be cool to say that, but if I'm truthful, it seems like alot of extra work for a mom of two busy little ones (YEP...i'm full of excuses here). But, recently, I have been thinking more about the health of my kids. Not just the day to day health (colds and flu, etc.), but their long term health (the big stuff).
You see, cancer is all over my family tree and My Bro in law is currently putting up a fight against the awful C-word. (Please pray for him this week as it is surgery week!...for more see Durham Diary on the right)
I also have family who battle multiple chemical sensitivity (in a nutshell, the body has been overdosed with toxins and "reacts" to even minimal exposure to everyday chemicals).
Both of these things combined have gotten me to think about what I'm exposing my girls, myself, and Brad to on a day to day basis. Have you ever sprayed cleaner in your shower and then gone to scrub and practically choked on the mist? It just cannot be a good thing to be sucking that down, right?
So, after a little research I have decided to begin to clean green. Not just buying "green" stuff from the store that still has chemicals in it...but really cleaning with things I have around the house or with concoction I make on my own. I know this will be a process of trial and error, but I feel like its worth it. I'm planning to keep anyone who is interested updated on my findings on here!

Week 1: So my first step was to get organized. I found an app for my phone called green shine that breaks down every room/surface in your house and give suggestions for what to use! Also i went and bought some empty spray bottles to put my mixtures in. I made sure to find ones with spaces to label them with what its for and what it contains for easy refilling.

My first two surfaces to try were mirrors and tile floors.

For mirrors: create a solution of 50/50 water and white distilled vineger. spray on mirrors and wipe off. It also suggests to use newspaper instead of papertowel as it lets off no "fuzz". I didnt have any lying around that day so i used paper towel this time but will try newspaper next time and let you know how it goes!

Review: Very effective! Got the mirrors super clean, no more scrubbing than usual. The vinegar smell is definately there, but not unbearable!

For Tile floors: fill bucket with warm water, a couple drops of dish soap, and 3oz of vinegar. Wipe and dry floor!

Review: it worked fine, no strong smell. On one tile it left a little residue, but the other three...no issue whatsoever. I'll keep tweaking this one!

more to come!

Let me know if you have any green techniques to share or if you try these out!