{my two new best friends}

We've been busy here on property, getting the building all cleaned up for the 80 or so men that are coming on a retreat. Cleaning rooms, cleaning bathrooms, deep cleaning the kitchen...

In all this scrubbing, we've been using about six cleaners. Mainly Clorox Clean-up and 409. 

 I have this problem. A "long" time ago, when I cleaned college dorms for a summer job, we used Clorox Clean-up. Ever since then, the smell of if makes me sick to my stomach. So I wipe down those toilets real fast, let me tell you, and I try and hold my breath while I do it. 

Now I found out I have a new problem. And it goes something like this; I went into the girl's dorm to clean the showers, toting 409 and a rag. I sprayed 409 onto the walls and began to wipe. 

And cough. 

And itch.

And have a burning nose. 

Not cool. So apparently something in 409 doesn't agree with me. And I thought, "If my body is reacting this way to it, it probably isn't good for me. Or my house and the people living in it." 

Now, I already knew I didn't want to use a whole bunch of cleaners in my home. Heavens, the food we eat is bad enough, why amplify the destruction with chemical-chock-full cleaners?

So now you get to meet my two new best friends. 

Borax & Bonami. 

I use Borax in my laundry soap, and I add it to brighten my whites. I've also read you can use it to clean toilets, drains, dishwashers, and stains on clothes! It says it right on the box.

As for Bonami, it comes in a can in the cleaning section of Walmart, usually by Comet cleaner. Same idea as Comet, but it's all natural. I've used it on my kitchen sink, in my toilet, in bathtubs, and as a counter-top cleaner. And it doesn't have a strong smell like so many other cleaners. 

So I think I'll stick with these cleaners.

It's funny to me that not long ago, my family and I laughed at organic stuff, and made fun of people going green. And while I'm not going green {because I don't care what happens to the earth, I'm leaving someday anyway}, I do want to make sure that what I eat and clean with isn't impairing my health, my husband's health, or the health of the children we someday hope to be blessed with. So I'm trying to do my best to stay in a budget, eat foods that aren't full of preservatives, use soap and other toiletries that don't have propylene glycol, and cleaners that are made of natural ingredients. And it's hard, but I think it's for the best. If it was up to me, I think I'd like to become a homesteader, and go support myself off my land. 

But it isn't up to me. It's up to God. So I'm trying to take care of us right where He has us. And if that involves cleaning with only Borax, Bonami, and maybe a little vinegar, so be it.