ktgrok Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Here is my issue..I want a clean house, I want to be frugal, i want to be eco concious, I want to actually be motivated to clean. These things tend to conflict. When you add in that I am naturally disorganized to start with... nothing gets done. What I mean is, I want to be eco concious. So I don't want to use chemical cleaners. But..the eco ones are more expensive. That isn't frugal. So I make my own. But then they either don't work as well, or don't smell as good, or just are not as motivating or simple. An example is wiping down the bathroom counters. I want to do this daily, both bathrooms. So..I was using a washcloth and water. But I'm honestly more likely to do it if I use those premoistened chlorox wipes. But those cost more and are not eco friendly. So i buy the eco friendly ones, but then feel guilty because they cost more. So I get paralyzed, or always feel guilty! Somehow fly lady, a tree hugging hippy, and the tightwad gazette are all wrestling in my brain all the time!!! Does this happen to anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Here is my issue..I want a clean house, I want to be frugal, i want to be eco concious, I want to actually be motivated to clean. These things tend to conflict. When you add in that I am naturally disorganized to start with... nothing gets done. What I mean is, I want to be eco concious. So I don't want to use chemical cleaners. But..the eco ones are more expensive. That isn't frugal. So I make my own. But then they either don't work as well, or don't smell as good, or just are not as motivating or simple. An example is wiping down the bathroom counters. I want to do this daily, both bathrooms. So..I was using a washcloth and water. But I'm honestly more likely to do it if I use those premoistened chlorox wipes. But those cost more and are not eco friendly. So i buy the eco friendly ones, but then feel guilty because they cost more. So I get paralyzed, or always feel guilty! Somehow fly lady, a tree hugging hippy, and the tightwad gazette are all wrestling in my brain all the time!!! Does this happen to anyone else? Not only with cleaning but with other issues. I actually wrote a post with a recipe about "letting go of perfection pasta salad." It was about how I finally decided that what I was able to do for a particular "guests for dinner" situation. I decided it was good enough even tho' it wasn't perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 I do this with other things too, like curriculum, lol, but with cleaning it is the worst. I think I may just have to pick ONE thing for now, and forget the rest. And since cleaning is NOT something i'm good at, and I really really want to be someone with a clean house, I need to make that the priority, no matter how I get there. Then, once the house is clean all the time, and I'm good at it, then I can tweak it to use cheaper, or more eco friendly stuff, or whatever. right? RIGHT???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Diaper wipes. You can buy a box of seventh generation from Amazon.com. It should get you the mom shipping and subscription price. We use them for lazy wipe ups in the bathrooms. Works as well as clorox. Great for boys who aren't good at aiming. I use an old spray bottle with a few gluggs of vinegar, squirt of Dr. Bronners, and the rest water. We always have Bronners because it is the only soap I can use in the shower and to wash my dreads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I do this with other things too, like curriculum, lol, but with cleaning it is the worst. I think I may just have to pick ONE thing for now, and forget the rest. And since cleaning is NOT something i'm good at, and I really really want to be someone with a clean house, I need to make that the priority, no matter how I get there. Then, once the house is clean all the time, and I'm good at it, then I can tweak it to use cheaper, or more eco friendly stuff, or whatever. right? RIGHT???? Right. Do what you need to do to get it done now. Then tweak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I suffer from OCD and I am constantly fighting the perfection paralyzation problem. I also am a chronic pain patient so I rarely have the strength and stamina to do a perfect job so I pray for the good days and then work myself into the ground when they come. I could get my house to perfect if life didn't happen between my good days. I don't have the answers but I have hope that someday it will all come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I hear you. I have begun using Method cleaners. You can get them at a bunch of places, such as Target. They often have sales of buy one / get one, etc. at Target (not sure about other places). They smell wonderful. They are eco-friendly (they get about an 8.5 rating on one site I've checked - out of 10). I spray on and actually just use my hands and water to wipe off, I guess that's weird, LOL.... Anyway, you could certainly spray onto a cloth and wipe. They last a long time, too. I have made my own stuff in past, using lavendar and vinegar, but I can't really get the combo right for a great smell. You could also buy essential oils and make your own mix with tea tree (for cleaning) and something for a good smell, added to distilled water.... One bottle would last a long time as you just put in about 30-40 drops of each oil to one bottle of water.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Diaper wipes. You can buy a box of seventh generation from Amazon.com. It should get you the mom shipping and subscription price. We use them for lazy wipe ups in the bathrooms. Works as well as clorox. Great for boys who aren't good at aiming. I use an old spray bottle with a few gluggs of vinegar, squirt of Dr. Bronners, and the rest water. We always have Bronners because it is the only soap I can use in the shower and to wash my dreads. :iagree: AND Do both. Keep the wipes in the bathroom for quick clean ups AND a bottle of the sweet-smelling Eco-friendly stuff for when you're up to more effort. I find if I keep the cloths in the bathroom with the spray bottle, they're just as easy to use. If I have to walk to the linen closet for a cloth, it feels like more of a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 I hear you. I have begun using Method cleaners. You can get them at a bunch of places, such as Target. They often have sales of buy one / get one, etc. at Target (not sure about other places). They smell wonderful. They are eco-friendly (they get about an 8.5 rating on one site I've checked - out of 10). I spray on and actually just use my hands and water to wipe off, I guess that's weird, LOL.... Anyway, you could certainly spray onto a cloth and wipe. They last a long time, too. I have made my own stuff in past, using lavendar and vinegar, but I can't really get the combo right for a great smell. You could also buy essential oils and make your own mix with tea tree (for cleaning) and something for a good smell, added to distilled water.... One bottle would last a long time as you just put in about 30-40 drops of each oil to one bottle of water.... Thank you for this! I just thought they were fancy smelling, I didn't realize they were actually better eco friendly type things. I will look into them! I have used the 7th gen ones, but I hate the smell of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I compromise. I use 7th Generation detergent for our laundry. I get the 7th Generation dish soap and dishwasher packets. I sometimes buy the 7th Generation antibacterial wipes....but I will buy Clorox if in a crunch. I do use Windex wipes and a Clorox toilet bowl brush (with bleach already on it so that I don't have to handle it). I've found that the natural ones just don't do was well in those categories. I buy all the 7th Generation stuff mentioned above in bulk on Amazon. For cleaning carpets and beds (when a dog pees on the carpet or my 4 year old's pull up leaks in the bed at night) I use a mix of half water, half white vinegar, with some squirts of dish soap. Everything is natural and I've never had leftover smells using this solution. It's a hard line to walk. I've come to terms with this as far as our family's diet goes. I can *try* to get mostly organic and healthy items....but ya know, there's going to be times when we have to stop and get a Happy Meal from McDonald's. I used to stress over it, but I don't anymore. We do the best we can. I'll let God take care of the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Actually, when I recently looked on some sort of website that rated green products, the only thing they didn't rate 10 on was some weird social or cultural rating. I never could find what that even referred to. Insofar as the environment and safety for humans, all their products rated a 10.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Do the best you can and let go of guilt. That's what I tell myself. I like the idea of using baby wipes for cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I just got two microfiber cleaning cleaning cloths at walmart (only $1.97), and cleaned all the glass in the house! LOL. They worked fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 An example is wiping down the bathroom counters. I want to do this daily, both bathrooms. So..I was using a washcloth and water. But I'm honestly more likely to do it if I use those premoistened chlorox wipes. But those cost more and are not eco friendly. So i buy the eco friendly ones, but then feel guilty because they cost more. So I get paralyzed, or always feel guilty! Somehow fly lady, a tree hugging hippy, and the tightwad gazette are all wrestling in my brain all the time!!! Does this happen to anyone else? Yes! Glad to know I'm not the only one. Not sure if this would help your bathroom situation, but what I did in facing the same dilemma was to take a few squares of tp, dampen it with water, and wipe down the counters and around the toilet with that. It's very quick and easy, much less paper than a whole paper towel or disposable wipe. I just do it once a day when using the bathroom, and flush it down the toilet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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