Eco-Cleaning: In The Bedroom

In the bedroom, nearly all previous recipes and cleaning techniques apply from the living areas - and even the linen spray from the laundry day. But there is still work to be done:

• Remove all bed linens and window treatments, launder as prescribed. If your drapery calls for dry-cleaning - try and find a "green" dry-cleaner. I'm sure there's not much green about the process; but it's gotta be better than your standard guy.
• Now that your bed mattress is exposed, go ahead and sprinkle your lavender scented baking soda deodorizer atop. Leave it for thirty minutes. Then vacuum the mattress (be sure and use the extensions/attachments, She-Ra) , flip it over - and rotate. If you've got a pillow-top mattress, it won't be necessary or possible to flip it over; but rotate it. If you've got a standard mattress, repeat the deodorizing sprinkle, the 30 minute wait, and the vacuum. Now you've got a dust free, sweet-smelling mattress.

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While those thirty minutes of baking-soda-magic are ticking away, there are a few things you can do:

• Dust your windows inside, hose them off outside, then use your glass cleaner and a squeegee to finish the job in/out. It's time consuming, and may take an extra day - but once those flowers outside start to bloom; you'll be oh-so-happy you can see them. And if you have screens, take those down and scrub them with some dish soap and hose them off - they collect a lot of yuckiness).
• Probably a more appropriate chore for the half hour(s) you'll have on hand are taking care of the floors: vacuum or sweep/mop.

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• ...Or, you could begin the process of storing away your winter wardrobe, and bringing the spring/summer wardrobe in. This is always my favorite part - because after an entire season or two of not seeing part of my wardrobe - it's like I've just gone on a shopping spree!
• If there are any clothes that you can't stand any longer, don't fit you, whatever - place them in a bag or box (depending on how many there are) and donate them to your favorite cause. Or, if you're strapped for cash, take them first to your local consignment shop and see what you can get for them. Then donate.
• And before you seal the box on that winter wardrobe, toss a couple of small rags with about 5 drops of your favorite essential oil on them to keep your clothes smelling fresh when you return to this box in Autumn.

Don't forget to give cushions a smack down, most bed pillows can and should be laundered, vacuum the upholstered lovely slipper chair or fainting chaise, and dust the knickknacks. Just reread the living room(s) post for a reminder on what needs doing. But by now, I trust you are all little eco-cleaning divas.

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Eco-Clean How-To Week: The Agenda

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Naturally you're just dying to know how this week of spring cleaning, handmade, eco-conscientiousness will unfold. And I don't blame you - we all have busy lives - and knowing when you have to tune in and when you can maybe skip it is important. For those of you who still haven't bought in to the whole "eco-friendly" thing, I encourage you to stick around. Not because I'm trying to convert all of you;

but because one thing that doesn't always get made clear about "eco-friendly" is that it's not just good for the environment. When it's handmade (homemade products) you're cleaning with - it's great for your wallet. And everyone these days can jump on that wagon.

• Sunday, 3/21: Cleaning Living Areas: Living Rooms, Workspaces, Etcetera - the tips and tricks to make this process as quick and simple as possible.
• Sunday, 3/21: The recipes you need for these areas: All-purpose Surface Cleaner, Furniture Polish, Glass Cleaner, Carpet & Rug Deodorizer; the best tools for these tasks.
• Sunday, 3/21: Information about Indoor Air Pollution, tracking pollutants inside, and how to reduce both.
• Monday, 3/22: A day dedicated to Cleaning the Kitchen: Handwashing Dishes, saving water - and getting them CLEAN, degreasing surfaces, cleaning and deodorizing your refrigerator and your microwave. 
• Monday, 3/22: The recipes you need to your kitchen sparkling clean: Dish Soap, Surface Degreaser, Basic Floor Mop, Hardwood Floor Mop, Cake Frosting Soft Scrub, Drain De-Clogger
• Monday, 3/22: How to make your whole house smell delicious with ingredients from your spice cabinet, produce drawer, and garden!
• Tuesday, 3/23: A simple day covering the most dreaded room in the house to clean: the bathroom. I'll share with you my favorite tools and techniques - and advise which recipes are appropriate for which jobs. 
• Wednesday, 3/24: Wednesday is Laundry Day at Eco-Clean How-To Week. First we'll start with a post of recipes for handmade laundry detergent, fabric softener, ironing water/linen refresher.
• Wednesday, 3/24: I'll be celebrating Laundry Day with a look at some of my favorite handmade solutions to eco-friendly laundry: clothespin aprons, felted wool dryer balls, lavender dryer sachets.
• Wednesday, 3/24: A Giveaway for all my beloved readers for a set of lavender dryer sachets made by me!
• Thursday, 3/25: A complete overhaul of the bedroom(s) as well as the windows of the house - inside and out. Most recipes have been covered in previous days posts, so we'll mostly be covering all of the really fun stuff like flipping mattresses, freshening things up...you know...the fun stuff. Ugh.
• Friday, 3/26: Little eco-cleaning extras like super stain removers, eco carpet cleaning, reminder of basics cleaning kit list (plus a little surprise extra!)
• Friday, 3/26: Yeah! You're done and your house is so clean! DIY Self-Cleanse Bath Recipe for you to treat yourself.
• Friday, 3/26: Etsy Featured Seller: GardenofHolly and GIVEAWAY for Organic Protective Hand Creme.

That's all folks - that's the entire week outlined thus far. I've got a few other things in the works, but I can't promise anymore than what you see here so far. At this point, I can promise you a damn clean house and a sense of accomplishment and pride in doing it all handmade!