Going green with vinegar and limes!

Post Memorial day cookout, we were left with lots of dishes and messy floors. Thank goodness for our new toy to tackle the dishes. However, when I pulled out the trusty Swiffer wet jet it literally broke in half! J and I actually tried to use it but failed as the pole kept coming apart, so off to the garbage it went. It had a long lovely life- in fact I can't even remember when I bought it! I planned to go out and grab a new Swiffer the next day until I saw a commercial for the Libman Freedom Mop. The next day I picked up a Freedom mop at my local Target store.

I brought it home and had planned on mixing up a Dr. Bronner's soap cocktail for a new less toxic floor cleaner. I am a huge Dr. Bronner's fan- peppermint and lavender are my favorites! I was all set to do it until I found some more simple green cleaners recipes on the internet and thought I'd give it a try.

Apartment Therapy's 25 Green Cleaners

50 uses for Vinegar

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

DIY Green Cleaning Products

I settled on an all purpose cleaning recipe that called for equal parts vinegar and H20. I mixed up two cups of each.

In my reading I found that many people suggested adding essential oils to help balance the oh-so-delicious smell of vinegar. Not having any essential oils on hand I added some lime zest, from about half a lime. I mixed it all up and added it to the mop reservoir.

Then I put the new mop and cleaner to the test on the kitchen floor, post cookout grimey-ness! All in all, the cleaning solution did a great job. I did have to put alittle elbow grease into it, but I think that was partly due to how dirty the floor was (don't judge!!!). I will admit the lime zest did not seem to have much effect on the smell but the scent did not linger AT ALL. I was pretty impressed. As an added bonus. the next day I discovered that my new cleaning solution was excellent at combating both cat urine and its smell. Oh the joys of having three cats! Once in awhile one of the little buggers has an accident, well at least I'm going to call it an accident. But the vinegar and water solution kicked the odor's butt!

The one downside I foresee here is only having one cleaning pad. I think that I'll have to purchase another one to have on hand in case of double or heavy duty cleanings, otherwise theres wait time for washing the pad. I'm also hoping that the pads hold up, but I guess time will tell. 

And of course, the best part of this whole switch up is cost. Cleaning solution, batteries, and disposable pads while not exhorbitantly priced, do add up. Vinegar, on the other hand, is SUPER cheap. You can pick it up a gallon at the grocery store for around two bucks! So here's to vinegar, limes, and a little H2O!!