Notebook Experiments: Can I Green My Sink Routine?
Experiment: Can I Green My Sink Routine?
Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 05.29.08Materials Needed: Please see
ohdeedoh for the full instructions on this task. I used the vinegar and a lavender essential oil to make my homemade disinfectant, but you could also use tea tree oil. For extra credit, grab some baking soda and use this to scour the sink before disinfecting.
Results: I will admit that I really used to love bleaching my sink. I am all about cleaning the sink and have been ever since I read
Sink Reflections. There was just something so therapeutic about having a fresh clean sink and there is just something so cleansing about that sparkling white sink after a good bleaching. To this day, if I smell Comet cleanser it makes me think of my mom and her sink cleaning days when I was a little girl.
But the times, they are a changin' and I am trying to incorporate more green living into my life. I have talked a lot about
implementing homemade cleaners into your routine, but I was still dragging my feet on cleaning my sink with the green stuff.
I really wanted to try this homemade disinfectant and thought I would give my sink a good scrubbing with baking soda instead this time.
I just sprinkled my sink liberally with baking soda and ran a tiny bit of water. This made it more of a scouring paste and I scrubbed it with a little brush (or whatever else you have on hand). Once I scrubbed it well, I gave the sink a rinse and then wiped it out with a towel. I finished the routine off by spraying my homemade disinfectant and wiping the sink down again.
If you are a bleach user, I wouldn't say it was exactly the same type of white, but it came very close. It did require a bit of elbow grease and took longer, but it was oh-so-worth-it!
Oh, and did you notice that sweet little dishcloth hanging over my faucet? I made that! It is a gift to myself after all of the gifts I have made. It isn't even a reject one (which is what I normally give myself). It is the first item that I have knitted for myself since I have learned how. Oh, and it also happens to be green- just like my new sink routine!
I feel like this is something that I can do regularly and am proud that I have finally given the bleach up for good! Thanks
ohdeedoh for this great idea!
Labels: Notebook Experiments
14Comments:
Brandie
"Great idea! I am trying to "green" some of my routines too, so this is great."
The Family CEO
"I love your dishcloth! And I'm going to have to try your sink routine."
Mimi
"Way to go Amy! Tea tree oil is a good disinfectant. I also like to pour a kettle of hot water in the sink every few days to kill bacteria and to keep the pipes and drain clean."
Dana
"I've given up bleach too! But now because of the great reason you have - I'm sick of bleach stains.
I'm a huge vinegar user!
Cute dishcloth - love the colour."
mama k
"You go, mama! :)
I too am loving some baking soda and vinegar.
I also recently read about using hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant and for many other bleach-replacing uses. It's much more eco-friendly as it's just one molecule away from water!"
Nancy
"I don't have a white sink but you've encouraged me to change my sink routine. Love the dishcloth too! (that would make a fabulous giveaway prize, hint hint)"
"I too am trying to "lean to green"! I had good luck scrubbing my sink with a salt paste. That appeared to be almost as good as bleach for cleaning up the stains. Try this and see if it works for you."
Laura
"Comet brings back all the nostalgia for me too! I still use it, and it may be hard to part with it, I love the white sink. I may try to go green though...just to see if there's a difference."
Shannon
"What a great idea. I love your little dishcloths, so cute and personal. As for me, don't know if I can part with my Comet, lol. I also do the hot water thing every few days."
*carrie*
"Amy,
Where did you find the lavendar oil?"
Amy
"Carrie-
I got the lavender oil at The Vitamin Shoppe. Most vitamin and health food stores should have it. At The Vitamin Shoppe, it was located at the counter. They also carried tea tree oil too!"
cynthiagilbert
"I combined a couple ideas from "Better Basics for the Home" (great reference book!) and came up with this all-purpose light disinfecting spray:
1/4 c. white distilled vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid soap or detergent
2 c. water
8 drops orange essential oil
4 drops lavendar essential oil
4 drops eucalyptus essential oil
It works nicely and if you already have the essential oils, pretty cheap! Or, if you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have a nice natural spray cleaner too."
Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home
"Good for you, Amy! I've never been much of a bleach person myself, but my current sink routine is basically the same as yours. I do the baking soda scrub, then rinse, then spray with either white vinegar or my natural all-purpose spray. It works great, doesn't it?
The main thing I'm missing now is that adorable green cloth you've got-- mine are not cute in the slightest! You know that every time you show some other lovely thing you've knit that you've got me wanting to learn more and more, don't you? :)"
Alyssa @ KeepingTheKingdomFirst
"Amy, would this work on stainless steel as well?
That is the cutest dishcloth I have ever seen. It would make a great giveaway, hint hint!"
But the times, they are a changin' and I am trying to incorporate more green living into my life. I have talked a lot about implementing homemade cleaners into your routine, but I was still dragging my feet on cleaning my sink with the green stuff.
