Cleaning makeup brushes

Ok, I'll admit it. I hardly ever clean my makeup brushes. I know. Super gross. I think about it a lot, but don't actually do it. But lately, I keep breaking out on my chin. It's driving me crazy, so maybe this will help prevent future breakouts. And besides, it started grossing me out.

It really is best to thoroughly clean brushes at least once a week, more frequently if needed. They get full of all sorts of gunk such as makeup, body oil, and dead skin cells. Talk about a breeding ground for bacteria. Yuck! I don't want to keep putting that back on my clean face.

I like to pour a small amount of mild dish soap into a littlel bowl. Then I add a few drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is antibacterial and antifungal and really helps get those brushes sanitized. Then each brush gets a dip in the solution, and I swirl the brush around on the palm of my hand and use my fingers to really get in between the bristles. I rinse under running, warm water until the water runs clear and the brush is clean.

Hang your brush to dry with the bristles pointing down or at least slanting downward. You don't want to let it dry with the bristles pointing up because water will cause the glue holding the bristles together to breakdown much faster.

Hopefully, I'm a newly-reformed brush cleaner now :)

How do you clean your makeup brushes?
Or do you?

Clean that produce! More than a quick rinse.

Mr. T enjoying just-cleaned grapes.

Several years ago when I was pregnant with Miss M, I was sitting on the couch after work watching Oprah. A lovely woman, Sophie Uliano, was on the show talking about her book Gorgeously Green. I was intrigued to hear her talk about so many tips and tricks for healthier, greener living. At the time, green living and organic food wasn't as widespread as it is now.

Sophie Uliano mentioned that she cleaned her produce by spraying a solution on it and then rinsing it off. She shared the recipe, and I decided to give it a try. I now keep it under my sink and use it to clean pesticides and bacteria from my produce. Plain water just doesn't clean as thoroughly. Although, it is better than nothing.

The veggie cleaner spray is a simple recipe using water, vinegar, baking soda, and grapefruit seed extract. Chances are good you have 3 0f the 4 ingredients on hand. Mix them together, spray your produce, wait 5-10 minutes and rinse. So simple! The recipe can be found here.

If you don't have grapefruit seed extract, and are not interested in purchasing it, you can substitute the juice of half a lemon according to Dr. Oz. You can also use an even simpler solution of one part vinegar to three parts water. I just like the addition of baking soda and grapefruit seed extract.

Do you clean your produce? Do you use a cleaning solution or simply water?
Do you think it matters?

It at least makes me feel better because who knows how many dirty hands touch that food before I buy it. Blech. Like Miss M who took a bite out of a bunch of broccoli yesterday at the store. Oy.

Sticky gum mess

Source: google.fr via Mélanie on Pinterest

About a month ago I found a wad of gum ground into the floormat of my car. At the moment, I didn't have time to try figure out how to get it out, and I soon forgot about it until a couple of nights ago when Husband and I were cleaning out the car.

I went inside and looked around at what I had on hand. I decided to see if lemon essential oil would take care of the sticky disaster. It not only smells wonderfully fresh, but it cleans wonderfully and dissolves sticky, gooey messes. I put a few drops on a rag and scrubbed for a few minutes. The gum came right up with a little elbow grease. The added bonus is my car smells delightful.

Lemon essential oil is great to have around. I love to clean with it. I'll be doing a post later about many more of its benefits.


*Make sure to do a spot test before using on fabric or upholstery and follow with a damp rag or water rinse.

Safe all-purpose cleanser recipe

Several months ago I had been looking for a safe, chemical-free cleanser to use on my kitchen counters and for general cleaning. I found several on the internet that seemed ok, and then I saw this one on Dr. Oz. It was developed by Dr. Gary Ginsberg who is a toxicologist. It's my new favorite cleaner. I don't always put the Borax in, and I haven't noticed a major difference without it. I usually put more essential oils to cover the vinegar scent a little more. The vinegar smell will not linger once the surface dries.

All-purpose cleanser
1 tbsp of Borax powder (find it in the laundry aisle of your supermarket)
3 tbsps of white vinegar
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of dish soap
1 drop of essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Shake before using as well.

Some of my favorite essential oils to clean with are lemon, orange, peppermint & rosemary, and white fir which is especially nice during the holidays. You can get creative and try a blend or just pick one oil. Many of the essential oils also have antibacterial and antiviral properties.

*Caution: Be careful when using vinegar on granite. I don't have granite countertops, but I have heard that vinegar can damage some types of granite sealer.

What's your favorite chemical-free way to clean?

A little Cinderella floor scrubbing

The other day as I was standing in the kitchen scrutinizing the tile floor I had just mopped, I realized it still wasn't clean. It was in desperate need of some help. I decided baking soda paste, a scrub brush, and a lot of elbow grease should be sufficient to tackle the daunting task.

I knelt down and started scrubbing. I was absolutely shocked that the tile beneath my brush was now white! I wanted to leave one tile left undone just to show my husband the contrast. Two and a half hours later the floor was sparkling clean. It looked like a whole new floor. The basement kitchen was much brighter than before. Even my sister-in-law commented on how bright it was downstairs before I told her about the deep scrubbing. Miss M was quite the helper too. She loved scrubbing one tile at a time and seeing the "dirty stuff" go away.

*To make the baking soda paste: put some baking soda in a bowl and add enough water to make a soft paste. The floor will need to be rinsed very well with water (2 or 3 times) or with a vinegar/water rinse.

I feel so happy every time I see the floor.

What's your best floor cleaning tip?