It’s possible to clean your home – and help take care of your family – through the use of essential oils. Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint are three of the most useful essential oils. The queen for home cleaning is lemon. This little fruit has the power to shine and disinfect. Use lemon to help polish silver, clean out the dishwasher and (combined with vinegar) scrub the oven. Lavender is a great non chemical alternative to antiseptic sprays: its got antibacterial, antibiotic and antiviral properties. Lavender can also be used in a spray bottle with water to freshen up the smell in a … Read More »
Spring into great gardening with a compost pile
We’re all about “green” living at Clean ‘n’ Fresh, and with spring in the air, we know many are ready to garden. So how about taking a “green” approach this year with a small compost pile? Through this method, organic material – such as fallen leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps – can be reused. They decompose and when given time, they can be a great nutrient to your garden this year. Composting can be as big or small as you want it. And it can be as complicated. There are many products out there to purchase, from small compost keepers to large tumblers. Those turn material into … Read More »
Homemade citrus recipes can clean home, laundry and yourself
With so much citrus around this time of year, there are lots of rinds and leftovers. Though we love putting small bits down the garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh, we thought we’d share some other uses, too. Cue up a search on the Internet and there are nearly a dozen ideas right away at Earth911.com: from making grapefruit tea to help break up mucus caused by allergies to creating an eco-friendly, child-friendly cleaner, this website presents innovative uses for citrus besides eating. Check this out: add lemon juice to the wash cycle to get clothes even cleaner or soak … Read More »
Grandma Does Know Best
Grandma’s old-fashioned cleaning tips can still have a place in our homes today. Grandma relied on basic, natural cleaning materials like baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and sunshine! Amongst other uses, baking soda removes stains from cups, white vinegar gives glasses a brilliant shine, and a dose of lemon juice and sunshine can take stubborn stains out of clothing. We spend up to a third of our lives in bed, so having a clean mattress was a high priority for Grandma. She washed her bed linen at high temperatures, hung it to dry outside, and aired her mattress for several hours … Read More »
Have a Green St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated today, March 17th, all over the US. Did you know that the first parade in the US was on March 17, 1762, in New York City. This year there will be more than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades in the US. Another interesting fact is that according to History.com, there are 34.7 million U.S. residents with Irish ancestry. More than seven times Ireland’s population! The color we now commonly associate with St. Patrick’s Day is green. This is also our favorite color at Clean N Fresh Cleaning. Did you know that the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick … Read More »
Happy Thanksgiving
As we are busy preparing food, completing last minute shopping, and feeling a little stressed wondering if we have everything ready for the dinner tomorrow, take a moment to breath. Look around and really think about what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, as there are many who may be wondering where their next meal is coming from, or others who are battling with illnesses and other challenges in their lives. Clean ‘N Fresh Cleaning would like to mention two local charities in our community that do outstanding work throughout the year helping others. We are thankful that they help and … Read More »
Tips for Hosting a Green Thanksgiving
If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year for your family, neighbors and friends, here are some easy ways to make the celebration a little greener: Avoid using disposable plastic, Styrofoam or paper plates and replace them with reusable ones. Use cloth napkins, if it’s practical with your number of guests. Use stainless or silverware, instead of plastic. Use glass, or ceramic cups and mugs. Compost your kitchen food scraps from Thanskgiving, remembering you cannot compost meat or grease. Reuse plastic margarine tubs or yoghurt containers for storing Thanksgiving … Read More »
Cleaning Your Indoor Air Naturally
I love living here in Arizona but I would prefer it if the dust stayed outside where it belongs! This long summer with our windows mostly closed and our air conditioning units running 24/7 can leave us wondering how clean the air really is in our homes and offices. I have spoken previously about how we can each take simple steps to reduce our indoor air pollution, but did you know that certain plants help to clean our indoor air? Since the 1960s NASA have been looking at ways to clean the environment using plants. A NASA scientist by the name of Wolverton spent years examining how plants … Read More »
Is your home looking like a haboob just swept through it?
Here in the Valley we experienced the worst dust storm or haboob that most valley residents remember in recent years. It rolled in and engulfed the valley early evening last week, and the sky turned dark in minutes. We expect the occasional dust storm during our monsoon season but this was one to be remembered. The storm at it’s worst looked like a winter’s snow storm. The dust created from the haboob was deposited in our yards and some made it’s way into our houses on our shoes, clothes, pets and through the small window and door vents in our houses, adding to the indoor air pollution in our … Read More »
Tips for Hosting a Green Summer Party
If you are hosting a summer party this year for your family, neighbors and friends, here are some easy ways to make the celebration a little greener: Avoid using disposable plastic, Styrofoam or paper plates and replace them with reusable ones. Use cloth napkins, if it’s practical with your number of guests. Use stainless or silverware, instead of plastic. Use glass, or ceramic cups and mugs. Compost your kitchen food scraps, remembering you cannot compost meat or grease. Reuse plastic margarine tubs or yoghurt containers for storing leftovers. Lower the lights inside to create … Read More »
