the joys of microfiber

i used to love cleaning. in fact, i was neurotically clean and organized. it was soothing to clean every square inch of everything and it felt like i had accomplished something when i was done. not so much anymore. in fact, i've become to detest cleaning because it seems never-ending. as soon as i clean something, by the end of the day it's dirty again. i know a lot of it has to do with having dogs but i am not getting rid of them. my ankle also makes it more difficult to clean, like going up and down steps and basic maneuvering. i gave up on being a clean person. i decided to just get used to having a messy/dirty house and just trying to keep it from getting out of hand on the weekends. not anymore!! i have found my new favorite thing and it is called microfiber. i've known about it but i never knew how great it was at cleaning until i got my green e-newsletter and there was an article about how to clean your house without using chemicals. i didn't think much about it until i happened to be at target and saw they had a set of four on clearance. there's one for dusting, one for kitchen/bath, one for glass, and one for furniture polishing. i got a few more general ones cause they were on clearance, too. i am so glad i did.

at first it was hard for me to let go of the idea that i had to use some kind of spray or soap to clean my bathroom (my first test area). but i thought - you have to at least try it. so i wet the cloth a bit and wiped. eh. it was ok... i could still see millions of microscopic bacteria swarming on my vanity. but then i just used it like a rag - got it nice and wet with hot water and just wiped everything down and it cleaned so well!! i didn't think about germs anymore. i was pretty pleased. then i decided to test out the "glass" cleaning cloth - thinking for sure it would fail but to my complete surprise it worked like a charm!! i think i spent about 30 mins. in my bathroom marvelling at how easy, simple, and chemical free my sparkling bathroom was. next was the kitchen.

i used a different microfiber cloth and used it pretty much the same way - thoroughly wet (but wrung out) with hot water and just wiped everything down. i had to rinse it pretty often because my kitchen really was filthy. but it cleaned it up perfectly - cut through grease and picked up any dried food particles. i ended up wiping down the entire kitchen - oven, microwave, cabinets, drawers, fridge, etc. with one cloth and absolutely no chemicals!

i hand washed my microfiber rag and hung it to dry on the kitchen sink faucet. i love my new cleaning tool. i thought about how much money i have spent on cleaning in the past and i am astonished. countless boxes of those addictive swiffer dusters, bottles and bottles of anti-bacterial counter wipes and glass cleaners. and to my total humiliation and shame - those evil megaharsh cleaners like bam! and 409. all kinds of toilet bowl cleaners, bathtub scrubbers, heavy duty tile & grout soapscum cleaners, furniture dusting spray, hardwood floor cleaner, and carpet stain cleaner and de-oderizer. i was even addicted at one point to those stupid carpet powders that you vacuum up which gave poor bibi awful skin rashes and probably didn't help my asthma. for every surface in your house, there is a cleaner, polisher, & deoderizer for it. well, not for me anymore. i am using my microfiber, vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils to clean. i feel so much better now. and my house sparkles!

i am a reformed cleaner. and i shall spread the gospel.

p.s. i just had to add this handy dandy factoid - microwave your (wet!) microfiber rag for 2 minutes to kill 99% of the bacteria - and it cleans your microwave! you can do this with your toothbrush, too...