Natural Cleaning

by Garnet Winddancer

There are a growing number of anti-bacterial cleaning products on the market every day. In fact, it’s difficult to find a cleaning product that is not anti-bacterial. Everyone wants to be super-clean and super-sterile. It’s as trendy as jelly shoes and mullets used to be in the 80s.

What’s wrong with wiping out all those dangerous bacteria that breed on our kitchen sinks, you ask? Well, nothing. Of course you want a clean home. But anti-bacterial cleansers are doing nothing to ensure the health and safety of your family. In fact, they could actually prove detrimental to your family in the long run.

When my niece was born, just four months after my own daughter, I offered my sister the use of my brand new bottle sterilizer. I was exclusively breastfeeding and didn’t really need it. My sister was confused and said nobody had ever told her to sterilize the baby bottles and so she asked her pediatrician. What he said made a lot of sense, especially in light of my own views on anti-bacterial cleaning. He told my sister that as long as the bottles were washed in hot, soapy water, there was no need for sterilization because babies need to be introduced to mild, minute amounts of bacteria from a young age.

You may gasp in horror but in reality, it is how our bodies work. We cannot build up a tolerable immunity to a substance if we have never encountered it before. Thus, a young baby, whose mother diligently sterilizes bottles, goes out into the world with no protection from bacteria that she/he will encounter every where, every day. Consequently, they get sick more often.

Now, apply the same principle to anti-bacterial cleansers. Not only are we inhibiting our body’s defense mechanism, we are also contributing to the creation of super-bugs because bacteria, as well as human beings, in time build up their own immunities. They become resistant to the substances that we use to kill them. Basically, they become even harder to kill.

You might ask what all this has to do with Witchcraft/Paganism and living a magical life. Arguably, what the multitudinous Pagan paths have in common is a reverence for nature. So adapting to a greener way of life will enhance your spirituality as you surround yourself with the essence of the outdoors in your living space.

Kitchen Spray Cleaner

• 2 cups of white vinegar

• 1 tablespoon of dried sage or rosemary or 2 tablespoons of fresh herb

Wrap the herb, either dried or fresh, in cheesecloth and put it in a pan with vinegar.  Gently simmer for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool thoroughly and then pour into a spray bottle.  Use to clean sinks and countertops.

Window Cleaner

Add the juice of one lemon to 2 cups of distilled vinegar in a spray bottle.  Shake well and use to clean glass surfaces and windows.  Someone once told me to use a crunched up piece of newspaper instead of a cloth when cleaning glass or mirrors.  I don;t know why it works but it really does.

Carpet Freshener

Add a handful of favorite mix of dried herbs and a few drops of a complementary essential oil to a box of baking soda.  Shake well and store in an old powdered cleanser container.  Shake onto carpet and vacuum up.  Lavender is always nice but remember that the pieces of herb must be ground very finely so as not to get stuck in the sweeper.

Wood polish

Olive oil is a wonderful natural wood polish.  Dribble a bit on a clean cloth and use on woodwork, cabinets and tables.  I use it on our oak dining room table and it leaves it with a gorgeous deep lustre.

For further cleaning recipes, try picking up a copy of The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.  It has a ton of great tips and recipes.