*sniff* *sniff*...What's that smell?

Ahhhh yes, I remember keenly the day I decided that our house...our home...our abode in which we began our marriage would be cleaned in a green fashion. And I'm not talking about green towels and rags. I'm speaking of the green in which things are non-toxic and biodegradable. Because, let's face it, no one really wants to think about the toxic chemicals in their house. (and no, whatever your husband emits doesn't count - we all know that's a toxic and there's nothing to be done about it) (yes, Hubby, this means y-o-u! love ya!)

We had gone on a week long vacation in the mountains for some rest and fishing and four-wheeling. (By the way, it takes for freaking ever to cook rice at 8,000' elevation) When we returned home, we opened the garage door and thought a few things looked odd. Then we opened the back door. My first thought was, "Wow! The floor is dirty! I need to clean!" And then I kept looking and realized that the dirt was in little mounds. Kind of like the way sand piles up at the beach. And then we smelled it. The smell ever house owner fears - m-o-l-d! Our washing machine had kindly ruptured a hose not too long after we left on vacation. Our neighbor across the street saw water pouring out from under our garage door about 24 hours after we left and he cut the water off at the street. Did we ever give him our cell phone number? nope. So, our house sat in Texas...in August...for 8 days...with a lot of moisture trapped inside...with the a/c turned up so it didn't run too much while we were gone. And that, folks, started a home renovation project that lasted over a year. What am I talking about? It's still going on.

Anyway, when I realized that we would be battling mold, I had a very strong feeling against the use of commercial chemicals to kill the mold. So, I started doing my research. It all started with one little website on the uses of vinegar and from there I jumped in to green cleaning head first. We don't use bleach or other commercial cleaners to clean anymore. In fact, we didn't even have bleach in our house for the longest time until Hubby got a case of the world's strongest athlete's foot. I didn't argue when he said he needed to bleach his socks. I did, however, have some objection to the half a bottle he poured in the washing machine. Anyhoo, he's a vinegar clean convert now. He even admitted that he's starting to *gasp* LIKE the smell of it!

So, here's the rundown on what we use:

• 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water - cleans the floors
• A spray bottle of half vinegar, half water, and a squirt of lemon dishwashing liquid - all purpose cleaner (countertops, cooktop, sinks, bathtub, whatever)
• Borax in the toilet - let it sit, then scrub, then sit, then flush
• Borox and the vinegar spray from above on the bathtub for the stubborn ring about the tub
• Baking soda in the stainless steel kitchen sink. Pour and scrub. It'll shine like a champ! (I especially like this one since we bathe the baby in the sink - no chemicals!)