Cinderella Kitchen Cleaning Ball

We are so glad that all of our local Cinderellas hurried to the church in their enchanted pumpkins before the clock struck seven!  Your cleaning gowns were beautiful.  Rowena our wonderful fairy godmother showed all the queens to be, her magic tips and tricks to cleaning effortlessly.  Everyone's kitchen will be sparkling in no time, and of course all the beauties met a handsome refreshment or two.  Learning how to make dazzling organic cleaning products, and how to enchant our castles with cleanliness was never so much fun.  

And thank you to everyone for not bringing any glass slippers, mice or imposter fairy godmothers, it really made the evening go much smoother.

Here is a short update about what we learned.  

Liz Bohon, The Spiritual Importance of a Clean Home

* Our homes are compared to the temple in sacredness, shouldn't they be kept as clean?

* Benefits of a clean home include: less stress, easier to keep the Sabbath Day holy (everything is already clean and ready!), more peace

Rowena Ard, The Nuts and Bolts of Clean Living

* Resource: flylady.net

* A few acronyms to remember: FLY (Finally Loving Yourself), and CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome).

* It is easier to keep a home clean when it is tidy and organized.

* Clutter decreases energy and increases stress.

* You cannot organize clutter--you must get rid of it! Some of what we keep someone else would appreciate finding (at the Bishops' Storehouse or Goodwill). Ask yourself: will someone else enjoy this more than I and my family do?

* Starting Steps:

   - De-clutter a room/dresser/pile at a time. Set a timer for 15 minutes and stop cleaning when the timer goes off. This helps to keep from getting overwhelmed.

   - Clean in sprints during commercials of your favorite TV show.

   - Organize your week and make a plan. This helps to avoid guilt; no thinking, "Gee, I really should vacuum today," instead, you can relax knowing that Thursday is vacuum day!

Here are some pictures of the Cinderellas working hard.  

Everyone was moving so fast it was like a magical blur......

Scrubbing on our hands and knees. The dedication to dirt never ends

Just making sure that the ovens sparkle as much as our tiaras 

A shining sink could never out-dazzel our happy smiles

Young princes also learn how to work in our castles.

Our wonderful fairy Godmother herself.  She teaches by example. 

A clean fridge full of food makes all Prince Charmings very happy

Here are the recipes for organic homemade cleaners that you can make at home.  

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups water

Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS:

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.


Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.