Earth day clean up and the world's best cleaner recipe

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It's Earth Week and I'm proud to say we'll be knee deep in trash this week, weather permitting. Three community clean-ups on tap for my family and just a general reminder of how important good, clean nature is to us.
(Brace yourselves, readers. It's about this time every year I get a little nature crazy. There's a very good chance upcoming columns will be as much about wildlife as my wild life.)
But in honor of this step into the summer outdoor season, when the plants all come back to life, I wanted to quickly share one of my favorite recipes.
-For those who have used cleaner with bleach and stained their countertops (me)...
-For those who have watched their children spray cleanser backwards into their tiny faces (me)...
-For those who feel a strong sense of wholesomeness when it comes to things like soap and water (me)...
-And for those who go gaga over the smell of pure lavender and tea tree oil (also me)...

Make your own all-purpose cleaner

In a 16 ounce container, combine:
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tsp borax powder
1/4 cup dishsoap (nice eco friendly option, or Dr. Bronner's)
10-15 drops lavender or tea tree oil (I like lavender in the kitchen, tea tree in the bathroom)

Add HOT water. Shake/stir to combine.

DID YOU KNOW that the average spray head of a Windex bottle will fit on any old used plastic water or pop bottle? Makes this recipe pretty handy.

DID YOU KNOW that lavender and tea tree oil both have antibacterial properties? And that for regular household cleaners that you buy you need to let it sit for over one minute for the antibacterial stuff to work? (see above comment about me staining my countertops. oops.)

Make this. Use it. It makes me smile.

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