Homemade All-Purpose Citrus Cleanser.

This week I had the distinct pleasure to be nominated as the Messy Moms Radio "Messiest Mom of the Week," with the chance to win a win a special prize package full of all natural cleaning products courtesy of Household Greening. Messy Moms Radio is a blog and a live radio show devoted to motherhood, and all of its trials and joys. Their motto is "Messy moms have sticky floors, messy kitchens, laundry piles, dirty ovens and happy kids!"

I spoke on the live program with the Messy Moms themselves, Danielle and Brandy. We had a great time discussing my urban farm and various other topics. One of the questions that they asked was how I keep my house clean with three kids still at home, and a farm in the backyard! The also wanted to know if I used only organic products. My reply was that cleaning is constant, and my household is not always as clean as I would like it to be. I include my kids in the cleaning chores, which can be challenging because my kids don't always clean to my standards! However, it is a learning process for them that I feel is important in their development and a skill that they will need to use throughout their lives.

As for using only organic products, it is my goal to do so. However, making the switch to natural products can be pricey. In order to save money, I am currently making my own natural cleaning products. Doing so takes time, and time seems to always be short. Fortunately, I have on "go-to" homemade product that is simple to make and cleans everything. I will share the recipe later in this article. In the meantime, I hope I win the prize package! That would certainly boost my switch to natural cleaning products.

Commercial products are often full of harsh or toxic chemicals. These chemicals can be hazardous, particularly to infants, small children and people who suffer with asthma. Breathing toxic chemicals can irritate the respiratory system. When these products come in contact with the skin or eyes, they can cause chemical burns and many of these chemicals are linked to cancer and other serious illnesses. Harsh products in the home also pose a risk of ingestion by small children.

Additionally, cleaning products come in contact with the air and can find their way into the soil and eventually into water and food supplies. The presence of these chemicals in soil and water can affect the growth of food crops and contaminate food supplies.

What about you? Do you believe that it is important to use natural, non-toxic cleansers?

To clean almost anything, from windows to stove tops to bathrooms, I prepare a natural cleanser using two simple ingredients: vinegar and citrus peels.

When citrus is in season, I collect all of our leftover orange, lemon, tangerine and lime peels and throw them into a glass jar. Using plain white vinegar, I cover the peels with liquid and allow them to soak for several days or weeks. Then I remove the peels, squeezing them over the jar to return the excess liquid to the container and harvest some of the precious citrus oils that have been drawn out by the vinegar. The peels are them run through the garbage disposal to freshen it up.

As we consume citrus fruits, I keep adding the peels to the jar and pouring more vinegar over the top so that the peels remain submerged in liquid. Occasionally, I will throw in a sprig of Rosemary herb, which smells nice and has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

When I need to use some of the cleanser, I pour it into a spray bottle and dilute it 50 percent with filtered water. The spray works well on most surfaces, including counter tops, sinks, tubs and faucets.

Pour a half cup of undiluted citrus vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher prior to running it, and it will freshen the washer remove hard water build up from the interior.

Add a half cup of citrus vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washer to whiten, soften and deodorize clothing.

To make your own furniture dusting cloths, place a tablespoon of olive oil and a cup of undiluted citrus vinegar in a non-reactive sauce pan. Warm gently and whisk the contents together. Remove from heat and add enough fabric scraps to the pan to soak up all of the liquid. Store the cloths in a tightly sealed jar. To use, remove a cloth from the jar and squeeze the excess liquid out over the sink. After dusting, wash the cloth and save it for the next batch of dusting cloths that yo will make.

Mixed with a little bit of baking soda, citrus cleanser makes a nice scrub that is similar to Comet, but contains no harmful chemicals. It works well to clean grout, soap scum and mildew.

Amazon.com carries a large selection of natural cleaning products at great prices. Amazon also offers FREE Super Saver shipping on qualified orders of $25 or more, so you can stock up!

Listen to internet radio with Messy Moms Radio on Blog Talk Radio. This is the episode featuring Yours Truly. You can also listen to archived episodes featuring a variety of topics pertaining to motherhood.

While your listening, visit Household Greening and use the discount code "MessyMoms" to receive 20% off you order. Try their green cleaning products risk free. If you don't like a product, return it and Green Cleaning will refund the purchase price and the return shipping fee. Find out for yourself how effective, safe and economical green cleaning products can be!

Meet Kari, This weeks Messiest Mom of the Week. Kari is always on the move, juggling a small urban farm, managing an all-edible plant nursery, teaching gardening glasses, and of course, managing her household. She has Four daughters, one husband, 20 chickens, 10 quail, 2 goats and 2 sheep which make for a constant MESS! After a day of cleaning coops and rummaging around the gardens, it would be lovely to enjoy a relaxing evening in a clean, orderly house. But between the ʺstuffʺ that gets tracked in from the farm, the compost bin and lamb bottles in the kitchen, and all the kids' junk, the mess is constant. Kari is concerned about germs coming in from the animals, but she doesn't want to add chemical cleaners to her arsenal. It would be delightful to have time to make homemade, natural cleaning products, but time is always short. It seems like she would really benefit from our prize package this month from Household Greening! You can check out her blog called The Micro Farm Project . You can read about her life with her kids on the farm here, and you can really see how her girls all help out with the farm in her post about keeping chickens happy and healthy. Here is some info taken from her blog:

"Kari Spencer is a Master Gardener and she owns The Micro Farm Project. She enjoys raising chickens on her small urban farm, and usually has around 20 laying hens in the coop and going free-range around the property. Raising chicks and collecting eggs are two of her favorite activities on the farm. In this article, she shares her knowledge and experience with keeping laying hens, from chicken behaviors, such as pecking order issues, to health needs."

If you know a "messy mom" who would like to win a prize package from Household Greening, nominate her as the "Messiest Mom of the Week" here. Visit the Messy Moms Radio website here.

And while you're at it, leave a comment below. I always love to hear from readers.