As a mother of soon to be 12 children (adoption day for #'s 11 and 12 Wednesday, the 23rd - Hurray!!), I have learned a few things, and thought it would be helpful to pass some of these things on to other moms.
Included in those 12 children are six sons. If you have a boy, unless yours are one of those rare breeds who is very careful to aim well, you might notice that the area around your toilet not only gets messy, but smells messy at times, too. At least, mine did. And it didn't seem to matter what I cleaned the toilet with, whenever I walked into our home's only bathroom, I was not pleased with the smell.
I tried lots of products trying to get that smell out, but nothing seemed to work, until one day I thought about essential oils. I was already using them a lot, so I had them on hand. I took an empty spray bottle and filled it with water, then mixed in twenty or so drops of tea tree oil and twenty or so more of another oil that smelled good - like clove or peppermint, or lavender. Sometimes, I added more than one. I also used vinegar at first, but after a while I realized I didn't really need that.
Every morning, I give the toilet a quick spray, and then I wipe it off with a dry cleaning cloth. I pay special attention to the area around the hinges, and the bottom sides of the toilet. I spray the floor around the toilet, and I wipe this up too. I might give the trash can a quick spray. Then every couple of days, I swish the toilet with a brush, and once a week, I use gel bleach to get around the rims and get out the stains our hard water puts in it. No more unpleasant smells in the bathroom, and this takes less than one minute of my time!! My habit is to do this in the morning while I am in there getting dressed.
An added bonus that I didn't expect is that since I wipe the toilet with a dry cloth, then toss it into the dirty cleaning towel basket, my towels no longer have a musty smell, either!
Essential oils are easily found in health food stores and even some grocery stores now. You can buy them in the store section of this blog. Use real essential oils, not perfumes. I think you will be very pleased!
yep I have jeff and Jacob lol I know what you mean
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, you would know what I mean!
DeleteNew reader here... do you mix the oil with water in the spray bottle? Anxious to read more about the Raley's... come visit me in Arkansas on Granny Mountain!
ReplyDeleteJoy
Oh, yes, mix it with water! I will go back and fix that, thanks!! :o)
DeleteAnother suggestion :-) Institute a no standing rule! My husband is Turkish and I got a few lessons in bathroom hygiene that are standard in many culture, but lacking in U.S. culture: 1) men/boys sit/squat for everything regarding bodily waste elimination. My toilets are so clean and we have 2 young sons! 2) Wash your bottom after using the toilet, toilet paper alone is very limited in it's ability to clean. I often hear/see people new to the U.S. squirm and express shock that Americans don't fully clean up after the toilet. :-)
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