Spring Cleaning and Greening: Part II

With the inside of the house springified, we decided to hit the backyard. Inspired by Stuart McLean and Saturday’s Vinyl Café, we took the radio to the backdoor and got down to work.

We aren’t quite ready for gardening yet, but we cleaned up debris, cleared the garden beds, washed down furniture, put up a new clothes line, and hooked up our rain barrel…….

If felt amazing to have the sun on our backs, exploring the plants popping up in every corner and making plans for our summer garden. There is much painting, weeding, building and planting ahead of us, but we’ve made a start.........and that’s something.

Painting...to-do:

My favorite 1950's tin chairs.....

New growth...

Rhubarb!

A clean slate....

Easy to Make Outdoor Cleaners
For Wicker furniture:
Sponge with 1 part white vinegar and one part hot water. Place in the sun to dry, cleaning and improving the appearance of "sagging" in the furniture.


For Everything Else:
I simply diluted a bit of Dr. Bronner's Magic "All-One!" in a bucket with LOTS of warm water and used it on everything from wood to tin. I mentioned this wonder of wonders briefly yesterday but thought it deserved a proper "shout-out!".

A combination of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils; Dr. Bronner's is right up there with Aubrey's Earth Aware Household cleaner. It's free of harsh chemical and synthetics, comes in recycled packaging and the company maintains a strong commitment to Fair Trade practices. We love to use the peppermint soap in the shower, because it makes our skin feel all tingly and gorgeous but the lavender is also beautiful.

Enjoy the day!