My parents raised me to be thrifty, self-reliant, and creative when it came to problem-solving. Whether they meant to or not, this led to a sort of "eco" consciousness. Things like starting from scratch with whatever was on hand, re-using, and using till it's worn out were common messages that we got. My mom and dad seemed to be able to make or fix just about anything.
Nowadays, I don't seem to always have the courage or the necessity to tackle every problem, but I think most of their cleverness wore off on me, and I am usually pretty good at solving things when I decide to try. I painted bathroom, I knew to remove a broken lightbulb with modeling clay, I made roman blinds for our living room, and I knew to throw baking soda into the oven when dripping oil caught on fire. (yes, I did try to cook a whole egg in the microwave once causing it to explode - horrific smell and mess! - but that was an anomaly!
Anyway, I had the idea to get my showers/tubs super, super clean. We have not-so-nice fiberglass molded shower/tubs and the soap and mineral deposit build up can be a real pain to clean, so I rarely try to get it thoroughly spotless. We also have a ledge for the soap and it melts and runs down the shower wall leaving a thick trail of film.
I was feeling lazy and bought nasty, toxic "no scrub" spray. It did not work and it did give me a headache and stunk up my house. So, today I got my rubber gloves, a jar of white vinegar, and some Bon Ami. I wiped down everything with vinegar, rubbed it with the BonAmi, and rinsed. I had to apply a little "elbow grease" but it worked wonderfully and everything looks really clean and shiny!
I think the smell of the vinegar was actually invigorating! Happy Earth Day!
I actually will try the Bon Ami and Vinegar idea, Sheila! Happy Earth Day to you!
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