I woke up this morning to a sink full of dirty dishes – the plastic and pots and random pieces that don’t go in the dishwasher. They had gathered and multiplied until I couldn’t get in to fill up the coffee reservoir. Obviously it was time to wash some dishes. (BTW – this is a task that my husband typically does. He likes it. When he doesn’t, well . . . then I do it.)
One of the results of this kind of accumulation is that stains can sit and set undetected under the dirty dishes. I have an old white porcelain sink, and the sight of that newly emptied sink was a little distressing. My first reaction was that I was missed having the old Comet or Ajax that I used years ago. It would have been a quick fix, even though my hands and sinuses are not fond of the bleach. Alas, even after all those intentional choices to surround myself with a more eco-friendly environment, I could still long for a chemical “magic pill”.
Then I got inspired. I reached under the sink for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and sprayed the sink. I then put a squirt of dishwashing liquid from Trader Joe’s on my sponge/scrubber and had fun. It has tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract, which makes it anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial. The pot marks and gunk around the drain, as well as the stains from emptied coffee cups, all vanished. I didn’t even have to use the soda for a scrub. Sweet.
Then I realized that my laundry whites have been as white as ever since I started adding oxygen cleaner and soda to soften the hard Los Angeles water (I even put some soda in the dishwasher). I make sure it dissolves thoroughly in a separate container before adding it to the pre-wash soak.
Why – I’m doing really well without the caustic chemical sprays and powders. And my hands are happy. And my sinuses are too! Wow – my sinuses have been healthy and happy for a long time. I’m making some really cool strides in this adventure and it’s lots of fun.
