Cleaning with Rosemary (House)

Cleaning with Rosemary (House)
Molly Sams

As you all know I have been interning at The Rosemary House for quite some time. There are many a perk to working with Susanna every Wednesday. One of my favorites is being able to help her review classes before she actually gives the class. Last week the class was all natural cleaning products. While I knew a few things, Susanna (as usual) showed me there was so much more to the subject than orange oil and a prayer.

My personal favorite was the soft scrub she created. As someone who has lived in many a college dorm room and a cookie factory in Brooklyn (that’s not an exaggeration), you have no clue how thrilled I was to find out a soft scrub existed that didn’t reek of chemicals and burn my hands. By mixing hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and castile soap I was able to make my shower sparkle, my toilet bowl shine, my kitchen sink look new, and even give my refrigerator a facelift. This stuff was nothing short of amazing and I’ll be sure to always have some in my home from now on.

Susanna’s favorite was another concoction I would have never guessed would work as well as it did. Mixing distilled water, white vinegar, castile soap, and a bit of essential oil,  Susanna was able to make a wonderful all purpose cleaner that made my bathroom and kitchen floor shine.

There were plenty of tidbits throughout the class that I was happy to learn. Hydrogen peroxide is apparently a Godsend that can clean the grout in your kitchen and bathroom floors, and can even clean your reusable grocery bags from smelly odors or gunk left from fruits and veggies. By using a spray bottle you can spritz the inside of the grocery bag, which will eliminate the odor and you can wipe away the mess after the hydrogen peroxide has had a few minutes to do its work.

Working with my mother, aunt, and at The Rosemary House reminds me there is always something new to learn about herbalism and living naturally. I’m shocked by the fact that if you look, there are ways to be more natural in every facet of your life if they are not already there. So do yourself a favor and take a class, try a new recipe, or just drink a different tea. Learning more about herbs even in small ways can expand your knowledge of plants and life in general. If you’re as lucky as me it can also make your house smell great, too!