Vinegar and Baking Soda

     I have lots of random thoughts rambling around in my head, but to write a cohesive post, I decided to talk about my most favorite cleaning products!  This was a topic of conversation yesterday between myself and my two cousins, whom I help homeschool. 
     My relationship with vinegar and baking soda started about 5 years ago, right before I found out baby #3 was on the way.  I've always been frugal (or a cheapskate, however you'd like to look at it!) and in yet another effort to shave off some household expenses, I decided to begin turning towards cheaper cleaning products, i.e. vinegar.  I didn't throw out my regular stuff, mind you, but decided to do some experimenting.  But, alas, my experimenting was cut short when Lindy was conceived and I began my 8 month journey through my personal hell, called pregnancy.  I was too sick to be creative and experiment, so what little cleaning got done (and there was very little!) was done with my usual, chemical stand-byes. 
     Enter in autism and the beginning of my new journey to cure it!  After doing lots and lots of research into autism and causes and potential cures, I stumbled across a lot of research involving the harmful chemicals that we use everyday and add to our indoor pollution in the name of "cleaning" and "disinfecting."  So, in one fell swoop, I threw out all my regular cleaners, bought some spray bottles and gallons of vinegar and forever switched over to the "green" option before "green" was cool!
     Vinegar is a disinfectant that is just as effective as most commercial products.  And it dissolves lime and makes windows and chrome sparkle.  Plus, its totally safe for the kiddos!  That was one thing that I loved the most- I could safely clean the bathroom while Lindy sat in her bouncy seat and watched.
     I also began using baking soda for my toilet cleaner and degreaser.  It also works wonders for clogged drains when mixed (in the drain) with vinegar. 
     Interestingly enough, after using vinegar for the last 4 years, my kids and I can no longer tolerate the smells of commercial cleaners.  We HATE the cleaning aisle at the grocery store and Wal-mart.  It makes our eyes burn and our noses stop up.  I think most people are desensitized to the chemicals and fragrances in these products and so they don't notice them anymore.
     If you're wondering if using only vinegar really does work as an effective disinfectant, well, I can honestly say that my family is rarely sick.  We don't have many colds and the kids usually only run a fever once a year.  We also haven't been to see the doctor for a sickness in well over a year!


     In other quick news, the clonidine for Reece to help his sleeping is a total joke.  After taking it for 9 nights, we've seen absolutely NO difference.  He still doesn't fall asleep well and he still gets up in the middle of the night.  Last night he was up from 2:30 to 5:30 am.  On the plus side, his language has just sky rocketed in the last month!!!  Don't know why, but, hey, we'll take it!  He's actually using a word for his frustrations, too- "dangit!"  I told Jeff its a good thing we don't cuss or I wonder what word he would've chosen then :-)