I’m getting lots of questions about my housekeeping formula.
Firstly, my tool of choice is the spray bottle. I am the wacky spray bottle lady, spraying and spritzing – it’s quick and effective (and actually rather fun too – especially if you sing while doing it!).
I use a base of organic liquid soap – could be Dr. Bronner’s, Meyer’s, Seventh Generation…it doesn’t really matter which, as long as it’s non-toxic. I add a few ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide and an ounce or so of pure essential oil of eucalyptus and/or peppermint and if I have sodium bicarbonate, I’ll add a few tablespoons of that. It’s like that recipe where you just shoot from the hip – a little bit of this, a dash of that… and voila! But don’t go using H2O2 on anything you would be concerned might fade, like on colored paint or wooden surfaces. It’s a low concentration, but still…. that would be a concern. I don’t have any such surfaces in my current home so I just use this concoction everywhere. It’s also fabulous on grout in the shower! Spray! Spritz! Pow! And you’re cleaning like a champ! You’re doing it and it’s looking great, smelling great and feeling great!
I like to create a range of spray bottles at home, each with different essential oils – one with essential oil of lemon, lime and or orange, one with geranium, ylang ylang and geranium or jasmine, even one with ginger and basil. It can be as diverse or as basic as you like. Remember, all the essential oils kill germs and raise the frequency of the space.
How pure and beautiful, fresh and deeply enjoyable can you make your spaces – with nothing else but cleaning with high vibe substances? This is the future of the new ‘good life!’
Now, I’ll give you an added challenge. America is the land of consumption, so we are all wired for buying way more than is even good for us (and let’s seriously consider the planet!). Before buying anything new, focus on taking extra good care of what you have. This is the way forward (for a zillion reasons). Buy almost nothing (just the necessary groceries and your cleaning products) and then get rid of/give away anything and everything superfluous. From there, start really taking care of what you have. It will make you feel amazing, I promise!
This is the way of the future! Soon maybe we’ll even start darning our socks again!
It’s funny, too, I’ve lived in a tiny space with a whole family as well as in a sprawling, 7-bedroom home and the fact is that we were the happiest as a family when we were five souls in our 1,500-square-foot, 2.5-bedroom apartment in NYC.
Living in what could easily be called the most gobsmackingly gorgeous neighborhood in the world, among jaw-droppingly spectacular homes, I truly would not want to maintain any one of them. They are stunning to look at – they are true works of art – old, American beach palaces. But, at this stage in my life, I really appreciate the value of only having what I can personally, comfortably look after myself. It’s fun to have a small place I can keep immaculate and bright with high-vibration energy all on my own.
It’s different when one has a big family under one roof which is no longer the case for me. But, having been there, I will say that it can be a cruel situation for a mother if there is not a sense of true collective contribution to housework. I’ve heard families like contribute collectively to the housework do actually exist but I have never actually seen one in real life.
So, to me, it’s still a legend… like a unicorn or a fairy.
The man in my life tells me that his family operated that way when he was growing up in Norway – and I believe him because he is always lending a hand and asking what he can do, which is incredibly refreshing. But the burden in our American culture typically falls to the mother and It’s just way, way, WAY too much work! This is why I capitulated to the extra help that was eventually offered to me and do not recommend taking a household on oneself – rather, consider enforcing collective contributing by all members. Otherwise, kids become spoiled and the poor mother becomes worn down, short-tempered, stressed and resentful (or she just swigs on the bottle and let’s the house go to pot). The problem is always that, aside from very small children, everyone should clean up after themselves but in our culture we are lulled into being quick to consume and mess things up and then try to dodge the consequences.
When we think of the body we are looking at a mirror of consequences. If we consider that there is a price to be paid for every indulgence, then we might at least take responsibility for the constant indulgences. But very few people do that. Instead the body is treated like a loan account. There is a great deal of expenditure and very little paying up, with lots of borrowing against the indulgences. A home is no different when full of people who will gladly let others clean up after them.
So many people who have lofty aims of doing something great for the world, making an impact, saving the planet cannot even clean up after themselves – their bedroom, their kitchen, their car, their desk, let alone their internal physical systems. Imagine the positive impact on the world by simply cleaning up after oneself and keeping one’s own life tidy?!
I live a very minimalistic life now because I can now! I no longer have to compromise – I don’t even have to compromise about what goes into my kitchen like I used to which really bothered me. I no longer have to have any form of meat or milk or mainstream anything in the sanctuary of my space.
What is your hierarchy of needs for you space? For me it was to be flooded with sunshine and surrounded with a natural landscape that inspired me. I longed for bright, simple, minimalism with an inspiring view. Now that I have it, I will maintain it and keep raising the vibe on it!
Happy high-vibe housekeeping 
