Cleeeean

“You don’t get anything clean without getting something else dirty.” --Cecil Baxter

It’s important that you know that I’m one of those weird people who enjoys cleaning. I get a strange satisfaction out of making something sparkle and shine.

Doing dishes relaxes me. Organizing my closet is what I do for fun on the weekends. Dust is my enemy. If I take notes at work/school and they are messy, I rewrite them. And I never lose things, because everything has a place. Hi, my name is Stephanie and I’m a neat freak. I admit it.

But if I’m going to have a problem, I think this is a good one to have.

So my next endeavor is crazy exciting to me. This month, I will be making my own cleaning supplies! Get hyped.

It all started when I was cleaning my bathroom and had to leave the room for a few minutes because the fumes were making me light-headed. I understand that the chemicals need to be strong in order to kill germs, etc. …but does that mean it’s killing my brain cells in the process? Is it safe for me to be frequently in a confined space (i.e. my bathroom) with such harsh products? I was skeptical, so I put on my nerd gear and did a little research.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a study that found “indoor air to be twice as polluted as outdoor air.” Say what?! I thought my indoor air was supposed to be pure and clean and uncontaminated. Turns out, I was dead wrong. The harsh chemicals that we use indoors (not only in cleaning products, but also in perfumes, air fresheners, paint, etc.), there is nowhere for all of it to go. So we end up with these toxic cocktails and they are trapped inside. Yikes.

To me, it’s bonkers to think that all of the time and effort I put into making things safe and clean is actually making things polluted. So this month will be about trying to find a way to keep my environment clean without killing my brain cells. I sincerely hope this is not too much to ask.