Magical Floor Wash

I get a little bored with housekeeping sometimes, and it helps me to add a dash of magic to keep it interesting. Washing floors is no different. My feline friends object strenuously to floor-cleaning, in any form. Dragging out the vacuum means that they disperse to safe zones beneath the bed. Mopping floors means that they get exiled from the room being cleaned. Otherwise, I’d have cat prints everywhere and much complaining at top volume about what I’m doing. Like most cats, they like to supervise.

I got an old-school string mop the other day and decided to clean every nook and cranny of the kitchen floor. This is my favorite floor wash recipe, edited a smidge:

• 1 bucket of water
• ½ cup of vinegar
• A few drops of dish soap
• Nine drops of essential oil

In this case, I used rosemary oil. I have tons of rosemary oil that I’ve been using in shampoo lately, so I’m all about using what’s on hand. Rosemary has magical associations with cleansing, purification, health, and love. Sounds perfect to me! As I mopped, I visualized all kinds of good things about purification – scrubbing away the last dregs of winter - and enjoyed smelling the rosemary. It does make an ordinary chore go a little bit faster!

I’d recommend that anyone using this tests a corner of their floor first. I have beat-up hardwood in my kitchen, so I’m not too worried about damaging it, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry! To be extra-safe, give it a good rinse when you’re through.

And that’s it! The kitchen smells wonderful. Once the felines were released, they descended upon it and rolled around on the floor. Nothing stays clean at my house for longer than five minutes, but it was nice while it lasted!

Do you have pets who like to help with housework?