10 Cleansing Ideas I Realized from My Mexican Mom

Like most girls, my mamí discovered every thing she is aware of about cleansing from her mom, aunts, and sisters. She at all times appears to know simply find out how to clear one thing — rapidly, effectively, completely. My mamí labored full-time once I was rising up, however our casa was at all times bien limpiecita, or extraordinarily well-cleaned. It didn’t look lived in; it regarded pristine. After all, my sister and I have been required to assist, and so we discovered to wash the identical approach mamí discovered.

It’s undoubtedly extra of a problem to trace down a newspaper as of late, however once I’m in a position to get my arms on one, I exploit it to wash the glass in my dwelling. I bear in mind my mamí and aunts in Mexico wiping glass surfaces and mirrors with newspapers and being completely confused … till I attempted this tip for myself. 

To do it: You simply evenly spray a sheet of newspaper with equal components water and rubbing alcohol or cleansing vinegar after which wipe down a glass floor. The primary time I attempted this I used to be shocked at simply how glowing and smudge-free my home windows turned. If you wish to do this at dwelling simply strive a spot take a look at, first.

Scorching water kills micro organism, so when it got here to mopping my mamí solely used sizzling water to dilute our favourite lavender-scented multi-purpose cleaner, Fabuloso. Diluting the stuff not solely made the concentrated product last more, however it additionally appeared to make the aroma stronger and helped loosen all of the grime and filth from the ground. To regulate this tip to make use of on my concrete flooring, I pour a splash of Fabuloso immediately onto the ground and go over it with a steam mop. It’s essential to recollect, nevertheless, that sizzling water or sizzling steam may cause injury over time to sure flooring akin to hardwood.

After ending our Saturday morning cleansing routine, we’d nonetheless have to scrub up the cloths and rags we used for the flooring, counters, and different surfaces. I hated this process as a child, however as an grownup, I really feel immense satisfaction from ending the job. The one cleaner that’s up for the duty? Zote cleaning soap. This sizzling pink, citronella-scented laundry cleaning soap bar might not appear highly effective, however it’s a type of merchandise that each Mexican mom and grandmother retains stocked for day by day use. 

Zote is thought for being robust on stains, which is why we’d use it to show our black-and-grey rags again to white once more. Zote’s effectiveness and flexibility has been useful to me when washing stains off my dish towels, hand-washing sure laundry gadgets, and even cleansing my make-up brushes. 

Mexicans love limes — and by love, I imply we squeeze them on every thing. I consider the scent and style of a lime completely encapsulates Mexican tradition, so it is sensible that we’d use it for cleansing, too. Whereas there’s a plethora of lime-based dwelling cures and hacks I exploit, cleansing with lime has been an extremely efficient tip I discovered from my mamí.

To scrub a sink drain, sprinkle baking soda and rub it with a halved lime, ensuring the juice mixes with the baking soda to create a paste. This handy tip removes grime and filth across the drain, and it provides my kitchen that nice limón aroma.

My mamí was at all times a wonderful prepare dinner (her rice, flautas, and tortitas de papa have been unequalled), so I assumed nothing of the scent of cooked salt and potatoes or nopales (cactus) emanating from the kitchen on a weekday night time once I was a child. Come to search out out — my mamí was merely boiling these to loosen up the burnt components on the within of her pots and pans. Apparently, potatoes comprise oxalic acid, which is useful in breaking down rust, making potatoes trusty instruments for loads of cleansing jobs. 

Nopales, alternatively, are slimy and acidic that are good for cleansing up dirty residue from pots and pans. After trimming the sides and slicing off the thorns, my mamí would prepare dinner a nopal, let it simmer for about 20 minutes, after which scrub the pot or pan completely with a scouring sponge. I’ve used her potato hack to wash my forged iron skillet and a saucepan, however I’d quite use a nopal for some scrumptious nopales con huevo for breakfast. 

The scents of espresso and cinnamon are obligatory in any Mexican dwelling (how else would we make our beloved cafe de olla?), which is why my mother would put espresso beans in a pan on low warmth or simmer cinnamon sticks and water in a small saucepan after cooking meals that have been significantly pungent. She’d at all times do that after cooking something with spicy peppers and onions. The aroma was heat and calming, and let me know the day was winding down. I nonetheless use this tip now, after my husband cooks, and it at all times jogs my memory of my childhood dwelling. 

I imply it — we love limes! Whereas stainless-steel bars are sometimes used to do away with garlic and onion smells, my mamí at all times instructed us to rub a halved lime on our fingers and fingernails (this was additionally an excellent hack for cleansing up after a couple of tacos, particularly as a result of a handful of limes are at all times included with each plate). Though I do often use a chrome steel bar to do away with robust odors, a lime leaves that lingering scent I like a lot whereas eliminating something left behind beneath my fingernails.

After limes, Mexicans love Coca-Cola subsequent (and solely the Mexican Coke, which is really superior in style). It might sound unhappy to waste a superbly good Coke to make use of for cleansing, however for us, it’s fairly the alternative. Whether or not it’s descaling a kettle (fill with Coke, boil, and let sit for half an hour), sharpening chrome surfaces, or soaking rusty gadgets to make them look model new once more, Coca-Cola has been dependable in each Mexican dwelling.

Bugs are virtually inevitable in any kitchen, significantly through the hotter months. Due to the local weather and housing infrastructure in Mexico, my mamí was very used to eliminating hormigas and moscas, or ants and flies. She and her sisters would sprinkle floor clove or cinnamon on an ant’s path to repel extra from returning. They’d additionally fill plastic luggage with water and dangle them round home windows to successfully beat back flies. My mamí nonetheless makes use of her cinnamon trick on pesky ants, whereas I’ve barely altered this tip to utilizing important cinnamon oil, which is simply as efficient. 

“Not a single Latin household cleans with out music,” my mamí says. Cleansing, particularly deep cleansing, is sort of not possible to me with no good playlist. Rising up, this meant salsa and cumbia classics like Celia Cruz, La Sonora Dinamita, and Joe Arroyo. Now, my cleansing playlist consists of these classics that remind me of cleansing the home with my mamí and sister (with a couple of trendy reggaeton and hip-hop favorites). Cleansing is a dance, swiftly transferring from one space to the subsequent whereas being intentional with each step. Why not play some music and benefit from the efficiency?

What cleansing classes have you ever discovered out of your mother? Inform us within the feedback under.