Chinese Wash and the Art of Hoodoo House Cleaning

Alright, I have a confession to make:  I'm addicted to Chinese Wash.  I love the citrusy smell, the spiritual cleansing power of the stuff, and by the gods I love the way that stuff makes my wood floors shine! 

So, here is a formula for homemade Chinese Wash that gets the job done just as well as the store-bought kind.

Chinese Wash

A cup of pine scented commercial wash

A cup of household Ammonia

A teaspoon of Van Van oil*

A teaspoon Salt

A few Broom Straws

Add all of the above to a bucket of hot water and "wash away that unclean condition"!

Van Van Oil is made up of the following 5 grasses:

Lemongrass
Citronella
Vetivert
Palmarosa
Gingergrass

I simply add the dried grasses to mineral oil and let them infuse over the course of a few weeks.  You could use a hot infusion method, placing them in either a stainless steel pan or a glass pan and simmering both plants and oil for 3 hours.

Another popular Hoodoo household cleaner is Florida Water.  Here's a floor cleansing variation on the popular cologne:

Florida Water

1 gal. 75 proof alcohol
1 oz. Bergamot oil
4 oz. Cinnamon oil
2 oz. Benzoin oil

You'll want to bottle this and add about a cup or a cup and a half to your mop bucket, along with whichever commercial floor cleanser you regularly use.  Alternatively, you can put it in a spray bottle and use it to wipe down your floorboards, doorhandles, windowsills or even furniture.  It leaves behind a yummy scent, and I love to use it to freshen up my throw rugs.

Traditional Hoodoo House Cleaning

Dr. E's Conjureblog has some great instructions for cleaning your house in the Hoodoo way.  For your convenience, I've added them below, paraphrased.  All the credit goes to Dr. E! 

Floor washes are used in a very specific manner, and this procedure should be used every time you magically cleanse your house. Clean your home from the back of the house toward the front door. Mop the floors and wipe down the floor boards and the window sills with the floor wash, praying the entire time. The idea is that you are whisking the energy from the deepest parts of your home out the front door. If you have carpeted floors you can dampen a broom with the floor wash and lightly stroke it across the carpet (keeping in mind that some floor washes WILL stain, so use good judgment in how you apply them.) You can always wipe down the floor boards and window sills with a dampened rag no matter what. Work from the top downward, from the back of the house to the front door.

Another tradition is to light a white candle in each room after you have cleaned it.  Tea lights are excellent for this purpose.  Alternatively, you could use a white pillar or chime candle and move it through the home with you.  You would clean the first room, light it, then move on to the next room.  When you finish cleaning that 2nd room, you would take the light from the first room and set it in the 2nd, etc.

I prefer to anoint my candles with either an Uncrossing oil or Van Van oil.  I would use Peaceful Home also if there has been strife in the home recently.  Whatever suits your particular needs.

Once you have reached the threshold of the front door, wipe down the entire molding of the door and the threshold, then take your bucket of mop water and mop from the sidewalk inward toward your front door. I don't use a mop, personally, as the concrete tends to shred them very quickly.  Instead, I have an outdoors straw broom that I use exclusively for this purpose.  This is to bring in the desired influences (positivity, luck, money, protection, etc.) Finish at the threshold of the door, wipe down the molding from the outside of the house and the threshold.

Finally, take the bucket of used mop water to the crossroads and throw it over your left shoulder into the center of the crossroads toward the rising sun and walk away without looking back. Alternatively, the bucket can be tossed at a very large and sturdy tree, as it will absorb and earth the residual energy.

Toss the water "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost", walk away and don't look back.

Have fun cleaning house!