I tried the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide anywhere spray cleaner and just wasn't pleased. It smelled bad and it didn't shine. I expect my house to shine! Well, when I actually get around to cleaning it I expect it to shine. Most of the time I would be happy with a dull gleam. But, the previously mentioned cleaner just wasn't cutting it.
So, asking around, I came across a new idea. Baking soda and dish soap. Now, I realize that dish soap isn't usually all natural. However, I think it's certainly less chemical laden than most of the strong bathroom cleaners out there. At least it's not going to burn my lungs while I clean. So, I feel like it's a safer alternative. Eventually I will try a more natural version of the soap, maybe even a castille soap. At the moment I just have a name brand original dish soap on hand so that's what I used.
I mixed about 2 TBL of baking soda with enough dish soap to make a toothpaste consistency. I then dropped in about 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and 10-12 or so drops of lemon essential oil. Both of those oils are known to have antibacterial properties. And, I personally, love the clean smell they leave when combined!
I tried this in the bathroom first since that is the "make it or break it" room for me. I smeared a dime-nickel size blob onto the surface I wanted to clean. I then rubbed it around with a clean wet cloth. Then I rinsed it with another wet rag and dried it with a towel. Guess what?! My bathroom, including the tub and shower became shiny, clean and nice smelling with very little effort (compared to straight baking soda or even some commercial cleaners). My chrome is shiny too. I did the inside of the toilet and the floors with commercial cleaners. (I am still working on a good floor cleaner for the bathroom.)
So, all in all, I would say SUCCESS! It's quick and easy to make, fairly inexpensive, chemically safer, and it works. So there you have it! Give it a try. Let me know what you think.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Update
With all the business of life I hadn't realized that I didn't ever do an update on a few items. So here's the update after months of trial and error.
OCM- I use 3 TBL of olive oil and 1TBL of castor oil. I really like it. My skin is the clearest it's been in a long time. I haven't had an acne outbreak (a bad one anyway) for several months. It gets my make up off and it's relaxing and inexpensive. My skin is feeling a bit dry this winter so I will need to investigate some natural moisturizers. I tried using just a small bit of oil rubbed into my skin and it caused a breakout so, I won't be doing that again! But the OCM and I are very good friends now!
Poo free- I am using 1/2 TBL of baking soda dissolved in 1/2 Cup of hot water. I rinse with 3 TBL of apple cider vinegar mixed into 1 Cup of hot water with a few drops of teatree essential oil mixed in. I love it. I feel like my head has finally detoxed all the chemicals and is starting to make it's own oils again. My hair is clean and it doesn't smell like vinegar or teatree oil after I rinse will. I only wash my hair every other day due to the dry weather here in Colorado and my hair's natural dryness. I admit, I do still use over the counter mousse for styling so an assignment for the new year will be to find a way to make or buy a more natural version without breaking the bank!
Household cleaner- I threw that out! It just didn't work up to my standards however, a friend recently told me about a new recipe to try so that is on the list for the coming year as well.
Laundry Soap- Love it! I use Fels Naptha, Borax and water (see recipe in the links section). Truthfully, it may not work as well as good ol' "Tide" but it works well. I have not added essential oils since our family has sensitive skin. This has become a regular household item in our house.
Lip Balm- Love it! I think it's time to make another batch. I think I will invest in purchasing a bulk amount of lip balm containers since I gave all mine away last time I made the lip balm. :) This time I think I will also experiment with some essential oils. I put this lip balm on right before bed and it really does keep my lips from chapping in this very dry climate!
Bread- Still going strong on the bread making front! We'll never go back to store bought. It's too easy and too inexpensive to make our own and the taste is unsurpassed by anything we could buy off the shelf!
This year- My goals for this year are to try a new recipe for household cleaner, find a more natural hair styling product and also try making bathtime salt scrubs. I will also hopefully be trying a few more natural remedies for common sicknesses in our family. I will try to keep you updated on any experiments and how they turn out.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
OCM- I use 3 TBL of olive oil and 1TBL of castor oil. I really like it. My skin is the clearest it's been in a long time. I haven't had an acne outbreak (a bad one anyway) for several months. It gets my make up off and it's relaxing and inexpensive. My skin is feeling a bit dry this winter so I will need to investigate some natural moisturizers. I tried using just a small bit of oil rubbed into my skin and it caused a breakout so, I won't be doing that again! But the OCM and I are very good friends now!
Poo free- I am using 1/2 TBL of baking soda dissolved in 1/2 Cup of hot water. I rinse with 3 TBL of apple cider vinegar mixed into 1 Cup of hot water with a few drops of teatree essential oil mixed in. I love it. I feel like my head has finally detoxed all the chemicals and is starting to make it's own oils again. My hair is clean and it doesn't smell like vinegar or teatree oil after I rinse will. I only wash my hair every other day due to the dry weather here in Colorado and my hair's natural dryness. I admit, I do still use over the counter mousse for styling so an assignment for the new year will be to find a way to make or buy a more natural version without breaking the bank!
Household cleaner- I threw that out! It just didn't work up to my standards however, a friend recently told me about a new recipe to try so that is on the list for the coming year as well.
Laundry Soap- Love it! I use Fels Naptha, Borax and water (see recipe in the links section). Truthfully, it may not work as well as good ol' "Tide" but it works well. I have not added essential oils since our family has sensitive skin. This has become a regular household item in our house.
Lip Balm- Love it! I think it's time to make another batch. I think I will invest in purchasing a bulk amount of lip balm containers since I gave all mine away last time I made the lip balm. :) This time I think I will also experiment with some essential oils. I put this lip balm on right before bed and it really does keep my lips from chapping in this very dry climate!
Bread- Still going strong on the bread making front! We'll never go back to store bought. It's too easy and too inexpensive to make our own and the taste is unsurpassed by anything we could buy off the shelf!
This year- My goals for this year are to try a new recipe for household cleaner, find a more natural hair styling product and also try making bathtime salt scrubs. I will also hopefully be trying a few more natural remedies for common sicknesses in our family. I will try to keep you updated on any experiments and how they turn out.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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