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Spring Cleaning- the Natural Way
Many of us started making soaps and body
care products as a way to avoid the potentially harmful ingredients in
commercial products. Long before I knew how to make soap, I had sworn off
of commercial products for house care for the same reason. In this
article, Stephanie Fox, a/k/a evilmathlady, and I will be giving you ideas for
cleaning everything from clothes to carpets, so you, too, can enjoy the benefits
of a naturally clean house. Then, I started learning more about herbs and essential oils, and my repertoire expanded! As Steph mentions below, sweet orange oil is wonderful added to water for a cleaning solution instead of vinegar. I have also used lemon and lime essential oils. The citrus eo's just seem to lend themselves beautifully to cleaning applications, and their bright, sunny smell will probably lift your spirits at the same time. I have also added a few drops to the baking soda that I sprinkle before vacuuming. Before doing this, make sure you test a small area of the rug, to make sure the oils don't discolor the fabric. If you are worried about this, simply put the eo on a cotton ball and place inside your vacuum bag. This way, you still can enjoy the fragrance as you clean.
Herbal Carpet Powder (Strewing Herbs) Here are some combinations to try. Add the amount of crushed herbs given to two cups of baking soda. If you wish, add a few drops of an appropriate essential oil as well. Store in a powder container. Scarborough Fair Faerie Powder 2 tbsp thyme Put Your Feet Up
Okay, we all hate cleaning the bathroom. Well, that is, most of us do, there are those of us who make a virtue out of necessity and take great satisfaction in the results of their thorough bathroom cleaning. These people are known as Pollyannas, and are probably very happy and well grounded people. But for the rest of us, well, it is a chore to do quickly and efficiently, and then to forget about until next time. Or, as in my case, teach the children to do it as early on as possible, so that you don't have to. This recipe, by Nanette Blanchard, has been a favorite for years, may make you into a member of the Pollyanna group… Germ
Busting Rinse Pour boiling water over lavender and cloves and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain, let cool, add tea tree oil and pour in a spray bottle She suggests mixing equal parts of this with white vinegar and pouring it into the toilet bowl. Let it sit for fifteen minutes, and then clean with a toilet brush. She also mentions using it to clean out the litter box.
Herb Quarterly Spring 99 Lastly, consider using some of your favorite eo's in combination with water to make room sprays. The combinations are endless, and with a little bit of research you will be able to put together sprays for calming the spirits, refreshing the mind, creating a romantic mood, and many others. I used to make a spritz for my children's pillows at bedtime, that included lavender eo and a to touch of vanilla fragrance oil, and they looked forward to the bedtime ritual that revolved around it.
This recipe is from Kathi Keville, and is really wonderful, especially when people in your feel as though they are coming down with something. Disinfectant
Room Spray Add
essential oils to water and keep in a spritzer bottle. Shake well before using. GreatLife/8/98 Here
are some of Steph's tips for natural home care. Laundry Soap Recipes and Ideas http://www.soapnuts.com/laundry.html Currently, I am using 2 cups of shredded soap, 1 cup each of borax and baking soda and 5 cups of water in my crock pot to get goopy. When it cools, I put it in a liquid laundry detergent container from store bought stuff and that way I have the cup to measure with and a sturdy bottle to keep it in. I measure this out like regular laundry liquid, sometimes I need to shake it before I open it to get it all mixed up again. When I had really hard water, I used a downy ball full of white vinegar to rinse the laundry clean. Now I just use a little in the fabric softener ‘hole’ in my machine.
Natural Products to Clean the Home I’ve been using shredded soap that I powdered with equal parts of soap, borax and baking soda and added orange essential oil until it smelled right for a scrubbing cleaning powder. This works with just a little elbow grease to get that soap scum off the floor of the shower. Wipe the tile down with this and then spray with white vinegar. Spray it or sponge it off. This blend can also be used as the powdered laundry detergent. Or you can add it to a spray bottle with some hot water to dilute for a wet spray. White vinegar can do wonderful things, mixed with salt it is good to scrub off the mineral deposits around the sink tap. Sprinkle baking soda on caked on food from cooking dinner, let sit and then clean when softened. To keep your drains clear, sprinkle baking soda down there and then follow with some white vinegar. Orange essential oil is good to remove ‘goop’ and as a degreaser, and it also kills germs. Other eo’s to use are tea tree (not to be used around cats, I’ve heard it’s toxic), other citrus eo’s, eucalyptus, lavender… I’m sure there are more, but these are what I know about and use. Steph's Links to Sites With Recipes and
Suggestions: http://id.essortment.com/naturalcleaning_rjae.htm
http://nancysnatural.expage.com/id2.html http://www.care2.com/channels/lifestyle/home/
this is one of my favorites http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm http://www.pioneerthinking.com/cleaningsolutions.html this one has a lot of specific problem suggestions (ink, nail polish… ) ~ Stephanie Fox and Khadijah Lacina
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