Take a look under your sinks and in any cabinets you keep cleaners and personal hygiene stuff. Everything is labeled with hazard warnings. Poison.
You do not need 409 or bathroom foam for your tubs and toilets or abrasive nasties for your glass stove top or aerosol furniture spray.
You only need these:
Baking soda (I get it in bulk from Costco)
Vinegar (case from Costco)
Castile liquid soap (this comes in Lemon, Lavender, and other nice essential oil scents)
Organic Coconut oil
Olive Oil
Bobs Red Mill Potato starch
Some hardy spray bottles and a couple containers to dilute the castile soap. I reused a squirt-able organic mustard container. When-ever possible, reuse reuse reuse!
Baking soda for lightly abrasive cleaning (do NOT mix with vinegar .. it neutralizes the cleaning).
Vinegar diluted with water for disinfectant.
For toilets, undiluted Castile soap. Swish it around, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Flush. Do again. If there are hardwater stains, use a pumice stone. Be sure to keep it wet. Yes, wear gloves! 😉
For showers, bath, sinks … use baking soda, and/or vinegar (after), and/or Castile. Any will work.
Spray down counters with diluted vinegar. Clean appliances the same way.
To make furniture spray, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2TB olive oil, lemon essential oil (or lemongrass, or orange, etc). Shake gently before spraying. Easy!
To remove labels –
This is a little more involved. It depends on the label. Some labels can be soaked off in a container of water. Some labels require a heat gun (use with care!) to remove. This can only be used with very sturdy plastic and glass. The final aspect is the coconut oil and baking soda. In a small bowl, put in a tablespoon or so of baking soda. Add in coconut oil, just enough to make a paste. Use a butterknife to spread the paste on the glue. Let it sit for 24 hours. Then use the flat part of the knife to scrape off the excess into a … you got it … saved pill jar that is ideal for excess oils before it gets tossed out (obviously there is a lid). Then use an old cloth and scrub away the paste. It make take some doing, but it is good exercise for your arms. Voila!
Carpet freshener … sprinkle baking soda, smear it in with your hands or feet. Let it sit, then vacuum.
Room freshener ….. NEVER NEVER NEVER use store bought junk. POISON ALERT! And none of that plug in stuff, either. Get yourself a nice dark spray bottle. Fill with water, and add your favorite ORGANIC essential oils. I like Cinnamon, Cloves, Lavender, Lemongrass, Dill, Basil, Orange .. all sorts of choices.
I also spray Cedarwood onto my pillows. It discourages little mites (microscopic!). And it helps promote sleep. On my wood stove, in the pot of water that is always there, I drop in Cinnamon. Yummy!
Buy eco-friendly or organic laundry detergent.
Do NOT USE DRYER SHEETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Static problem? Easy. Take about 4 feet of aluminum foil, roll into a loose ball, toss in. It takes the static. You can also toss in a muslin bag of lavender flowers. Or if you have some extra money, go to Etsy and buy some Wool Dryer Balls. They work for static, too.
The only thing that continues to stump me is the dishwasher. We’ve tried many variations, but still can’t quite get a good combo. So I don’t stress too much over that, since we are super eco everywhere else.
Mouthwash … yeah, that is a ‘chemical’. Bleh.
I make a mixture of dried rose petals, dried rosemary, dried sage, dried calendula (all or one of those will work great!) and make a ‘tea’. (do not boil the water … take the water off just before it boils). I make it in a canning jar and refrigerate. It will last a week or so. Schwish it around in your mouth and SWALLOW. Yup. Swallow.
Toothpaste … another chemical. Yuk!
Toothpowder — I use a 2 oz container (you can use any size) and fill 2/3 with baking soda. About a tsp of cinnamon, about 1/2 tsp clove. Use a bamboo stick to stir (or anything else that is handy!). Close the lid and finish by shaking it. Then, without getting your bamboo toothbrush wet, dip it into the powder. I just get the top half, really. Then brush. Your saliva will make it wet. After brushing … swallow it! Baking soda settles the stomach, and cinnamon and cloves are good for you! (Note on Cinnamon .. buy Ceylon Cinnamon, NOT the regular store kind). You should be able to swallow what you put in your mouth!
Toothpaste — make the toothpowder (but a less) and add in the coconut oil. Swallow!
And finally …… deoderant. A very serious poison. In a reused spice jar with small holes as the filter, mix fairly equal parts of potato starch and baking soda. Many people us corn starch, but that is GMO and harmful to your body and the Earth. Make friends with your underarm. Get used to touching it. Sprinkle the mixture on your fingers and apply. It does make white powder, but I keep a dry washcloth available to catch and wipe the excess. I apply this several times a day and it works great! You can do another part with a bottle of essential oil mixed a tsp of aloe vera gel (be sure to shake gently), water, and a TBL of witch hazel. This gives a ‘scent’. It seems messy at first, but it becomes routine. Note: under the arm is the gateway to your lymph system, and very vulnerable to poison.
Easy and cheaper alternatives …. and healthier.
… with love <3
<3