I’m so thankful for my little angel who helps me discover new Eco-friendly Cleaning Products.  Yes just this morning she took what was left of my dishwashing liquid and happily squeezed it into the toilet.  How she got it down from the sink is another story but in short the toilet it nice and clean…

Anyway I have tried this recipe before and for some reason I forgot to share it but it does make for a nice, non-toxic and simple addition to your natural household cleaning supplies.  All you need is some liquid castile soap, water and some essential oil.  Here are the measurements:

1 Cup Liquid Castile Soap

1/4 Cup Warm Water

5-10 Drops of Lemon Essential Oil (Or your preference but Citrus Oils work best)

Simply combine the Castile Soap with warm water in container, then add Essential Oil.  If you want to make it look pretty you can also add a few drops of food coloring as shown.  I used Sage coloring.  Voila!  Works great, smells great and I didn’t even have to run to the store.  You can of course double the recipe depending on the size of your container.  Remember to shake it gently before each use.

All You Need…

Pour the Castile Soap into container…

Add Lemon Essential Oil

Make it perdy!  Add some food coloring..

Your done!  Takes about 5 minutes and you have your own dishwashing liquid!

Using natural cleaning products can help to keep the air in your home free of harmful toxins emitted from chemically laden cleaning products.  Most commercial products available and yes even those claiming to be Natural contain chemicals which are carcinogenic and contain endocrine disruptors that can cause tons of health problems especially in young children.  Researchers are now studying the possible link between Autism and exposure to chemicals at young ages.

We cannot smell these chemicals in our homes but believe it or not the air inside your home is often times more polluted than the air outdoors mainly due to trapped fumes let off from synthetic (bad) cleaning products.

Using Natural Cleaning Products with safe, plant based and non-toxic ingredients you can rid your home of these harmful, toxic fumes and exposure to chemicals plus you are not only saving your families health you are also helping the environment.  Cleaning with healthy products can be a pleasure too because of the uplifting scent of essential oils used such as Lemon, Lime, Orange or Eucalyptus Essential Oils..  I find I clean a lot more often and my house smells great.  Another huge plus side is that natural products are a lot less irritating to the skin. I don’t feel the need to wear gloves and/or open the windows to avoid the fumes.  Oh and did I mention that a good Natural Cleaner is just as or even more effective? Score!!

Okay so I had this light bulb moment the other day…  Finally I figured out what to do with all of those leftover baby food containers!  My daughter loves fruit and she goes through a ton of Gerber Apples-n-Blueberry, Pears, Peaches and well… just about all of them.  All this time I clean them out and toss them into the recycle bin wondering.. what could I use these for?  I even saved a bunch of them for awhile for her to play with as blocks.. but they eventually (after being distributed throughout the house) made there way to the big blue bin.

Ever since I have been making massage and lotion bars.. I wished I had something to store them in once they are opened.  Out of convenience I always used a plastic baggie.. but its not that attractive in the bathroom… so I thought it would be nice to have them in a tin or something.. but the tins are all too small really.   So one day I felt crafty and wallah!  Here is what I came up with..  Now I really like making them.. and I will probably end up with more than necessary but they can serve multiple purposes..  Don’t you think?  A cute and green solution..

If you are like me then you are totally SICK of the rising costs of everything including laundry detergent.  I am feeling like the whole world is just using the recession as an excuse to jack up prices so whatever I can do to save money these days I will do..

Here is a great money & earth hugging way to save some bucks for your family.  Make your own laundry detergent that lasts quite a long time and works excellent!  I was skeptical at first but I am happy to say it passed the test.  Compare this to your favorite brand and see for yourself.  I’ve been paying around $15 for a large jug of Gain detergent.  This recipe is equal to about 3 jugs and it only costs around $5 to make!  Cha Ching!

You will need:

1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap (Old fashioned washing soap)

1 ½ Cups Borax Detergent

1 ½ Cups Washing Soda

1 oz. Essential Oil of choice (if desired)

Lot’s o’ Water

5 gallon bucket or tub

Here’s how:

1. The first step is to grate the soap, add the grated soap to a large pot.
2. Add 12 Cups of Water and cook on medium heat until completely melted.  Stir occasionally and don’t let it boil over.  (About 15 mins)
3. Once melted remove from heat and add the Borax, stir and add the Washing soda,  then stir until completely dissolved.  (Be careful not to inhale the powdery dust as you pour.)
4. Next add 8 cups of hot water to your 5 gallon pale or large tub.
5. Add the soap mixture to the tub and stir.
6. Next add the 1oz. of Essential Oil and stir.  I prefer Sweet Orange myself,… reminds me of a Creamsicle.)
7. After that add another 2 ½ gallons of H2O and stir.  (Cold is fine.)
8. That’s it!  Cover and let it sit for 24 hours.  Stir it up a once or twice while you wait.  After 24 hours you can pour it into the containers of your choice.  Milk jugs work the best.  You will notice this recipe makes quite a bit so if need be you can cut it in half.  Lasts a family of 4 about 3-4 months!  Use ½ per load or 1 cup per large load.   Important!!  Shake before each use.

Did you know that synthetic, commercial furniture polish is chock full of neurotoxins like petroleum distillates and solvents?  These toxic chemicals threaten the environment and indoor air quality of your home because they are highly flammable and can cause skin and lung cancer.  These substances contain nitrobenzene, which is easily absorbed through the skin and extremely toxic.

The more I learn about the invisible toxins associated in our household cleaning products, carpets and furniture the more I am compelled to find alternate (and even better as I’m finding) ways to clean my home. Our natural polish will not only preserve and protect your wood furniture, it is completely safe to use, won’t harm the planet and smells great!

Toxic Chemicals are loaded in Commercial Carpet

Ok now this is a topic that I know most people ignore.. Chemicals in the home are invisible to the naked eye and you know the old saying “outa site, outa mind” holds true.  Its easy to forget that every new product including carpet, bedding and furniture are choc full o’ toxic chemicals.   Hmmmm…. wonder why there is such a cancer epidemic?  Products we bring into our homes also affect our family’s health.  Are you aware of the toxins in your average synthetic carpet??

Chemicals commonly used in the manufacture of synthetic carpeting: (provided by a carpet manufacturer)

Ethylbenzene
formaldehyde
methacrylate acid
methyl methacrylate
acrylic oligomers
tetrachloroethylene
toluene
xylenes
4-phenylcyclohexene
acetonitrile
azulene
benzene
biphenyl
2-butyloctanol-1
cyclopentadiene-ethenyl-2-ethylene
1,3,5-cycloheptatriene
1-chloronaphthalene
diphenyl ether
dodecane
1,4-dihydroxyacenophthene
ethylxylene
1-ethyl-3-methylbenzene
hexadecanol
hexamethylene triamine
1-h-indene
1-methylnaphthalene
2-methylnaphthalene
1-methyl-3 propylbenzene
2-methyl-4-tridecene
5-methyltridecane
octadecenyl amine (oleylamine)

oxarium
polyacrylates
1-phenylcyclopentanol
2-propylheptanol
phthalic esters
styrene
1,2,3,-trimethylbenzene
1,2,4,-trimethylbenzene
tetradecene
2,3,7-trimethyldecane
undecane,2,6-dimethyl

Symptoms associated with exposure to the previous chemicals: (provided by industrial hygienists)

eye irritation
contact lens affected
blurred vision
eyes sensitive to light
throat irritation
loss of voice
cough
dry or thirsty mouth
lips burning
tongue burning
headaches
dizziness, disorientation
vomiting
nausea
chest pains
shortness of breath
irregular heart beat
high blood pressure
drowsiness
unusual fatigue
chemical sensitivity
nose burning or bleeding
loss or increase of smell
moodiness
rash or itching
hair loss
weight loss or gain
flu-like symptoms
aggravated asthma
aggravated allergies
joint pain
muscular aches
abdominal pain
memory loss
poor concentration
nervous system disorders
unusual depression
irritability
jerking in sleep
respiratory tract irritation
menstrual irregularities
sexual dysfunction

Robert Abrams, the NY Attorney General says that “The carpet industry has mounted a massively deceptive merchandising campaign the intentionally mislead the public by implying that all carpets with the green tag have met safety standards,”  “First of all, there are no such recognized standards of safety. The Carpet and Rug Institute its own arbitrary standards. Secondly, CRI’s testing program is completely inadequate because it measures only a small percentage of the chemicals emitted from carpets.

Finally, a manufacturer can get a green tag for an entire product line simply by having one small piece of carpet tested once a year.”  One of the carpets to pass the green tag testing is associated with disabling the members of the Charles Fitzgerald family of West Friendship, Maryland,who were exposed to it in their lighting store in 1992.  When tested by Anderson Labs, the Fitgeralds’ carpet caused gross nervous system abnormalities in mice.” The Consumer Product Safety Commission receives hundreds of complaints and inquiries each year about the adverse health effects associated with the materials used to make carpet,”said Abrahms.

Yet the government has chosen to sweep this problem under the rug by ignoring the public’s health concerns as well as my request to disseminate meaningful information about potential carpet hazards.”

Just another thing to have to worry about I know..  but I feel that our home should be the least toxic place since we spend so much time in it and for our children’s sake.. since they spend so much time on the carpet.