Natural Household Remedies

Tired of using throw away paper towels to wipe up kitchen countertop spills ?  Here is an idea for both convenient and environmentally friendly kitchen wipes:

Cut up 100% cotton fabric from old T-shirts, sheets or pajamas into conveniently sized squares.  Store the cloths in a container filled with

• 1 cup of water
• 1 ounce of liquid castile soap
• 6-8 drops of your favorite essential oil

After use, the cloths can be washed and reused.  Make sure to close the container between uses.

If you have a lot of grease to fight, try this vinegar formula:

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of hot water
• 2 tbsp liquid castile soap
• 1/4 cup washing soda
• 1 cup vinegar
• 20 drops essential oil, either peppermint, eucalyptus or tea tree

Clean your floor as usual.  Rinsing is not necessary.  For extremely stubborn spots, drop essential oil directly on the spot, wait a litte, and scrub off.

Citrus is great against grease, and makes the kitchen smell fresh too:

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of hot water
• 2 tbsp liquid castile soap
• 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 8 drops lemon essential oil (or 1/4 cup of lemon juice)

Mix ingredients and mop or scrub your kitchen floor as usual.  No rinsing necessary.

To add a delightful light pine fragrance to your freshly scrubbed kitchen, try this solution:

Ingredients

• 1 gallon hot water
• 2 tbsp liquid castile soap
• 10 drops pine essential oil
• 5 drops cypress essential oil

In a large bucket, combine all ingredients.  Mop or scrub the floor as usual.  Rinsing is not needed.  If you have stubborn stains or scruff marks, drip a few drops of undiluted essential oil on the spot, let sit for a moment and wipe off with a damp cloth and dash of vinegar so nobody slips.

There are several ways of maintaining the freshness of your fridge - or freezer, for that matter.

• Place a bowl of coffee on one of the shelves, if you like the smell of coffee.  This will keep odors at bay for up to 7 weeks.
• Place a bowl with about 2 oz of vanilla extract on the shelves if you prefer the fragrance of vanilla over coffee.  Leave this in the fridge for a few days only though.
• If you have fresh herbs in your garden, cut a few sprigs of fragrant plants (e.g. rosemary, sage, mint, lemon balm), tie them with a string and hang them inside the fridge or freezer. This should keep fridge or freezer fresh for about 3 weeks.
• A piece of bread placed in the fridge or freezer will absorb many odors too.  if you want to add extra fragrance, sprinkle the bread with 2-4 drops of essential oil of any kind.