Natural Household Remedies

Via: St. Petersburg Times

The party favors are boxes of baking soda, recipe cards and spray bottles.

The theme is green.

Green cleaning parties have sprouted nationwide as a fun, easy way to rid homes of toxic chemicals found in common household cleaners.

Women’s Voices for the Earth, an environmental group in Montana, started the parties in March to offer people homemade alternatives to hazardous cleaners found under most kitchen sinks. Hostesses provide the recipes and ingredients; the guests whip them up.

Laura Daniels hosted a party this week at her New Tampa home for about a dozen friends and neighbors. On the menu: wine, hors d’oeuvres and furniture polish made from olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice.

“We all say we want to do something to protect the environment, but we don’t do anything,” said Daniels, 59. “This just made sense.”

The $15 party kit comes with recipe cards, a supply list, container labels, fact sheets and a video to show during the party. The video talks about the link between toxic chemicals in household cleaners and asthma and reproductive problems. It also calls on government leaders to require companies to list ingredients on product labels as they do for food.

There’s no sales pitch.

The parties promote all-natural cleaners used long before Easy Off, Formula 409 and other products became mainstream. “Ask your grandma what works,” touts the video.

Recipes cover an assortment of cleaners, from a toilet bowl cleaner to a creamy soft scrub for counters, stoves and bathroom sinks. The ingredients are cheap and typically found in most homes.

Guests take the products home with the mandate to use them and spread the word to friends and family. So far, 400 people have registered to host parties worldwide.

“I really thought they were going to have some secret ingredients,” Marti Woznicki said. “I think I’ll give them a try.”

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 5 drops essential oil of your choice
• juice of half a lemon

Sprinkle baking soda on the stain, then add drops of essential oil and sprinkle with lemon juice. Let sit over night or several hours. Wipe baking soda away and then rinse well.

If the stain is on the side of the sink, make a thick paste from the ingredients, using more baking soda if necessary. Make sure the paste sticks to the side of the sink.

Via: Faith Acre Farm

Tara writes:

Homemade Cleaning

Six or so years ago I started making homemade household cleaners out of the neccessity to save money. It didn’t take long for me to realize the enormous benefits of making and using homemade cleaners. Yes it is a great way to cut costs, but even better than that is the fact that you are cutting out harmful chemicals from your home! Not to mention reducing waste by not buying & rebuying containers full of chemical cleaners.

I’ve tried many different recipes over the years and have come up with a few favorites. One thing I have noticed is that you don’t have to have a cleanser for every purpose. I’ve simplified things and use 2 basic recipes for almost every cleaning need.

Read her recipes here

Stubborn sports are difficult to clean in a porcelain sink without leaving scruff marks.  But this herbal remedy will be hard on even the stubborn stains, yet soft on your beautiful porcelain sink.

Ingredients:

• 1 part sage, rosemary, lemon balm, thyme or mint, either fresh or dried
• 1 part water
• 4-6 drops of your favorite essential oil
• baking soda

Steep the herb in hot water for 2-3 hours, brewing a strong infusion, the strain and reserve the liquid.  Pour the liquid into the sink after closing the drain and let sit overnight, or for several hours.

If the stain persists, drop essential oil directly on the  stain and scrub after a few minutes with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge.

Allow this powder to rest on the stains for a little while. For less stubborn stains no resting is needed.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup borax
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 8 drops essential oil, either rosemary, eucalyptus or tea tree
• 3/4 cup vinegar for rinsing

Combine borax, baking soda and essential oil in an airtight container and shake well. Use the airtight container for storage, too. When needed, sprinkle a small amount of the powder into the sink, and let sit, the more stubborn the stains, the longer.  Then scrub with a damp sponge and rinse with hot water and vinegar.