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.

If your fridge or freezer doesn’t smell as fresh as you would like it to, here is a simple fix:

Refresh-Your-Fridge-or-Freezer Mix

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp baking soda
• 6 drops of essential oil, peppermint or eucalyptus (for freezer)
• 10 drops of essential oil, peppermint or eucalyptus (for fridge)

Mix a solution of these ingredients.  After emptying the fridge / freezer and turning down the temperature regulator, or even shutting it off if you can, wipe the inside, walls and floor, of the fridge / freezer with a damp cloth and above solution, and don’t forget the shelves either.

Rinse well to remove baking powder residue, then dry walls, floor and shelves well with ahand towel before putting the food back.  Turn the temperature settign back up or switch it back on.