An easy place to start...
I get many questions (and quite frequently), about how to replace chemical/over the counter cleaners, body/beauty care, and what other natural solutions can be brought into the home and life. MOST of which request the easiest place to start.
Naturally, with all the, "this is better" and "no use this instead" and "that's not sustainable!" flooding our internet feeds and magazines, an "easy place to start" is not as easy to come by as one may think. Anyone can put anything on the internet and make it look good. I do agree however, that starting off small, while it can FEEL slow, not only makes a huge difference, but doing it all at once can be overwhelming and sometimes, expensive. (such as replacing all plastics with wood/metal etc..)
Rather than go into a long winded, overly analytical dissertation about the varying degrees of preferences, priorities and other stuff you get often enough, (and quite frankly I'm simply not that arrogant) I thought I'd start with giving you a few very easy, very cost effective (out right saving money), everyday products I use and love around my family, pets and in my home. In the future we'll get into more natural beauty remedies and treatments, and more advanced chemical replacement methods/products, but these are a great place to start.
TeaTree/Lavender hard Surface Cleaner: (my daily go-to)
-1 cup distilled water (reg filtered water is fine, this is a personal preference)
-1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
-10 drops Tea Tree oil
-10 drops Lavender Oil.
Mix, shake, SPRAY! Leave on the surface for 5 min or so to let the anti-fungal of the Tea Tree take effect and wipe clean. Yes you catch a mild vinegar smell, but its mild and the lavender handles that, and you have absolutely NO harsh chemicals is the air around your loves, fades very quickly after wipe up. It goes without saying however, (given Tea Tree is dangerous to swallow), even in this diluted form this bottle should be kept away from children and pets, and any surface/treated surface sensitive to vinegar.
Natural Vinegar Cleaner: (From LearningHerbs.com)
This one I have a bit less experience with, but I got it off a website I spent years teaching my children with and, while a bit more work, its lovely.
-1 quart of vinegar
-1 cup of dried thyme leaves and flowers
-1 cup of dried lavender flowers
-quart jar
1. Place the dried herbs in quart jar
2. Fill the jar with vinegar
3. Let this sit for 24 hours
4. Strain out the vinegar well and then place it in a spray bottle.
Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
-1/2 cup baking soda
-1 cup distilled white vinegar
-1/2 Teaspoon Tea Tree oil
Mix the vinegar and TT oil in the spray bottle and spray inside toilet (can also be used on outside of toilet).. Let sit for several minutes. Sprinkle baking soda inside the toilet bowl (inside only), scrub and flush! BOOM!
All Natural Sanitizer:
-3 ounces (100ml) 70 percent rubbing alcohol
-1 Tsp Vegetable-derived glycerine
-1 Tsp Aloe Vera juice
-20 drops (1ml) Thyme (or other) essential oil
Mix together and spray as needed.
Tips: Essential oils such as thyme and eucalyptus improve the smell of the spray, and may provide antiseptic properties on their own. Aloe Vera/Veg Glycerin helps counter balance the drying effect of the rubbing alcohol. Be sure you are using a good brand alcohol, if not, it may have impurities in it that you do not want!
There ya go! Some of my regular home defenders that save so much money, are super easy, practical, and all good impacts! Until next time, thank you for being here!
-Cassandra K.
