Deep Cleaning - Naturally

The times that I actually feel motivated to deep clean are so few and far between that I can probably count on one hand the number of times that happens in a year!  So when the urge hits, you gotta run with it!  One such urge came on the other day when I became so disgusted with our basement bathroom that I simply couldn't stand it.  I went to bed thinking about it, and I woke up with one mission.  Deep clean it.  Top to bottom.  Floors to ceiling.  And while I was at it, how about the walls.  ALL the walls in my house. (Serious ambition but not enough hours in the day!)

Refresh, Renew, and Reuse: 5 ways to use your ENTIRE Lemon

What do you do when life gives you lemons?  USE THEM!!!  All of them.  Let no part go to waste!  There are TONS of ways to use lemons up.  THIS ARTICLE has 45 amazing ways you could use those lemons.  I was quite surprised by some of them!

20 Ways I Use Vinegar

There are hundreds of ways to use vinegar.  You might have seen articles floating around Pinterest about all of these fabulous uses.  Since moving away from using toxins and chemicals in our house, I have found vinegar to be a staple. We go through gallons of this stuff.  Literally.  I buy a gallon almost every time I go grocery shopping.  

Make No Sew Reusable Swiffer Pads

This tutorial is how to make reusable Swiffer Pads.  I would love to own a sewing machine someday but as of now I do not have one.  So I went in search of way I could make these without actually sewing.  I found THIS site with a great tutorial on how to sew some if you would rather do it that way.  And I threw in my own creativity with a much cheaper means of sticking it your Swiffer.

Swiffer Solution

I ran out of Swiffer solution a long time ago.  I'm embarrassed to admit just how long it has been since I've actually mopped in our kitchen or bathrooms.  Yikes!  We have a traditional mop and bucket but it gets stinky quickly and quite frankly it's just a hassle right?  I mean filling the bucket and wringing out the mop.  Who wants to do that?!  Ha!  We bought a Swiffer years ago to avoid this cumbersome process.  It was nice to spray and push.  But then you had the nasty pads that just get thrown away and the super expensive refills to buy once you run out of the solution.  And they are smart too.  The refills are not made to be refilled at home.  They want you to keep coming back for more.

Homemade Dish Soap and Dishwasher Tabs

DIY and save money!

In my house, if the kitchen is clean than I am much less likely to be stressed out.  I love to cook and bake and since we don't use many paper products anymore (napkins, paper towels, paper plates, etc.) the dishes tend to pile up.  Fast.  I run the dishwasher twice a day usually and still have to hand wash some things.  So as you may have guessed we go through dish soap and dishwasher detergent pretty quickly.  

Lovely Lavender

I LOVE the smell of Lavender.  It's always been a scent that has been soothing to me.  Perfect for the bath or bed time.  Much of what I have used in the past has been a chemically imitated version of lavender.  To my delight, it turns out that REAL lavender essential oil smells even better!

I am a novice when it comes to essential oils.  I have started a small collection and hope to keep adding to my bounty in the near future.  Right now my collection consists of grapefruit oil, tea tree oil, and now lavender.  When I first bought my lavender I wasn't quite sure what to do with it other than open the cap and enjoy the whiff.  My intent was to use it in my laundry which ironically I have still not made my detergent!  As I researched the many uses of lavender I was blown away by all the applications.  THIS list was most fascinating to me and I hope to try all of these some day!

But for now, here are a few easy (and wonderfully soothing) ways to use lavender essential oil in your home with little effort.

Fabric Softeners

Though I have not made laundry detergent yet, I have made fabric softener.  I love to hang my clothes out on the line but sometimes they get a little scratchy feeling.  Enter fabric softener.  The first one I tried is a vinegar and essential oil mix.  You simply fill a glass jar with white vinegar and add several drops of lavender and voila!  You have homemade fabric softener.  The vinegar will not hurt the clothes believe it or not, you cannot smell the vinegar once the clothes have dried.

We use a Downey ball and put about a 1/2 cup of the vinegar solution in it.  Just toss it in the laundry with the rest of your dirty clothes.  You could also use the fabric softener compartment on your washer if you have one. 

The clothes were considerably softer when using this solution and they smelled great after they dried.  The downside is that I washed some of my Zumba clothes this way.  I sweat of TON in my Zumba class.  Somehow my sweat managed to release the vinegar smell on my clothes.  So the moral of the story, don't get the clothes wet again or you will smell like vinegar!

Because of this I went on a search for a different method.  One that did not involve vinegar.  I found one that uses Epsom salt instead.  Again, it is simply Epsom salt and a few drops of lavender.  It works out to be about 10 drops per cup of salt.  I keep mine in a quart size mason jar.  All you do is simply add a quarter cup of the salts to your regular laundry.  It works pretty well too.  I like this method because there is no vinegar smell but I feel the vinegar does a better a job.

Bath Salts

Bonus!!  The above fabric softener can also be used in your tub!  Fill your bath tub with warm water and sprinkle some lavender infused salts in.  The Epsom salt will help sooth tired muscles and the lavender will act as a calmer.  It's the perfect tension relieving mini spa treatment for pennies on the dollar.

Face Wash

Remember the Oil Cleansing Method I blogged about a while back?  Well I'm still using it.  And I discovered that lavender is an excellent skin healer used for all sorts of skin issues like healing wounds and scarring.  It even helps with acne.  So I have added a few drops of my lavender oil into my facial oil and I LOVE it!  It not only helps with acne but it also is quite soothing to wash my face with it before bed time.  It is very relaxing to smell it right under my nose.

Room Spray

This is probably the most used lavender product in our house besides my face wash.  The recipe is super easy and lasts a long time.  I used a large spray bottle that I bought at Walmart for about a dollar.

You will need: 
Distilled water
Vodka or Rubbing Alcohol
Lavender Essential Oil

Fill your spray bottle about 2/3 of the way with distilled water.  Fill the rest of the bottle with rubbing alcohol.  Add in about 30 drops of essential oil.  Put the lid on and shake it up!  It smells fabulous.  We use it in our bathroom a lot but also in our living room and bedrooms as well.

Linen Spray

That same room spray can also be used to spray your bed sheets and pillows.  It makes bed time quite relaxing.  If you have troubles sleeping, lavender is an excellent way to signal your body it's time to go to sleep.  Make it a regular part of your bed time routine!

Kids Sleepy Time Trick

We have not actually tried this yet but I look forward to it.  Because lavender is so soothing and calming, it is said that you can rub some lavender essential oil on the bottom of your kids feet before bed to help calm them down.  I don't know about your kids but my 2 and 4 year old boys are CRAZY before bed!  I'm hoping adding this little trick before they hit the sack will help calm them down some.

Sunburn Relief

Another one that I look forward to trying is a sunburn spray.  None of us have had bad sunburns yet this year thanks to my compulsive sunscreen use!  But when we do, we will be trying this trick.  Fill a small spray bottle with water and add a few drops of lavender.  Spray on your sunburn several times a day for relief and healing thanks to the skin healing properties found in lavender.

Dirt Cheap Yard Work

Another stop on my quest for a chemical free house.  Ok, I have to be honest - it also had a lot to do with money.  It turns out that DIY natural options tend to be much cheaper than the chemicals anyway!

A little background first.  We are currently renting so aside from not having a lot of extra cash right now, we don't really want to pour a bunch of money into someone else's yard.  There are two areas that are supposed to be rock and dirt but the weeds have taken over and it's looking kind of trashy.  Also, while the dandelions aren't horrible, there are more than I would like poking through our grass.

So here's the recipe:

Weed Spray

Vinegar - Enough to fill a spray bottle.  I used plain white vinegar but I'm told that pickling vinegar works even better.

Salt - 1/2 cup for a spray bottle  

Dish soap - just a squeeze

I used this spray bottle first but it was a lot of work for the size of area I needed to cover.  So I went to Ace to find a bigger jug. **Beware - if you spray this on dandelions in the yard, no matter how carefully, you will create brown spots in your grass!!**

At Ace they had a 2 gallon lawn sprayer on sale for 10 bucks.  Score!  A gallon of vinegar from Walmart was $2.48.  I had the salt and dish soap.  The area I needed to cover in the front and back took 3 gallons of vinegar.  My total weed killer cost: $17.48.  Zero toxic chemicals.  

All that green is supposed to be rock!  Also - the best part of chemical free is that the kids get to help!  My 2 an 3 year old thought the weed sprayer was awesome.

Try to do it on a day that the weeds will get lots of warm sunshine.  The hotter the better.  I saw results the very next day.  

Weed Prevention

Next I needed to make sure the weeds wouldn't come back.  This is only for areas where you do not want anything to grow.  Do not get it on your grass or near plants you want to keep.  It's simple.  Just spread baking soda over the area.  The salt is supposed to neutralize the ground so that nothing will grow there.  Time will tell if this works!  The kids had a blast helping me spread it around.

Pesky Dandelions

So far, the best cure for dandelions without chemicals... you might not like this... is to pull them.  Yup.  Super simple and I just take care of it while I'm outside watching the kids play.  There may be other options, but I don't want brown spots!

What are your favorite cheap yard tricks?

10 Ways to Cut Toxins from your Kitchen

Making the switch from insanely processed foods to simpler choices seemed a bit overwhelming at first.  Was I to throw ALL of my food away and start from scratch?  Seemed like a waste to me - not to mention costly.  Gradually we whittled away at the foods, condiments, and household cleaning supplies we had in our house.  Each time we ran out of something I set out to replace it with a healthier, safer option.  Here are the top 10 items we switched and LOVE!

1. Butter

Only a handful of months ago I was buying Blue Bonnet Light ALL the time.  I used it for all my butter needs completely convinced that I was eating healthy because it was so low in calories.  This was my go to butter when I was on Weight Watchers.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Weight Watchers and lost a lot of weight on it, but in trying to keep my points down I tended to lean towards low fat, low calorie options that were, unknown to me, chalk full of extra chemicals, toxins, and just plain junk.  Check out the difference in making one simple switch.  I went from 14 ingredients to 2 and it tastes sooooo much better!  And when used moderately it's really not a great difference in points either for those of you out there still doing WW.

2. Salad Dressing

Kraft was my best friend when it came to salad dressings.  Especially fat free or low fat varieties.  I have found salad dressing very easy to make and with the help of my Facebook friends, I had several recipes to try.  This is my favorite one so far: Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I plan to try making Ranch and French dressings soon.  I'll report back!

3. Cooking Oil

This one was a no-brainer for me.  I was a little nervous at first when I heard of using coconut oil to cook with.  Would it taste like coconut?  The verdict: Not at all.  Now let me clarify one thing.  I do not cook with VIRGIN coconut oil which is actually a much healthier option but DOES have a coconut-ish flavor.  The brand I use is called Lou Ana and while it is more processed than virgin coconut oil, with only one ingredient I find it MUCH better than any alternative.  I have used it to fry, saute, and bake with and so far it has worked everywhere I would have otherwise used Crisco or canola/vegetable oil.

4. Maple Syrup

I was shocked when I turned around that cheap pancake syrup bottle and looked at what was actually inside.  What was so shocking is that "maple syrup" wasn't even listed in the ingredients!  We now enjoy 100% maple syrup with our whole wheat pancakes in the mornings.  So simple.  All I needed to do was look at the label and make a wiser choice.

5. Kitchen Cleaners

Is there anything more dangerous in my kitchen than my cleaners?  I mean what do they put in 409 anyway?  I try not to think too hard about it but with a 2 and 3 year old I'm afraid I MUST think about it.  At least a little.  Of course I try to put them where they won't be played with and I don't imagine my kids drinking them but you just never know.  Not only that but there are tons of toxins released into the air when I clean the counters, windows, floors, and attempt to "freshen" the air.

I have recently learned that Asthma is becoming a huge problem for kids, even kids under 5, due to environmental factors.  I feel it my duty to make our home (especially the kitchen where we do most of our living) as toxin free as I possibly can.  Enter Shaklee.  I've said it before, I do not represent them in any way and there are probably others out there but I LOVE their long commitment to clean, green, safe products.

6. Popcorn

I'm sure we've all heard some rumor about microwave popcorn causing cancer before.  Sometimes I feel like everything causes cancer so why should I even try.  Ever feel that way?  Well I don't know if microwave popcorn causes cancer but I DO know that there is more to it than just popcorn kernels and butter.  Recently my husband and I purchased a 1970's air popcorn maker at the local thrift shop for 8 bucks!  You can buy a brand new one from Walmart for $20-$30.  It is well worth it.  The kids LOVE to help make it and I know that the only thing in our lovely snack is popcorn kernels, a bit of butter, and a sprinkle of salt.

7. Snacks

When I started examining what was in all the snacks I used to eat and feed my family I was disgusted by the "extras" that made up the ingredient list. So I set out to make my own snacks.  You can check out my post, 4 Great Snacks for Clean Eating here.  Now, I love to cook and bake but I know a lot of people don't or just don't have time to do it.  One thing that would really help cut out those extra toxins is to snack on fruits and veggies.  We love hummus at our house.  It's easy to make and it's a great dip to give those veggies a kick.  My kids love dipping stuff.  You can also make a pretty simple yogurt dip for fruit.  In fact, I'm seeing a "dip" post in the future!  Another option is to buy organic snacks like Annie's Bunnies.  I buy these at Sam's club for those times when I don't feel like baking something or I need it fast.

8. Cheese and Milk

Cheese and milk were some of the first things we switched out in our house.  You can read about my switch to natural cheese here.  Before I started really getting into nutrition I never bought organic milk.  Why?  Because it's so expensive!  Or at least I thought it was.  Then I found this great local company that delievers fresh milk to our doorstep.  That's right, we have a milk man!  The kids think it is the greatest thing that he visits our house once a week and leaves us milk, cheese, eggs, and butter while they are sleeping.  But even if you do not have this kind of service near you, consider making the switch at your local grocery store.  It is worth the money to not have the extra hormones and antibiotics.  Especially if you go through milk as fast we do!

9. Organic Produce

I will admit that this one was a little difficult for me at first.  I had a real problem justifying spending so much more money on "organic" verses regular.  As I started reading more and more and understanding the kinds of chemicals and toxins that are sprayed on our produce I felt compelled to buy "the good stuff" no matter the cost.  I look for sales and I shop at a place here in Denver called Sprouts.  I'm really looking forward to the grow season so that I can grow our own vegetables and shop at farmers markets.  This switch did not happen over night.  Some organic produce is easier to find and cheaper to buy than others.  So I started out small and even now, I am still making the switch on some stuff I buy.  We tried an organic delivery service called Door To Door Organics for a week and really liked it.  It was a bit out of my price range though so I shop sales and find it where I can.  Bottom line is, I feel much better knowing that I am doing my best to keep those unwanted and unnecessary toxins out of our refrigerator.  I've also found that our grocery budget has not been adversely effected since we no longer spend lots of money on processed foods.  It seems to balance out.

10. Bread

Whenever possible I try to make our own bread.  Slowly I have switched from buying breads to making our own healthier versions without the preservatives.  It always weirded me out a little that my 45 calorie bread stayed untouched by mold for weeks.  In a later post I will give some of my favorite bread recipes.  So far I've made lots of bread in my bread machine but I've also been making hamburger buns, pitas, corn and flour tortillas, dinner rolls, and pizza crust. It takes extra work and planning but it cuts out a lot of processed junk and it saves money!

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As I said earlier these changes did not happen over night but hopefully you have some ideas on how YOU can help cut out the toxins in your own kitchen.  Thanks for reading!  Have a blessed day.