My Blog = My Life: non-toxic solutions

The chemical aerosol fresheners you can purchase in the store may send off a pleasant odor, but they wreak havoc on our health! The highly condensed level of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and artificial fragrances can cause headaches, earaches, diarrhea, vomiting - even wheezing in young children!

However, sometimes it take more than just an opened window to clear out an unpleasant odor from a room. This Herbal Mist Air Freshener is completely natural and the scent is as lovely as you choose to make it! Mist in the kitchen after frying onions and bacon, spray inside the diaper pail, and store a bottle in the bathroom.

To make your own herbal spray air freshener, all you need is a clean spritz bottle and 2 basic ingredients:

1. Distilled water
2. Essential oil (I've provided some blend suggestions below)

• Country Spice | cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, bay

• Spring Morning | lavender, rose, geranium, rosemary, sweet orange

• In the Woods | sage, thyme, cedar, patchouli, frankincense

• Lover's Lane | vanilla, sandalwood, ylang ylang, jasmine, neroli, rose

• Far East | patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, lime, coriander

• Energizing | basil, lavender, orange, nutmeg, mint

• Calm, Cool, & Collected | bergamot, geranium, clary sage, chamomile, yarrow

• Garden Glimpse | lemon, orange, basil, thyme

Linking to: Natural Living, The Prairie Homestead, Mind Body Sole

I'm big fan of using natural, tried and true cleaning recipes instead of chemicals to get the job done. In addition to using my Norwex cloths, the following recipes featuring vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and essential oils are regularly put to use in our home. They work wonderfully, satisfying my desire for a clean, non-toxic environment.
Fizzy Sink Cleaner

• 1/2 cup baking soda

• 6 drops lemon essential oil

• 1/4 cup vinegar

• hot soapy water

• baking soda

• 1 cup olive oil

• 20 drops lemon essential oil

• 1 part white distilled vinegar

• 4 parts water

• Borax

• Water

• Water

• Distilled Vinegar

• Lemon Oil or Olive Oil

• Dustcloths or rags

• Lemons

• Air tight jar with screw lid

It took a few tries, but we finally made a lip balm that's "just right!" It's a combination that works to permanently heal your lips, rather than offer a short-term solution as is the case with many store-bought brands made from synthetic ingredients.
There are a variety of cute little containers to use at the Dollar Store, and if you really want to go all out, you can even design your own labels on the computer! (Do I smell a business potential here? If you're in the natural skin care business, this recipe is free to use.)
:-)
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Tbsp grated beeswax
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp Sweet Almond Oil
• 800 IU (2 capsules) Vitamin E
• 3 drops tea tree oil
• 4 drops spearmint oil

• Combine beeswax, coconut oil, and almond oil in a glass measuring cup (or a double boiler, if you have one).

• Add water to a small saucepan and set the measuring cup inside. Heat slowly until all the ingredients have melted together.

• Remove from heat. Pierce the vitamin E capsules (I used the tine of a fork) and squeeze into the oil mixture. Add the essential oils and stir together.

• Pour into a small container and let it stand for twenty minutes to cool and harden before using.

I try to avoid using chemical cleaners if at all possible. With the exception of one product (a terribly toxic substance that seems to be the only solution to wiping out the ring of dirt and hard water around the tub - might anyone have a natural remedy to this problem?), everything in our cleaning cupboard is safe to use and wouldn't kill our children if they were to accidentally ingest it. Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Lemon go a long way!
These lemon dust cloths take just minutes to prepare and can be stored in an airtight jar until you're ready to use them. Sometimes dusting with a dry cloth does more harm then good as it moves the dirt around instead of catching it. These cloths are damp and infused with vinegar to help catch and kill the bugs at the same time. The addition of olive oil and lemon rind bring a soft polish to your furniture.

To make, you'll need six things:

• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lemon rind
• 2 dust rags
• 1 glass jar with lid

Do you have any natural cleaning solutions to share? I'm especially interested in learning how to get marker off fireplace stone. It seems someone in our house decided the slab looked to boring in grey. :-)

It takes just a few minutes to whip up this exfoliating salt scrub that will leave your skin looking fresh and feeling smooth. It's also an easy and inexpensive gift idea for birthdays, Mother's day, or "just because." All you need is a pretty jar (the Dollar Store has many to choose from), and three ingredients.
Ingredients:

• Coarse Sea Salt (enough to fill your jar)
• Olive or melted Coconut Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil (a few drops)

I dislike wearing gloves when I garden. I prefer to feel the earth crumble in my hands and get soil underneath my fingernails. There's something utterly organic and romantic about having gardener's hands. But only while I'm gardening. When I'm done, I like nothing more then to freshen up and scrub every last particle of dirt away.

Of course, these actions are harsh on the skin and my hands end up requiring a little TLC. This hand cream recipe is hands down (pun intended) the most healing of all salves I've tried. Made with pure coconut oil, beeswax, lavender infused almond oil, a few essential oil drops, and enriched with Vitamin E, this balm is a treat for your hands. A few applications will have them soft and satiny in no time. A little goes a long way. This recipe will make a year's supply.

You'll need:

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons grated beeswax
• 8 tablespoons almond oil (I used lavender infused almond oil - recipe here)
• 4 capsules Vitamin E oil
• 25 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops tea tree oil
• 6 drops spearmint oil

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients except the essential oils into a glass measuring cup. Set measuring cup inside a larger bowl and pour boiling water between the dishes and stir until everything melts together. You may need to replace the boiling water a couple of times.
2. After the beeswax has melted completely, remove the measuring cup from the hot water and add the essential oils to your hand cream mixture.

3. Pour into an air-tight container and cool to harden. Refrigerate cream to speed up the process. I used an old Brie cheese tin to store mine:

Apply as needed to rough, dry, itchy, or sunburned skin. I also use it on my feet, rubbing it into my heals to keep them soft.
If you love this hand cream, you may enjoy making your this lip balm too.