For your home and garden:
Homemade cleaners and products you can purchase that will keep you, your children and pets safe and healthy.
All-Purpose Cleaner:
Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water.
Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains
on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures,
windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.
Idea/formula source: eartheasy.com
Photo source: www.bubblews.com
Carpet Stains:
Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.
For fresh grease spots, sprinkle corn starch onto spot and
wait 15 - 30 minutes before vacuuming.
For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt,
borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a
few hours. Vacuum.
Idea/formula source: eartheasy.com
Photo source: www.thriftyfun.com
Porcelain and Tile:
Baking Soda and Water:
Dust surfaces with baking soda, then scrub with a moist sponge or cloth. If you have tougher grime, sprinkle on some kosher salt, and work up some elbow grease.
Lemon Juice or Vinegar:
Got stains, mildew or grease streaks? Spray or douse with lemon juice or vinegar. Let sit a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush.
Disinfectant:
Instead of bleach, make your own disinfectant
by mixing 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap
and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. It's easy!
Idea/formula and photo source: thedailygreen.com
Fragranced with essential oil, this concentrated, plant-derived formula uses coconut extract as a natural degreaser. Vitamin E is added to leave your hands soft and moisturized. It’s packaged in a beautiful recycled plastic bottle and finished with coordinating ribbon and a unique pewter charm. Always the perfect hostess gift.
Fragrance Notes: A tart, juicy lemon fragrance with a distinct lemon citron top note, a verbena nuance and lemon rind base note.
Just a spray or two of this concentrated naturally plant-derived formula on a damp sponge will clean an entire countertop and fragrance the whole kitchen for 4 to 6 hours. It’s packaged in a beautiful recycled plastic bottle and finished with a pewter charm.
Fragrance Notes: Warm notes of Tonka bean soften the finish of pure essential oils from aromatic lavender flowers.
Homemade Weed Killer:
1 gallon of white vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, Liquid dish soap
(any brand), Empty spray bottle.
Put salt in the empty spray bottle and fill it the rest
of the way up with white vinegar.
Add a squirt of liquid dish soap.
This solution works best if you use it on a hot day.
Spray it on the weeds in the morning,
and as it heats up it will do its work.
Idea and photo source:
Homemade sprays and solutions:
If other home remedies fail, make a general homemade insecticide solution. For centuries, gardeners have put soap on plants to repel insects. Try diluting a one-percent solution of a simple dishwashing soap with minimal dyes and fragrances.
Spray thoroughly and repeatedly on plants. Another popular solution is a mix of onions, garlic and pepper, but it has not been scientifically proven.
Instead of loading up the yard with toxic insect killers, consider the wide variety of alternatives, including soap, marigolds, aluminum foil and non-toxic chemicals.
Idea/formula source: www.networx.com
Photo source: dfw.cbslocal.com
Ticks...bloodsucking, disease-spreading parasites.
You love gardening, biking on trails, camping in the
woods and being outdoors.
Ticks love you being in those places too.
Here is a Non-Toxic way to prevent ticks
on you and your family and your pets.
From Lori: Ticks and Lyme Disease:
"From personal experience, it is not something you want to catch.
Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and I want to spread awareness as much as possible to as many people as I can reach."
What is Lyme Disease? (click here)
Make sure you do a "tick check" everyday.
Repellent for Pets:
Add 1 cup of water to a spray bottle, followed by 2 cups of distilled white vinegar. Ticks hate the smell and taste of vinegar, and will be repelled by this ingredient alone. Then, add two spoonfuls of vegetable or almond oil, which both contain sulfur (another natural tick repellent). To make a repellent that will also deter fleas, mix in a few spoonfuls of lemon juice, citrus oil, or peppermint oil, which will all repel ticks and fleas while also creating a scented repellent. Spray onto the pet's dry coat, don't get it in their eyes (or other sensitive areas). Spray down your pet once per day if they are only going outside to go to the bathroom, spray them several times a day if they spend the entire day outside.
Repellent for You:
In a spray bottle, mix 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and 1 cup of water. To make a scented solution so you do not smell like bitter vinegar all day, add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil or bath oil. Eucalyptus oil is a calm, soothing scent that also works as a tick repellent, while peppermint and citrus oils give off a strong crisp scent that also repel ticks. After mixing the solution, spray onto clothing, skin, and hair before going outdoors. Reapply every four hours to keep ticks at bay.
Source: wtaq.com
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