Non toxic cleaning

Natural, Non Toxic Cleaning

May 4, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

A vast majority of cleaners have varying levels of toxicity. Not only can these cleaners seep in through your skin, you can also breath them in. Even many that are advertised as “green” can be quite toxic. Non toxic cleaning with essential oils and other natural substances can be just as effective if not more, pose no danger and smell divine.

Here are some simple formulas for the basic cleaning supplies you may need:

All Purpose Cleaner: Put 1 tablespoon of mild dishwashing liquid (or a good squirt) and 5 drops of lemon essential oil into an empty spray bottle and fill with water. Shake and use.

Floor Cleaner: 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar, a quart of water and about 7 drops of lemon essential oil.

Window/Glass/Mirrors Cleaner: Put one cup of distilled white vinegar into a spray bottle and fill the rest with water (leaving some room at the top). Add 10 drops of lemon essential oil. Shake and use.

Toilet, sink, tub and shower cleaner: 3 cups of water plus 3 teaspoons of tea tree oil in a spray bottle. Shake. Spray on the surface and let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then scrub. It will clean easily and disinfect.

Also:

To make your laundered clothes smell incredible, put about 10 drops of lemon or peppermint or lavender essential oil onto a clean washcloth and put it in the dryer with your load of cleaned clothes to be dried.

You can add 20 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your laundry detergent when washing bedding and this will help to kill and dust mites. Another option is using tea tree oil which has disinfecting properties.

You can deodorize your vacuum cleaner by putting some lemon or peppermint essential oil onto a small portion of tissue and vacuum it up. Do it just after changing the bag or emptying it and it will last until you dump it out again.

Here is an article with even more information: https://greatist.com/health/27-chemical-free-products-diy-spring-cleaning

Realize that non toxic cleaning is far more important than you may realize. More to tips come.

Cleaning with Essential Oils

March 25, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

Cleaning with essential oils in wonderful. In my opinion they work better than any cleaners you could buy, they are non-toxic, have disinfectant properties and shine things up beautifully. I recommend using a glass container or a glass spray bottle and labeling them clearly so you don’t mix them up.

Here are a few simple formulas you can use:

All Purpose Cleaner: 30 drops of lemon, lime or orange essential oil, 2 cups of water and 2 cups of white vinegar. Pour ingredients into a spray bottle and shake. Spray surface for cleaning, wipe with wet rag and then a dry towel.

Mop Solution: Start with a gallon of hot water, add 1 cup of white vinegar and 20 drops of lemon, lime or orange essential oil. Mop away.

Window Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol, 10 drops of lemon or lime essential oil and 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Combine in a spray bottle and shake. Spray onto windows or mirrors and wipe with paper towel or lint free rag.

Dusting Solution: Combine 1 1/2 cups olive oil, 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 50 drops of lemon or orange essential oil. Spray on furniture and buff with a dry, lint free cloth.

Carpet Deodorizer: One 8 ounce box of baking soda, mix in 5 – 10 drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil. Sprinkle lightly over carpet and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes and then vacuum up.

Fabric Softener: Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 3-5 drops of lavender essential oil. Put into the rinse cycle.

Sink/tile/grout scrub: Mix baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and 10 drops of tea tree oil to form a paste. Use a scrub sponge or brush and scrub and rinse.

For more information, you can visit a lovely website called We Got Real – https://wegotreal.com/cleaning-essential-oils/

And there is a book that you can buy and download that has a ton of wonderful formulas for cleaning with essential oils: https://www.mommypotamus.com/lp/diy-non-toxic-cleaning-supplies/

Watch what you put into your body through your skin

January 19, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

What you put into your skin is absorbed into your body through your skin. So it isn’t just what you eat that can hurt you, it’s also what you put on your skin.

A lot of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Just think about nicotine and birth control patches. Both of these deliver chemicals into our body (hormones or nicotine) through the skin and quite effectively. While there are some chemicals that are too large to enter our bloodstream, many are small enough to penetrate through your skin and go right into your bloodstream.

The task of scrutinizing every ingredient of daily products the average consumer uses can be quite daunting. Start with the products that are having the most impact. The next thing you want to think about is the level of exposure you’re getting from the products you’re using. For example, if you use a lotion all over your body and it soaks into your skin all day, you’re getting a lot more exposure to those chemicals than if you were to use the same ingredients in a face cleanser that is quickly washed off. So be smart about this — try to get the best ingredients in products that you have a lot of exposure to (shampoo, soap, lotion, etc.).

Similarly, products that you clean with can also go into your body through your skin if your skin is in contact. Wear gloves or use cleaning products that have no harmful chemicals in them. (See section of this website on cleaning products you can use).

Beware of harmful chemicals in lotions, soaps, shampoos and conditioners, shaving lotions, antiperspirants, dishwashing liquid, perfumes, etc.

Use the facilities on the Environmental Working Group website – https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ – to look up the ingredients and danger rating for your make-up, hair and skincare products and to find products in different categories that are nontoxic.