Keeping it clean, Keeping it green..

Lately I have been making a point to become even more “nature friendly”, both for the sake of my family and of our beloved planet.

Cleaning ingredients found in cleaning products vary in the type of health hazard they pose. Some cause acute, or immediate, hazards such as skin or respiratory irritation, watery eyes, or chemical burns, while others are associated with chronic, or long-term, effects such as cancer or hormone disruption.

Yes, you can find eco-friendly products in stores, if you don’t have the time to make them yourself, but they are quite expensive and if you are sensitive to your budget you might be deterred from buying them.

For those of you who are willing to go greener without breaking the bank, here are some all-natural homemade alternatives to two products that we all use pretty much daily: all-purpose cleaner and dryer sheets… They are SoEasy and SoSafe that you have to try making them at least once!:-)

Ingredients:

- Distilled white vinegar (natural disinfectant, natural deodorizer, safe and not toxic, bug repellant);

- Tea tree oil (antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral…)

- Baking Soda (natural deodorizer)

1-ALL PURPOSENATURAL CLEANER

Pour a ½ cup white vinegar in a spray bottle and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Put in a few drops of tea tree oil and then fill the bottle to the top with water.

2-ALL NATURAL DRYER SHEETS

Supplies

Old clean T-shirts

Mason jar

½ cup white vinegar

20 drops lavender essential oil or your favorite essential oil

Instructions

Cut old T-shirts into approximately 8-inch squares. Stuff them into a mason jar. In a separate bowl or jar, mix together vinegar and essential oil; then pour into mason jar with T-shirts and stir to combine. Store in airtight container and use as needed.

They’re reusable! Just re-soak the used dryer sheets again in a solution of vinegar and essential oilJ

3- ALL NATURAL SPRAY ALTERNATIVE

Fill a spray bottle with 1 cup distilled white vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp Eucalyptus or Lavender Essential Oil. Shake well and then spray 10 – 15 times on your wet clothes before starting the dryer. Don’t worry, there will be no vinegar smell left when they are done. Occasionally I will find an item or two that will still have some static cling, but it’s gone if I shake the clothing once or twice.

Happy Cleaning:-)!!