Last week I talked about natural products with amazing capabilities. This week I have a few recipes that can get you started on making your home less chemically toxic, while still keeping it clean and fresh.
• Laundry Detergent: 1 bar Fels naptha soap – grated, 1 c Arm & Hammer WASHING Soda, ½ c 20 Mule Team Borax, (All of this can be found at Walmart in the detergent aisle on the bottom shelf). You will also need a large spoon, 5 gallon (or larger) bucket or tub with a lid, optional is 20-50 drops of essential oil.
Grate your Fels naptha with a food processor if you have one. Melt the grated soap with approx. 1/2 gallon of water over high heat. Heat another large pot of water until hot but not boiling and dump into your bucket. Add the Washing Soda & Borax stirring until dissolved. Add melted soap mixture and essential oil. (I used Nature’s Sunshine Essential Shield) Now add enough hot tap water to fill to the 5 gallon mark. Stir all together.
Allow this to sit until cool. Once this is cool it will look and feel like Jell-o. Use a spoon or your hands to stir it and break up the lumps and make it more of a liquid. You can leave it in the tub or use gallon jugs. I use 1/2 cup for most loads - more depending on soil level and washer type. Note: you may have to re-stir or shake it to break up lumps again before use.
• Disinfecting Wipes: Cut up an old t-shirt or get some heavy duty shop paper towels. Fold to fit your container, like a glass quart jar if using lemon essential oil. Use 1c water, 2T white vinegar, 2 t Natural Dish Soap, 8-10 drops lemon essential oil. Mix ingredients and pour over cloths.
Another option is 1c water, 1-2 oz Nature’s Sunshine liquid Silver Shield, 8-10 drops of your favorite disinfecting essential oil like lemon, lavender, eucalyptus or tea tree.
• Daily Shower Cleaner: Combine ½ spray bottle of white vinegar, 2-3T natural dish soap or Nature’s Sunshine “Sunshine Concentrate”, fill remainder of bottle with water. The soap removes build up and the vinegar disinfects.
• Non-Toxic Disinfectant Spray: 16oz water, 3T liquid castile soap or Sunshine Concentrate, 30 drops tea tree oil. Mix and use in spray bottle.
• Produce Cleaner: 1/2c white vinegar, 1T Baking Soda, 1T lemon juice, 1c distilled water. Spray on fruit or vegetables, let sit for 10 minutes and rinse with cold water. Note: Store this cleaner in the refrigerator.
• Clothing Stain Remover: 2/3 c Dawn dish soap, 2/3 c ammonia, 6 T baking soda, 2 c warm water. Mix ingredients and pour into a spray bottle and use to pre-treat stains. DO NOT use on clothes that will be washed with bleach!
Hopefully this gets you curious as to what else you might be able to replace in your cleaning cabinet. You really don’t need to be a slave to all the commercial products and toxic chemicals to have a clean home. Get back to basics, be more eco-friendly and probably save money in the long run by making some of your own cleaning products.
The essential oils, Silver Shield, and Sunshine Concentrate can be found through the Nature’s Sunshine link on the Canton Fitness Center website. Other products can be purchased at health food stores or at a local retailer. Just one more way that Canton Fitness Center cares about your health.