Okay, so as many of you know, every minute of the past week Dee and I haven’t spent working, we’ve spent unpacking and cleaning our new home. I am an OCD freak, so naturally I couldn’t be happier doing all this organizing and scrubbing and making everything neat and sparkling! Plus, it gave me the perfect opportunity to try some homemade, non-toxic cleaners for the first time….which work like MAGIC! So, I had to share...
I must admit – I was a skeptic of homemade, non-toxic, good for the environment, super cheap cleaning agents. I mean, how could they possibly work as great as, or better than, the disease causing environmentally poisonous (and SUPER expensive in comparison…these literally cost less than 50 cents per container) ones like my old-time favorites? Oh my gosh, it is AMAZING how well these work! I found these recipes online – there are a plethora of websites dedicated to them. You must give them a try! If not for the fact that the fumes are non-toxic unlike anything you’d buy in a store, then for the fact that they’re much more gentle on the environment, or for the fact that they’re about 30 times cheaper than anything you’d buy in the store. Enjoy!
Oh, and since I was so thrilled with these cleaning recipes, I decided to give a beauty one a try too…perhaps it would be just as amazing? …It is even MORE amazing! It seems more and more studies are asserting the link of aluminum to a wide variety of diseases – dementia, Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, etc. And the scary thing is that aluminum is in a lot of things we use EVERY day. It’s in every deodorant (unless you’re using a natural one), and in almost every baking powder, which is used in many things we eat! Yikes. So, I’ve since switched to an aluminum-free baking powder which can be bought at any grocery store. I’ve also been trying an array of these “natural” deodorants you can buy anywhere. Like Tom’s products. I love their toothpaste; their deodorant…not so much. It works for maybe all of 20 minutes; not to mention it costs more than double what Degree, Sure, etc. all do. And I’ve tried an array of other brands too…no such luck. I was beginning to think aluminum was the necessary ingredient and there was just no other way to go through the day without smelling like you haven’t showered in months. That is, until I tried this homemade recipe below. Super easy, super super cheap, and incredibly effective….it works WAY better than any commercial, aluminum-containing deodorant I’ve ever bought! It is literally like magic. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
I’m all about saving money (my dad always told me…it’s not so much how much you make, it’s how much you save!), but I’m even more about going organic and as close to nature as possible with everything. These have both…very rare when you’re going organic and all natural these days!
We hope everyone is having a great Monday!
Back to cleaning and organizing! :)
Soap Scum & Hard Water Stain Cleaner:
- Equal parts white distilled vinegar & blue Dawn dish soap (you can get both at costco)
- Put into a spray bottle and shake until combined. Spray over shower, tub, sinks, etc. let sit for 30 seconds, scrub with a sponge or brush, then rinse off and enjoy the sparkle!
All Purpose Cleaner:
- 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part lemon juice (not the fake stuff that comes in the lemon shaped bottle – the real stuff either squeezed fresh or from 100% natural juice bottle).
- Put into a spray bottle and shake until combined. Use to clean counter tops (except marble). Works like magic, and makes tile literally sparkle!
All Natural Deodorant:
- Ingredients:
o Pure & unrefined coconut oil in a jar (it will be a white solid – you can get it at Sprouts or Whole Foods)
o Cornstarch
o Baking Soda
o Any essential oils of your choosing (warning: if you use almond oil as I did, the mixture will smell like awesome cookie dough…and so will your armpits. Nothing wrong with that – you should just probably refrain from eating it! J)
- Directions
o Place 5 tablespoons coconut oil in a microwavable bowl and heat for only 5 seconds to get soft
o Mix with 1/4 to 3/8 cup of cornstarch and 1/4 to 3/8 cup baking soda and up to 5 drops of essential oil (scent of your choosing…lavender, tea trea, etc) until you get the consistency of playdough
- Use
o Once mixture is made, store in a sealed jar (I use those little Tupperware containers, or even an old, cleaned deodorant container).
o Apply a pea-sized amount by holding for 3 seconds to skin (coconut oil melts at 76 degrees so your body temperature warms the playdough-like mixture enough to easily spread on your skin)
o Then rub over entire area, let dry for a minute before getting dressed, and you now have coverage for at least 24 hours! It honestly works better than any deodorant I have ever used…even after a P90X sweat session I still smell like a cookie! Although when I run out of this batch, I will probably switch to lavender :)
o Again, just a fraction of the cost and aluminum free!
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