Certain cases of mould can get out of hand if they aren’t treated right away. Here’s a quick recipe for removing mould naturally.
Combine the lemon juice and vinegar together in a small bowl.
Directions. Taking an old toothbrush, gently brush the mixture into the grout and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing with hot water. The addition of the vinegar adds extra antifungal and antibacterial action to the lemon juice.
We all want our homes and environments to smell sweet and fresh, yet the use of artificial air fresheners, plug-ins, potpourri and scented candles is not the way forward; they are loaded with toxic ingredients and emit volatile organic compounds known as VOC’s into the air, which in turn are inhaled into our lungs and respiratory systems. VOC’s are highly toxic and responsible for headaches, dizziness, mood swings, fatigue, drowsiness, sore throats and impaired memory loss. Constant long-term exposure to volatile compounds is thought to provoke hormonal imbalances, brain damage and certain cancers.
To maintain a wonderfully fresh and fragrant home, set about creating one or more of my delicious room fragrances from fresh citrus fruits and herbs, or one of the beautiful essential oil recipes, which will fill your home with pure, uplifting, intoxicating, natural aromas.
Mothballs have been a familiar deterrent for years in cupboards and wardrobes to ward off troublesome moths. Unfortunately, they can contain paradichlorobenzene, which has a strong unpleasant odour and is incredibly poisonous. To repel moths naturally, consider our pretty orange and clove pomanders or try your hand at the fragrant sachets fashioned from natural herbs and essential oils such as rosemary, lavender, thyme, and mint; all chemical free moth-repellents that smell divine.
You will need:
organic oranges
dried cloves
ribbon
Using a toothpick or a fine skewer, make holes all around the orange and place a clove in each hole until completely covered. Once complete, put the oranges on a baking tray and bake on a low heat for approximately one hour, until they feel hard to the touch. Leave to cool.
Directions. When cool tie with pretty ribbon or string and hang them in the wardrobes and laundry cupboards. Pomanders not only look cute, but they are also especially effective at repelling moths and houseflies and pack a punch when it comes to freshening up drawers, cupboards, bathrooms and kitchens. The refreshing citrus fragrance and warm spicy tones are a great mix and emit a sweet, earthy scent.
Note: Always use organic or chemical free oranges for pomanders as many conventional fruit growers dye their produce to enhance their colour, which could damage delicate clothing or linen.
Eucalyptus oil
The list of uses for Eucalyptus oil around the home is endless; it is cost effective, readily available and a worthy addition to any natural cleaning kit. Eucalyptus oil is derived from a rapid-growing, evergreen tree, native to Australia. Traditionally, indigenous people would collect the leaves and turn them into lotions to soothe physical and emotional discomfort. This oil has a wonderful fresh, invigorating and earthy fragrance. Celebrated for its proven antibacterial, disinfectant and antiseptic properties, it is a natural, environmentally-friendly addition to your sanitising cleaners. It is ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, where its strong aromatic fragrance aids in eliminating stale, unpleasant odours. This indispensable oil blends excellently with cedarwood, chamomile, cypress, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, juniper, lavender, lemon, marjoram, peppermint, pine, rosemary and thyme.
Tea Tree oil
Produced from the Australian melaleuca tree, tea tree oil has a robust medicinal aroma and harbours potent antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal properties. The ideal choice for home-made bathroom and floor cleaning solutions. Tea tree oil mingles pleasantly with basil, clove, eucalyptus, ginger, lavender, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, thyme and ylang ylang.
Lemon/Orange/Grapefruit oil
Loved for its light, clean scent, this essential oil is also a powerhouse in homemade cleaning recipes. Naturally antibacterial and antiviral, citrus fruit is commonly used to degrease stubborn stains as well as freshen the air. Use it to deodorize your fridge, clean the floor or combine 10 drops with 1/2 cup olive oil for a natural wood or leather polish.
Did you know? Pruning your rosemary will help make a bushier plant. Most herbs thrive on being trimmed every now and then, especially those used for flavourings. Cut some springs just as you would when cutting back a houseplant. The general rule for trimming rosemary is not to take more than one-third of the plant at any time. These can then be dried like any other herb by hanging tied bundles upside down in a cool, dry place.
When you have a pet or children at home, it’s normal to wonder how flooring and other household cleaners are affecting them. Some cleaners can be toxic to humans and many are also toxic to pets. Babies and small children are susceptible to household cleaners that contain harsh chemicals. Some household cleaners can affect a baby’s skin, eyes and airways. There are several ways you can turn simple ingredients into cleaning products for a wide range of purposes.
This ginger spice shake and vac is a powder carpet freshener which eliminates lingering, pet and cooking odours that get trapped in carpets. With this recipe you can sprinkle the mixture evenly over the carpet and vacuum thoroughly for a clean, fresh scent in minutes.
Recipe
1 cup baking soda
5 drops cinnamon essential oil
2 drops of ginger essential oil
Method
Mix all the ingredients together and spoon into an empty spice jar or cocoa shaker, or any other vessel with a sprinkler lid.
Instructions
This spicy deodoriser is especially effective at eliminating pet odours from carpets and rugs, leaving them feeling and smelling instantly fresher. Shake the powder over carpets or rugs and leave to work for a few hours before vacuuming clean.
The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen™ together make up Environmental Working Group’s annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™, which analyzes Department of Agriculture test data to identify which fresh fruits and vegetables are most and least contaminated with pesticide residues. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) are a US based body that dedicate their time and resources to educating the public on chemicals in our food, products and environment that could be harmful to our health. Each year they release a list of the best fruits and vegetables to eat organic (the dirty dozen) and the ones that you can just buy conventionally grown (the clean fifteen) if you can’t afford to eat fully organic.
You can provide your email address via their website to get a downloadable version of the Clean Fifteen™ and Dirty Dozen™ lists to help you reduce exposures to toxic pesticides.
Did you know? The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change. The dragonfly molts several times throughout its life, and each time it starts a new chapter of its life. Dragonflies are a common symbol for change and accepting new beginnings and new opportunities. Because the dragonfly is only in its final form for a few months, they’re a symbol of living in the moment and taking advantage of the short time given.
Guiding and encouraging people to take the first step towards their own journey on the path of change towards a chemical-free future is my quest. I am deeply passionate about the wellbeing of mankind and our planet and am here to offer you the motivation, inspiration and insight you require to embrace these changes and commence reducing and eliminating your exposure to harmful toxins for the future health of your family and our fragile planet.
I believe that change is not about perfection, but steady progress and that going back to basics is no longer going backwards but moving forwards!
Many household cleaners can cause severe damage when ingested or splashed directly onto the skin and eyes. Though many of us are aware of the acute toxicity of some cleaning supplies, statistics on hospital visits and poison control calls make clear that accidents with cleaning supplies occur daily.
Cleaning products that are extremely acidic or alkaline or contain corrosive ingredients can cause painful burns to the skin and eyes and permanent tissue damage or scarring. Inhaling fumes from these products can harm the lungs. Cleaning professionals can suffer serious chemical injuries on the job.
A 1999 study found that every year, for example, 6 of every 100 building custodians in Santa Clara County, Calif., experienced chemical-related injuries; 20 percent were serious burns to the eyes or skin (Barron 1999).
A review of records of 94 patients admitted to a hospital burn unit for chemical burns over a 19-year period found that 14 percent were injured at home with ordinary household cleaning products (Wibbenmeyer 1999).
One of the most serious immediate hazards is the formation of high levels of harmful gases when strongly reactive cleaning products are mixed. Bleach-based products pose the greatest hazard. Chloramine gas forms when bleach- and ammonia-based cleaners are mixed. Chlorine gas forms when bleach-based cleaners are mixed with acidic cleaners such as toilet bowl cleaners, rust removers or vinegar.
In 2010, American poison control centers fielded more than 116,000 calls about household cleaner accidents involving children under age five (Bronstein 2011). U.S. emergency room records show that in 2006 alone, 10,318 children under age five required some form of medical treatment as a result of poisoning with household cleaners, and 744 of them had symptoms that were life-threatening or resulted in significant disability (McKenzie 2010).
Bleach was the most common cause of poisoning or injury (McKenzie 2010). Spray bottles of cleaners were the most common means of exposure, involved in 40 percent of the accidents (McKenzie 2010). Although rates of household cleaner-related injuries to children from regular bottles or original containers and kitchenware have decreased in recent decades, spray bottle injury rates remain high (McKenzie 2010). Many common spray cleaners have brightly colored packaging that fascinates inquisitive young children. Parents sometimes neglect to twist the cleaners’ spray nozzles into an “off” position or children reopen closed nozzles.
These injuries are tragic – and unnecessary. There are safer cleaning products on the market that do not risk lasting damage to small explorers.
Source: EWG
