My All Time Favorite DIY Spray Cleaner

A while back I used up this bottle of spray cleaner, (the bottle on the right) It was a nice cleaner that worked well and smelled nice and fresh.  It was citrus and sage and  the label said it was made with natural ingredients, biodegradable and it had the ecologo  . 
When it was done I wondered if I could just make some more so I started reading the ingredients. I wasn't overjoyed to find this "natural" cleaner had ingredients that I couldn't even begin to pronounce and that if swallowed I needed to call a poison control center.  Ewww.   How can that be good for the environment.


So this is what I decided to make instead.   
First I emptied about half the vinegar from a gallon jug into another container. Then I added the peels from  about 12 lemons, oranges and limes.  I save my peels in a  bag in my freezer until I have enough when I need them. 
 I added a handful of sage leaves and  some thyme from my garden.  Then I topped the jug back  up with the rest of the vinegar and put it under my sink and forgot about it for a few weeks. When it was ready I strained out a cup of the cleaner for my spray bottle, added 3 cups of water and used it to clean everything in sight. I just strain out what I need to use, and let the rest sit in the jug and it keeps getting stronger.
 I use this all purpose spray in my kitchen and my bathroom.  I even add a half cup to a pail of hot water to wash my tile floors.
I love how fresh everything smells when I'm done.

The citrus oils clean so well ,and  vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  This would probably be good enough on its own. 
But adding Thyme for it's antifungal and disinfectant qualities,  and Sage for it antiseptic qualities gives this spray another punch to fight those nasty germs. This is a great spray to use during cold and flu season too.  And I know it's safe around the kids and pets.  I won't have to call poison control for any reason.  All in all I think this is my favorite all purpose spray cleaner. 

Bye for now and have a great day.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

 We are right in the middle of cold and flu season.  We do our best to avoid getting sick. We get a flu shot. We wash our hands as often as possible.  When we're out and about we use hand sanitizer.

I wanted a to make a good hand sanitizer spray with the  added benefit of essential oils. Something that would  give  those nasty germs an extra kick in the you know what. 

I gathered together the items and  made up a spray in about 5 minutes. Honestly it takes longer to write about it than it does to make it.







Hand Sanitizer Spray
1/4 cup Witch Hazel (I use one with Aloe added)
1/4 cup of alcohol
 1tsp of vegetable glycerine  and
1tsp of vitamin E oil   for a little protection  for the skin
10 drops of Lemon essential oil   

10 drops of Clove bud essential oil  

 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil  

10 drops of Cinnamon  essential oil  

I put the ingredients into a spray bottle and gave it a shake. 
These oils combined have great antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Use the links to see for yourself what they can be used for.

As well you can add these oils to a spray bottle with alcohol and water and you have a great spray to use around the house to kill germs in the air as well.  I add a little Tea Tree Oil in my spray as well.
Using this spray around the house should help during those times when everyone in your house seems to have some kind of a bug. Here's hoping we can all stay healthy this year.

Bye for now... and have a great day.

Diaper Rash Salve

Extremely cold weather like we're having plays havoc with your skin. Spending so much time with my kidlets means I wash my hands about a million times a day and that creates even more damage.  Usually by  the first of the year I have dry cracked knuckles that are actually bleeding and sore.
I have tried all sorts of creams and salves and get a bit of relief but nothing really prevented it completely. 
This year my hands are healthy.

I made a wonderful Calendula oil salve for using on the baby's bums when I change their diapers.  It is really amazing as a preventative for diaper irritations and I've used in an the tiny patches of eczema a few of my kidlets get in the dry cold weather with great success.  I love it the most for what it does for my dry hands.  They look just as good now as they did in the middle of summer. No dry patches, no cracked knuckles, just healthy.





Here is the recipe I use with links to earlier posts for making the ingredients.

2 parts Calendula  Infused oils
1 part Dandelion infused oil
1 part Coconut oil
1 part grated beeswax
1 tsp of vitamin E oil
5 drops of Lavender essential oil
3 drops of Tea Tree essential oil

Add the infused oils , coconut oil and beeswax together in a bowl (I use a small mason jar) and warm in a pot of hot water until the wax is melted.
Remove from the heat and add the Vit. E and essential oils

Stir until it is well blended and pour into small sterilized jars.  Stir in the jars a few times while it is cooling to keep it a bit on the creamy side. This goes a long way so you just need to use a tiny bit.




disclaimer:  I am not a medical expert in any way.  As with any product always try a tiny bit first to check for reactions. and always do your own research before making and using your own products.
This is my go to site for information about essential oils.


Bye for now ..... and have a great day

Back to school lunch choices

This post is a bit out of the norm for me but I really wanted to share this. 
I saw this post for a really great idea for back to school lunch prep that allowed kids to choose their own lunch and snacks each day for school. 
I remember from the days when my own boys were still in school how frustrating  it was when their lunch boxes came home half eaten because they weren't happy that day with the choices I had made for them.  I also remember how hard it was to get them to eat healthy from a packed lunch. 
This post is about a way to let your kids pick their own lunch and snack items and still know they are getting a healthy balance of food items.  It also means they might actually eat their lunch because they picked it themselves. 
I know a few well organized moms who do up a ton of food choices on the weekend to make lunch making easier through the week, but why not take it one step further and actually let the kids pack their own lunches.  This method lets them do that while still maintaining the control over their diet that you need to keep them eating healthy.
An added benefit of this idea..... it helps develop good decision making skills. 
 
I recommend this post to anyone with kids.  Just click on the highlighted words above to read the complete post with the instructions.


Bye for now ... and have a good day everyone.

My new toothpaste.

This is  one of  the things I use every day that I have replaced using items I have in my kitchen.  Toothpaste..... we  put it in our mouth at least twice a day and like a lot of other stuff  I'm just not happy with its list of ingredients.  If you want to find out for yourself , check your brand of toothpaste, and go online to find all the ingredients and what they do.  This tends to be some very interesting research. I had to do this for myself because I didn't really want to take someone elses word for it.  How could it be bad.   Everyone uses it ... right. .. Yeah.

To make my own I simply mixed a few ingredients I felt safe using and started brushing my teeth with my mixture.  Really simple. 

Here is my recipe:

2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide
and about 10 drops of essential oils
I use clove oil, peppermint, and tea tree.

Mix it to a thick paste and  just dip into this and get busy brushing.. and it works  AMAZING.

This homemade paste keeps my mouth feeling fresh all day long.  Honestly, that just brushed feeling lasts for hours. 
It removes the coffee stains from my teeth, (which is a must because I love  my coffee). I am really happy with how white my teeth are now. 
The essential oils keep my mouth healthy and deters the bacteria that cause plaque  and bad breath. 
I do use a less than food grade quality essential oils for this but don't swallow any so that is fine. 

 This has worked great for me but I must mention that you can make your own from any of the  recipes you see online.. I actually tried a few others first and then just came up with this because it has the things I am looking for and is so simple.

If you have tried this toothpaste or any other homemade version, let me know how it works for you and what you are using.

Bye for now and have a good day everyone.

DIY Febreeze

There have been a ton of posts about making your own cleaning products lately and its got me thinking.  I spend a lot of cash on this stuff and if I can make my own for cheap and if it  actually works then why not.  Some of the ideas are even Green  versions and while I am all about saving my budget I also love it when something with help save the earth and make it a place my grandchildren can grow up in and be healthy.

Well this morning one of my little kidlets was sitting proudly in the big armchair and of course making a stinky diaper.  Between this, and the cat using it for a bed, some of my furniture can get quite smelly.  Febreze is one of my alltime favs for keeping everything in the house smelling fresh.  I reached for the ever present bottle and there was just a dribble left. I cringe when I see the price every time I buy a new bottle, and I was out so now was a really good time to see what I could make.  I found a make your own alternative on this blog .  Her instructions are so easy that I just had to try it out... It was 1/8 of a cup of fabric softener.  I used Fleecy but you could use whatever you have, mixed with 2 tablespoons of baking soda  and warm water.  She used a 27 ounce bottle but mine was a little larger so I added 32 ounces. Give it a shake and its ready...Really, how easy is that. 

This took me five minutes to make and that included the time it took to remove the label from my empty Febreze spray bottle and clean it out so I could re-use it.  I had everything in the cupboard so I saved myself a trip to the store and I don't even think this cost me 15cents.  I saved some gas and 1 bottle from the land fill.  AND  it smells great.  I never have to spend money on Febreze again.   Huge smiles happening here. I should be able to keep my house smelling spring time fresh for less that a dollar a year. 

At this point I think I should add a disclaimer:  I have often noted that if you spill fabric softener directly onto your laundry that it can leave a bleached spot on your fabric.  Even though this is really diluted I would suggest you test it in an area that is not noticeable first to make sure it doesn't harm any expensive furniture.