Natural Cleaning

The following are a few of the commom household cleaning products that I have used for years. The majority of them came from a little purple book named Clean & Green by Annie Berthold-Bond. My mother and I had a non-chemical house cleaning business in 1996 named Down To Earth and these are the mixtures we used then and I still use in my home.



SUPPLIES~
White Vinegar
Baking Soda
Washing Soda
Borax
Non-petroleum liquid Soap (Tree of Life Dish Washing Soap works very well- I just buy a gallon jug)
Essential Oils; lemongrass, lavender, grapefruit, eucalyptus, tea tree, pine


CLEANING MIXTURES~

All Purpose Spray Cleaner
1 teaspoon washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
1/2 teaspoon non-petroleum liquid soap
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon essential oil
spray bottle

Combine the hot water borax and washing soda in a glass measuring cup and stir to dissolve. Let cool a bit. (the hot water can melt a plastic bottle) Add the liquid soap and essential oil, gently stir. Put in the spray bottle.  Makes 2 cups

Bathroom Scrubber
1/2 cup baking soda
enough non-petroleum liquid soap to make a creamy mixture
1/2 teaspoon eucalyptus oil
10 drops lemongrass oil

Combine the ingredients with a spoon, until the consistency of frosting. Scoop generous amounts onto a sponge or rag and use it to scrub the counter top, sink or tub.


Air Freshener
2 cups water
1 teaspoon essential oil of choice
(this can be a mixture of 1/2 and 1/2 teaspoons of two different oils)

Put the water in a spray bottle, add the essential oil. Put the top on and shake to blend the oil and water. Spray the room. Remember to shake this each time you use it.


Floor Cleaner
(this can be used on wood, tile, and linoleum)

1/2 cup non-petroleum liquid soap
1/4 cup white vinegar
20 drops grapefruit or lavender essential oil
2 gallons water

Combine all ingredients in a large bucket. Use with a mop or sponge. This also works well on baseboards and cupboards.


Carpet Sprinkle
1 box baking soda
1 box borax (simply fill the soda box with borax once it it empty)
40 drops of essential oil of choice

Combine the baking soda and borax in a jar, put on the lid and shake to mix. Remove the lid and add the essential oil, re-cap and shake to blend well. Sprinkle over carpet and let set for 15-30 minutes then vacuum it up.

Floral Baths

With the coming of spring and warmer weather with sunny days my mind had turned to the flowers that bloom with their sensual scents and beautiful colors. So I decided to give a few special recipes for floral baths to spoil yourselves in. Remember dim the lights, light a candle and maybe some soft music and give it a leisurely soak. Each of the following recipes are named after a Goddess from various cultures.

Tiamat's Salt Water Retreat
1/2 cup sea salt
2 Tablespoons chamomile flowers
2 Tablespoons lavender flowers
2 Tablespoons rose petals
1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon orange peel
4 drops jasmine oil
3 gardenias (yes, whole flowers)

Tie the chamomile & lavender flowers, rose petals, cinnamon, orange peel with the jasmine oil drops inside a piece of cheese cloth, tie with some string. Hang the cheese cloth bag from the faucet under running water. Fill the bath with warm water adding the sea salt, stirring with your hand to dissolve. Float the gardenias on top of the water.

Birth of Venus
2 Tablespoons spearmint leaves
2 Tablespoons rose petals
1 Tablespoon orange peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 drops rose geranium oil
2 drops tangerine oil
3 pink roses
1/2 cup violet blossoms

Tie the spearmint leaves, rose petals. orange peel, vanilla extract and drops of rose geranium & tangerine oils inside a piece of cheese cloth, tie with some string. Hang the cheese cloth bag from the faucet under running water as the tub fills. Float the pink roses and violet blossoms on top of the water.

Kaun Yin's Protection
1 Tablespoon apricot kernel oil
3/4 cup rosewater
1/4 cup vegetable based liquid soap
5 drops ylang ylang
4 drops synthetic musk oil
2 drops jasmine oil
6 star anise
6 gardenias

Stir the apricot kernel oil , liquid soap, and rose water together. Add the ylang ylang and the jasmine oils and stir well. Pour the mixture under warm running water as your bath fills. Float in the star anise and the gardenias.

Athena's Blessing
1 Tablespoon sunflower oil
1/2 cup lavender water
3/4 cup vegetable oil based liquid soap
5 drops orange oil
4 drops grapefruit oil
1/2 cup honeysuckle blossoms

Stir the sunflower oil, lavender water and liquid soap together. Add the orange & grapefruit oils and stir well. Pour the mixture under warm running water as you fill the bath. Float in honeysuckle blossoms.

Hathor's Heaven
1/2 cup dry nonfat milk powder
1/4 cup jasmine water
1/2 cup vegetable oil based liquid soap
2 tablespoons honey
4 drops lemon oil
2 drop jasmine oil
1 drop peppermint oil
1/2 cup jasmine flowers

Stir the milk powder, jasmine water, and liquid soap and stir until the milk powder dissolves. Add the lemon, jasmine, and peppermint oils and stir well. Pour under warm running water as you fill the bath. Float the jasmine flowers.

Pele's Passion
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup orange water
1/4 cup vegetable oil based liquid soap
4 drops palmarosa oil
3 drops patchouli oil
1 drop lemongrass oil
4 large hibiscus blossoms

Stir together the oil, orange water, and liquid soap. Add the palmarosa, patchouli, and lemongrass oils and stir well. Pour under warm running water as you fill the tub. Float the hibiscus blossoms.

Happy bathing!

Natural Cleaning and Bath Products

In 1992 when my oldest daughter was 13 she began having horrible reactions to various soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc. She would get things from rashes to hives, breathing problems and even ending up in the emergency room getting cortisone shots for the reactions. It was at that time I began researching what was actually in our cleaning and personal care products. I was shocked at the low to no standards at all that the government had and still does allow. I realized the true quality of what was used in our lives was up to me. So I begin reading and researching where ever I could to get a grasp on this monster.

True I could simply purchase natural products from a Health Food Store ready made, however the price made it near impossible for this to be a steady reality in our lives. Over time I learned it was much more economical to simply buy up the supplies make my own and not only was it cheaper in the long run, it lasted longer. We always had what we needed at hand.

A gallon of non petroleum based liquid soap could be used for bubble bath and body shampoo as well as for dish washing, floor cleaning and in all purpose cleaner. Basically anything that you needed to wash you could use this - even the dog. It was safe didn't cause and allergic reactions and cleaned like a dream! Then there was the essential oils you could add for scent and aromatherapy reasons.

So I made base recipes for various things and created different blends to suit whatever purpose I needed or wanted. the based consisted of soaps, body shampoos, bubble baths, dusting powders, bath salts, fizzing bath powders, bath oils, body scrubs, herbal bath teas, milk baths, floral baths, bath vinegars, hair rinse infusions, facial cleansers, facial toners, facial masks, foot baths, message oils, hand & body creams and butters, colognes and after shaves even dog shampoo, ear oil, and flea powder, etc. You get it, it goes on for ever it seems.

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