I couldn’t leave you hanging this week by telling you some of the toxins that are lurking in your home without giving you some healthy solutions for the problem! I teamed up with my friend Dana over at Wholehealthdana.com and together we compiled some of our best non-toxic home and self care recipes. You’ll see how easy and fun it can be to make some of your own products. Take a look!
I really love this one and have used it for years. It’s made with whole food ingredients and one essential oil that’s very inexpensive to obtain. Because it is a fresh product I don’t make a huge batch or stick the leftover in the fridge in a glass jar because it doesn’t contain anything to preserve it. It smells lovely and has disinfecting qualities.
Homemade Germ Fighter All Purpose Cleaner
What you need:
1/4 cup whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon bark
1 organic lemon
Handful of fresh rosemary
30 drops eucalyptus oil
What you do:
Remove skin from lemon trying to mainly get the yellow part because that’s where the oil is located. Toss all ingredients into a large saucepan except the eucalyptus oil. Cover with water and place a tight fitting lid on the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes covered. After done simmering remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool down a bit. Add Eucalyptus Oil. Stir. Strain through a sieve and add to a quart jar. Store in fridge for longer storage time as it can get moldy. You may make a couple batches with the same herbs but you will need to simmer longer. For all purpose cleaner: Add 1/4 cup to spray bottle with 1 1/2 cups of water and spray on tiles floors before mopping or clean counter tops or other surfaces. For windows: Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to all purpose mixture and use on glass. For wood: Place 2 cups warm water, 4 T of cleaner, 2 drops dish soap, 1 tsp. olive oil in bucket and wash wood. No need to rinse. Smells so good!
Antimicrobial Spray
This is great for disinfecting surfaces such as toilet handles, phones, doorknobs or any frequently touched surfaces.
What you need:
1/2 cup distilled water
1/2 cup vodka
25 drops orange essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Mix and add to spray bottle. Shake prior to use.
Spicy Counter top Spray
This one is great for cleaning counter tops, baseboards or anything around the house. Smells wonderful!
What you need:
1 tsp. washing soda
1 T borax
1 T vegetable glycerin
1 cup hot water
1 cup club soda
8 drops cinnamon essential oil
6 drops sweet orange essential oil
2 drops clove essential oil
What you do:
Pour the washing soda, borax and soap into a spray bottle. Add the hot water and shake well to dissolve the minerals and soap. Add the club soda and essential oils last.
Deodorant that works (Dana)
What you need:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 arrowroot
1/4 cup organic, virgin coconut oil
15-30 drops essential oil of choice
What you do:
Mix baking soda and arrowroot in a bowl. If your coconut oil is solid, gently warm it until it is liquefied. Add to the dry ingredients and mix. Mixture should resemble the consistency of honey or pancake batter. If it doesn’t, add more coconut oil 1/2 Tablespoon at a time. When desired consistency is reached add the essential oils. Lavender or tea tree oil are great choices. Place ingredients in tube or jar and store in a cool place.
Note: Some are sensitive to the baking soda. If this is the case, decrease baking soda by half and add arrowroot in place of it.
Anti-inflammatory facial mask (Dana)
What you need:
2 Tablespoons raw honey
1 tsp. organic cinnamon
1 tsp. organic nutmeg
1 drop Frankincense oil (optional)
What you do:
Combine all ingredients to make a sticky paste. Rub on face. Avoid eyes, hairline, nostrils and ears. Leave on for 30 minutes. Gently remove while scrubbing in a circular pattern using a warm cloth. Use a dark cloth because spices may stain. If your skin is dry apply moisturizer afterwards.
Creamy Lip Balm (Dana)
What you need:
1 Tablespoon Beeswax (raw organic)
2 Tablespoons Shea Butter (raw organic)
2 Tablespoons organic coconut oil
15 lip balm tubes
10-20 drops essential oils of choice (optional)
What you do:
Put water about 1″ high in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Put beeswax, Shea butter and coconut oil in a glass jar that is easy to pour and set down in water to melt. Stir occasionally. Takes about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add essential oils and mix. Pour oil mixture in lip balm tubes and fill to the top. If you don’t have something that will easily pour you may use transfer pippets. Allow to cool to set.
Stain Remover
For a super easy non- toxic stain remover check out this easy recipe.
I hope this will give you some ideas to help get rid of some of the toxins in and around your home. These are very easy to make and the ingredients can be easily found, not to mention they’re a lot of fun to make!
If you missed my earlier article this week about the danger of toxins in your home you can find it here.
To check out some of my favorite essential oils check my Resources page.
Follow along here!