Green and Clean: Home Made Windex and Disinfectant

 Everything make me sneeze except this!

I wouldn't suggest drinking it because of the essential oils...

I get sick a lot. I've been tested for allergies and the doctor always tells me that I don't have any! Yet, sometimes when I smell a strong cologne or cleaner, I have trouble breathing and my asthma flairs up. :( 
Not good.


Of course, there are millions of chemicals we come in contact with every day. So to reduce the amount of toxic material in my life, I've started looking for "greener" ways to clean. 

One of the cheapest safest germ killing disinfectant and degreasing agents is vinegar. Now before you scoff at the acrid scent, I promise there are ways to use vinegar as a cleaning product AND get the fresh and clean scent you like with out the harsh chemicals.

Vinegar is a common ingredient in salad dressing and pickle recipes (or you can try my "lazy pickle" recipe here).

I've developed this vinegar cleaning product recipe based on my stockpile of essential oils, mixing and adding, and spraying and smelling until I got it right. Of course if you have any allergies to these scents, you can replace them with any essential oil you'd like. I want to try lavender and lemon oil next.

Selena Marie's "Clean Scented" Vinegar Disinfectant Recipe: 

This recipe is for 28 oz. of cleaner. You will need a clean, empty spray bottle and 30 total drops of essential oil. If you don't have essential oils, you can consider bartering or split the cost with a friend.

*It is very important that you DO NOT reuse a spray bottle from another cleaning product. Mixing chemicals (even residue) is a big, unhealthy, unsafe "no, no."    

At least if you tell your kids that, maybe they will help with cleaning? It's worth a shot! ;)

1. Fill the spray bottle with 22 oz. of white vinegar.

2. Add:
   -  6 drops fennel oil
   - 4 drops tea tree oil (another natural disinfectant)
   - 10 drops geranium oil 
   - 10 drops peppermint oil

3. Top it off with 6 oz. of water if the vinegar smell is still too strong for you.

4. Shimmy Shimmy, Shake Shake!

*Remember oil and vinegar don't mix, so this will be a bit like a vinaigrette dressing- shake it before each use. *

For counters and glass tables, I like to let it set for a few minutes to kill germs and remove grease more easily.

Tip: Old News Is New News:

Did you know? Newspaper works great to clean glass surfaces like your bathroom mirror or big picture window. Spray the window, and crunch a ball of newspaper up to use it like a paper towel. I never buy paper towels any more since I already get the newspaper.

 It's pretty much a free cleaning tool since I am reusing something I already have- and who doesn't like that? 

 Scrunch, spray, wipe away! :)

Viola!

 **Sparkly windows.**

Grab a new piece if the paper starts to get mushy or gray...
You are cleaning, not making paper mache art projects
 ("Paper mache?" you say. Another blog, another day).

This is only one of the many uses for vinegar. With so many different uses for vinegar, you may want to stock up! When you purchase your vinegar, don't forget what size to buy: price per unit.

More Green and Clean news will follow soon...  My next home cleaner recipe blog will be laundry detergent! It's loads of fun! (I'm so punny right ?)

For another post relating to sustainability check out my article on saving seeds. 

Do you have any home made cleaning recipes? Have you tried making something like this? What do you think of it?

Zero Waste: How To Make Lazy Pickles

The easiest pickle "recipe" ever!

I love pickles. There's something about the salty, sour flavor that makes me crave pickles when the weather is hot and stormy. When I buy pickles, they are usually gone before I know it. I save the pickle jar with the brine for making "lazy pickles." There's really no recipe. All you do is clean 'em, cut 'em, and drop 'em in. Simple as that. Chop, chop. Splish, splash.

As if cutting the cucumbers in half would make me eat less... ;)

I also really enjoy purchasing fresh vegetables when they are on sale, or buying "seconds" at the farmers market. I'll post more about seconds in a future blog, however this one covers the easiest pickle recipe ever. If you have cucumbers, carrots, or peppers that started to go soft, cut them up and put them in your pickle brine and set them in your fridge at least overnight to let the vinegar set in.

In case you are worried, the vinegar and salt combo kills any germs there may be so the brine lasts a long  time and is perfectly safe to re-use.

When I get around to doing it, my next pickle post will hopefully be about lactofermentation... exciting! For now, these simple pickles will do.

Do you ever pickle veggies that are going soft? What other ways do you save your soft veggies from going to the trash?

Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon + other deals (Labor Day Week)!

Example only. Click below link for more details.

Hobby Lobby released it’s new circular and sales ad today with another 40% off coupon (valid through September 8th)!
 
You can use the 40% off coupon on any item that is NOT on sale. Follow the links above for more information!

Hobby Lobby is a family friendly company that believes employees should have time with their loved ones. Remember, Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sundays, so the deals all start tomorrow!

*Keep in mind, for Labor Day, they will be closing early at 5:30PM in line with their family focused beliefs.*

 Happy Shopping & Happy Crafting!

Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon + other deals! (Week of August 26th)

Hobby Lobby released it’s new circular and sales ad Sunday with another 40% off coupon!
 
You can use the 40% off coupon on any item that is NOT on sale. Follow the links above for more information!

Remember, Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays, so the deals all start tomorrow! Happy Shopping & Happy Crafting!