Green Homekeeping. Alice Alvrez

       Foreword

      We all want to live in an enchanted cottage, a clean and charming residence in every sense of the word. Several years ago, however, I learned that all the chemicals in our cleansing products introduce potential toxins into our lives. Who likes the smell of raw bleach, over-perfumed detergents and those scary oven cleaners? They strip away the natural and are simply too harsh. It is a danger to have them around young children whose curiosity could lead them into trouble. I think we can all agree it makes a lot of sense to simply not have anything in your kitchen cabinet that is marked “poison.” There are so many options that are inexpensive and will make your home and anyone who walks in the door, healthier and happier.

      Here, I’ll share some of my tried and true DIY recipes for greening your life!

      DIY Daily All-Purpose Cleaner

      Ingredients

      1 teaspoon baking soda

      1 teaspoon liquid Castile soap

      3 drops lemon essential oil or 1 teaspoon lemon juice

      1 quart warm water

      Instructions

      Pour the ingredients into a bowl and mix well; transfer to a clean spray bottle and shake. If you have a tougher job than usual, add a cup or white vinegar to the other ingredients. Baking soda is a mild abrasive so don’t use it on fine furniture or delicate fabrics. Otherwise, it is quite miraculous for touch stains, rust, ovens, tiles, stain removal, tough greases, smelly fridges, and so many other household chores.

      Green Clearing Secrets to Stain Removal

      If you spill coffee or red wine on your couch, carpet or table cloth, pour plain table salt into the spill and it will soak right up. The salt turning purple blue as it soaks up red wine is truly spellbinding! Vacuum it up and the stain will be gone.

      Stained clothes, linens, etc. should be soaked it in cold water with baking soda or white vinegar and wash in cold water only to avoid “setting” the stain.

      There is no need to use bleach in your laundry for white fabric, use a cup of Borax in your load.

      Eco Floor Cleaner

      Ingredients

      1 tablespoon white vinegar

      1 tablespoon olive oil

      5 drops lemon essential oil

      1 quart warm water

      Instructions

      Mix everything together, preferably in a big glass bowl, and pour into a clean spray bottle. As always, use caution even with these homely, organic ingredients and avoid getting vinegar, lemon juice, Borax or any of your concoctions in your eyes. Simply aim the spray at your floor and mop with a clean damp mop. Follow by mopping with hot water. Allow the floor to dry a bit and buff with clean dry cloths into which you have sprinkled a few drops of lavender oil. Your floors will look really good and smell even better.

      Lemon & Lavender Floor Cleanser

      I haven’t used store-bought cleansers since the year 2004 when a health challenge awakened me to the importance of ridding my environment of any toxins or potentially harmful chemicals. I think it is a very good idea for all of us to consider, as our health is precious. I know this made a difference for me and my loved ones. And the smell of a home freshly cleaned with lemons and scentful natural oils feels wonderful. Gather the following:

      Ingredients

      1 quart of white vinegar

      4 lemons

      8 drops lavender oil

      1 cup hot water

      a new mop

      Instructions

      In a 4-quart glass mixing bowl, pour 1 cup of hot water, a ½ cup of lemon juice, and 8 drops of lavender oil. Stir and steep for a half-hour.

      Take a clean bucket and fill with 2 gallons of warm water and a quart of white vinegar. Give it a stir with a wooden spoon. If your floor is delicate or antique and rare wood, leave out the lemon, but otherwise, this is a suitable floor wash for any purpose. Take your brand new mop and dip it into the bucket, wring it out and clean the floor very thoroughly.

      Baking Soda is Miraculous

      To make your own all-natural cleaning scrub, try this simple scrubbing paste recipe: mix a ½ cup of baking soda with liquid castile soap until it’s the consistency of frosting. Scrub whatever surface needs cleaning, then rinse with water. Do bear in mind that baking soda is slightly abrasive, so fragile fabrics and surfaces may not fare well including glass, mirrors, or antique and rare woods. You can do a little test and if no issues arise, then scrub-a-dub to your heart’s content.

      Love Your Linens Eco Laundry Detergent

      Want to get away from the chemicals, foaming agents and synthetic fragrances found in most laundry detergents? Using a box grater to grate a bar of pure soap into a powder. Freeze the soap for super-fast grating, and then mix the grated powder with one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda and a few drops of lemon juice (optional) for cold and warm water loads. Use 1–2 tablespoons per load.

      Terrific Tea Tree Wipes

      Instead of toxic, chemical-laden wipes you get