This Christmas, my friend Jeanne Russell is giving gifts that may go on giving for years to come–to her loved ones who receive the gifts, and to the earth as well.  At the same time, Jeanne’s gifts will save their recipients substantial sums of money, leaving more ’green’ in their pockets. 

     So what is Jeanne giving?  Everyone on her list will receive a small bucket of some of Jeanne’s favorite earth-friendly household cleaners, along with a book of recipes for scores more cleaners designed to meet just about every household cleaning need.  

     Having grown concerned that the many toxic ingredients contained in a wide range of commercial household cleaners may be adversely affecting her and her son, and the planet too, Jeanne set out to learn how she could clean her home without exposing herself and her son to harmful chemicals and without sending harmful chemical residues into the environment. 

     Jeanne went online, found and bought Karyn Siegel-Maier’s The Naturally Green Home, a veritable ‘cookbook’  of recipes for cleaners that will clean appliances, laundry, grease- or wine-spattered surfaces, toilets, tile floors, mirrors and windows, and much more.  

     Jeanne has tried quite a few of the book’s recipes, and she’s sold on them.  “Not only are these cleaners effective,” she explains, “but they are cheap too.”  By stocking up on such readily available items as white vinegar, Borax, baking soda, and Murphy’s Oil soap, she has most of what she needs to prepare the various cleaners.  Some of them also call for other ingredients that Jeanne can usually find in a health food store. 

     “Then there’s the special ingredient,” Jeanne notes, “the essential oil.”  Most of the book’s recipes call for just a few drops of  peppermint, lavender, citrus, or other oil.  In addition to giving her cleaning concoctions an inviting smell, the essential oils also have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, or anti-viral properties, Jeanne explains.  “Citrus oils, for example, are especially good at cutting grease,” she says. 

     Here are a few of Jeanne’s favorite recipes that she will be mixing up for the people on her list for Christmas:

Laundry soap
1 oz. liquid Castille soap
2 T. glycerine (look for it in health food stores)
1 cup washing soda (available in grocery stores)
1 cup baking soda
6 cups warm water
10 drops any essential oil (available in health food stores)
Combine all ingredients in a large glass or heavy plastic container.  Shake.  Use 1/4-1/3 cup with a load of laundry.

Lemon blast appliance cleaner
1 t. liquid Castille soap
1/8 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups water
6 cups citrus seed extract
1 t. Borax
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle.  Shake before using.  Spray surface and wipe dry with a damp cloth.

Mirror Bright–for glass and stainless steel
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
8 drops citrus essential oil
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle.  Shake and spray.  Wipe dry with a clean cloth.

 –April Moore  

      

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 2:11 pm and is filed under Act now to save our beloved Earth!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.