Happy Earth Day! Last year, I wrote a post for earth day. It included some cleaners that are environmentally friendly. I included the many uses of vinegar, how I love cleaning windows and mirrors with club soda, and a recipe for an all-purpose cleaner.
This year, I have a suggestion for a natural air freshener. Take a cotton ball and soak it with pure vanilla extract. Put the cotton ball in a bowl in the room/area that you want freshened. I don't know about you, but vanilla is one of my favorite scents.
Another odor absorber idea, that you can make at home, is to take a fine-mist spray bottle (8 oz.), fill it with vinegar, then add 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil. Lavender or peppermint work great. Shake the bottle before using. The fine mist spray works as an odor absorber, not just an odor masker.
This next suggestion might seem a bit bizarre, but I can vouch for it. Instead of using harsh chemicals to wash your face, use olive oil instead. During your shower, when your pores are open due to the warm water, take a tablespoon of olive oil (about a quarter size) and rub it on your face and neck. Let it set for a minute. Then, to remove, use a washcloth, soaked in hot water. Let your face air dry, then use two drops of oil to restore moisture to your face.
Olive oil is much cheaper than any cleansing product, and it is free of any harsh chemicals. I used oil to wash my face during my pregnancy, and I didn't have a single zit the entire time! After my son was born, I slacked off a little, and I have since had a couple of zits, but no longer do I have the deep painful zits that use to plague my chin.
Okay, on to my last suggestion. We drink a little lemon water daily in our house to ward off any colds. It works! Just squeeze a quarter of lemon into an 8 0z glass of water and drink. And, instead of throwing away the peel, you can use it to clean your cutting boards after cutting raw meat on them. Combine the lemon with some salt, and it is a natural cleaner.
To clean, squeeze the lemon onto the board, and spread the juice around with the peel. Sprinkle salt over the board, and spread again with the peel. Let stand, then rinse. Don't forget, if you have an insinkerator, you can freshen your disposal with the lemon, too. It makes your sink smell great!
I hope we can all make a small effort to help our earth. I make a pledge to be responsible in my consumption of the earth's resources.
4 comments:
Way to be earthy!!!
Your olive oil cleanser sounds enticing, I always have zits in the T-zone, you would think that at 30 I'd be past puberty! Your rafting story sounded so scary, I have never fell in the water, but it nothing to mess around with for sure. On one trip in Idaho a couple guy friends flipped and it was all they could do to hang on to the boat, we had to pull em out of the water so cold! thanks for the earth day post, I love how you are green
you are so clever! thanks for the ideas!
Wow! I just learned a whole lot! Thanks Julie!
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