Eco Friendly Dish Soap Recipe

Eco Dish Soap Recipe 

1 ounce liquid castile soap
7 drops citrus essential oil
2 teaspoons liquid vegetable glycerin
2 cups water

Mix ingredient in old dish detergent container or a jar.
Completely vegan, so go ahead and use all you want, no animals were tested or injured.

Washing In Cold Water

Washing Laundry In Cold Water 

I have been a good steward of the earth since I was 10 years old, thanks to my friend Woodsy The Owl. I started a Give A Hoot Don't Pollute club, and joined a club called Earth Savers, but that was then. Now as a grown up, I have noticed a few inconsistencies from my childhood earth education, first off I now wash my own clothes, and I run the hot water more than I need too. This needed to stop, so for the past month I have been able to cut down the hot water use tremendously. The loads appear to be just as clean as the hot water loads, and "gasp" the clothes even look brighter. 

Some pointers, start the water and add then add the soap. Do this as the water in running, so the soap will dissolve with the running water. Pointer 2:  Use less soap, it is not necessary to use twice as much. Those pointers you might already know, but I thought I would point them out again. I have noticed a difference, not a huge one, but still a difference in my natural gas bill. I lowered my water heater from 145 to 120 and that will save allegedly 162 pounds of carbon dioxide gases from leaching into the environment. And running cold water instead of hot, will save another 500 lbs of co2 gas from being used, plus cold water uses 75% less energy to produce. Well  I hope you will join me in my efforts to consume less.

Safe And Natural House Cleaning

For windows, I prefer to use club soda in a spray bottle and wipe with newspapers for a lint a streak free shine.


For furniture, I use a mixture of 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil. The lemon juice is a great cleaner and the oil will moisturize the wood. If you don't finish all the polish refrigerate so it does not spoil as fruit juice often do.


For a great anti bacterial cleaner use 15 drops of tea tree oil to 4 cups water, mix in a spray bottle.

Floor Cleaner 1:  Mix 1 cup non-chlorine bleach to 5 quarts hot water. It is a great anti bacterial floor cleaner especially if you have pets.

Floor Cleaner 2: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar to one gallon hot water and  if you don't care for the smell of vinegar you can add some essential oils.

Lemons are great for freshening the house as well as for  disinfecting. They also offer a great non toxic and affordable option for your families cleaning routine.

Baking soda is a fabulous at cleaning and scouring tubs and sinks.

Why Green Cleaning?

When I started getting headaches more frequently, I started a search to find out why. About 6 years ago I developed a sickness from using non-stick pans. When I would cook on high heat, dangerous chemicals would seep out and into the air. I would get light headed,  tired, even nauseated. Some days I would be so sick I'd vomit. After seeing a warning on television, I seen the light, it explained it all. We grabbed every non-stick pan and hauled them to the Salvation Army. We replaced them with copper and steel, and a few cast iron numbers.You know pans that have been around since the beginning of cooking. 
The sickness went away,so when I started getting headaches, I got concerned. However, I needed not look any further than under the sink. The cleaners that I was using contained Formaldehyde (can cause cancer) found in liquid cleaners and polishes. Alkali ammonium chlorides (can cause nervous system damage) found in antibacterial cleansers, and chlorine (poisonous vapors cause respiratory damage) found in bathroom and kitchen cleaners and household bleach.
 First off, I took all the chemicals to a recycle roundup. Then I purchased some eco-friendly versions made without the harmful ingredients, and would biodegrade without killing fish or harming wildlife. Now I have even started to make my own cleaners. I will add some links to help you and your family to make your own and share some tried and true versions of my own. I hope you make the choice to switch before you or someone in your family gets sick, and make it a lifelong change. Don't forget your pets too, they can get respiratory infections, allergies even die from the cleaners that you choose to use.