A Natural Bleach AlternativeOne Good Thing by Jillee

I recently got an email from La June which included the words, “I need HELP Jillee!” Well shoot, I can’t possibly ignore that! ;-) Actually what she needed help with is something I’m sure a lot of you probably deal with who live in a rural area. Not being able to use bleach in your laundry because you’re on a septic system. Specifically, La June was talking about the Miracle Whitening Solution post, which does indeed include bleach. While VERY effective…I know not everyone uses it. I looked at LOTS and LOTS of “bleach alternatives” and to be honest wasn’t extremely impressed with any of them. Mixing the two results in Peracetic Acid, which is a strong oxidizing agent used for high level disinfection. Then I came across this post from Grit.com and it made perfect sense! Here’s the recipe: 12 cups water 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup hydrogen peroxide Mix. I decided to test it on a pair of white pillow shams I have on my bed that were beginning to look a bit on the dingy/dirty side.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/a-natural-bleach-alternative.html

How to Make Homemade Peppermint Extract Part of the reason that I decided to grow mint this year was so that I could try making my own peppermint extract. Jesse and I are pretty much obsessed with mint (especially mint plus chocolate) so we go through a lot of mint extract. Even though I buy my extracts through Azure Standard, they’re not exactly cheap, so making my own seemed like a great way to save some money.

* Maria's Self *: DIY Toilet Bombs - Deodorize & Kill Bacteria! Just Drop One in the Bowl;-))) Remember I told you in my previous post that the next product in my store will be an "outside the box" one? Well, you've been warned;-))) I came up with the idea of Toilet Bombs a few months ago. At first I thought it would be embarrassing to make a post about them but I fell so much in love with these toilet bombs that I just HAD to share the idea with you - I'm seriously addicted! When I drop them in the toilet bowl they start fizzing (= exploding;-) and not only do they smell amazing they also deodorize, kill the bacteria (including the odor-causing ones!) and keep the bowl clean.

26 Tips and Tricks To Simplify Life I have been collecting all kinds of clever tips to make life just a little bit more simple. Here are some of my favs! 1. Cord organization tips. 12 Unusual Ways to Use Sugar (Without Eating It!) Just because sugar isn’t a recommended part of your diet doesn’t mean it is entirely useless. Sugar has plenty of uses outside of the kitchen. From reducing pain to fueling a car, sugar is a cheap and effective alternative to many cleaning and toiletry items. So, while it may be sweet in taste, the grainy powder is an effective household and beauty remedy that gets the job done without derailing your diet.

Make Your Own Reusable Peppermint Kitchen Wipes In case you haven’t noticed, I really LOVE making my own homemade cleaning products. ;-) It’s just so comforting to know EXACTLY what is in the products I’m spreading around my home, and I get a thrill knowing how much time and money I’m saving as well! The Environmental Protection Agency cites artificial fragrances in cleaning products as an indoor irritant and pollutant. A single fragrance can include as many as 600 petrochemicals—all within the word “fragrance” on the label. Homemade Vanilla Extract I love the scent of vanilla in anything from candles to soap and the flavor of vanilla in baked goods and desserts is second to none. If a recipe calls for one teaspoon vanilla extract, I use at least two; but likely more and use a slow, heavy hand when pouring. All that pouring makes my food taste amazing but my wallet doesn’t like it. Storebought real vanilla extract is pricey and I can make extremely fast work of a two- or four-ounce bottle that sells for $8.99 to $10.99, and up. Two ounces, that’s for one batch of cookies, right?

28 Amazing Benefits and Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide By Andrea Harper Guest Writer for Wake Up World Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the only germicidal agent composed only of water and oxygen. Like ozone, it kills disease organisms by oxidation! For this reason, Hydrogen peroxide is considered the world’s safest all natural effective sanitizer. Hydrogen peroxide kills microorganisms by oxidizing them, which can be best described as a controlled burning process.

Homemade Liquid Dish Soap A lot of people seemed to be having problems with the original recipe I posted that I found on another blog. So I did some tweaking and the new results are much much better!! Plus it’s organic and antibacterial! Can’t get much better than that! The total cost for 32 oz of homemade dish soap was about $1.20. Compare that to Dawn dish soap which costs $4.47 for 30 oz!

DIY Naturally Scented All-Purpose Citrus Vinegar Cleaners I've been on a quest to rid our home of toxic chemicals for both health and environmental reasons. Did you know? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be 10 times to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. One of the culprits is common household cleaners emitting toxic fumes. UGH! It freaks me out when I read stuff like that.