Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Its Frugal Friday! This recipe is so stinking frugal, so easy its crazy, and you have to try it! It takes about 2 minutes, costs about $0.65 to make, and should last about 100 loads. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent 2 cups Borax 2 cups washing soda 4 packets of sugar free lemonade Kool-aid (or you can use citric acid) Mix all ingredients together and keep in some kind of container. or just an empty detergent box you have.To use: Place 1 Tbs in the pre-wash (open cup) and 1 Tbs in the main wash (closed cup). The original recipe says to use white vinegar for the rinse aid, but when I did this it made all my dishes smell like vinegar which isn’t too pleasant. Since the holidays are coming up around the corner I will share my frugal Christmas ideas on Fridays. I party here…
50 Things You Should Stop Buying & Start Making As a society, we have become over-reliant on “ready made” products. We have lost the ability to make things from scratch. Rather than blend up some peanuts to make delicious, tasty and fresh peanut butter, we’ll spend many dollars on a jar from the store that contains artificial preservatives, unnecessary packaging and that simply lines the pockets of huge, unethical multinational corporations. Aside from foods, you can also make your own personal care products, beauty and make up products, cleaning products and home accessories that taste, work or look better than store bought, without the harmful chemicals and toxins and free from excessive, earth damaging packaging. Foods Homemade Ketchup – This ketchup won’t brake the bank, tastes better than the real deal and contains no added sugar – so it’s nutritionally good for the whole family. Peanut Butter – It is so simple to make this pantry staple it would be silly to buy it. Want to learn more about making your own foods? Next Page >>>
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. I finally got down to it last weekend. The extract has only been sitting for a few days so far so I can’t tell you how it came out, but I wanted to share the method now in case anyone else has an abundance of mint just begging to be used for something. How to Make Peppermint Extract I did a quick Google search and found a multitude of recipes, all of which followed the same basic outline. Harvest a bunch of mint leaves from your mint plant. Harvested mint leaves Remove mint leaves from stalks (if applicable) and pack leaves into a measuring cup to determine how much mint you have. Mint leaves ready to be rinsed
Freshen Up Your Home! Make Your Own Homemade Deodorizing Disks This post is brought to you by Amazon where you can get deals on household cleaners! I recently had someone ask me via the One Good Thing By Jillee Facebook page how they could get rid of the smell eminating from their trash compactor. It wasn’t long after that I came across an idea for deodorizing DIAPER PAIL DISKS at Diapers, Dirt, Donuts, Doodling and Digital that I thought was so smart! I figured if these dandy disks could help with the smell in a container full of dirty diapers…it could certainly help with the trash compactor(or trashcan.) These would also work well behind a toilet, under a sink, or anywhere that could use a little freshening. And…they are SO SIMPLE to make! The ONLY difficult thing about this idea (at least for me!) DIY Deodorizing Disks 2 cups baking soda1 – 2 cups distilled water (or you can boil your water for 10 minutes.)Lavender essential oil (or whatever oil you choose. I decided to use these cute flower-shaped silicone molds. I love the way they turned out.
9 Natural Ways To Keep Spiders Out Of Your Home Want to be notified each time we publish a new blog post? Then make sure you like Natural Living Ideas on Facebook here where we share not only our blog posts, but the best natural living ideas from around the web. Image Credit: cheetah100 @ Flickr Let’s be completely honest. But, how do you repel them naturally without hurting them, and without exposing your family to any potentially harmful chemicals? Read on for the answers you are looking for! Mint Them Out Did you know that spiders HATE peppermint? For more info on repelling spiders using peppermint oil, check out this great article: Clean It Up The cheapest and most organic way to repel spiders naturally is probably not the easiest! Use Vinegar White vinegar has about five trillion uses around the house (look it up!) Enlist The Help Of A Furry Friend Cats are a great spider deterrent! Don’t Let Them In Citrus Does The Trick Let Cedar Do The Work
Homemade Air Freshener: Breathe happy without the toxic mess. Homemade air freshener is probably one of the easiest and cheapest things you can make. But beyond those reasons, ditching the toxic stuff is important. Really important. About a year ago I was sitting in the foyer at my church watching my then little baby crawling around. Yuck. I was about to investigate the situation when a man quickly came running down the hall, brimming with purpose. At least not until the fumes of the air “freshener” (ha!) Ditch the toxic air freshener! I could write a really lengthy post about the dangers of air fresheners. Of course, Proctor and Gamble don’t want you to know what’s in their “happy little air freshener” and only discloses three ingredients on their Febreze-brand products. Once again clever marketing has convinced people into thinking that they are “cleaning” and “deodorizing” the air for a more sanitary and healthy environment. Just. Homemade Air Freshener is the way to go… And it’s cheap. And toxic-free. And did I mention easy? Homemade Air Freshener
* 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!) WHAT I USE: (for approx. 24 bombs) --1 1/3 cup Baking Soda - amazing for all-natural cleaning AND deodorizing! --1/2 cup Citric Acid - (low-strength acid that exists naturally in fruits like lemons & oranges) - used in many kitchen & bathroom cleaners for its cleaning, whitening & deodorizing properties *** All three oils I use have great antimicrobial properties and kill odor-causing bacteria PLUS this combo smells heavenly!!!
Beware the Scent of Orange When Shopping Flickr/AbbyN/CC BY 2.0 In the name of not buying more needless junk, especially when being bombarded by the frenzy of holiday shopping madness, here’s a tip: If you smell orange, don’t inhale. Walk away from the citrusy aroma, if you must shop, find a store without fragrance. Scent sells. Eric Spangenberg, Dean of the Washington State University College of Business and a pioneer in the field of scent marketing, has been working with colleagues at WSU and in Switzerland to discover the most effective scents for sales. The team created two scents – an uncomplicated orange aroma and a more complex orange, basil and green tea scent. The researchers discovered that the groups on average spent 20 percent more money when they shopped when the simple scent wafted about, the complicated scent and lack of scent did not have the same effect. Which leads one to wonder, if you create a simple orange fragrance at home, will you have more bandwidth to make more homemade gifts?
13 Natural Ways To Keep Mosquitoes Away Want to be notified each time we publish a new blog post? Then make sure you like Natural Living Ideas on Facebook here where we share not only our blog posts, but the best natural living ideas from around the web. I’m sure everyone reading this right now has experienced the redness, the swelling and the uncontrollable itching that comes with a mosquito bite. It’s enough to ruin any barbecue or picnic! Many people turn to store bought insect repellents to keep mosquitoes away, but these insect repellents often contain a toxic pesticide that is dangerous to human health. Heavy exposure to DEET has been linked to memory loss, headache, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, tremors and shortness of breath in humans and is particularly toxic to children. Needless to say, this is a pesticide we do NOT want to be using – especially when there are so many more effective ways to keep mosquitoes away using natural remedies and ingredients. Homemade Citronella Candles A Few Drops Of Lavender
Homemade Linen Spray and Aromatherapy Recipe Have you ever had the blues? (Raising my hand.) Have you ever been revved up and too wound to sleep? (Hand up again.) Have you ever been overwhelmed or stressed with work or life in general and needed help relieving your stress? Using essential oils can enhance your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. How It Works I will attempt to explain how essential oils can improve mood in my very best (but most likely flawed) scientific way. Some of my favorite essential oils have very therapeutic properties and can be utilized for aromatherapy in the home. Homemade Aromatherapy Spray Ingredients: small spray bottle with a fine mister (2 oz. bottle like this works well)1 ounce high-proof vodka, distilled water, or a blend (alcohol helps the aroma linger a little longer)20 drops of your favorite essential oil blend depending on the mood you want to achieve (see suggestions below) – find 100% pure essential oils here Directions: Combine ingredients in spray bottle. Tips and Warnings:
Top 10 Healthy Vegan Products at Expo West Amidst the ice cream, cookies, chips, and cheese, VegNews' co-founder Colleen Holland shares her top 10 healthy vegan products at the world’s largest natural food event. It’s called Natural Products Expo West, and it’s become a tradition for the VegNews staff. It’s our job to keep our finger on the pulse of new products and trends, and there is no better place to do it than Anaheim, CA’s annual love fest for the natural food industry. And this is no small event—with more than 63,000 attendees and 2,500 exhibitors, it’s a must-attend show for anyone who works in the world of natural foods. But just how natural is today’s Natural Products show? Kale Krunch Superfood by Alive & RadiantKale chips are all the rage these days, and for good reason. Organic Juices by OdwallaJuicing is more popular than ever, and I find there’s no better way to jumpstart my day than with a cocktail of fresh fruit and vegetables. Caramel Sea Salt Macaroons by Hail MerryI am a huge fan of all things Hail Merry.
3 Easy DIY Fall Scents | HelloNatural.co It’s hard to say goodbye to summer, but knowing fall is around the corner makes it little easier. What’s not to love about fall: sweater weather, baking, colorful leaves, chilly nights snuggling under the covers, warm soups and stews. I just love it. I also love getting my house ready for fall by making it smell nice. Here are three great ideas for making do-it-yourself fall scents that will make your house smell like the best season ever. The potpourri you buy at the store often has very artificial scents that can be overpowering, to put it mildly. Remember that the appeal of potpourri lies in not just a pleasant scent, but also an array of colors and textures. Dried apple slicesDried orange slicesWhole nuts (with shells)Cinnamon sticksWhole clovesJuniper berriesDried rose hipsLaurel (bay) leavesPine conesEssential oils: cedar wood, clove, cinnamon, orange and pine are all great together This is a little different than most pot simmers you’ve probably seen. Supplies needed Instructions