Alvrez - Green Homekeeping: Save Money and the Planet

Copyright 2018 Alice Alvrez.

Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover and Layout Design: Elina Diaz

Infographics by Roberto Nez

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Green Homekeeping: Save Money and the Planet

Library of Congress Cataloging

ISBN: (print) 978-1-63353-662-3 (ebook) 978-1-63353-659-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017960781

BISAC category code: HOM022000 HOUSE & HOME /
Sustainable Living

Printed in the United States of America

One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is

really worth the doing is what we do for others.

Lewis Carroll

Contents

We all want to live in an enchanted cottage, a clean and charming residence in every sense of the word. Several years ago, however, I learned that all the chemicals in our cleansing products introduce potential toxins into our lives. Who likes the smell of raw bleach, over-perfumed detergents and those scary oven cleaners? They strip away the natural and are simply too harsh. It is a danger to have them around young children whose curiosity could lead them into trouble. I think we can all agree it makes a lot of sense to simply not have anything in your kitchen cabinet that is marked poison. There are so many options that are inexpensive and will make your home and anyone who walks in the door, healthier and happier.

Here, Ill share some of my tried and true DIY recipes for greening your life!

DIY Daily All -Purpose Cleaner

Ingredients

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon liquid Castile soap

3 drops lemon essential oil or 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 quart warm water

Instructions

Pour the ingredients into a bowl and mix well; transfer to a clean spray bottle and shake. If you have a tougher job than usual, add a cup or white vinegar to the other ingredients. Baking soda is a mild abrasive so don t use it on fine furniture or delicate fabrics. Otherwise , it is quite miraculous for touch stains, rust, ovens, tiles , stain removal, tough greases, smelly fridges, and so many other household chores.

Green Clearing Secrets to Stain Removal

If you spill coffee or red wine on your couch, carpet or table cloth, pour plain table salt into the spill and it will soak right up. The salt turning purple blue as it soaks up red wine is truly spellbinding! Vacuum it up and the stain will be gone.

Stained clothes, linens, etc. should be soaked it in cold water with baking soda or white vinegar and wash in cold water only to avoid setting the stain.

There is no need to use bleach in your laundry for white fabric, use a cup of Borax in your load.

Eco Floor Cleaner

Ingredients

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

1 quart warm water

Instructions

Mix everything together, preferably in a big glass bowl, and pour into a clean spray bottle. As always, use caution even with these homely, organic ingredients and avoid getting vinegar , lemon juice, Borax or any of your concoctions in your eyes. Simply aim the spray at your floor and mop with a clean damp mop. Follow by mopping with hot water. Allow the floor to dry a bit and buff with clean dry cloths into which you have sprinkled a few drops of lavender oil. Your floors will look really good and smell even better.

Lemon & Lavender Floor Cleanser

I havent used store-bought cleansers since the year 2004 when a health challenge awakened me to the importance of ridding my environment of any toxins or potentially harmful chemicals. I think it is a very good idea for all of us to consider, as our health is precious. I know this made a difference for me and my loved ones. And the smell of a home freshly cleaned with lemons and scentful natural oils feels wonderful. Gather the following:

Ingredients

1 quart of white vinegar

4 lemons

drops lavender oil

1 cup hot water

a new mop

Instructions

In a 4-quart glass mixing bowl, pour 1 cup of hot water, a cup of lemon juice, and 8 drops of lavender oil. Stir and steep for a half-hour.

Take a clean bucket and fill with 2 gallons of warm water and a quart of white vinegar. Give it a stir with a wooden spoon. If your floor is delicate or antique and rare wood, leave out the lemon, but otherwise, this is a suitable floor wash for any purpose. Take your brand new mop and dip it into the bucket, wring it out and clean the floor very thoroughly.

Baking Soda is Miraculous

To make your own all-natural cleaning scrub, try this simple scrubbing paste recipe: mix a cup of baking soda with liquid castile soap until its the consistency of frosting. Scrub whatever surface needs cleaning, then rinse with water. Do bear in mind that baking soda is slightly abrasive, so fragile fabrics and surfaces may not fare well including glass, mirrors, or antique and rare woods. You can do a little test and if no issues arise, then scrub-a-dub to your hearts content.

Love Your Linens Eco Laundry Detergent

Want to get away from the chemicals, foaming agents and synthetic fragrances found in most laundry detergents? Using a box grater to grate a bar of pure soap into a powder. Freeze the soap for super-fast grating, and then mix the grated powder with one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda and a few drops of lemon juice (optional) for cold and warm water loads. Use 12 tablespoons per load.

Terrific Tea Tree Wipes

Instead of toxic, chemical-laden wipes you get at the store, make your own to have handy for spills as well as for scheduled cleanings. Mix 1 cup of white vinegar, a cup of lemon juice and 8 drops of tea tree oil. Make these for on-the-go spills by soaking clean cloths or paper towels in the mixture and storing them in a sealable bag.

You Must Have Distilled Vinegar at All Times

If I could only use one item to clean my home with, it would be vinegar. A natural disinfectant that only costs pennies, vinegar deals with dirt, smells, stains, grease and moldespecially in the shower. Ive cleaned my whole house with just a spray bottle of vinegar and a little liquid soap. To make it smell really clean and good, add a few drops of calming lavender oil (also a natural disinfectant), easily found at a reasonable cost at your local health-food stores. Just remember, youre not making gallons, youre making a small bottle. Because they contain no preservatives, DIY cleaning mixes dont last very long, so use regularly for a clean, green home!

Baking Soda Rules!

Baking soda is wonderful deodorizer around the house and can be used to freshen and launder clothing and freshen furniture or carpets. It can also be used as an eco-friendly oven cleaner. Since the oven is where you cook your food, its better to skip the chemicals which leave a residue that could be quite unhealthy. Make a paste by adding water, or equal parts water and vinegar, to 1 cup of baking soda. Coat the inside of the oven and leave overnight. In the morning, turn the oven on low heat for an hour, then let cool. Use a spray bottle of water and vinegar to soften the hardened paste, and use elbow grease to scrub it off. When you are baking that batch of cookies for your loved ones, you can rest assured no fumes are getting in the yummy treat!