We ditched all the toxic chemicals from our cleaning products to our bath and body products! In this episode, I am going to share with you how to do the same.
We ditched all the toxic chemicals from our cleaning products to our bath and body products! In this episode, I am going to share with you how to do the same.
Episode 30 - PP
We Went Chemical Free In Our Home! You Can Too!
Have you ever read the labels on the products you use in your home? That stuff is toxic! Why would you want those harmful substances in your home?
Well, that’s how I felt. So I made some major changes. Today I am going to tell you what I did to make my home healthier without breaking the budget, and how you can affordably do the same!
Here we go…
Hi and welcome back to the Positively Prepping Podcast. I’m Annie and today I am telling you about my journey to have a healthier home and how you can do so too. Let’s get started.
First of all, I want to tell you about the inspiration that got me started on this more holistic journey to having a chemical-free home in the first place.
My youngest daughter is getting ready to have her first baby. She has been very conscience about what is coming not only in and out of her body but in and out of her home as well. She has been asking me a lot of questions when it comes to having a chemical-free home.
When I looked around my own home, I realized that I needed to start practicing what I was preaching. And the journey began.
So how did I get started? Well, I made a list of all the chemical products I had. This included; dish soap, laundry soap, body and bath products, cleaners, and so on.
I decided to do some research. I went to the internet, homesteading blogs, books, and of course Pinterest to find some safer ways of creating those same products but in a more organic and healthier way.
This was an eye-opener for me! Here is what I learned…
Almost everything you need in your home can be made much healthier with only a few ingredients.
Now I don’t recommend you run out and purchase everything all at once. Of course, if you can afford to by all means do so. Some of these items you may already have.
Now I know the list may seem a bit strange but let me explain.
Let’s start with cleaning supplies.
Now I am not going to give a bunch of recipes here today or you will be listening to this episode for hours. However, I do have a bunch so if you are interested check out the website at https://roadtoreliance.com and search for cleaning recipes.
Basically here is what I found.
Vinegar is. The greatest thing in your arsenal and the base to a lot of cleaners.
Placing orange or lemon peels, even pine needles into a mason jar filled with vinegar and letting it sit for a few weeks, makes an excellent cleaner. Just drain after 2 to 3 weeks into a spray bottle. Voila! I use lemon cleaner in my kitchen and bathrooms and pine cleaner on the floors.
Straight vinegar in a spray bottle will clean your windows when used with newspaper. So will rubbing alcohol! The rubbing alcohol is all I use to clean the windshield of our vehicles also.
I use cotton tea towels or old socks to clean surfaces then throw all the cleaning rags in one bucket so they get washed separately from our clothes and linens.
Olive oil and coconut oil when dabbed on a rag make excellent dusting clothes.
A cup of baking soda followed by 2 cups of vinegar will clean and deodorize your drains as well as your toilet!
If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, did you know castle soap can be added to distilled water to make dish soap, laundry soap, body wash, and shampoo? You can add a few drops of essential oils to make it smell better.
Castille soap is a great soap for hunters too. It leaves no smell on your clothes or body that would normally be caught by nearby deer! My man lives for hunting so I would know.
Vinegar in the softener cup of your washer will remove any smells and soften all of your clothes too. My towels are softer after being conditioned to the vinegar rinses than they ever were with fabric softener and dryer sheets.
If you have a cutting board, sprinkle some coarse salt and rub it in with a cut lemon. It will clean and sanitize it!
Let's talk about beeswax and melt-and-pour soap.
I used to grate down bars of soap from various stores and make my own body wash. However, those soaps still had the chemicals. Now I use melt and pour base and add my own essential oils, and sometimes flowers and herbs instead.
Melt-and-pour soap gives an excellent lather, is easy to work with, and makes a great project you can make with kids. Castle soap can also be used.
A note here I want to mention is that you may pay more for melt and pour soaps when finished. They are not cheap. However, unless you want to make soap from scratch, which I do not have the time for, and I definitely don’t want to mess with using lye at this point, it is one way I can guarantee no chemicals. I’ll pay extra for that.
The soap bases can also be used alongside oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and others to make other products as well. Just search Pinterest for DIY bath and body products and you will see what I mean.
This is where the beeswax comes in. It helps your products “firm up” when using coconut oils especially. And as a bonus, beeswax makes simple and clean burning candles as well.
Vegetable glycerine and arrowroot powder are additives for those who make bath and body products. But arrowroot powder can also be used when you dehydrate things like garlic and onions into powders. A small quarter of a teaspoon of arrowroot powder can be added to the top of the powder to keep it from becoming clumped together. And yes it is totally safe.
Did you know that baking soda, coconut oil, and peppermint essential oil can be used as a DIY toothpaste?
Apple cider vinegar is a must-have! I could go on for days about it. We take a bit each day as a “shot”. I use it as a rinse for my hair. If we get those pesky little fruit gnats, a bit of ACV in a cup covered with saran wrap and having holes poked in it will attract them into the cup to meet their demise!
I buy all of my products from Amazon. Try to buy from a reputable company with positive reviews when purchasing yours. The greatest part of becoming chemical-free and healthier is that most of the changes in products are what most people already have in their homes.
So what do you think? Are you ready to ditch the chemicals and start living a healthier home life?
I hope this information has at least inspired you to ditch the chemicals in your home. Until next week, stay safe, and have a great Christmas!