Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (51 page)

HOW TO

1.
Very carefully mix the baking soda and vinegar in a large bowl by placing the baking soda in first and then gradually adding the vinegar. You have to be careful or the whole thing will fizz up as soon as the vinegar is added. Mix it thoroughly.

2.
Wearing a pair of rubber gloves, smear this mixture all over the interior and around the hot plates on top of your oven. Leave the oven door open and go relax for an hour!

3.
Now comes the real fun: With your gloves back on and steel wool at the ready, it’s time to use all the elbow grease you can muster to clean your oven. Use circular motions with the steel wool and, if the paste gets too dry, spray with a little water.

4.
This is one of the few occasions that I justify using paper towels—with wads of the 100% recycled variety at hand, I start wiping away the grime. Keep adding water if you need to.

5.
The final step of this exciting endeavor is to use a few damp rags to give your oven an ultimate cleaning.

CUTTING BOARDS

By far the best thing with which to disinfect and clean wooden cutting boards is a lemon. Simply cut a lemon in half and rub it in circular motions over your cutting board. If there are tough or sticky spots, add a little baking soda and work it into the wood grain with the lemon. Wipe off with wet paper towels.

TEAKETTLE

Every couple of weeks, fill your teakettle with equal parts white vinegar and water. Let it stand overnight and rinse out with cold water before using.

FRUIT AND VEGGIE WASH

You absolutely need to wash all your fruits and veggies, even ones that you’re going to peel. There are three reasons: soil or dirt, microbes, and pesticides. Unfortunately, even washing and peeling some conventional fruits and veg
gies won’t get rid of all the pesticides. Remember, a conventional apple can be sprayed up to 15 times during its growing cycle, so those pesticides are deeply ingrained.

You can make a veggie wash out of some or all of the following ingredients: distilled water, salt, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and grapefruit seed extract.

Several scientific studies have concluded that although all of the above ingredients work, the most effective way of cleaning your produce is to wash thoroughly under cold water (using a scrubbing brush on harder veggies), and then let them soak in a sink full of distilled water and 1 cup of white vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse again with cold water and they’ll be as dirt- and pesticide-free as you can get them.

DREADED DRAINS

You probably know by now that commercial drain cleaners are in the “worst offender” category as far as toxic chemicals are concerned. If they actually
worked
, we might be tempted to use them to deal with a dreaded clogged drain, but they don’t. They simply corrode your pipes, leading to an unavoidable plumber’s visit. The key is good drain maintenance. Once a week, pour 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of hot vinegar (heat it in the microwave) down every drain in your home.

The Laundry Room

I have been on a quest for the past few years to find a great recipe for an eco-friendly powder washing detergent. This one is very effective.

Green Goddess Washing Powder

1.
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl.

2.
Use 2 tbsp. per full load of laundry.

3.
Store in a large, airtight container.

FABRIC SOFTENER

I never buy a fabric softener. They are a waste of money and are filled with toxic chemicals. Instead, simply add ½ cup of baking soda to your rinse cycle and see how soft your clothes feel.

DRYER SHEETS

I’m not a dryer-sheet girl, either. I just don’t think they’re necessary, and again, there’s a lot of unpleasant chemicals that have gone into producing that fake floral scent. If you want your laundry to smell lovely, infuse a facecloth with 30 drops of lavender essential oil and throw it in with your drying load (to “infuse,” simply drip the drops of oil directly onto the cloth).

TOO MUCH

Most of us use way too much laundry detergent. Even the scoops and lines on measuring cups can be misleading. A great test is to put your load through a second cycle, without adding more detergent. You’ll still be able to see suds lathering up, which means you’ve used way too much soap. Try halving the amount you typically use and add ½ cup of borax to every load.

Always go for an eco-friendly and phosphate-free brand of detergent. Your whites may not get quite as white as they did with the nongreen stuff, but remember all those “get your whites whiter” detergents contain optical brighteners, which add a blue tinge to your whites, making them
appear
whiter. You’re better off trusting that the homemade or eco-friendly detergents do just as good a job of cleaning, and if the slightly off-white shade puts you off, look for colored or patterned sheets and towels the next time you shop.

The Living Room

AIR FRESHENERS

The first thing that guests always remark on when entering my living room is how lovely it smells. My secret is that I keep my home really well ventilated and I only use pure essential oils to “freshen” the air.

Most commercial air fresheners are up there with drain cleaners and oven cleaners as the three worst toxic offenders. They contain more scary chemicals than you could ever imagine and they simply mask a bad odor rather than remove it. If your house has a bad odor, you have to deal with the cause, not just mask the symptoms. Is it musty? Do you need to air out some cupboards or carpets? Do you have pets who are a little on the stinky side? Take an inventory and see if you can find out what’s making your home smell less than fresh. A clean and well-ventilated home should smell neutral and fresh. Having discovered and dealt with the cause of any bad odor, you can now add a little natural scent into the mix.

Essential oils will not only make every room smell delightful, but they also contain numerous therapeutic benefits. I recommend creating one of the blends below and using it with either an aromastone (a small electric ceramic stone), an electric diffuser, a tea candle burner, or a lightbulb ring diffuser.

Citrus Furniture Polish

I love the smell of this polish. It’ll work wonders on all your wood furniture, including valuable antiques.