Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (54 page)

HOW TO

1.
Turn off your monitor.

2.
Gently remove excess dust with a dry microfiber cloth.

3.
Mix the water and alcohol in a small glass bowl.

4.
Dip in the lint-free cloth, squeeze out excess moisture, and gently wipe your screen.

5.
Use your sunglasses cloth to gently polish the screen.

Five Great Uses for 15 Common Household Items That You Probably Already Have

BAKING SODA

1. Create a dry shampoo for your dog by shaking 1 cup of baking soda over your dog’s fur. Leave for 5 minutes and then brush out.
   
2. Use as a fire extinguisher by keeping an opened box of baking soda near your stove. Toss handfuls on any unanticipated flare-ups.
   
3. Control compost bin/pile odor by pouring a cup of baking soda on top of the pile.
   
4. Neutralize kitchen garbage pail odors by sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of the can before you insert a liner.
   
5. Create a deodorant sachet for any stinky tennis shoes by placing ½ cup of baking soda into the toes of old, clean pantyhose. Tie a knot just above the baking soda and cut off. Insert into the toe of each shoe. To add a lovely scent, put 5 drops of lavender essential oil on each sachet.
   

ELECTRICAL TAPE

1. Wrap your hand with electrical tape, sticky side out, to remove lint or pet hair from your clothes and furniture.
   
2. Pick up little splinters of broken or shattered glass (after you have removed the larger pieces) by wrapping your fingers on one hand with electrical tape, sticky side out.
   
3. Create an ant barrier by surrounding the item you want to protect with a circle of electrical tape, sticky side up.
   
4. Repair the spine of a book by picking a matching color tape and pressing along the book’s spine.
   
5. Clean a comb by pressing a length of electrical tape along the length of the comb and removing. Next, submerge the comb in a solution of equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.
   

RESEALABLE PLASTIC BAGS

1. Package fragile items for shipping by blowing up bags with a straw, sealing, and then using them as padding in place of Bubble Wrap or packing peanuts.
   
2. For chopping nuts, fill the bag with whole nuts, seal it, and use a wooden rolling pin to bash up the nuts.
   
3. For an icing bag for muffins and cupcakes, fill one corner of the bag with icing, cut off the tiny point of the corner with a pair of sharp scissors, and squeeze icing through the hole.
   
4. Keep silver jewelry from becoming tarnished by storing it in a sealed plastic bag.
   
5. Protect a leaking or exploding shampoo or lotion from ruining the contents of your toiletries bag (when on an airplane) by packing each bottle in a separate sealed plastic bag before packing it into your toiletries bag.
   

ALOE VERA JUICE

1. Create a mouthwash for great oral health by gargling and then swallowing 2 ounces of aloe vera juice daily.
   
2. Use as a toner for oily skin by dipping a cotton ball in aloe vera juice and wiping it over your face.
   
3. Dab aloe vera juice on an insect bite to take away the sting.
   
4. Drink 2 ounces of aloe vera juice mixed with 2 ounces of water and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice for a liver-cleansing tonic.
   
5. For a soothing after-sun spray, add 1 cup of aloe vera juice to 2 cups of distilled water in a sprayer. Add 20 drops of peppermint essential oil.
   

HAIR CONDITIONER

1. You can use it to shave your legs! If you run out of shaving cream, hair conditioner is as good, if not better.
   
2. Conditioner is better than laundry detergent for washing silk. Make sure you use a nontoxic conditioner and rinse the silk items well with cold water.
   
3. If you have shrunk a sweater by putting it in the washing machine by mistake, unshrink it by soaking it in a bucket of water with 2 teaspoons of hair conditioner for half an hour. Rinse with cool water and stretch out to reshape.
   
4. Hair conditioner is one of the best leather shiners. Place a little on a clean, dry rag and work into your leather jacket, shoes, or furniture.
   
5. Shine up large-leafed houseplants with a drop of conditioner on a clean, dry rag.
   

EPSOM SALTS

1. Create the most relaxing bath on earth by adding 2 cups of Epsom salts to the hottest water you can bear.
   
2. Use as an extremely effective laxative. Add 1 tablespoon to an 8-ounce glass of water and swig. It tastes awful but totally does the trick.
   
3. Sprinkle a little on the soil of your houseplants every week before watering and watch your plants go bright green.
   
4. Soak a splinter in a bowl of warm water and 1 cup of Epsom salts, before easing it out by gently squeezing or having someone do it for you.
   
5. Treat toe fungus or athlete’s foot by soaking your feet in a tub of warm water and 1 cup of Epsom salts for 15 minutes.
   

LEMONS

1. Clean a wooden cutting board by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing the cut side in circular motions over your board. Wipe off with a clean, damp rag.
   
2. Freshen up wilting lettuce leaves by soaking them in a sink of icy cold water and the juice of a lemon.
   
3. Keep avocados and apples from going brown by soaking cut edges with lemon juice and placing in an airtight container.
   
4. Stop rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot by adding a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to the boiling water.
   
5. Freshen up your garbage disposal by running half a lemon (cut into very small pieces) and a cup of ice through it.
   

MILK CARTONS

1. If you don’t have a compost crock, just slice off the top of a milk carton and leave it on your counter to collect scraps. Transport to your compost bin when it’s full.
   
2. To start seeds, cut off the top half of the carton and, using a metal skewer or a screwdriver, punch four holes in the bottom. Fill with potting soil and plant your seeds.
   
3. Cut off the top of a carton and half fill with water as a convenient holder for dirty paintbrushes while you are painting.
   
4. Use as a mini trash can under your sink in your kitchen or bathroom to collect the yucky, sticky stuff. When it’s trash day, you can throw the whole thing out.
   
5. Cut off the top of the carton and use as a cooking oil holder, to prevent oil from dripping down bottles and creating oil rings in your cupboards.
   

PLASTIC MUFFIN/CUPCAKE TRAY
(FROM STORE-BOUGHT MUFFINS)

1. Cut the top off. The indentations in the bottom are the perfect size for your daily vitamin bottles.
   
2. Cut the top off and set in your top office drawer to tidy up paper clips, thumbtacks, small sticky notes—whatever rattles around in your drawer.
   
3. Cut the top off but keep for a kid’s paintbrush tray. Use the cups to hold six different colors of paint.
   
4. Make a snack’n’dip tray for the kids’ snack time. Cut the top off. Fill half of the cups with chips, pretzels, or nuts, and the other half with dips (hummus, cream cheese, etc.).
   
5. For recipe prep, cut the top off, then cut out each bottom cup. Place the exact measurement you need of seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, baking powder, and so on) in the individual cups.
   

PILLOWCASE

1. When you’re traveling, use a pretty pillowcase as a lingerie bag to store your bras and panties.
   
2. Keep matching sheets and pillowcases together as a set in an old pillowcase.
   
3. Use as a cheap cover for a changing table pad.
   
4. Wash delicate bras and panties in a pillowcase.
   
5. Line a small wicker wastebasket with a lace-edged pillowcase to achieve a shabby chic/Pottery Barn look.
   

RUBBER BANDS

1. To stop paint drips, wrap a rubber band midway around an open paint can, making sure it runs across the center of the can. Use it to catch the drips from your brush before painting.
   
2. Use as a bookmark, so you’re not tempted to fold down dog-ears.
   
3. Wind it around the center of your remote control horizontally, then double it up, to keep the remote from scratching your furniture.
   
4. Wrap around a honey jar to prevent drips.
   
5. Use instead of a chip clip by folding the bag down a few times and wrapping the rubber band around entire bag.
   

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

1. Use as a nail whitening soak once a week.
   
2. Stave off colds and flu by dropping 3 drops in each ear once a day for days. Let it fizz and then mop up whatever runs out with a cotton ball.
   
3. Use with equal parts of distilled water in a sprayer as a general home disinfecting spray.
   
4. Use as a mouthwash to prevent canker sores.
   
5. Add 1 cup to the rinse cycle of a white load of laundry to keep your whites brighter.
   

SALT

1. Prevent grease from spitting by adding a few pinches to the pan before frying.
   
2. Pick up a spilled egg or tomato seeds by sprinkling salt over them before wiping up.
   
3. Remove lipstick marks from glasses or mugs by rubbing a little salt over the mark before you put it in the dishwasher.
   
4. Mix with a little vinegar into a paste and use as a brass and copper polish.
   
5. Pour directly onto weeds and see them disappear. It’s great to use between paving stones to keep weeds at bay.
   

WHITE VINEGAR

1. Get dingy dishcloths, socks, and rags bright and white by adding 1 cup of vinegar to a large pot of boiling water. Drop in items, remove from the heat, and leave overnight.
   
2. Clean out the pipes and hoses of your washing machine and dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar through for an empty cycle.
   
3. Keep your steam iron in good working order by once a month filling the chamber with vinegar and leaving for 15 minutes before pouring out.
   
4. Dip your eyeglasses in a glass of water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Dry with a lint-free cloth.
   
5. Before you apply nail polish, wipe your nails with a cotton ball soaked in vinegar.
   

CARDBOARD TUBES

1. Keep those old resealable bags from floating around your kitchen drawer by stuffing them into an old paper towel roll.
   
2. If you want to prevent creases on your pants, cut a paper towel tube lengthwise and hang the tube over the bar of a regular hanger.
   
3. Keep your child’s homework assignments and artwork stashed tidily in a drawer by rolling them up inside a wrapping paper or paper towel tube; label the tubes.
   
4. Store loose bits and odd balls of string or yarn in an old toilet paper roll.
   
5. Use as a seedling starter. Cut into 3- to 4-inch tubes and sink them into a tray of potting soil. Sow a few seeds into each “pot.” When the seedlings are 4 or 5 inches high, remove the tube and transplant the seedlings with a large spoon or a small trowel.
   

Bathing Your Dog

After buying an awfully expensive bottle of nontoxic doggie shampoo for my Maltese, Phoebe, from a fancy pet supply store, I knew that would be the first and last bottle of store-bought pet product I’d bring into the house! I experimented and found a way of making the perfect dog shampoo. It contains peppermint, which is fantastic for repelling fleas, and jojoba oil, which is great for dogs’ skin and hair/fur.

HOW TO

1.
Combine all the ingredients in an old shampoo bottle and shake gently. (It should keep for up to 6 months in a cool, dark cupboard.)

2.
Fill a tub or kitchen sink (depending on the size of your dog) with tepid (slightly warm water). Make sure your sink/tub has a shower attachment and a nonslip mat.

3.
Place your doggie in the tub/sink, with the water coming up to his/her belly. Gently wet the rest of his/her fur with the shower attachment.

4.
Squirt about 1 tsp. of shampoo on his/her back and work it into a lather all over his/her body. Avoid the dog’s eyes and mouth area, as the peppermint oil could sting.

5.
Thoroughly rinse off all the shampoo with the shower attachment.

6.
Have a large towel laid out ready on the counter or the floor. Remove your pooch from the water and wrap him or her up in the towel. Most dogs love being dried, but after an initial rubdown you should let him or her run, shake, and go crazy before you attempt further drying. It’s dogs’ nature to want to roll and have a mad moment or two. If it’s warm, I prefer to let Phoebe air-dry, but if it’s cold I get the hair dryer going on its lowest/coolest setting. She hates it, so I’m pretty quick and don’t get it anywhere near her face.

7.
Most dogs don’t need hair conditioner. However, if you have a long-haired pooch like Phoebe with dry hair, you can rub a few drops of jojoba oil in the palms of your hands and gently smooth over your dog’s coat. You can also use a few squirts of the Fur Spritz (see following page).

8.
The grand finale is the face washing. I take a damp (warm water) old facecloth and wipe around Phoebe’s eyes and mouth.

Since I adopted Phoebe, pet supply shops have become like candy stores—my daughter and I have to stay away! The amount of stuff you can now buy,
from bad-breath sprays to pedicure kits, is absurd. Having scouted out every major pet supply store in the area, I’ve realized that you can make virtually everything you need for your dog, and that much of what they sell can actually be harmful to your pet’s health. Learning to do it yourself for your precious pet is the only way to go.

Fur Spritz

If your little pooch is anything like Phoebe, no matter how clean you keep them, it’s normal for them to get a bit smelly now and then. This doesn’t really pose a problem, unless they sleep very close to your face—which is the case with Phoebe. The fur spritz will make your pooch’s fur smell sweet, as well as give it a conditoning shine.

HOW TO

1.
Mix the water, aloe vera juice, and glycerin in a measuring cup and carefully pour into the bottle.

2.
Add the essential oils and shake gently.

3.
Store in a cool, dark spot when not using. It will last for up to 1 year.

Fleece Doggie/Kitty Bed

You can make this out of an old fleece pullover. If you don’t have one, you’ll find a few tatty bargains at a garage sale or flea market. The size of the bed will depend on the size of the fleece you’re working with. Use as big a fleece as possible for your dog. An XL fleece should work for a dog weighing up to 12 pounds. You can use a smaller fleece for a cat. If you have a large dog, look at the Large Dog Bed (see DIY Doggie (Kitty Too)).