Home made Dryer Sheets

Please refer to my previous post on Homemade Air Refreshers for a full explanation as to why fabric softener is bad for your clothes! Ive been looking for natural alternatives, but the only ones Ive found require the use of hair conditioner, which is hit or miss depending on brands and mostly contain a ton of chemicals and oils. I'll get back to you on this

To Make your own dryer sheets, however, I have a solution!

Commercial dryer sheets contain a lot of "fragrance" chemicals that absorb into your body when you put your clothes on. The EPA has even classified a lot of them of cancer causing.. but to be fair what DOESNT cause cancer these days? Well thats actually why WE are here!

 I found this list HERE that shows you what the main chemicals are and what they do. (That website also has a list of green alternatives!)

• ALPHA-TERPINEOL- Causes CNS (Central Nervous System) disorders and is highly irritating to mucus membranes.
• BENZYL ACETATE- Carcinogenic (linked to pancreatic cancer).
• BENZYL ALCOHOL- Causes CNS disorders. It is irritating to the upper respiratory tract” causing “headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure.
• CAMPHOR- Causes CNS disorders.
• CHLOROFORM- Toxic. It is an anesthetic and carcinogenic.
• ETHYL ACETATE- Narcotic. This product is on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract.
• LINALOOL- Narcotic. Causes DNS disorder, respiratory disturbances.
• PENTANE-”Danger-Harmful if inhaled; extremely flammable.

You'll see a lot of cancer and respiratory disorders on this list, which is upsetting as well as ironic because you just want your clothes to smell good, right? That smell is killing you? LAME!

Heres a crafty recipe to make your own dryer sheets!
You'll need your trusty essential oils of your preference and old clothes or cloth to cut up.
Cut cotton cloth into small squares. Add a few drops of essential oil to the cloth and throw it in the dryer with your next load. They should last about 2 or 3 loads, each time adding 3 more drops of your favorite essential oil.
Experiment with different smells, and enjoy!

Its funzies because you know EXACTLY what you'll be wearing and what will be touching your skin. Have fun with it!

Homemade air refresher and smell buster

There are a ton of recipes online for making your own homemade fabric refresher, but be careful of recipes that say to use fabric softener. This is what the cheap wanna-be-Febreeze brands will use (like the ones at the Dollar Store), and all it does it coat materials in a wax-like... ness with a lubricant that makes you THINK its softer. This over a long time can actually make your clothes degrade faster, and ruins towels by blocking absorption.

Plus the ingredients are TOTALLY not "green." It contains several chemicals which have been linked to health problems such as Central nervous system disorders, Headaches, Nausea, Vomiting, Dizziness, Blood pressure reduction, Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract, and Pancreatic cancer.

Febreeze itself is not only expensive, but let me explain how it works. Its main working ingredient is called Cyclodextrin which basically works as a sticky ring-like molecule actually made from (like pretty much everything else in the grocery store) CORN! Its not that it ISN'T technically "green" its what it actually does. When sprayed into the air the stickiness grabs on to odor molecules until its too heavy and falls to the ground. This grabs a bunch of smell gunk and leaves it firmly planted on your floors and in your carpet.

Anything you introduce to the environment, no matter how "good" or "green" it is (I <3 you Baking soda!) will pretty much do the same thing, but thats why we vacuum our home, too.. RIGHT? :P BUT as the owner of a toddler I understand that there are some toys (talking stuffed animals as an example) that cant be laundered anyways. Plus these recipes are going to be cheaper, and more fun since you will be just so proud of yourself in the end for being Super House wife (whether or not you have a spouse) and you are just so crafty! Im already proud of you and your talents!

*One VERY simple recipe is 1/2 Vodka and 1/2 Water - Plus whatever essential oil you'd like (Lavender is a great choice, and if you want that fresh clean smell go with some lemon juice!). If you like the smell of Tea Tree oil I would recommend that the most, since BOTH vodka and the Tea Tree will be disinfecting!


*An Alternative to the last recipe is using white vinegar instead of Vodka!

*Another recipe that is easy and completely green Is just baking soda and water! a tablespoon of baking soda to every cup or so of water and consider those smells absorbed!

Fight the Funk!

 Natural Deodorant 

Sometimes it can be a hard transition from those chemical antiperspirants to natural deodorants. The hardest part is finding one that keeps your funk at bay. When you find a good one, sometimes the price can be a bummer. I have tried a few different concoctions in the past, but this one has been the most successful for me. It even passed the Bikram Yoga challenge :)  This simple concoction of simple ingredients will help keep you so fresh and so clean clean.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder

5-6 teaspoons of coconut oil

20 drops of tea tree oil or other essential oil (optional)

*Tea Tree is recommended for its antibacterial properties. Some other great options would be lavender, oregano, geranium, or lemon.

1. combine the dry ingredients and slowly add the coconut oil. You will want the oil to be a liquid when doing this. You may also need to adjust the amount of oil used to obtain the consistency that you'd like.

2. Put the mixture in a container with a lid. You can also reuse your the empty container for your last stick of deodorant. If you do reuse the container, take some caution of carrying it around with you. Since the coconut is what's helping it stay solid, it will melt at 76 degrees. That could leave a nasty mess in your bag. Any sort of container with a lid will do. I used a small Tupperware container.


If you keep it in a container, the easiest way to put it on would be with your hands. Also, if it feels too grainy when applying, try adding more oil so it goes on smooth!

*Note from Melody - I actually put the concoction in old deoderant containers, when it hardens it acts exactly like the store bought brands!

Strawberries for teeth!

Want clean, whiter teeth?  I learned this a long long time ago but just dont do it. I should, and so should you.

Get out your baking soda and go buy some strawberries!



Mash a strawberry and around half a teaspoon of baking soda together to make a paste, rub it on those fine chompers, leave it on for around 5 minutes, then you can either just rinse it off or brush your teeth with toothpaste. **Dont do this more than twice a week though, since strawberries are chock full of malic acidy goodness!

Also in a toothbrushless pickle you can just rub a strawberry on your teeth to quickly remove plaque. The seeds are natures way of keeping those teeth happy and clean! I love nature! Nature party!!

In a strawberryless pickle eat an apple! Make sure to brush those teeth the next chance you get though if using this method, as not only are apples acidy, but they are FULL of sugar (its actually said apples can be worse for your teeth than sugar) and will also rot them if you dont take heed. The acid and the texture of the apple will clear debris and plaque! **another note: In an appleless pickle you can use any crunchy veggie like carrots or celery! They dont whiten but they will clean!

Don forget when in doubt trust Mother Earth!

Sugar Fiend

  DIY Sugar Scrub

This is a super easy, super yummy sugar scrub. Why buy a sugar scrub at one of those expensive body shops when you can make your own in just minutes with ingredients you already have in the house? This sugar scrub leaves you exfoliated and moisturized all in one product! FUNZIES!! 


To Make:


1. You will want to choose a sugar. I used organic light brown sugar. Other options are white sugar, or even dark brown sugar for super sensitive skin.

2. Choose and Oil. I used organic extra virgin coconut oil, but you can use olive, almond, jojoba or sesame.

3. Mix the sugar and oil together in a bowl.  The ratio here is 1 part oil to 2 parts sugar. I used 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup coconut oil. 

Since I used coconut oil, I warmed it up a little so it was a liquid instead of a solid.  I also added a few drops of Essential Oil to make it even yummier.

In the shower:

When using the scrub, you will want to apply it to dry skin with your hands. Once you have scrubbed your body, rinse, pat dry and enjoy your smooth skin!

Things to keep around

When you decide to "go green" or just "save money" or even "stick it to the man" you'll need to keep some things around at all times!

The first thing is Vinegar! Personally I have like every type of vinegar in existence in my house for difference reasons, but the main one for cleaning is White Vinegar, the main one for beauty supplies is gonna be Apple Cider, and for food balsamic and red wine. (There are variously flavored red wine vinegars. I personally have Garlic and Acai Pomegranate!)

Heres a link with 254 uses for vinegar: http://www.wisebread.com/254-uses-for-vinegar-and-counting.

Another All purpose awesome thing is Baking Soda! Its used for so many things, and combined with vinegar makes an explosive cleanser for counters, sinks, carpet, and more.

Tea tree Oil! (Or eucalyptus oil can be a good substitute.) It disinfects everything, smells amazing, and is good for your health - Keep it around in the winter especially for coughs and colds, and if you have children keep ALOT of it around to disinfect everything that they touch, haha.