How to Clean the Kitchen Sink

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Ugh. Just looking at that "before" picture makes me shudder. I can't believe I let the sink get that disgusting. I think it was mostly coffee stains, but still, no, just no. So gross. I guess the one good thing about it is that it gives you a good idea of what the natural cleaning tip I am going to share with you can do....

(This is a guest post for Sustainable Fitness. Find the article in full on her site.)

(Source: The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel Maier)

Guest Post at Naturally Mindful: Tips for Traveling with Cloth Diapers

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With the holidays right around the corner lots of folks are thinking about packing up and heading out to get in cars, in planes, on trains, etc. Traveling during the holidays is never the most fun of times. Traveling with children makes things even more complicated. Traveling with a baby in cloth diapers? Forget it. 

At least, that's the way a lot of parent feel about the matter.

But there is no need. Traveling with cloth diapers can actually be quite painless and simple.... 

(This is a post written for Stephanie of Naturally Mindful. Visit her site to Continue Reading...)

Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent (without Borax)

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This is a post I have been waiting about three months to put up. Why? Because I wanted to test out my homemade product for a good long while to make sure it really worked before I shared it with you. And guess what? Can I just say, this easy homemade laundry detergent is awesome. It is incredibly easy to make and costs mere pennies.

Being the crunchy momma that I am whenever I used to purchase laundry soap from the grocery store I would always get the most natural, non-toxic, good-for-the-environment. (Read: the VERY, most expensive bottle). It would just kill me every time I had to fork over money to buy a new jug, which when you factor in that my husband works manual labor and my daughter uses cloth diapers, was pretty often. And on top of that, when you turn over any bottle of laundry soap and you read the list of ingredients the list always goes 1) water 2) a bunch of chemistry terms I don't recognize. 

So I decided to embark on a journey to make my own. This is my recipe. It may not work for everyone but it works for us. We even use it on diaper loads without any problems.

Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent

Makes 1 quart

1 quart-sized container
1 tablespoon washing soda (Where to buy. Or make your own)
1 tablespoon baking soda 
1.5 tablespoons liquid Castile soap.)
1 quart very warm water

In a small cup mix washing soda and baking soda together. Turn on tap water as hot as it gets. Add water to almost fill cup and quickly stir the powder mixture and dissolve thoroughly. Pour into quart-sized container. Add more water to almost fill. Shake well. Pour in Castile soap. Shake vigorously. Add more water to fill the container. Use 1/3-1/2 cup for regular load. More for a heavily soiled one. (Note: to learn how I wash cloth diapers go here.)

It's that easy.

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This post shared at: Natural Living Monday, 

How to Make Washing Soda

Several months ago I was desperately searching for a source of washing soda to attempt a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. To no avail. Grocery stores, craft stores, bulk retailers, none of them had washing soda. Most of the people I talked to didn't even know what I was referring to. (Frankly, I didn't either...) So, in a desperate attempt I went online and did some research. Low and behold, washing soda is incredibly easy to make. 

I found this recipe for making my own. All you need is baking soda and an oven. It's that simple because,

Baked Baking Soda=Washing Soda 

The difference, chemically speaking, between baking soda (NaHCO3) and washing soda (Na2CO3) is water and carbon dioxide. When you heat baking soda at a high temperature the water and carbon dioxide evaporate.

How To Make Washing Soda

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda on a baking sheet. Place in the oven. Stir occasionally for about an hour (or longer if need be). Remove from the oven and let cool. You can tell it is done based on texture. Baking soda is wet and clumps. Washing soda is dry, grainy and flakes  (In the picture, the baking soda is on the left and the washing soda is on the right). See the difference?

Now, if  you ever come across recipes for  homemade detergent that calls for washing soda, you don't need to drive anywhere to get it!

What do you I use it for?

To make my homemade laundry detergent!

GIVEAWAY: The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier

This GIVEAWAY has ended. 

Check out our CURRENT GIVEAWAY here. Thanks!

Winners of this giveaway  have been announced!

See it here.

Happy October! It's the first of the month so let's have a GIVEAWAY!

WHAT:

A brand new copy of The Naturally Clean Home. A wonderful DIY book by Karyn Siegel-Maier on green cleaning. A fabulous guide to easy, inexpensive and nontoxic cleaning solutions using simple ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax and herbs. Features recipes for everything from bathrooms to kitchens to stain removal, to carpets and laundry. For more info check it out here. I absolutely love this book. I use my copy all the time. Keep it for yourself or give it as a Christmas gift!

WHO:

To enter this giveaway follow these simple rules:

• Subscribe to LittleOwlCrunchyMomma via email

• "Like" LittleOwlCrunchyMomma on Facebook 

• And if you're feeling particularly generous towards your friends you can share this giveaway on Facebook!

• Leave a comment on this post letting me know how many of these things you did. (Hint: the more you do the more times your name gets entered into the giveaway!)

Yup, it's that simple.

Will randomly draw a winner at the end of the month. Good luck!

-The Crunchy Momma

(Disclaimer: I can ship anywhere in the US of A. I am doing this because I can--This is not a sponsored post.)

How To Clean Your Home (pt 1: Bathroom)

As a culture we are becoming more aware of how important it is to understand where our food comes from, what it is made of and whether or not it is good for us. We are becoming more aware of how important it is to not put toxic chemicals onto our skin or in our hair. There is a push for organic, clean, environmentally friendly options for many every day products. 

Yet, our homes remain toxic to ourselves and our children. Take a look under your bathroom sink. Would you allow your child to play with what is under there? Would you allow your dog to chew on that bottle of bleach? Hopefully not. Yet, we are fine with spraying, dusting, blowing, sprinkling and ultimately breathing and swallowing every product that is under there. 

Let's put things in perspective. (From The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel Maier)

*Ninety percent of all accidental poisonings occur in the home. According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, more than seven million cases of poisoning are reported each year. That equates to 14,000 each day! Young children are the primary victims with the elderly being the next most affected. 

*According to a five-year EPA study, the air in an average American home has chemical contamination levels 70 times greater than outdoor air. The EPA maintains that half of all illnesses occurring in the United States can be attributed to chemical contamination of indoor air. In fact, a 1985 EPA report states that household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution.

*A study by the Toronto Indoor Air Commission concluded that, due to increased exposure to household carcinogens, women who work at home have a 55 percent greater chance of developing cancer than women who spend the majority of their time outside the home. 

*The National Academy of Sciences estimates that 15 percent of all Americans are multi-chemically sensitive due to chronic exposure to household and cosmetic products. 

 

Still feel good about what is under your sink? I didn't after reading this. As an individual who strives for what is healthy and good for the inside and outside of my body it only made sense to look for alternatives. I began to look at "healthy" cleaning products on the market. Mrs. Meyer's, Green Works, Seventh Generation, etc. They are not cheap, and the ingredients list still didn't seem like something I would let my dog drink. 

I recommend a much easier, cheaper and healthier option. The shopping list is simple: Baking Soda and White Vinegar.

What is Baking Soda?

Baking soda (sodium bicorbonate) is an amphoteric compound. It can react with both acidic or base compounds. Baking soda's natural mineral form is known as nahcolite. It can be found dissolved in mineral springs. It has been used for a long time cleaning and cooking agent. The ancient Egyptians harvested deposits of natron--a combination of sodium carbonate (soda ash) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) from dry lake beds. Today most baking soda is harvested from mineral deposits in the Piceance Basin in Colorado. There are different grades of baking soda depending on how much processing it goes through after harvesting. For baking I recommend using a higher quality baking soda. But for cleaning (especially since I buy it in bulk) I don't particularly care. 

What is White Vinegar?

White Vinegar is an acidic compound made by fermenting grain and water. It's cheap, mildly acidic and has a much milder odor than most vinegar on the market. 

The Solution

To clean your bathroom with these products is phenomenally simple. For mirrors I use a wet rag and dab a bit of vinegar onto it. Wipe and repeat. Voila, sparkling mirrors! For sinks, counters and the toilet I sprinkle baking soda liberally, douse with vinegar (enjoy the science: sodium carbonate reacts with the acetic acid in vinegar to produce an explosion) and scrub. If you want to go crazy you can sprinkle a couple drops of lavender or citrus essential oil around over the baking soda before you pour on the vinegar.

Yes, it's that simple, that cheap, that easy, that much less toxic. And oh the possibilities of what you can use that extra storage space for under your bathroom sink... 

(For more healthy living tips subscribe to LittleOwlCrunchyMomma)

This blog featured on: Fills Those Jars, Green Tuesdays, One Project at a Time..., Farmgirl Friday

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