DIY Cleaning Products that WORK

DIY Cleaning Product Ingredients 

You might be wondering why a yogini is talking about Do-It-Yourself cleaning products. Well, I have found myself more and more unable to deal physically with all the unnatural chemicals in products--for my nourishment, my skin, my makeup (which I love), and for cleaning.

When I woke up looking like I'd been in a fight because my eyelids were so swollen, I knew I had to do something. Nothing had changed except that I had a new cleaning person with new-to-me products.

Bottom line is that I want to be mindful of what I put inside, outside and around my body and on the planet.

I began doing research through books, people and the internet. I thought my students and readers might like to hear about some of my findings. For those of you who live locally, I am doing a free presentation at REAL Foods Sugarhouse, in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm. You'll take home some ideas, recipes and easy-to-make holiday gifts that people will love and use.

Some of you already know that I spent many years as a Health and Science teacher dealing with all sorts of chemicals and experiments so making products and conducting experiments is right up my alley. I love trying out people's recipes and seeing what works and trying different things to make them more effective.

I decided to start with some of the more toxic cleaners.

Oven Cleaner

One of the easiest and lest toxic ways to clean the bottom of your oven is to use baking soda. Yep, that's it. Wipe down your oven with a wet sponge or rag (I an old t-shirt because it gets pretty dirty). Sprinkle baking soda, leaving a thick coat. Spray some more water to moisten all of the baking soda. Let sit for an hour or so. Wipe clean with warm water. You'll need to rinse your rag and change your water a few times. Depending on the severity of your oven, you may need to repeat. After my initial cleaning, I clean it monthly when I'm using my oven regularly and I only have to do it once. 

Toilet Cleaner

Believe it or not, my son Aaron makes these incredible bath bomb fizzies. People of all ages love them! It turns out that they are great toilet bowl cleaners as well. You know the toilet is a smaller body of water fairly close to the tub; let's see what happens kind of story that only kids can make happen.

For this recipe I suggest safety glasses and plastic gloves for protection as you are preparing it. 
Mix 2 c of baking soda with 2/3 c citric acid (we buy ours in bulk from the local Gygi Store). Using a spray bottle of plain water. Lightly spray the mixture and stir until it is the consistency of wet sand. Add essential oils of your choice. We like lemon and lavender mixed (15 drops of each). Press into candy mold or mini muffin dishes. Dry. In Utah this happens pretty quickly (4-8 hours). 

These are great for baths, toilet bowl cleaning and gifts. Store in an air tight container-zip lock baggie or a little glass jar.

For more simple, natural cleansers, stay tuned or stop by REAL Foods Sugarhouse next Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm.  

I'd love to hear any of your ideas, recipes or success stories with natural cleansers.
#REALFoodsMarket #DIY