How to Do Chemical-Free Housekeeping

June 27th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

When the majority of us clean the house, we use a lot of different chemicals. Most of us have cleaning products like bleach and ammonia under our sinks and other products with chemicals we can’t even pronounce or know nothing about. While the chemical-filled cleaning products might do a good job of keeping our house clean, they might also be harming you and your family.

It is possible to get your house clean without using dangerous chemical. Chemical-free housekeeping can be done by using products with natural ingredients. This will allow you to have the clean house you want without exposing your family to danger. Here are few ideas:

  • Instead of using furniture polish, use a quality microfiber cloth that you can use, wash and use again. These are costlier than just making rags out of old clothes but are great for dusting and will leave your wood and other surfaces shiny, clean and dust free.
  • Use the power of steam. You can get your carpets and furniture clean and fresh smelling with a steam cleaner and it will be chemical-free. Other things that can be cleaned with a steam cleaner include wood floors and counters. You will have a damp but not wet surface when you use a steam cleaner so it will dry quickly.
  • A new technology you can use is UV-C devices that remove germs from your home by using ultraviolet light. There are vacuum cleaners, air cleaners and wands that use UV-C technology.
  • Instead of bleach, use hydrogen peroxide because it is as good at cleaning but less toxic. A little hydrogen peroxide in the wash will keep your whites white and even treat mold that may be in your home.
  • Always have baking soda handy. Baking soda is used in many recipes but it is also a good cleaning product. It can help you get out stains from clothing and other fabrics and keep odors away from fabric, carpet and more. Baking soda will help you get even the grimiest dishes sparkling clean and is great for scrubbing counter tops. You can add baking soda to your dishwasher or washer instead of regular detergents. The baking soda in your fridge that keeps it odor-free can later be used for cleaning.
  • Use vinegar to disinfect almost any surface in your home and get rid of mold and bacteria. Vinegar is great for keeping glass and mirrors sparkling clean and can be used along with baking soda to clear up clogs in your drains. Vinegar is also used to disinfect your dishwasher and clean things like coffee pots that are hard to get into.

It is going to end up saving you money and time in most cases if you do chemical-free housekeeping. While you pay upfront for technology like UV-C items and steam cleaners, you save money in the long run on the chemicals you no longer have to buy. You already have a kitchen with all the cleaning products you would ever need, you just don’t realize it. Chemical-free housekeeping is not as hard as it sounds.

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Keeping Your Cleaning Products Simple

June 13th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

You probably have never looked at the ingredients and the warnings on the cleaning products you use but you definitely should. Most of the ingredients are probably things you can’t pronounce and don’t know. These chemicals are used to make the cleaners more effective, to give them color, to preserve them and to give them a pleasant scent. Most of these chemicals are things that we should all be wary of and that could harm us if we are overexposed to them.

Many new “green” cleaners are coming out that offer a great cleaning product but without all the dangerous chemicals. Just because they say the are natural cleaners, though, does not mean that it is true. You need to look at the ingredients. Many of these still include dangerous chemicals to give the cleaner a pleasant scent.

The best way to simplify your cleaning products and avoid dangerous chemicals is to use homemade cleaning products. You can find everything you need to make your house sparkle and shine right in your kitchen. Your windows will sparkle if you use equal parts vinegar and water. Your counter tops will shine if you mix baking soda and dish soap.

Baking Soda

While most of us know baking soda helps keep your house smelling good, you may not know it also helps remove stains. It is gentle enough to use on most tiles, glass, your antique china and on the majority of your fabrics. It is also good for scrubbing those messy pots and pans clean after cooking a big dinner.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Many people are reluctant to use natural cleaning products because they don’t think they kill the germs in your home. Many of us think that only bleach and other hazardous chemicals really work to rid your home of germs. You can use hydrogen peroxide, which is a little weaker but still very effective way to kill germs that won’t damage most of your home surfaces like other chemicals can.

White Vinegar

Vinegar works very well to remove smells and also to get rid of germs. Vinegar is a great choice for getting your coffee pot, your pots and pans or your kitchen counters clean. When combined with baking soda, vinegar will help break through clogged drains. However, you should use caution when using vinegar near fabrics because it can damage acetate fabrics.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is great for cleaning up greasy messes and also for making your house smell fresh and clean. It can be used to polish many metal items as long as they are not silver or to get stains out of fabrics in your home.

You can use the items described above alone or in combination with other common items you have in your kitchen. For example, a great cleaning product that will also sanitize your home can be created from only borax (about 2 teaspoons), vinegar (4 teaspoons), hot water (3 cups) and dish soap (1/4 tablespoons)  .

You can still have a clean house without exposing your family to hazardous chemicals. Simplify your cleaning products by using what you have in your kitchen. It is a little more work to make your own cleaning products but you will save money and your family will be healthier.

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Get Great Hair with Natural Hair Care

June 11th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

Many of us work hard to have perfect hair for a day at work or a night out with our friends. We wash, color, perm and style our hair day after day without giving it a second thought. We may be damaging our hair by this continuous attempt to make our hair look its best and even hurting the environment in the process.

You do not have to use chemical filled products that are full of alcohol and other drying products to look good. You can use natural hair care products to get the same results and these natural hair care recipes often can be made from things you have in your kitchen right now.

Shampoo

We all know how well baking soda works as a cleaner and as a personal care item. But you may not know it can also get your hair clean and shiny. All you do is use it like you would use a traditional shampoo product.

If you want your shampoo to smell good but don’t want dangerous chemicals, try use herbs and castile soap. Combine the herbs of your choice with distilled water brought to a boil and let it cool. After you strain the herb water mix it with 4 ounces of castile soap in an easy to use container. Mix well and you have great smelling shampoo. Sage, nettle and lavender are popular herbs to use in this mixture.

Conditioner

If your hair is dry, frizzy or out of control, you want to find an effective conditioner. You have many things in your kitchen cabinets and fridge that you can use to condition your hair. For example, you can cover your wet hair with mayonnaise and put a shower cap on for about 30 minutes then rinse it out. You will have soft hair when you are done. The same thing can be accomplished with using the bananas that have started to turn brown; you can use them on your hair instead of simply throwing them out.

If your hair is dry, try a combination of one egg yolk, 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of baby oil. Cover your hair with the mixture then rinse out to get soft and manageable hair.

For Shiny Hair

You can get shiny hair by using 2 tablespoons of apple cider or regular vinegar combined with 2 cups of water on your hair after washing it as you normally would. Apply and rinse. You can then apply lemon juice (from one half of a lemon) and rinse again to get your hair even more shiny.

Dandruff Treatments

Dandruff can be treated without spending a lot of money on specialty shampoos. Something as simple as a combination of vinegar and water (1 part to 3 parts) put on your hair and covered before bed and then rinsed with the same liquid in the morning will get rid of dandruff. You can keep doing this for a few days until the dandruff is gone.

Fenugreek seeds left to soak through the night and then made into a paste can be used to treat dandruff. You just rub the paste through your hair, leave for about 5 minutes than wash as you would normally.

Using natural hair care products will help you have great hair and help you avoid contact with some of the dangerous chemicals found in many hair care products. Make your own natural hair care products today and get your hair looking perfect.

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How to Use Natural Skin Care Treatments

May 24th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

You can find any number of beauty products at your local department or drug store. They have products for all types of skin from oily to dry and products that claim to reduce wrinkles and make your skin look younger and healthier. They are not cheap in many cases, however.

The companies that sell these beauty products do not want you to find out how easy it is to make natural skin care treatments in your own kitchen. You can use what you have in your cabinets or fridge to create natural skin care treatments that won’t have any of the harmful chemicals found in many over-the-counter products. This is a much cheaper alternative and the treatments can be very effective.

Creating the Right Natural Skin Care Treatment for You

You may need to do some research to get the right ingredients for the kind of skin issues you have. The beauty products you buy at your local drugstore do the work for you and tell you what kind of skin issues they are meant to deal with. Natural skin care can be a little more confusing at first. With a little trial and error using different ingredients, you can create a natural skin care product that is just right for you and your skin.

You need to have a basic understanding of the type of skin that you have. You may have dry skin or maybe you have oily skin. You may need to treat wrinkles or you may need to treat acne. You need to be aware of any possible allergic reactions to potential ingredients as well. After you figure out what your skin needs, you can start creating natural skin care treatments based on the following:

  • For dry skin, try making creams with oils like almond, grapeseed or olive. You can also try chamomile, dairy products and honey.
  • For oily skin, use lemon extract, buttermilk, witch hazel and cornmeal.
  • For oily/dry combination skin, try using olive oil, rose water, milk, chamomile, baking soda and cornmeal.
  • Acne treatments should include lemon extract, apples, aloe, tomatoes, witch hazel and tea tree oil.
  • Wrinkle treatments should include juice (grape or carrot), honey, coconut oil and fruits like bananas and pineapples.

Natural Skin Care Recipes

Here are some ideas for you:

Dry Skin Cold Cream with Apricot

  • 10 oz. apricot kernel oil
  • 2 oz. cocoa butter
  • 2 oz. beeswax

Using a double boiler, gently warm the items above until they melt. Stir with a spoon made of wood and allow to cool. Keep refrigerated in a closed container.

Combination Skin Mask with Rose Essence

  • 1 whole rose head
  • 1 tbsp. rose water
  • 1 tbsp. unflavored yogurt
  • 1tbsp. honey

Rinse the petals from the rose , soak and then crush them into a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the crushed rose petals and stir. This should be used right away.

Mask With Honey and Apples

  • 4 tbsp. Honey
  • 1 whole apple, grated

Combine the grated apple and the honey and use the mixture right away.

Natural skin care takes a little practice to get right but it is worth all the work. You can create a skin treatment that is suited exactly to the needs of your skin and that you know is safe and contains no harsh chemicals. You can save a lot of money by using ingredients you already have to make natural skin care products instead of buying them at the drugstore.

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