MOUTHWASH -- A solution for all seasons
Does your cat, dog, hamster, bundle-of-joy, or significant other make a mess on the floor or the rugs??? Want to use something other than commercial cleaners, which can be toxic to you and the others?
Buy generic unflavored mouthwash (flavored mouthwashes have sugar in them -- makes them sticky).
Pour some into a clean, empty dishwashing liquid bottle (the kind with the pop-up pour-top). You can also mix (about 1 part to every 10 parts mouthwash) a little generic reconsituted concentrated lemon juice in with it. Do NOT mix the mouthwash or the lemon juice with Bleach or commercial cleaners!! Dangerous and Toxic fumes may result!!!
This solution is great for washing and disinfecting floors (test a portion of the floor first, to make sure it doesn't discolor), bathrooms, sinks, walls, rugs (again - test a portion of the rug first to make sure this solution does not discolor the rug). The lemon also acts as a solvent.
This solution is fairly non-toxic, but keep the animals and kiddies away from floors, rugs, etc until they dry. I've also used it succesfully when cleaning up (EEYEW!) CatPuke and cat accidents (it usually deodorizes the smell too).
It works great on SOME furniture, but it can also raise the finish, so use it cautiously on furniture. You can also open up the dishwasher door and spish it inside (using your handy old dishwasher liquid bottle) to add extra deodorizing power during the next to last dish-rinse cycle.
Great to add to Laundry too!
You can also put some into a spray bottle (into which you have FIRST added a little water), and, if desired, add a little spritz of your favorite perfume. You can use this solution to clean and freshen items, even the insides of your shoes (test a small area beforehand).
Just don't use it as a <:-+ mouthwash!!
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Killing Germs on Fruits and Veggies:
Worried about harmful "stuff" living on your produce when you take it home from the store???
When washing fruits and/or vegetables, I:
(1) wash them thoroughly. Sometimes I soak em in a diluted solution -- 9 parts water to one part mouthwash (unflavored). Then I:
(2) put them in a big bowl filled with water
(I use bottled purified water -- it's cheap, 79 cents a gallon, and it's still purer than tap water.)
(3) I squirt/squeeze lemon juice into this bowl of cleaning water and swish the fruits/veggies around in this solution. It helps to kill the germs. Some people also like to add a bit of salt, too. You can rinse and dry everything afterwards.
When eating a salad -- how well were these veggies washed? Who handled them??
I add lemon juice to my salads. Then I like to add Olive oil and a little Parmesan -- oh yum!
I even carry around with me, one of those little (bought at the grocery store) yellow plastic lemons filled with lemon juice, so I can squeeze lemone juice on my food of choice, when I'm eating out.
Incidentally, not only do I drink bottled water, but I fill my cats' water dishes with purified water too - every living being deserves the best.
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Imaginative Uses for Baby Wipes
Get the cheapest you can find. Use them to
(1) Pick up Dust Bunnies with ( Wear your rubber gloves -- some of the dust you pick up can get into a cut on your skin and cause allergic eactions of infections)
(2) Dust furniture
(3) Clean off telephone ear-pieces
(4) Wipe off chrome
(5) Clean off exercise equipment
When in doubt, test the wipe on an inconspicuous part of the furniture, exercise equipment, etc., to make sure it doesn't mess anything up.
Finished? Discard!
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Bathtub Drains backing up???
Prevent all that gook from building up in the first place!!
As you stand there still half-awake, watching the water gurgle (or try to gurgle) down the drain, spish a little (use a cheap bottle) bit of dishwashing liquid in the water right where it goes down the drain (don't do this while the water's running or you'll have loads of suds).
This acts as a lubricant and solvent. Keep doing this and your drains should remain clog-free.
How to Make a Great Skin Cream -- (Excellent for Feet, too)
Ingredients: (If you can get Organic ingredients, all the better.)
1 - Beeswax -- you can look for this at a crafts-supplies store, a health food store, outdoor crafts fairs, maybe even a Fresh Fields.
Beeswax comes in cubes, approximately 1 1/2" x 3/4" x 1" square or 2 1/2" x 3/4" x 1" rectangular in shape, Cost - around $1 - $3 each.
2 - Olive Oil -- Virgin, or Pure is fine. I prefer olive oil, but Soy Oil is OK. So is Canola. Make sure you are not allergic to these oils when they are used topically (on the skin). Some people have trouble with Safflower oil on their skin, so be cautious.
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3 - (Optional) Soy Lecithin granules -- If you are allergic to soy, DO NOT use the lecithin. The soy lecithin you need to use looks like little yellow granules and it is a natural emulsifier (you can get it at GNC). It will help to blend the beeswax and olive oil.
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Directions -- In a glass or metal (stainless steel) double boiler, put 2 1/2 cups of Olive Oil and ONE (rectangle) or TWO (squares) beeswax. If you are using the Soy Lecithin, add a tablespoon of it to this mixture. Slowly melt everything on low heat, and stir occasionally with a wooden or metal (stainless steel) spoon. When everything has dissolved, it will look like a liquid -- let it cool, in the pot. After it cools, test it for hardness -- it you cannot easily make a dent in the surface with your finger, it's too hard. Add about 1/2 cup olive oil, reheat (low heat), stir until dissolved, and then cool again. Do this until you can literally stir the cooled solution with your finger. Then heat (using low heat) briefly until it is a liquid again, pour carefully (don't burn yourself!) into a heat-proof glass bowl, let it cool a little, then add (if you want to ) the Optional Ingredients listed below:
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Optional: Ingredients that I add, after the cream has cooled sufficiently:
Some people are allergic to all or some these next ingredients. Use carefully.
4 - Royal Jelly -- It's expensive. I already had some on hand, so I used it. I used the kind that comes as a liquid inside of a capsule. I took a sterile pin and squeezed the Royal Jelly from the capsules, into the cooled (but still somewhat warm, so I could stir it) solution.
5 - Lavender Oil -- (I use Nature's Sunshine brand, as it is pure with nothing else added except the carrier oil -- go really easy when you add it -- just a few drops, no more than that, as it is highly concentrated). Lavender Oil is considered to be a natural antiseptic. When I put it on my scuzzy-looking little toenails, it helps to heal them and they are much smoother looking.
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Now cover with cheesecloth or paper towel, put in a clean area, and let everything cool. Ladle into clean containers with covers -- mine does not go bad -- make sure you store it in a clean dry place.
Once it cools, you have a wonderful cream that is great for the feet, just as it is.
It will be somewhat heavy, so if you want to use it on your face (it's great!) put some in a clean container and add enough olive oil (or other cooking oil of your choice) into the container and stir everything until it is more liquid.
Also great to use on short-short hair -- but you need to wash your hair REALLY-REALLY thoroughly the next day, to get all the cream out.
The double boiler and the spoon will need to be soaked -- if you add some dishwashing detergent to them while they are soaking, that will help remove the cooled/dried mixture that clings to the sides.
