[ann72601]

I have become so tired of trying to find suitable cleaning products that will not leave me sick with allergic reactions, sensitivities and glutening, that I have decided to make them all. I was thinking of what our mothers and grandmothers, and so on.......used before we could buy them off the shelves and thought there has to be lots I can do with baking soda, distilled vinegar, citrus oils, hydrogen pyroxide, borax and more. I figured if I could re-learn to cook then I could do this too.
I've come up with a two cleaners for the kitchen and bath and made a great polish/cleaner for wood floors and furniture. I made facial cleaner and moisturizer out of coconut oil and a scrub with baking soda.
If anyone would like to begin a sharing of ideas and recipes, reply to this post and let's see if we can come up with some solutions.
Have a wonderful evening.

Ann

[ravenwoodglass]

I found a book in the 25 cent bin at one of my local thrift stores called 'Spa Magic' by Mary Muryn that has a lot of great recipes in it for facial lotions, lip balms, salt scrubs, mud masks and more. I've made the sea salt scrubs and lip balms and have the stuff to make mud masks but haven't gotten around to it yet. You may want to check it out. It's kind of fun to do and everything smells so good.

[ann72601]

ravenwoodglass, on Aug 19 2009, 02:21 AM, said:

I found a book in the 25 cent bin at one of my local thrift stores called 'Spa Magic' by Mary Muryn that has a lot of great recipes in it for facial lotions, lip balms, salt scrubs, mud masks and more. I've made the sea salt scrubs and lip balms and have the stuff to make mud masks but haven't gotten around to it yet. You may want to check it out. It's kind of fun to do and everything smells so good.

That's fantastic! I will look for the book. Do you have a simple one you could share in the meantime? Thank you so much for the info.

[ravenwoodglass]

ann72601, on Aug 19 2009, 07:16 AM, said:

That's fantastic! I will look for the book. Do you have a simple one you could share in the meantime? Thank you so much for the info.

This one is my favorite from her book. I mixed up a bunch of different scented ones and sent them to my DD as part of her birthday gift.

From the Spa Magic book by Mary Muryn
"Salt Radiance-
1 cup sea salt
6 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use sweet almond or olive)
8 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops vetiver essential oil
8 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

Mix together then use as a scrub in the shower rubbing all over the body for 5 minutes using a sea sponge, loofah or washcloth. Rinse with cool water to energize or hot water to relax.

Apply moisturizer after drying off if needed."

I mix in a lot of different oils with the basic sea salt and oil mix. One of my other favorites is adding rose hip oil, 5 primrose oil caps (pierced and squeezed and a bit of sweet orange in place of the oils in the recipe.

[celiac-mommy]

I use coconut oil for a moisturizer, especially around my eyes. It also works amazing for eczema.

[ann72601]

celiac-mommy, on Aug 19 2009, 09:33 AM, said:

I use coconut oil for a moisturizer, especially around my eyes. It also works amazing for eczema.

What great ideas!! I'm so glad you're sharing these here. I'm new to this and my products are very basic so far. I was having problems in the kitchen because even the best cleaners I could find had corn, which I am very allergic to. My solution was my grandmother's and I don't have an exact formula yet, but this is working so far.

kitchen and bath cleaner:

8 oz. 3% hydrogen pyroxide
8 oz. sterilized water
10 drops of tea tree oil
10 drops of lemon oil

This disinfects everything but don't use it on wood. I'm making hand wipes with this formula. I'm using Bounty papertowels that can be use as half-sheets and putting them into an old wipes container. Handy for the car or a quick wipe up in the kitchen and bath. I put some by the computer and in the LR where the keyboard and remotes are always being touched by everyone. It's a good way to for me to remember to wipe my hands and the items I'm using.

This one is for scrubbing and bleaching out stains in the kitchen and bath. It makes a gritty cleaner that cuts grease and grime:

8 oz. sterilized water
1/2 cup of baking soda
2 oz. lemon juice


Both of these need to be shaken to keep the ingredients mixed. This is a very basic recipe that has potential for a number of additional ingredients depending upon the uses. Adding tea tree would give it anti-fungal properties, for instance. I haven't looked into basic oils like coconut, lemon and orange, but that is coming next, along with glycerin and borax uses.
I'm using existing spray bottles, sterilized of course, to save money and it's a good way to recycle.
Well, I'm going to try out the salt scrub and coconut moisturizing!!

Ann

[ann72601]

ann72601, on Aug 19 2009, 11:38 AM, said:

What great ideas!! I'm so glad you're sharing these here. I'm new to this and my products are very basic so far. I was having problems in the kitchen because even the best cleaners I could find had corn, which I am very allergic to. My solution was my grandmother's and I don't have an exact formula yet, but this is working so far.

kitchen and bath cleaner:

8 oz. 3% hydrogen pyroxide
8 oz. sterilized water
10 drops of tea tree oil
10 drops of lemon oil

This disinfects everything but don't use it on wood. I'm making hand wipes with this formula. I'm using Bounty papertowels that can be use as half-sheets and putting them into an old wipes container. Handy for the car or a quick wipe up in the kitchen and bath. I put some by the computer and in the LR where the keyboard and remotes are always being touched by everyone. It's a good way to for me to remember to wipe my hands and the items I'm using.

This one is for scrubbing and bleaching out stains in the kitchen and bath. It makes a gritty cleaner that cuts grease and grime:

8 oz. sterilized water
1/2 cup of baking soda
2 oz. lemon juice


Both of these need to be shaken to keep the ingredients mixed. This is a very basic recipe that has potential for a number of additional ingredients depending upon the uses. Adding tea tree would give it anti-fungal properties, for instance. I haven't looked into basic oils like coconut, lemon and orange, but that is coming next, along with glycerin and borax uses.
I'm using existing spray bottles, sterilized of course, to save money and it's a good way to recycle.
Well, I'm going to try out the salt scrub and coconut moisturizing!!

Ann

I wanted to add: I use distilled vinegar from a wood source because of my additional allergies/sensitivites to all grains. It would pay to check if you're extremely sensitive.

[DingoGirl]

These are great ideas

I am obsessed with fragrances - spend hours researching stuff (kind of a waste of time, but a fun hobby, I have an inordinately acute sense of smell - a blessing and a curse!) and, it's much cheaper to make your own salt/sugar scrub. I am presently soaking Tahitian vanilla beans in vodka for several weeks, then will add jojoba oil and...see what happens! Great recipe, Ravenwood.

Also, I use jojoba oil on my face at night as a moisturizer - I have very oily skin but this seems to normalize it somehow and take care of redness/sensitivity.

The cleanser sounds good too....I"m not sensitive so still use light chemicals but may get around to this at some point.

Also, you may find that book on half.com - it's a division of ebay where I get nearly all of my books.

Let us know what you discover!

[Jestgar]

I have a little baby food jar of olive oil and sugar that I use for a scrub. Sometimes add other scents (almond extract, lemon peel, cinnamon (for that fake tan glow )). Works great for me. If I need extra moisturizer I use olive oil, or olive and coconut oil mixed together.

[ann72601]

Jestgar, on Aug 19 2009, 01:02 PM, said:

I have a little baby food jar of olive oil and sugar that I use for a scrub. Sometimes add other scents (almond extract, lemon peel, cinnamon (for that fake tan glow )). Works great for me. If I need extra moisturizer I use olive oil, or olive and coconut oil mixed together.

Have you ever tried aloe vera gel and coconut oil together? I was wanting to give this a try to thin down the coconut oil a bit. I would be interested in other ingredients that would help the texture but would still have a great shelf life.
I just made a small batch of the olive oil/sugar and I loved it. Do you refrigerate this? Another fabulous idea!! Thanks so much.

Ann

[ann72601]

DingoGirl, on Aug 19 2009, 12:54 PM, said:

These are great ideas

I am obsessed with fragrances - spend hours researching stuff (kind of a waste of time, but a fun hobby, I have an inordinately acute sense of smell - a blessing and a curse!) and, it's much cheaper to make your own salt/sugar scrub. I am presently soaking Tahitian vanilla beans in vodka for several weeks, then will add jojoba oil and...see what happens! Great recipe, Ravenwood.

Also, I use jojoba oil on my face at night as a moisturizer - I have very oily skin but this seems to normalize it somehow and take care of redness/sensitivity.

The cleanser sounds good too....I"m not sensitive so still use light chemicals but may get around to this at some point.

Also, you may find that book on half.com - it's a division of ebay where I get nearly all of my books.

Let us know what you discover!

What a great idea!! You and I have the same nose I think. You're right; it is a blessing and a curse. I can not wait to try the vanilla beans in vodka.

I have very dry skin. Is the jojoba good for that too? My daughter has celiac too and I would like to make her something for her oily skin, blemishes and rashes. Would you use jojoba in combination with tea tree or something else?

I looked on half.com just now. I have never heard of it, but then again I never got online much until the 'plague' hit. I can see I will be spending some money there. I ordered "Better Basics For The Home" while I was there. I did not find the Spa Magic yet but will keep looking.

Thank you so much for the many wonderful ideas.

Ann

[Jestgar]

ann72601, on Aug 19 2009, 03:22 PM, said:

Have you ever tried aloe vera gel and coconut oil together? I was wanting to give this a try to thin down the coconut oil a bit. I would be interested in other ingredients that would help the texture but would still have a great shelf life.
I just made a small batch of the olive oil/sugar and I loved it. Do you refrigerate this? Another fabulous idea!! Thanks so much.

Ann

I don't refrigerate it because I make small batches.

I've tried mixing in water-based stuff, and you can do it, but you have to whip the melted coconut oil and water together on ice to get it to mix together. Time consuming....

[mimommy]

Wow~what great ideas! I will definitely try these recipes.
Here are some cleaning alternatives for you:
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer--when I was pregnant I used it to clean a lot. I washed floors, counter tops, and cleaned the toilets with it. I add a 1/2 cup to my hot water wash when I launder my towels and such--prevents mildew and odors. I add a few tablespoons of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap to make a bucket of solution to wash windows with. Someone recently told me that she soaks her toes in vinegar to heal a nail fungus. Another friend swears by tea tree oil for toenails.
I have a friend who made her own glass cleaner by mixing a drop of dish soap, a teaspoon of rubbing alcahol and a tablespoon of ammonia with water to fill a large spray bottle--too strong of an odor, I think.
Steam is an excellent degreaser--fill a coffee mug 2/3 with cold water and microwave it on high for four minutes to loosen splatters and naturally disinfect the cooking area inside.
Buy a microfiber cloth for cleaning--they come in different textures for various surfaces. I LOVE my Mystic Maid cloth for glass and mirrors. You just get them wet with hot water and ring them out--no chemicals needed and no streaks
When I was young and used to perm my hair, I would make homemade oil treatments with warmed olive oil.

[TearzaRose]

YAY! Good for you to start doing this....this is one of my new missions.
For me, it's more about frugality and ridding my home and body of unnecessary toxins, when there are safe alternatives. There is so much CRAP in our products, it's scary. It reminds me of that old Lily Tomlin movie "The incredible shrinking woman."
And like you said, we can learn how they used to do it, before buying it off the shelves

Anyway, I've taken to making my own
shampoo/conditioner (baking soda-shampoo apple cider vinegar-conditioner)
deoderant (corn starch, baking soda, and antibacterial essential oils)
laundry soap (recipe on my blog)
counter top/mirror cleaner (vinegar and water in spray bottle)
fruit&veggie cleaner (vinegar)
body scrub (coffee, unsweetened cocoa, sea salt, almond oil)

toothpaste is next!!

another awesome website where you can find great ideas is :
www.bonzaiaphrodite.com

[ann72601]

mimommy, on Aug 20 2009, 08:13 PM, said:

Wow~what great ideas! I will definitely try these recipes.
Here are some cleaning alternatives for you:
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer--when I was pregnant I used it to clean a lot. I washed floors, counter tops, and cleaned the toilets with it. I add a 1/2 cup to my hot water wash when I launder my towels and such--prevents mildew and odors. I add a few tablespoons of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap to make a bucket of solution to wash windows with. Someone recently told me that she soaks her toes in vinegar to heal a nail fungus. Another friend swears by tea tree oil for toenails.
I have a friend who made her own glass cleaner by mixing a drop of dish soap, a teaspoon of rubbing alcahol and a tablespoon of ammonia with water to fill a large spray bottle--too strong of an odor, I think.
Steam is an excellent degreaser--fill a coffee mug 2/3 with cold water and microwave it on high for four minutes to loosen splatters and naturally disinfect the cooking area inside.
Buy a microfiber cloth for cleaning--they come in different textures for various surfaces. I LOVE my Mystic Maid cloth for glass and mirrors. You just get them wet with hot water and ring them out--no chemicals needed and no streaks
When I was young and used to perm my hair, I would make homemade oil treatments with warmed olive oil.

What great ideas you have! Is there a way to print this off without repeats? Is there a single thread? I'm trying to compile these and put them into a 3 ring binder.
I have emptied all the product bottles I can use and made pretty new labels for them. I put wide tape over the top where they won't get ruined. I love my new stuff!! I have so much more shelf space too.
I got two compliments yesterday about my complexion!! I told them that I made my products and it was nice to see that they work. I'm working on mixing some water-based and oil-based products right now but don't plan to post the recipe until I see how it works out. There are just some things that need it, like wood. Do you have any recipes for wood flooring or furniture?
Thank you again, for your great recipes. I love this!!