It’s that time of year… spring or fall cleaning. I wanted to spend some time teaching you about low tox home swaps and recipes. You can reduce toxins with some simple easy swaps. You will reduce the amount of cleaners under the cabinet, reduce toxins and save money.
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I have some devastating news… The common everyday products MANY households use are working against you.
But the label says "natural"
We need to evaluate the label because even many “natural” products are LOADED with chemicals, phthalates, and hormone disruptors that are bombarding your body.
I want to bring some awareness into your household cleaners, “air fresheners”, yours and your kid’s personal care products because these are all areas that can be loaded with ingredients that are massively detrimental to your health.
Making your home healthier does not have to be expensive or complicated. We are about to go on a journey of tips, tricks, and recipes to make our lives easier, greener, and save you money!
How do we know what is considered “harmful” or “safe”?
A resource that I find to be helpful is the app called “Think Dirty.” It is available on both iPhone and Android devices and is such a handy tool. This app was created by the Environmental Working Group to show you what common household items are hazardous to our health. They also have a website at www.ewg.org where you can search for more information on the products you are using in your home.
Warning: Inhale a relaxing essential oil first. If you are new to this you may find it shocking.
Once you download the app I challenge you to type a product name or scan the barcode of something underneath your sink. The app will rate the product giving it a number and will also break down the ingredients in the product giving you an overall idea if that is something that you want to keep in your house.
Be honest, how many things have you scanned so far? Were you surprised at what you learned?
The Low Tox Home Swaps and Recipes Masterclass
Low Tox Home Swaps and Recipes in the Kitchen
We will kick off our low tox swaps and recipes series by focusing on the Kitchen first. Pick from two super simple recipes for a DIY All-Purpose Spray:
Low Tox DIY All Purpose Spray
¼ cup white vinegar
1 ¾ cup water
30 drops Essential Oil of your choice
OR
2 Tablespoons of On Guard Cleaning Concentrate
15 drops Essential Oil of your choice
Top with distilled water
(Options include: 15 drops each Lavender & Lemon, 10 drops each Eucalyptus, Peppermint & Wild Orange, 30 drops OnGuard or 15 drops each Grapefruit & OnGuard)
Add all ingredients to a 16 oz spray bottle. Shake thoroughly and spritz on surfaces and wipe clean! Perfect for use all throughout the house! This will literally cost you less than $2.00 for a full spray!
➡️Buy Essential Oils
Did you know that you can make your own All-Purpose wipes?
If you are a recovering Big Brand wipe addict like myself, then this is the best news ever!
All you need is:
1 roll premium paper towels
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO)
5 drops On Guard
1-2 tbsp OnGuard Foaming Hand Wash
How to DIY them:
- Cut the paper towel roll in half widthwise with a serrated knife. Use one half now and save the other for later!
- Combine water, FCO, essential oils, and Hand Wash in a small bowl
- Pour mixture over paper towels and cover with an airtight lid. Let absorb for 10 minutes.
- Flip the container over and let it sit another 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard the cardboard tube. Pull the wipes from the center when you are ready to use them!
Do this once and see just how simple it is to make these non-toxic wipes that even your kids can use to help you clean!
Fruit and Veggie Wash
Getting fresh fruits and veggies in your home helps you and your family to grab healthy snacks throughout the day. The only unfortunate side of the produce section or farmers market is most of the produce has been sprayed with pesticides and then also a waxy coating to give them that nice, shiny appearance.
Fruit and veggie wash options are:
¼ cup White or Apple Cider Vinegar
10 drops Lemon essential oil
Fill the rest of your 8 oz spray bottle with distilled water, shake and spray away!
OR
you can fill your sink or a bowl with water, add 3-5 drops of Lemon essential oil, 3-4 pumps of On Guard foaming hand wash, swish, and let the produce soak for 5-10 minutes and rinse clean!
Bonus: this will also help preserve the freshness of your produce!
DIY Dishwasher Tablets
Unfortunately, commercial dish detergent is loaded with awful chemicals that coat everything you eat off of. So here is an alternative that you can make right at home and have comfort knowing you aren’t washing your dishes in harmful chemicals!
1 cup baking soda
¼ cup citric acid
1 tbsp On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
5 drops Grapefruit essential oil (or any citrus)
Directions:
- Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix together until the mixture is an even consistency.
- Place in silicone molds and let sit for 4 hours.
- Remove tabs and store them in an airtight container. Use in place of store-bought tablets!
Stove and Oven Cleaner
Cleaning the oven is the absolute worst, am I right? I know it is one of the chores that I tend to put off. For a simple solution, I use this DIY Oven Cleaner:
½ cup baking soda
1 tbsp coarse salt
¼ cup liquid dish soap
5 drops Lemon essential oil (or any citrus)
Directions:
Combine ingredients to make a thick paste
Apply a generous layer to the inside of the oven and let it sit for a few hours.
Clean out with a damp sponge
Voila! Easy as that! No scrubbing or chemicals necessary. Are you going to try this?
Dish Soap
Generic Liquid dish soap is another one with a high score on the Think Dirty app. We all use it though, so it might be nice to just make our own!
2 cups unscented castile soap
20 drops Lime oil
8 drops Lemon oil
6 drops Citrus Bliss
Directions:
Fill a large, clean bottle with castile soap and essential oils
To use, shake and add 1-2 tbsp to dishwater or a small amount to a natural sponge
Garbage Disposal Refreshers
Does your garbage disposal need a little attention? It is a great place for odors to hang out for sure. Let’s talk about a recipe to help freshen, clean and deodorize our garbage disposals.
What you need:
2 cups baking soda
1 cup salt
½ cup water
⅓ cup unscented castile soap
30 drops Lemon oil
Directions:
- Combine baking soda and salt in a bowl
- Add castile soap and essential oil into the mixture
- Add water, 1 tbsp at a time, while stirring until it becomes the consistency of “damp sand.” (It should stay together when pressed - if you add too much water just add more baking soda)
- Scoop a tbsp of mixture onto parchment paper and let dry for 24 hours or until hardened.
- Store in a glass jar. Place 1-3 refreshers into the garbage disposal and turn on as needed for freshness!
These you will only have to make once every few months, and they make such a big impact on keeping your sink smelling fresh and clean!
I hope I have convinced you with some easy recipes and simple swaps you can achieve a Low Tox Home.
Reach out if you have questions terri@iambionicwoman.com