My (mostly) chemical-free home.

A while ago I decided once we finally moved into our new home (it was a 4 month long buying process) that I was going to make it "chemical-free". Considering my limited, but growing knowledge of the ingredients I need and how to use them, on what, I am sure this will be fun experience for everyone.  :)

The things I make thus far are:

• General household cleaner and sanitizer - my recipe here
• Kitchen/bathroom cleaner and sanitizer - my recipe here
• Laundry detergent - my recipie here
• Floor cleaner - Mop with a bucket of hot water, 10 drops of lemon essential oil, 10 drops of pine or cedar essential oil, 2 cups of white vinegar.
• Glass cleaner - Spray window/mirror with 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water, wipe with wet (with water) microfiber cloth.
• Fabric softener - my recipie here
• Rinse-aid for the dishwasher - I just use white vinegar.
• Fabric/room freshener - Still perfecting it, will post when I am happy with the results.
• Fruit/Veggie wash - I fill sink/bowl with water, then add about a cup of white vinegar.
• Wood oil - 1 cup olive oil, 10 drops cedar oil, 10 drops lemon oil.
• Mouth wash- my recipe here
• Hand/Body Soap - my recipes here
• Teeth Whitener - 1 part hydrogen peroxide (pre diluted to 3%), 1 part water. Swish, Spit, let bubbles work for a bit, then swish with mouth wash.
• Toothpaste - I get my recipes for this from here (for now until I come up with my own)
• Hair Gel - here
• Solid Loton - here
• Healing Salve - here
• Face scrub - coming soon
• Body butter - here (This is someone else's recipe that I have used. I will post my own version soon)
• Shaving Cream - same as body butter (above)

The things I still buy (but get the least chemical filled brands/types I can find) are:

• Hand/Body Soap - from here
• Shampoo/Conditioner - also from here
• Deodorant - Buy from here or I make the recipe posted here 
• Bubble bath - from here
• Sunscreen - same as bubble bath
• Automatic dishwasher detergent - from here
• Dish soap - same as dishwasher detergent

Just as a side note; I do not have any affilation with the above companies. They are simply the ones that work for me, and have less "bad stuff" in them then most.

A majority of the things on the "buy" list I have tried to make, I just haven't found a recipe that I really like yet. As far as makeup and other beauty products I have not converted over 100% yet. Mostly because I almost never wear makeup (as in once every couple of months) so I don't feel that is a big concern at this time. I also still buy regular chemical-filled mousse. I just haven't found anything that makes me happy that is natural yet. When it comes to chapstick and things of that nature I use a variety of natural brands. Coconut oil, and almond oil are about the only things I use as moisturizer, lotion, or face creams.

Want to get good quality essential oils? Click here.

Homemade Mouth Wash

I simply can not believe I didn't read the ingredients on our mouth wash sooner! Ugh! I was standing in the bathroom the other day chatting with my husband while he brushed his teeth. He reached for the mouth wash and when he sat it down I realized there was a whole paragraph of ingredients on the back. At that point I already knew I would be throwing it out and making my own, but I went ahead and read them. Disgusting! I immediately told him to spit it out and we would not be buying any more! He told me that was just fine as long as I replaced it with something because he really likes using mouth wash. Right away I went to work trying to find a recipe that I thought would work. This is what I came up with...


1 quart of water
3 drops peppermint essential oil
1 drop clove essential oil

Mix together in mason jar. Shake before use. Swish in mouth then spit out.


My husband tried it today and absolutely loves it! It is so cheap it is nearly free, and it doesn't have any chemicals, dyes, or any bad for you junk in it. It tastes great, smells great, works great, and is actually very good for your mouth. I have never been a big fan of mouth wash, I didn't like the *burn* it always left in my mouth. This mouth wash, however, is quite pleasant. I am a big fan. Try it out, let me know what you think. There are many, many ways you can customize this to your liking. These just happened to be the ingredients I had on hand when I decided to make it.


For more of my homemade tips click here.


Want to get good quality essential oils? Click here.

An alternitave to this recipe is to use 3-4 drops OnGuard essential oil blend by doTerra. It tastes much better then the clove oil, and has many more protecting properties. 

General Cleaning and Sanitizing

For general cleaning and sanitizing I like to use a few different things. Sometimes I like to use castile soap as the base with essential oils as the main sanitizing agent, other times I use vinegar as the base along with the essential oils, yet, other times I use hydrogen peroxide as the base. This really varies depending on what I am cleaning and just how much scrubbing I think will be necessary.

Option 1: Castile Soap Based Cleaner

• Dr.Bronners liquid castile soap (you can use whatever brand you like, that is just what I use)
• Water
• 32oz Spray Bottle
• Optional: Essential oils. Things like tea tree, lavender, or lemon not only act as a sanitizing agent, but they smell great! 

In the spray bottle I put about 2-3 tablespoons of castile soap, 20 drops essential oil, and fill with water. Shake to mix then spray to use.

Option 2: Vinegar Based Cleaner

• White vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar if you like) 
• Water
• 32oz Spray Bottle
• Optional: Essential oils. Things like tea tree, lavender, or lemon not only act as a sanitizing agent, but they smell great! 

Fill the spray about 1/4 full of vinegar, finish with water, add around 20 drops of essential oil. Shake to mix, then spray to use.

Option 3: Hydrogen Peroxide Based Cleaner

• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Dark colored bottle (I just use the peroxide bottle and squirt it out the tiny hole in the top)
• Water
• Optional: Essential oils. Things like tea tree, lavender, or lemon not only act as a sanitizing agent, but they smell great! 

In your container use about half and half of water and peroxide. Be sure to keep the peroxide in a dark container, if it is exposed to light it takes out the oxygen (which takes away the sanitizing properties and you basically have water).

Side notes:

• Supposedly microfiber cloths "wipe away all the germs" so you can just use them with water to sanitize. I have never been comfortable with that method, so I use microfiber cloths with any of the above cleaners and I feel very confident that it is sanitary at that point.     
• Castile soap isn't actually a "disinfectant" so to make that method "sanitize" I use a few drops of the essential oils.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Want to get good quality essential oils? Click here.

Laundry Soap and Fabric Softener

I have been making my own laundry soap for about 5 years now. Mostly because I'm allergic to pretty much every single kind at the store. Out of desperation I started making my own. Over the years it has saved quite a bit of money, my clothes are clean, my skin doesn't itch so I keep making it. Recently, I have been striving to be "chemical-free" in my home, which caused me to change my detergent recipe. This new recipe is great! It is a liquid, which I recently learned is much better for your washer, and it is very easy to make. This is one of those things I can throw together even while holding my son if necessary. I make a gallon at a time. Feel free to make a big 5 gallon bucket of it if you want, the only reason I don't do this is because I use my bucket for other things and never remember to buy a new one with a lid, and I really don't want to mess with where to keep it and getting it out. For me, one gallon at a time works great. One gallon does about 48 loads, and cost aprox: $2.21 (about .05 cents per load). If buying in bulk it cost about $40 to get all the ingredients (you can get it as cheap as $15 but it makes less detergent), however, I use every single one of the ingredients for other purposes so I buy in bulk, it makes more sense that way. If you spend only $15 on the ingredients it will make several batches (about 3-4 gallons) and you will know if you want to invest in the bulk versions next time.

 Here is what I use:

Laundry Soap

• Dr. Bronners liquid castle soap in lavender (you can use any brand, or scent) 
• Borax
• Washing soda
• Warm water
• Gallon container (I use an empty vinegar bottle)

I put 1/4 cup each of borax and washing soda into the bottle, add very warm water and shake until dissolved. Then I add 1/2 cup of the liquid castle soap. I usually shake before using, and I use around 1/3 cup per load in my HE washer.

Feel free to add a few drops of essential oils. Sometimes I add extra lavender, or if I use the unscented castle soap I will add peppermint, lemon, or just whatever smells good.


Mixing Tip:

• Once you put the powder into the container then put a little water into the container, shake, and then fill about 1/3 full of water before you add the castle soap.

Fabric Softener:

I fill my fabric softener container on my washer with pure white vingear. My clothes are soft, static-free, and they do NOT smell like vinegar. Also, I keep several wool dryer balls in the dryer to help dry the clothes faster (saves money on electric), and really helps the static if you forgot the vinegar.

Just a side note: 

Fabric softener sheets are very hard on your dryer. The waxy junk on them builds up in the vent area and is basically impossible to remove, which eventually can be a fire hazard (and makes you use more energy to dry clothes, therefor, costing more money).

Want to get good quality essential oils? Click here.