Household cleaners are one of the most hazardous things we expose ourselves to on a day to day basis. Fragrances alone (added to commercial cleaners to make them bearable or make your home "smell nice") contain a list of yuck that will make you shudder. Here are healthier green cleaning alternatives that will work just as hard.
Is it just me or is window washing the worst thing ever? It’s not even just the laborious task. It’s also a matter of getting the whole thing done and sitting to relax only to realize there are streaks all over the place. I swear, I put my face inches from the glass to search for streaks before moving on… Read More
I was all ready to make my cleaners for the month and I realized I was out of Washing Soda. After checking out shelves throughout the county I realized I may no longer be able to purchase my Washing Soda locally. After a frantic Google search I discovered you can make your own!
I am a huge fan of making my own green cleaners, but let’s be honest here. There are only so many hours in a day. Sometimes you just want to grab a bottle of cleaner off a shelf. Are all green cleaners created equally? Heck no! I’ve tried a lot of brands and it’s not as simple as saying choose… Read More
I’ve done my fair share of talking dirty here on The 104 Homestead. I’ve talked about dirty cookware and ways to clean and avoid it. I’ve mentioned some of my favorite DIY cleaning recipes. I’ve even aired my dirty laundry solutions here (sorry, the pun couldn’t go missed). Today I’m talking the worst-of-the-worst when it comes to cleaning. The baked on goop in your oven and the greasy residue that is stuck to your stove top. I’ve got solutions for you that don’t involve harsh chemical and a putty knife.
I aim for natural and safe when it comes to choosing products for our homestead. I have chosen not to use toothpaste as toothpaste in our home because many contain sodium fluroride (a by product of aluminum manufacturing and highly toxic), Triclosan (a pesticide), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (a chemical that accumulates in the heart, liver, brain, and lungs), and DEA (which disrupts hormone functions). I’ll let you go read your toothpaste bottle and come back to better ways to use up the stuff…
I love cleaning! I know, I’m one of those crazy people who actually enjoys cleaning. Thankfully with three children and a husband who never takes his shoes off at the door, I get ample opportunity to do it. It’s not just cleaning I enjoy though. I like to look at things and see how it can be improved. I’m almost ashamed to say that when I worked in home health I would sit there dreaming what I could do with these people’s homes if they were mine. Everything can be changed, improved, altered, or bettered. Keeping to today’s topic, I’ll share with you how I did all those things with my cleaning regime.
Carpet cleaners contain nephthalene which comes from crude oil or coal tar (and can be found in cigarette smoke and car fumes). My kids spend the majority of their day playing on this rug and I guarantee that no amount of going over with the machine will rinse and suck out all the residue. No thank you!
Soap nuts have the ability to serve your home from the moment they arrive in their little recyclable cardboard box to the moment where they are composting for your gardens. You can use them to wash laundry, shampoo your hair, even clean your home. They are miracle berries! And a miracle price as well.
Nothing is harder to clean than items with limitations (like stuffed animals, faux wool slippers and tweed chairs), but I have a great recipe to help you wash almost all of your unwashables. Three dirty problems and one safe, simple solution.
Is your cookware covered in weird staining left behind from years of cooking spray? The task of cleaning it is not easy at all. In fact, it is downright miserable. I’m going to tell you how to rejuvenate your baking pans and how to avoid ever having to do it again.
Here is a do-it-yourself laundry detergent that is powerful and performs better than any commercial laundry detergent I’ve ever used. The best part? I know how to pronounce everything that goes into it and being powder, there is no melting, pouring, sitting or other obnoxious steps. Measure, mix and you’re good to go.