For real, ya'll. White vinegar is where it's at. We've all seen those posts online about "1000 Uses For White Vinegar," right? Well, they're all totally true. Okay, so I haven't tried out that many uses for it. But seriously, every single thing I've tried vinegar for totally works.
I think I started cleaning with white vinegar maybe 2 years ago. Though maybe its been closer to 3, since my child is now 3, and all this "crunchy" stuff started shortly after her birth. Anyway, I started with vinegar pretty slowly, just using up my regular cleaning stuff before replacing it with vinegar-based cleaners. And by that I mean homemade cleaners. Probably the first time I used vinegar for cleaning was when I ran out of Windex. I rinsed out the Windex bottle really well and filled it back up with 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar. I started using that to clean up tough messes in the kitchen. After that, I started cleaning the glass in the house with the solution. Not long after, my bathroom cleaners ran out, so I started using the same solution in the bathrooms. (Eventually, I discovered tea tree oil and its awesome powers, so my bathroom solution also got a few drops of TTO essential oil squirted in.) From there, my love of vinegar for cleaning has just spiraled.
When I switched to cloth diapers, I discovered that I am allergic to fabric softeners. (I had to quit using fabric softener since it builds up on cloth diapers, making them worthless, and it wasn't long before I realized I wasn't itching any more!) After some research, I realized that white vinegar is a great natural alternative for fabric softener. I've been using it ever since and I love it. Our clothes do NOT come out smelling like vinegar at all - trust me, if they did DH would complain! One thing I have found is that vinegar does NOT help much with static. Maybe I'm just not using enough in the washing machine, but when I dry clothes (I line dry almost everything, but then I "fluff up" the clothes so they're not wrinkly), there is always a TON of static. I use 2 dryer balls, but I'm thinking I need to invest in a few more, and possibly some wool ones. Either way, a little static doesn't bother me too much.
Basically, if I have something to clean in the house, I'm gonna grab the vinegar first. 9 times out of 10, that does the trick. My husband doesn't care for the smell, but he's usually not around when I'm cleaning, and by the time he gets home the smell is completely gone. It doesn't bother me at all, and I'd much rather smell vinegar than some of the cleaners that you can buy in the store!
One use for vinegar I've never tried is the ol' clean out the microwave trick. Why? Basically cause I don't clean the microwave very often. Ew, I know. I don't put anything in the microwave without a cover on it, to avoid splatters. DH forgets, but normally I'm right there with him to remind him if he microwaves something. I honestly don't use the microwave at home all that much, and when I do I'm in a hurry (which is why I'm using it in the first place...!) and don't even notice how gross it is in there.
Well, Jen at I Heart Organizing has started a daily cleaning task challenge on her blog. Its been very motivational for me. I get the basics done weekly or every other week, but things like wiping down cabinet fronts and cleaning the microwave usually get overlooked in my busy schedule. Jen has inspired me to get these little (yet annoying) tasks completed a little over time, instead of all at once (like on a "Spring Cleaning" day - ugh, I hate those!). One day last week, she cleaned her microwave and I was amazed at how easy it was. So on Saturday, I gave it a whirl.
I was already on a roll with my vinegar/water spray bottle that day. I wiped down the bathroom, the kitchen, and the washing machine. At lunch I had heated up some leftovers and noticed how yucky the microwave was, so after lunch I tried Jen's trick: I filled a bowl with about 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and a few drops of lemon essential oil (for the smell). I set the microwave for 10 minutes and continued my cleaning around the house. After 10 minutes, the microwave interior was nice and steamy (and the house smelled great from the lemon!). I just took a rag and wiped it down and voila! Clean! Admittedly, I did have to spray a little extra vinegar in there and go over a few tough spots (man, did we have a lot of butter build up in there!), but it really didn't take much elbow grease at all. And hopefully now it'll be easier for me to keep clean.
Oh, and I didn't take any before/after pics, cause who needs to see a gross microwave? And we all know what a clean one looks like. ( ;
Moral of the story: vinegar saves the day again! Do YOU have a favorite use for white vinegar around the home?? ( :
Showing posts with label essential oils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essential oils. Show all posts
3.10.2014
2.25.2014
Natural Deodorant
Yep, I realize I haven't posted in well over a month. But I'm just gonna ignore that little fact and go on as if I just posted yesterday. ( ;
I've said many times that since I had my daughter I've been on kind of a quest to be "greener." My main motivation is to save money, which is why I'm not super crunchy like some people you read about. There are some things that are just more cost-effective to buy premade or even with (gasp!) manufacturer's chemicals in them. I don't have a problem with some chemicals. Of course, my opinions are constantly evolving. I read a lot. ( :
Anyway, my latest adventure in the world of crunchy living is natural deodorant. I NEVER thought I'd be one to try it. After all, who wants to take a chance of having smelly pits? Yuck. But I just kept reading over and over how much people love natural deodorants. There are a million different recipes to make your own. I contemplated trying one out. Then I thought, why go through all the trouble when I can just buy some that's already been tested? One of my favorite bloggers, Stacy over at Stacy Makes Cents recently talked about why she makes some things herself and why she buys other things. Deodorant is one of the things she buys, and she has raved a few times about one particular company: Lexie Naturals.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to take the plunge and order my own container of Lexie's all natural deodorant. I had to do something. I'd been using Dove for years, but for the past 6 months or so it had been making my arm pits break out in rashes. Ew, I know. Rather than try different drug store brands, I decided to try the all natural route and see how that worked for me.
I ordered this stuff on a Thursday or Friday and had it Monday. Pretty fast turnaround! This company only has one scent for deodorant, tea tree and lavender. Luckily, I love both those fragrances. The smell is pretty intense, but it doesn't stick with you, so don't worry about that. A few minutes after applying, I don't smell like essential oils. Which is good, cause I don't like having any scent.
The deodorant goes on just like a regular solid deodorant. It does seem to be a little bit rougher in texture than the Dove I'm used to, but I don't have any issues applying it.
Here's a shot of the backside of the container. Very simple ingredients. I like that I'm not using unnecessary crap on such a sensitive area. (I realize not everyone has sensitive arm pits, but mine are super sensitive, just like the rest of me.) The ingredients are sodium bicarbonate, non-GMO cornstarch, coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and essential oil blend (that would be the tea tree and lavender oils that you can smell). Note: GMO vs. non-GMO stuff, I don't care about that. None of that bothers me in the least, though I know its important to some people.
I had my doubts about this product, I'll admit. And granted, I am not a big sweater anyway. And it is wintertime right now, so there's not even much opportunity to sweat. (And I sure don't exercise, lol!) But I've been using this product for about 2 weeks now and I am pleased with it. I can't tell a difference between it and the Dove I was using.
Except!! My arm pits have completely cleared up. In fact, the rash was gone after just 2 days of using this natural deodorant. That right there made it worth it to me. I feel sure it was the tea tree oil, since that stuff is excellent for skin issues. And who knows, maybe if I had just treated my pits with the oil alone and continued using my Dove deodorant I would have seen the same results. But why take the time to apply TWO products when I can just use ONE? I'm a lazy gal, I tell ya.
It won't be long before things heat up around here in NC, so I'll have plenty opportunities to really test this stuff out. Plus, I am expecting baby #2 in August, so I am SURE I will be sweating more than normal this summer! I'll be sure to post an update if my feelings for this product change. For now, though, I'll be an advocate for Lexie:Deo. ( :
Oh yeah, one more thing about Lexie Naturals. When I ordered the deodorant, I also ordered a sample of her lotion bar. I got the lemongrass scented one and it is HEAVENLY. Lemongrass is one of my favorite scents. The lotion bar looks like a bar of soap. If you order the full size one, it comes with a tin to store it in. You just rub it between your hands or pinch off a bit and work it into your skin. It moisturizes great, but you do have to work a bit to spread it around. Remember, I'm a lazy gal, so its a little too much work for me. I am probably going to purchase a tea tree bar in the future, though. I think it'll be great to have on hand in case C's eczema ever flares back up again. Plus, when I was pregnant with her I had horrible PUPPS. Tea tree oil soap helped a tiny bit, so maybe if I get it again (God forbid), the soap and a tea tree oil moisturizer will make a difference. Hopefully I won't have to test that out!!
I've said many times that since I had my daughter I've been on kind of a quest to be "greener." My main motivation is to save money, which is why I'm not super crunchy like some people you read about. There are some things that are just more cost-effective to buy premade or even with (gasp!) manufacturer's chemicals in them. I don't have a problem with some chemicals. Of course, my opinions are constantly evolving. I read a lot. ( :
Anyway, my latest adventure in the world of crunchy living is natural deodorant. I NEVER thought I'd be one to try it. After all, who wants to take a chance of having smelly pits? Yuck. But I just kept reading over and over how much people love natural deodorants. There are a million different recipes to make your own. I contemplated trying one out. Then I thought, why go through all the trouble when I can just buy some that's already been tested? One of my favorite bloggers, Stacy over at Stacy Makes Cents recently talked about why she makes some things herself and why she buys other things. Deodorant is one of the things she buys, and she has raved a few times about one particular company: Lexie Naturals.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to take the plunge and order my own container of Lexie's all natural deodorant. I had to do something. I'd been using Dove for years, but for the past 6 months or so it had been making my arm pits break out in rashes. Ew, I know. Rather than try different drug store brands, I decided to try the all natural route and see how that worked for me.
The deodorant goes on just like a regular solid deodorant. It does seem to be a little bit rougher in texture than the Dove I'm used to, but I don't have any issues applying it.
Here's a shot of the backside of the container. Very simple ingredients. I like that I'm not using unnecessary crap on such a sensitive area. (I realize not everyone has sensitive arm pits, but mine are super sensitive, just like the rest of me.) The ingredients are sodium bicarbonate, non-GMO cornstarch, coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and essential oil blend (that would be the tea tree and lavender oils that you can smell). Note: GMO vs. non-GMO stuff, I don't care about that. None of that bothers me in the least, though I know its important to some people.
Except!! My arm pits have completely cleared up. In fact, the rash was gone after just 2 days of using this natural deodorant. That right there made it worth it to me. I feel sure it was the tea tree oil, since that stuff is excellent for skin issues. And who knows, maybe if I had just treated my pits with the oil alone and continued using my Dove deodorant I would have seen the same results. But why take the time to apply TWO products when I can just use ONE? I'm a lazy gal, I tell ya.
It won't be long before things heat up around here in NC, so I'll have plenty opportunities to really test this stuff out. Plus, I am expecting baby #2 in August, so I am SURE I will be sweating more than normal this summer! I'll be sure to post an update if my feelings for this product change. For now, though, I'll be an advocate for Lexie:Deo. ( :
6.14.2013
VBS Days 3-4
Didn't get a chance to blog yesterday. This week has been insane!! And normally Fridays are my chill days at work, but not today. But its cool. Crazy makes the day go by faster. ( :
First up, I got my ring back from the jeweler's yesterday! DH picked it up for me. I had dropped it off last Saturday to be sized down. Now I can wear my set on the correct finger!!
It feels so weird to have rings on that finger again. Its been over 2 years!! And actually, its still too big. I only had my engagement band sized, thinking it could hold down the wedding band. That way, if I go through another pregnancy and my fingers swell, I will be able to wear at least one of my rings. I had the engagement ring sized down to a 6. (I used to be a 7, woah!) And its still kinda floppy on my finger, and it doesn't take much effort at all to get it off. I'm gonna try it for a while before I decide if I need to get it sized down some more. I'm waitin for my fingers to swell like they normally do in the heat, but for some reason this week they haven't. Go figure - when I want my fingers to swell, they don't!
And that picture made me realize how weird-lookin my fingers are. What is up with those 2 that kind of twist in??! haha
So, VBS. Night 3 was uneventful. I didn't get any pictures because C was running around the church during music time instead of standing up front with the other kids. For some reason, she decided it was a really grand idea to take all the hymn books out of the shelves and place them onto the pews. I had to go behind her and put them all back up. Fun times.
I've still been unsatisfied with the lack of Jesus-teachin goin on durin VBS, but I keep remindin myself that we are in the nursery class, so teaching them anything is a challenge. A friend told me that the kids were probably picking up things during craft times, but our class is not doing anything related to Jesus or the Bible. Every night, we decorate a different object with stickers. We've done a hat, a bag, and a bucket. I guess I was just expecting at least crosses or fish symbols or "J is for Jesus" or something. But oh well. C is havin a blast, and I like that she's around other kids and in a church setting. So its all good. Next year she'll be in the preschool class, I hope, so maybe she'll learn somethin.
VBS Night 4 was pretty interesting. We had some storms roll through last night, and we lost power very early during bible school. VBS starts at 6:30, and sometime around then the lights went out and came back on a few times. We were eating in the fellowship hall at that point. Around 6:45, the power to the fellowship hall went out and didn't come back on. They checked the church and the front half of it had power but the back (where the classrooms are) was out. Us adults voted to just stay, since a lot of kids had been dropped off and their parents were already gone.
So we finished supper in the half dark, then headed to the church. The storm hadn't even hit at that point. It was really windy and was raining a little, but nothing major. We started our songs and not long into the first one, the power went out. We sang it a capela - luckily we've sang that song enough this week that we all know it by heart! Then we proceeded to go through our normal routine. The youngest kids (including our class) were dismissed to crafts, and that was interesting. The fellowship was getting pretty dark by then. Me and another mama in our class had flashlight apps on our iPhones, so we held those up so our kids could see their stickers.
Next, we went to our regular classroom. It wasn't too dark since there's a window in there and the room is pretty small. We tried to tell the kids a bible story, but they were more interested in playing, as usual. At that point, my phone died since I'd been using the flashlight so much. It normally doesn't bother me not to have a phone on me, but I felt extremely weird not havin one when the power was out and the weather was bad. Anyway, last we went to another classroom that had extra windows to sing a few more songs. We played them on a laptop but the volume wasn't able to be as loud as the little kids liked, so they weren't into it. Oh well.
Me and C came home to a dark house. DH had called me earlier to say the power was out. Even though the storm never really got bad around our house (thank God!), a transformer went out up the road and knocked us all out. DH's brother works for the power company, and he was texting back and forth all night letting us know it would be longer than they thought. DH got out all our oil lamps so we weren't in the dark at all. C wasn't too sure about it, though! She kept askin us to turn the TV on so we could see, haha.
Luckily, I have a car charger for my phone, so I plugged that in so I could look at the radar. All day yesterday we had been told to watch out, that the storms were severe and could spawn tornadoes. We kept waitin for it to get bad, but it never did. At 10pm one more storm rolled through, but it wasn't close to us. It just sounded that way since we didn't have power!
It was uncomfortable not havin A/C last night, but not unbearable. We set up a battery-powered fan to blow on me and C as I rocked her to sleep. Instead of watching TV like I normally do while I rock her, I read a book by candlelight (well, oil lamp light, but that doesn't sound as good!). I kinda liked that. When I got into our hot bed (we closed all the windows just in case it rained some more, so it got stuffy fast), I read some more by the light. That soft light hurt my eyes a lot less than regular lamps do, that's for sure!
At 2:15am I awoke to some strange noises in the house - the power had come back on so everything was humming again, plus the TV had came on. I was so grateful for those guys who worked half the night to get power to us again!!
So far, its been a pretty eventful week overall at VBS. No power last night, DH got struck by lightening earlier this week...jeez. Makes me wonder what will happen tonight??! Will tonight be calm and anti-climactic, or will we end VBS with a bang? I vote for calm and low key. ( :
In other news, I went to my eye doctor yesterday. It was my yearly appointment, but I told him I've been having some major eye issues lately. They hurt all the time and I can't wear contacts anymore. Which makes me extremely sad/angry. I think I've already blogged about this. Anyway, he told me I have severely dry eyes. Huh. They feel dry with my contacts on, but they don't feel dry with my glasses, though they always hurt no matter what. And wearing contacts makes them really red, too. He gave me a different brand of contacts to try and gave me some eye drops to use every hour liberally. Well, at first I loved the contacts, but after an hour they were feelin dry, so I put some drops in my eyes. And then my vision was blurry for 5-10 minutes after. Wonderful. It cleared up, so I figured I just had to get used to all the new stuff. Next hour, same thing, but worse. It finally got the point I couldn't take it anymore and just threw the contact out and put my glasses back on. I told the dr and stopped by after work to get a different brand of contacts to try. But my eyes hurt this morning so I haven't put them in yet. Gonna try them tomorrow. I hope they feel better to me! He said I'll probably end up on a prescription eye drop. Yay. I just hope I can get to where I can wear contacts again!!
One more thing: I've been researching natural remedies for allergies, since C's have been so bad this week. She takes Children's Claritin every day, and Nasonex nose spray. This week, I added Children's Zyrtec at night, and after a few days that really helped. Now she's much better. But I hate her havin to be on so many medications. I'm gonna try to get us some local honey (for us both to eat, since my allergies get worse every year now), and then I read up on essential oils. Apparently a combination of lavender, lemon, and peppermint is great for allergies. I got all three yesterday but didn't get a chance to try them out with all the drama last night. I'm hoping tonight to try them on myself first, just to make sure nothing crazy happens, then on C tomorrow. Either way, I'll blog about it after I try it! If nothing else, I'm gonna get a diffuser and use some of these in the house - that lemon oil smells so good to me!! ( :
First up, I got my ring back from the jeweler's yesterday! DH picked it up for me. I had dropped it off last Saturday to be sized down. Now I can wear my set on the correct finger!!
And that picture made me realize how weird-lookin my fingers are. What is up with those 2 that kind of twist in??! haha
So, VBS. Night 3 was uneventful. I didn't get any pictures because C was running around the church during music time instead of standing up front with the other kids. For some reason, she decided it was a really grand idea to take all the hymn books out of the shelves and place them onto the pews. I had to go behind her and put them all back up. Fun times.
I've still been unsatisfied with the lack of Jesus-teachin goin on durin VBS, but I keep remindin myself that we are in the nursery class, so teaching them anything is a challenge. A friend told me that the kids were probably picking up things during craft times, but our class is not doing anything related to Jesus or the Bible. Every night, we decorate a different object with stickers. We've done a hat, a bag, and a bucket. I guess I was just expecting at least crosses or fish symbols or "J is for Jesus" or something. But oh well. C is havin a blast, and I like that she's around other kids and in a church setting. So its all good. Next year she'll be in the preschool class, I hope, so maybe she'll learn somethin.
VBS Night 4 was pretty interesting. We had some storms roll through last night, and we lost power very early during bible school. VBS starts at 6:30, and sometime around then the lights went out and came back on a few times. We were eating in the fellowship hall at that point. Around 6:45, the power to the fellowship hall went out and didn't come back on. They checked the church and the front half of it had power but the back (where the classrooms are) was out. Us adults voted to just stay, since a lot of kids had been dropped off and their parents were already gone.
So we finished supper in the half dark, then headed to the church. The storm hadn't even hit at that point. It was really windy and was raining a little, but nothing major. We started our songs and not long into the first one, the power went out. We sang it a capela - luckily we've sang that song enough this week that we all know it by heart! Then we proceeded to go through our normal routine. The youngest kids (including our class) were dismissed to crafts, and that was interesting. The fellowship was getting pretty dark by then. Me and another mama in our class had flashlight apps on our iPhones, so we held those up so our kids could see their stickers.
Next, we went to our regular classroom. It wasn't too dark since there's a window in there and the room is pretty small. We tried to tell the kids a bible story, but they were more interested in playing, as usual. At that point, my phone died since I'd been using the flashlight so much. It normally doesn't bother me not to have a phone on me, but I felt extremely weird not havin one when the power was out and the weather was bad. Anyway, last we went to another classroom that had extra windows to sing a few more songs. We played them on a laptop but the volume wasn't able to be as loud as the little kids liked, so they weren't into it. Oh well.
Me and C came home to a dark house. DH had called me earlier to say the power was out. Even though the storm never really got bad around our house (thank God!), a transformer went out up the road and knocked us all out. DH's brother works for the power company, and he was texting back and forth all night letting us know it would be longer than they thought. DH got out all our oil lamps so we weren't in the dark at all. C wasn't too sure about it, though! She kept askin us to turn the TV on so we could see, haha.
Luckily, I have a car charger for my phone, so I plugged that in so I could look at the radar. All day yesterday we had been told to watch out, that the storms were severe and could spawn tornadoes. We kept waitin for it to get bad, but it never did. At 10pm one more storm rolled through, but it wasn't close to us. It just sounded that way since we didn't have power!
It was uncomfortable not havin A/C last night, but not unbearable. We set up a battery-powered fan to blow on me and C as I rocked her to sleep. Instead of watching TV like I normally do while I rock her, I read a book by candlelight (well, oil lamp light, but that doesn't sound as good!). I kinda liked that. When I got into our hot bed (we closed all the windows just in case it rained some more, so it got stuffy fast), I read some more by the light. That soft light hurt my eyes a lot less than regular lamps do, that's for sure!
At 2:15am I awoke to some strange noises in the house - the power had come back on so everything was humming again, plus the TV had came on. I was so grateful for those guys who worked half the night to get power to us again!!
So far, its been a pretty eventful week overall at VBS. No power last night, DH got struck by lightening earlier this week...jeez. Makes me wonder what will happen tonight??! Will tonight be calm and anti-climactic, or will we end VBS with a bang? I vote for calm and low key. ( :
In other news, I went to my eye doctor yesterday. It was my yearly appointment, but I told him I've been having some major eye issues lately. They hurt all the time and I can't wear contacts anymore. Which makes me extremely sad/angry. I think I've already blogged about this. Anyway, he told me I have severely dry eyes. Huh. They feel dry with my contacts on, but they don't feel dry with my glasses, though they always hurt no matter what. And wearing contacts makes them really red, too. He gave me a different brand of contacts to try and gave me some eye drops to use every hour liberally. Well, at first I loved the contacts, but after an hour they were feelin dry, so I put some drops in my eyes. And then my vision was blurry for 5-10 minutes after. Wonderful. It cleared up, so I figured I just had to get used to all the new stuff. Next hour, same thing, but worse. It finally got the point I couldn't take it anymore and just threw the contact out and put my glasses back on. I told the dr and stopped by after work to get a different brand of contacts to try. But my eyes hurt this morning so I haven't put them in yet. Gonna try them tomorrow. I hope they feel better to me! He said I'll probably end up on a prescription eye drop. Yay. I just hope I can get to where I can wear contacts again!!
One more thing: I've been researching natural remedies for allergies, since C's have been so bad this week. She takes Children's Claritin every day, and Nasonex nose spray. This week, I added Children's Zyrtec at night, and after a few days that really helped. Now she's much better. But I hate her havin to be on so many medications. I'm gonna try to get us some local honey (for us both to eat, since my allergies get worse every year now), and then I read up on essential oils. Apparently a combination of lavender, lemon, and peppermint is great for allergies. I got all three yesterday but didn't get a chance to try them out with all the drama last night. I'm hoping tonight to try them on myself first, just to make sure nothing crazy happens, then on C tomorrow. Either way, I'll blog about it after I try it! If nothing else, I'm gonna get a diffuser and use some of these in the house - that lemon oil smells so good to me!! ( :
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| All the EOs said to use a carrier oil when applying directly to skin, so I got this Almond oil to mix in. We'll see how it works out! |
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