by Nele Liivlaid (Nutriplanet)
As I want to get rid of all toxic substances at my home, I have been looking for natural alternatives to chemical detergents for some time now. Here are some very good replacements you can try out.
- An easy all-purpose detergent:
Mix 4 tbsp baking soda with 1 litre hot water - For dirty surfaces:
1/8 cups washing soda
1 tbsp organic bar soap
1/4 cups vinegar
2 litres hot water - Laundry conditioner – just simple vinegar which also cleans the scale.
- Soap nuts for laundry care
Soap nuts recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They leave little to no scent, maybe a slight apple scent, and they don’t bubble, but they do remove stains!
Homemade laundry soaps are a great alternative to conventional ones, but still create waste products. Soap nuts can be used completely and then composted for a no-waste solution, and a simple re-usable muslin bag is all that is needed to add them to a laundry load!
To use, put 4-6 Soap Nuts in a muslin bag and place in washer. Wash as usual with cold, warm or hot water. After washing, remove bag and let dry. Dry clothes as usual. Soap Nuts may be re-used several times until the shells start to become soft and grey, and then they should be composted. - Hand-wash dishes with mustard powder.
- To clean glass surfaces and mirrors:
2 tbsp vinegar
3 litres water
Should you need to clean grease, add a bit of washing soda and a dash of pure alcohol
You can use it in a spray bottle. - Drain blockage remover:
Pour 125 g baking soda down the drain and add at least a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain with plug and wait 2 minutes. Flush with mixture of boiling water and salt. - Clean your stove with vinegar water.
- Use regular soda in dishwasher.
Sources:
http://wellnessmama.com
http://puhaselu.blogspot.com
Photo: dragonmoon.ca
This post is also available in: Estonian
