Prairieland Herbs Class Notes
Natural Home Cleansers Instructors:
Donna Julseth & Maggie Howe
I can’t think of any force in the universe that could make me actually enjoy housecleaning. I really love having a clean house – but could do without all that pesky scrubbing and washing! Now, I know this sounds like a cliché, but it’s true – using natural, handmade household cleansers actually does make housecleaning more enjoyable. First and foremost - they’re natural! No scary chemicals, no caustic odors. Just simple ingredients you can find at your grocery store and health food market. I feel much safer using natural cleansers around my pets and family. Secondly, they’re inexpensive. Once you purchase your natural housecleaning basics – things like vinegar, borax, baking soda, and essential oils – you’ve got enough materials to make your own household cleaners for months to come. Third, you’ll create less waste. Save a few empty spray bottles and lidded plastic containers, and you can refill them again and again with your own handmade herbal cleansers. Fourth, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re improving your indoor air quality, and reducing artificial pollutants in the waste-water stream. Last but not least, you’ll save space in your home. Once you’ve used up, given away, or tossed out your old arsenal of cleaners, you’ll have more space in your cupboards.
Natural Home Cleansers.
Making your own cleansers is highly satisfying, and very easy. You can customize any formula or recipe to meet your own needs. Once you assemble the ingredients needed, you can spend an hour (or less) and mix up a basic variety of cleansers that will last you for months. Basic ingredients to have on hand: Spray bottles Plastic buckets or containers with lids (recycled sour cream or yogurt containers work great) White vinegar Borax Washing Soda Baking Soda Liquid Castile Soap Bar castile soap Lemon juice Salt Rubbing alcohol Essential oils (Lemon, orange, lavender, and tea tree are some of my favorites, but you may use any you wish) Vinegar and lemon juice are natural, acidic cleansers, cutting through grease and grime. Borax, castile soap and washing soda are gentle, natural cleansers that have been used for years. Salt and baking soda have gentle abrasiveness, perfect for scouring surfaces such as tubs, sinks, and countertops. Essential oils have a variety of fantastic cleansing, antibacterial, and antiviral properties – plus they add a wonderful natural scent to your homemade cleansing products.
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After you make your ingredients, please do take the time to mark the container with its ingredients, or at least what type of cleanser it is. Many of these cleansers will last for months, and if you store them together, it’s easy to forget which bottle holds what container. Use a permanent marker or a label and a pen to clearly mark what each container or bottle holds. Homemade Herbal Laundry Detergent This laundry detergent works really well, even on the toughest stains. It can even be safely used in front-loading, low-water washing machines – just use very small quantities (approx 1 Tbsp. per load). I make up a big batch once every few months and store it in a recycled ice cream bucket. It costs VERY little, is simple to make, and is especially wonderful for people who have very sensitive skin, as it contains no artificial fragrances or colorants. 1 bar (approx 4-6 oz.) soap, grated or shredded* 2 cups borax 2 cups washing soda 1 cup baking soda Essential oils (optional) Combine all ingredients; mix thoroughly. If you’d like, you may add essential oils for scent or extra cleansing capabilities. Citrus essential oils (lemon, orange, tangerine) are wonderful for degreasing; tea tree is naturally antibacterial. Lavender or cedarwood essential oils help repel moths and insects. Add oils until you like the scent; keep in a tightly covered container. Use 1 Tbsp. to ¼ cup per load of laundry. *I like to use handmade soaps, but you could also use a commercial soap such as
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Fels Naptha or Kirk’s Castile. You may use a scented soap if you like, but do stay away from any “superfatted” or extra-rich soaps containing alot of shea butter, cocoa butter, or other rich moisturizers. A plain, no-frills bar of soap is the best for this recipe. I simply grate my soap with a cheese grater, but a few friends of mine have found innovative ways to make their soap shavings. One purchased a used Salad Shooter at a garage sale; she says it makes fine, even soap curls with almost no effort. Another friend roughly chops her soap, then adds it and the dry ingredients to her food processor, and uses it to achieve a lovely, finely-powdered laundry detergent that looks anything but homemade!
Lavender Laundry Softener Vinegar does wonderful things for laundry. Added to a rinse cycle, vinegar can help soften clothes, remove any residual grease or detergent residue, and help prevent static cling. A friend of mine is allergic to dryer sheets; she is the one who told me about using vinegar in the rinse cycle of her washing machine to soften clothes and prevent static cling. I believe many skin irritations are brought about by the use of artificial scents, sudsing agents, colorants and preservatives found in our “regular” household laundry products. Switching to natural washing detergent and laundry softeners is helpful for many people with skin conditions or allergies. This vinegar infusion is truly wonderful. The tangy-fruity scent of apple cider vinegar is enriched by a strong infusion of dried lavender buds. The addition of lavender essential oil makes it even more deliciously herbal. 1 gallon apple cider vinegar 4 cups dried lavender buds 10 drops lavender essential oil
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Place lavender buds in a widemouth jar or plastic bucket. A gallon-sized sun tea jar (easily found at garage sales or thrift stores) is perfect for this project. Pour vinegar over lavender buds, and cover. Let sit for one week; strain out lavender buds. Pour the lavender-infusion back into the empty vinegar bottle; add lavender essential oil. To use: Add ½ to 1 cup vinegar (depending on the size of the load) to the rinse cycle in your washing machine. Herbal Dryer Sachets These are incredibly simple, and yet they’re one of my favorite herbal luxuries! These also make fantastic sachets to tuck into closets, drawers, empty suitcases, linen closets or gym bags. They’re great to add a natural fragrance to your car too – keep one in your glovebox or console. Fragrant dried herb (or blend of herbs) of your choice Muslin drawstring bags or cheesecloth squares Place dried herbs inside the muslin bags or bundle inside a square of cheesecloth, and tie VERY tightly (lavender buds exploded all over your dryer is not fun). Some of my favorite fragrant herbs to use are: lavender, rosemary, patchouli, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, sweetgrass, cedar chips, peppermint leaves, eucalyptus, or pine needles. Any herbs you can purchase or dry from your garden will work! Simply add a herbal dryer sachet to your dryer each time you run a load. Eventually the scent will fade; you can refresh it with essential oils if you wish, or simply compost the herbs and start over again with new dried herbs.
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Lemon Dish Detergent 2 cups liquid castile soap 10 drops lemon essential oil 5 drops tea tree essential oil Castile soap is gentle and mild on the hands, but cleans dishes marvelously. Citrus essential oils are excellent for degreasing, and tea tree essential oil is naturally antibacterial. Mix ingredients together, and keep in a recycled squeeze bottle by your kitchen sink. Use for handwashing dishes; it also makes a great antibacterial everyday hand soap. Gentle Wool Wash I like to treat my delicate washables and my handknit and woolen items with extra care. This handwash laundry soap is very gentle and mild, with an essential oil blend that smells great and helps repel moths. 2 cups liquid castile soap 10 drops lavender essential oil 10 drops cedarwood essential oil Combine all ingredients in a recycled squeeze bottle; this soap keeps long time, so I make sure to mark the container’s contents on the bottle. Shake gently before using. To use: Fill a kitchen sink or basil with warm water. Add a small amount (1/2 to 1 tsp) soap; swish water and soap together until you see a few bubbles. Add laundry, and make sure it is wet thoroughly. Let soak 10-15 minutes, drain water. Rinse gently in clear, lukewarm water, then gently wring out excess water. Hang items or lay them flat to dry. Tub Scrub There’s nothing I love more than a good soak in the tub, with lots of oils and herbs. Unfortunately that means I have to clean my tub a lot! But, as silly as it sounds, I truly enjoy the job more when I get to use
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something natural and sweet-smelling to do the job. This is my favorite, easy recipe for natural tub-scrubbing. 1 cup baking soda ¼ cup salt 10 drops tangerine essential oil 5 drops lavender essential oil Combine ingredients, mix well. I like to double or even triple this recipe and store it in an airtight container; it keeps well, and then I have to mix it up less often. To use, sprinkle a small handful into the tub. Use a wet washcloth, and scrub the tub thoroughly. The baking soda and salt are both naturally cleansing very lightly abrasive, to help remove oils and soap scum. Rinse the tub thoroughly. Tangerine oil is degreasing, lavender oil is antibacterial; together they smell fabulous. All Purpose Cleaning Spray This is my favorite, multi-purpose cleansing spray. I find myself using it for nearly everything! Countertops, stovetops, the microwave or grill, spills and pet accidents, even the dashboard and interior of my car.
½ cup lemon juice ¼ cup baking soda 10 drops lemon essential oil Mix ingredients together to form a paste. Apply to surfaces, and use a wet cloth to wipe off. Repeat as necessary. Carpet Deodorizer I have pets, and I have carpet. They aren’t a great mix, truthfully! Once a month I like to apply this deodorizing carpet treatment before vacuuming. It helps freshen the air, the carpet, and my vacuum bags. For good measure, I use combination of essential oils known to help repel fleas; they smell good too! 1 cup borax 1 cup baking soda 5 drops lemongrass essential oil 5 drops lavender essential oil Combine ingredients. Sprinkle over carpet; let sit 20 minutes. Vaccuum as usual.
1 tbsp. white vinegar 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. liquid castile soap 1 tbsp. borax 1 cup distilled water Essential oils (optional)
Pine Fresh Glass Cleaner
Mix all ingredients; put in recycled spray bottle. Use as you would any other cleaning spray. You can add essential oils if you desire – citrus oils are especially good for cleaning greasy cooking surfaces or appliances; tea tree, lavender, thyme or oregano essential oils are excellent antibacterial agents.
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Super Duper Citrus Degreaser This is the stuff to reach for when your enchiladas have exploded in the microwave, or your apple pie has bubbled over onto your stove. Behold the power of citrus!
Some time ago, a friend gave me a bottle of her homemade glass cleaner, scented with pine. I loved it, especially the pine-fresh scent! This my version of a pine-scented glass cleaner. Works beautifully on mirrors too. 1 cup distilled water 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol 15 drops pine or fir needle essential oils
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Combine ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Shake well, then apply to glass. Rub off quickly with a soft towel or bit of newspaper. It’s best not to clean windows on very hot, sunny, or windy days – the cleanser will evaporate too quickly and will tend to streak. Oil & Vinegar Cleanser I know – it sounds more like a salad dressing recipe! But this oil and vinegar cleanser is a wonderful concoction for cleaning wood paneling, wood flooring, wood cabinets, leather couches, leather car seats, and even your wooden furniture. The vinegar acts as a cleansing and degreasing agent, while the oil actually nourishes and shines the wood or leather. I was amazed at what this cleansing treatment did for even my most scratched and worn cabinet doors.
Recommended books: The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn SiegelMaier Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan 13505 S Ave Woodward, IA 50276
[email protected] 515-438-4268 www.prairielandherbs.com
1 cup olive oil ½ cup vinegar or lemon juice Combine ingredients and place in a spray bottle. Apply directly to surface; use a soft rag to wipe dry. Repeat if necessary.
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