I've just about finished replacing my chemicals with natural cleaners

[LionsandBears]

Oops! I was wrong....it's not safe to use oil of pennyroyal during pregnancy. Apologies!

My naturopath told me the ONLY two oils that were safe to use during pregnancy are lavendar & mandarin. Also, clary sage can be used to bring on contractions, so should be avoided.

9 drops of eucalytus oil can kill a baby (can't remember where I read that), so I don't know that it would be great for an unborn baby & what goes onto the mother's skin get to the baby.

Another tip we had from the dishwasher repair man (re: washing machine mold) is to use white vinegar as a fabric softener. It softens the clothes and prevents mold build-up, which we'd been getting.

[Winter]

I have been inspired by this thread and have stocked up on white vinegar & bi-carb! I'd forgotten how great it smells and I feel CLEAN!!

[sconeonamission]

I use vinegar in the top loader (when we had one) and used it for the towels... they felt so much cleaner!

Also, vinegar in the rinse-aid - clean!
Love it ! I have a vinegar book somewhere, has good stuff in it!

[Lulu]

9 drops of eucalytus oil can kill a baby (can't remember where I read that), so I don't know that it would be great for an unborn baby & what goes onto the mother's skin get to the baby.

I'm not exactly sure about that either, but e oil is very volatile and should always be kept out of reach of kids. Should also be kept away from direct contact from mucuos membranes as well.

Although these things are natural, they are also powerful

[CrazyLady]

Just found this thread and in a bit of a crisis.

Read somewhere that bi-carb and vinegar can be used as a drain cleaner. I won't have drain cleaner in the house and my laundry sink is blocked something awful. Had to stop washing machine because draining SOOOOOOO SLOWLY that it's flooding the floor.

Anyone know the ratio of bi-carb to vinegar to clear blocked drains? So glad my laundry is external right now >.<

Thanks in advance!

[alioops]

fill the drain with bicarb then add vinegar. the reaction will fizz it up.

[CrazyLady]

Thanks heaps Ali. Hoping it's drained enough by now!

[Astrid]

Just found this thread and in a bit of a crisis.

Read somewhere that bi-carb and vinegar can be used as a drain cleaner. I won't have drain cleaner in the house and my laundry sink is blocked something awful. Had to stop washing machine because draining SOOOOOOO SLOWLY that it's flooding the floor.

Anyone know the ratio of bi-carb to vinegar to clear blocked drains? So glad my laundry is external right now >.<

Thanks in advance!

Here is the Lush House method:

Pour a quarter to half a cup of bi-carb soda (alkaline) onto the drain. Wait 20 minutes and add a cup of white vinegar (acid). A chemical reaction occurs whereby oxygen is forced into the mix and scours the pipe. Wait a couple of minutes and pour a jug of boiling water into the drain to flush it clean.

I have done the same in the past, but never really bothered with measurements and had it still work.

[CrazyLady]

I waited about 3 mins between bi-carb and vinegar. Mainly because forgot the vinegar and had to dash back onto the house and then had to let the vinegar and bicarb mixture sit for about 5 mins while i tried to get DD to open her mouth and eject the twig she was eating :sigh:

Worked though

[Peg]

This site has all the ingredients you need

[CrazyLady]

Thanks Peg. Was looking for a site with a heap of recipes but could only find dribs and drabs!

[turtleschell]

I am so inspired. I am going to buy a bunch of spray bottles and make all the concoctions suggested by Artechim and chuck out all those disgusting chemical cleaners that make my hands scaly and pollute the air.

[Mum2SweetCs]

Thanks for this thread guys!!!

What other books can I get as a reference for these natural cleaning recipes? I checked the spotless reviews and they didnt seem too good =(

[JLeigh29]

I've been using vinegar in the dishwasher for months and it's great, but when I use bi-carb in the powder dispenser I get HEAPS of rejects. It'll clean the toast plates, but not much else. If I rinse everything so you can't see any marks, that defies the point of trying to be environmentally friendly(ish) as it wastes heaps of water. Any suggestions? TIA