The Natural Way to Clean Everything in Your House
Best Ways to Clean Your Home with Natural Products
There are dozens of products on the market designed to clean every square inch of your home. Unfortunately, most of them are full of noxious chemicals that can do harm to both the environment, yourself, and your family. There are several natural alternatives to using caustic chemicals. With a little elbow grease, you can get your hope clean using natural products. Regular soap and water are highly useful but often overlooked – the prevalence of sprays and special formulas has overshadowed the effectiveness of the basics.
How You Can Use Baking Soda as a Cleaner
Two overlooked cleaning components are baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda can be used in a multitude of applications.
1. Many people put a box of baking soda in their fridge, but did you know baking soda will absorb odors in other places too? Sprinkle it on musty carpets, let sit for 15 minutes, and vacuum it up. The smells will come with it. Sprinkle it into litter boxes to help absorb odors. This can also be used in shoes, boots, and other places where moisture causes smells.
2. Baking soda is as effective as other scouring agents, such as Comet. Use baking soda to clean your toilet bowl for a fraction of the cost.
3. Baking soda will help dissolve grease in pots and pans.
4. Put half a cup of baking soda in your laundry to help whiten whites and remove odors.
How You Can Use Baking Soda as a Cleaner
Plain white vinegar is used to freshen up all kinds of things, despite its initial stink.
1. Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup of vinegar. Let it fizz for 5 minutes or so, then flush with lots of hot water. This can help dissolve most clogs and keep drains from smelling.
2. Mix ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of water in a bowl, and microwave it to a boil. Baked-on food will be loosened and wipe off easily.
3. Remove soap buildup from the inside of the dishwasher by pouring a cup of vinegar in it. Run the machine while empty.
4. Vinegar can also be used as a substitute for rinse agents. Fill the dishwasher rinse dispenser monthly and you'll be good to go.
5. Remove mineral deposits from coffee makers and tea kettles. For a tea kettle, add ½ cup of vinegar to water to fill, and let sit overnight. If this doesn't work, boil full strength vinegar in it for a few minutes. For coffee makers, fill the water reservoir with 1 cup of vinegar and run the cycle. Run 1 or 2 cycles after that with fresh clean water to rinse it.
6. Use it to dissolve grease off of vent hoods, pots, and pans.
7. Use full-strength vinegar to polish glassware. Vinegar, mixed with equal parts salt or baking soda can be used to scour more hardy items, such as coffee mugs.
8. Clean grout by pouring it on dirty grout, and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub it with a toothbrush and wipe up.
For more great articles about natural living and much more please visit the Organic & Natural Living section on GKHealth. Read More»
Growing Kitchen Herbs Without a Garden
Herbs are excellent for enhancing culinary dishes with flavor. An added benefit of using herbs is that they contain antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins. While fresh herbs are often interchangeable with dried herbs, the former has greater purity of flavor. It should also be noted that some dishes, such as pesto and tabbouleh, require fresh herbs. Since fresh herbs are expensive, growing an herb garden is a way to enjoy their benefits without spending a lot of money. Growing herbs can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience, whether you be a city dweller, or live in the suburbs in a house with a backyard. All you need is a sunny windowsill, a few pots and/or planters, soil, water, and some seeds. If you don't have a green thumb, fear not: herbs are easy to grow and maintain.
For beginners, the simplest herbs to grow are perennials, which bloom every season after the first planting. These include mint, thyme, marjoram, chives, fennel, and tarragon. Mint and lavender are notorious for their widespread proliferation and ability to survive different climates. While perennials can be grown indoors, they thrive outdoors in the summer. Therefore, a balcony would be an ideal location for them. Other good herbs to start with are rosemary, sage, sweet basil, and chives. When growing caraway and parsley, keep in mind that they are biennial plants that live for only two seasons and must be replanted thereafter. Annual plants, which include anise, basil, coriander and dill, must be replanted every year.
Once you have decided on which herbs to plant in your garden, it is time to grow them! You have the option of growing from seeds or purchasing them from a plant nursery. You will need a container that is 6-12 inches deep and 6 inches in diameter if growing individual plants. When planting multiple herbs in one container, be sure to space the plants out by at least 4-5 inches. If growing from seeds, first, line the bottom of the planter with gravel for drainage. Make the soil mixture by mixing 2 parts potting soil,1 part coarse sand, and 1 teaspoon of limestone per 6-inch pot. Fill three quarters of the container with the soil mixture. Then, press the seeds into the soil and cover with 1 quarter inch of soil, and then water. If the plant is from a nursery, fill the planter halfway with soil, carefully transplant the herb into the planter, and add more soil to cover. Water the herbs just enough to keep the soil moist. Avoid over-watering, since this can cause root rot. If the plants do not receive enough sunlight, supplement with a fluorescent lamp.
Aside from having the convenience of organically-grown herbs on-hand for cooking, growing your own herbs is a fun and relaxing way to get in touch with nature. There is a certain amount of pride in growing your own food. Herbs are also fragrant, serve a decorative purpose, and look quite attractive when grown in hanging baskets and planters that have multiple “pockets”. Whatever the reason may be, anyone can grow their own herbs and enjoy their benefits. Read More»
Pollution ‘Can Cause Obesity’
While pollution may have been linked with breathing disorders and allergies, it has now been associated with obesity.
New weight advice from the American Institute of Biological Sciences notes the potentially harmful effects of tributyltin.
The substance is used for a number of purposes, ranging from as a preservative for textiles and woods to being sprayed on crops as a pesticide.
But it has been associated with a range of negative health impacts - including causing female snails to begin to change gender.
Fleas, meanwhile, are seen to experience impaired reproductive capabilities, while humans are given weight advice relating to tributyltin.
In mammals - potentially including humans - the health effects include damage to the liver, immune system and nervous system.
Among newborns, excess fatty tissue is seen to accumulate in mice exposed to tributyltin.
The researchers point out that the increasing use of such chemicals among products in daily usage has been followed by an increase in obesity in the general human population.
Penn State College of Medicine recently reported that obesity itself causes physiological changes which could encourage individuals to eat more.
By numbing taste receptors, obesity causes sufferers to consume larger, sweeter meals in order to achieve a pleasing effect. Read More»
Pollution ‘Begins at Home’
Individuals concerned about the impact of pollution on their basic health may wish to look closer to home than is typically the case.
According to the American Sociological Association, members of the public typically blame pollution on large-scale environmental effects.
But doing so could be putting their basic health at risk as they allow contaminants to proliferate in their own homes.
Sociologist Rebecca Gasior Altman, lead author of a study recently published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, explains that home pollution has been a "blind spot" for many years.
Her research indicated that government officials may be afraid to provide too much information about the health risks which may be posed by common household substances.
But, among members of the public surveyed, she discovered an appetite for more health information, not less.
Among the products which can expose individuals to chemicals, the team identified food packaging, cosmetics and cleaning fluids.
Parents with asthmatic children were previously told that environmental effects can have a negative impact on their offspring's ability to breathe.
Cities with high levels of public transport or diesel-fuelled vehicles are particularly dangerous places for young people with asthma, researchers from the Institute Nacional de Sauld Publica in Mexico found. Read More»
Asthmatic Children ‘Worsened by Traffic’
Pollution from traffic causes asthma to worsen in children, BioMed Central reports.
Health care articles published by the organisation include recent research from the Institute Nacional de Sauld Publica in Mexico.
The research facility found that pollution from motor vehicles is particularly damaging to asthmatic children's respiratory condition compared with other contaminants.
Diesel vehicles in particular were identified as likely to cause the most damage to children's ability to breathe.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, urban regions were associated with a greater level of risk, with city-dwellers suffering the most severe worsening of respiratory health.
Within cities, small public transport buses powered by natural gas or petrol were seen to rank alongside diesel-fuelled lorries and heavy goods vehicles as most damaging.
In other health care articles relating to younger people, BioMed Central recently reported the discoveries of the Institute of Metabolic Science.
The institute found that, in the UK, many children are achieving the desired amounts of physical exercise as recommended by the government.
Among the ten-year-olds examined, nearly seven in ten were achieving recommended exercise levels, prompting the researchers to recommend alternative areas of focus for increasing young citizens' basic health in the future.
Promoting greater consumption of fruit and vegetables was suggested as one alternative. Read More»