But now I’m preparing to write this post, and I can’t help but notice that the last DIY green cleaner I posted was my natural homemade liquid dishwasher detergent, and that was back in . . . 2010. Geeze . . .

The funny thing is, I’ve been DIY green cleaning and home-making my eco-friendly body care products this entire time. I’m not quite sure why I stopped posting about them, really. But it’s been years on both accounts, and now – it’s time to remedy that!




I didn’t even realize there was such a thing as daily shower spray. You know, the kind of cleaner you spray on each morning after you hop out of the shower, and you don’t even bother to wipe it off or rinse it down? You just spray it, leave it, and forget it. Umm, how did I not know about this?

My not-boyfriend has an automatic shower sprayer, which is where I learned of such a magical cleanser, and which we hacked to refill with our eco-friendly, all-natural non-toxic awesomeness. But you can also just use a plain ol’ spray bottle, which is what I use for all my homemade cleaning products. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 cup water
½ cup hydrogen peroxide
½ cup vinegar
1 teaspoon castile soap
optional: essential oil for scent, 20 drops





Pour the water into a non-metal mixing bowl, and then whisk in the soap. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to fully incorporate. The solution will be sort of milky looking, which is fine and totally normal.

Add to an automatic shower sprayer, or store in a spray bottle. Use daily, and watch your biceps widdle away to nothing now that you never have to scrub your dang shower anymore. Hooray!

♥

This post is reprinted with permission.


~~~


The internet is rife with homemade “green” cleaning recipes that seek to minimize toxic chemical exposure while saving money and maximizing environmental stewardship. Which is awesome.

However, many of these recipes include the ingredient borax, which until recently has been touted as an all-natural and eco-friendly cleanser. Borax is most often used to fight grease (like in dishwasher detergent) and as a “natural” laundry booster (which is how it’s marketed – you’ll find it in the laundry aisle). I even have borax-containing recipes on this blog.

But in the latest edition of their Guide To Healthy Cleaning, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) gave borax a grade of F – “Highest Concern”. And over on Enviroblog, a leading scientist for EWG cautioned people not to use borax-containing cleansers or cosmetics. Obviously, this came as a surprise to many of us in the natural-living community, and there’s generally been a lot of confusion ever since.

Unfortunately, the truth is that there’s still a lot of missing research, and a lot we simply don’t know about how borax affects human beings. Here’s what we do know:

What is borax?
Borax is, in fact, a naturally occurring mineral. It is one of the salts of boric acid, a boron-containing compound, and can also be found under the names sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, and disodium tetraborate.

Boric acid and its salts are used as pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and wood preservatives. Sounds healthy, right?!

Well, it’s important to remember that the borax used to clean your home (and in some cosmetics) is not boric acid. They are similar, and similarly derived, but they are not chemically identical. Most of the studies referenced by the EWG and other agencies were performed using boric acid, not borax. Just something to keep in mind.


Is borax harmful?
The National Institute of Health calls boric acid “a dangerous poison”. But that’s boric acid, not borax.

The FDA has banned borax as a food additive.

According to the EPA, boric acid/sodium borate salts are irritating to the skin and eyes and can cause acute toxicity when inhaled or eaten. The symptoms often include nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and respiratory distress.

The borax Safety Data Sheet states that borax does not bioaccumulate in the body or biomagnify through the food chain. However, studies show that chronic exposure is associated with increased toxicity and more severe damage.

Most of the studies cited in the literature were performed on rats or other mammals, which makes it inappropriate to draw conclusions regarding human risk. It is believed that boric acid and its salts target the reproductive systems and can cause hormone disruption, especially in males. Human men working in boric acid-producing factories have increased risk of low sperm count and low libido. (more here)


Is borax eco-friendly?
Boron is an open-pit mined mineral. The process of open-pit mining involves drilling, excavation via explosives, heavy transport, and refining for purification. It’s destructive, and fueled by petrochemicals. It’s not pretty.

However, it should be noted that 20 Mule Team Borax, the most widely available commercial product, is extracted in California at a mine that has been lauded for it’s environmental standards. It is considered to be one of the cleanest running mines in the world.

Still, remember that’s clean . . . for a pit mine.

America’s Environmental Protection Agency is still mostly neutral on its safety, but the European Union has flagged it as a “Substance Of Very High Concern” and Europe’s International Chemical Secretariat places borax on its SIN list of hazardous chemicals.


In Conclusion
Upon reviewing all of this information, it seems that there is still some question as to the safety of borax itself (as opposed to boric acid) and its impact on human health. Therefore, the decision of whether or not to use borax in your homemade cleaning products will have to be a personal one.

As for me? I’m coming up with new, borax-free recipes . . .

♥

I do most of my produce shopping at the Farmer’s Market, and secondarily at the local market or co-op. But the truth is, I live 5 blocks from a Trader Joe’s, and sometimes it’s just super convenient to pop over there for an emergency onion or whatever.

In this way, over time I’ve amassed a collection of those coarse plastic produce bags, the ones that usually house garlic and such. You know the type? These ones:



And I have been saving them, oh yes, because I saw in my little mind’s eye the perfect way to put that plastic back into action. So easy. So simple. So effective! The wiry plastic and diamond pattern lends itself so well to the project, it’s almost like it was meant to be. Meant to be: a Scrubbie.




1) Collect a number of plastic produce bags.

2) Stuff all of them into one of them. The Trader Joe’s organic garlic comes in a little yellow bag that’s just about the size of a sponge, and I had a whole bunch of those. So I stuffed one of them full, and then used the others to make a couple of “layers” of exterior. Not necessary, but I think it helps keep everything together.

3) Sew up the seem. I used dental floss! I didn’t even use a needle, though it would have been a lot faster if I had.

4) Fin.

See how easy??!



Enjoy!

This is reprinted with permission. You can read the original blog post here.

~~~

Since we started working as Innkeepers at Foothills Lodge and Cabins last October, we purchased our initial investment of supplies and haven’t had to buy any additional ingredients since. Running to the store because we’ve run out of laundry soap is a thing of the past around here. And we live 47 miles away from the nearest big box store or large grocery store so if we can find all the ingredients, I know you can too. Okay, let’s get started!





You’ll Need:
A Stove
One Large Stock Pot
A Long Spoon
A 5 Gallon Bucket

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Washing Soda (Soda Ash)
2 Cups of Borax
1/4 Cup Dr Bronners Liquid Castille Soap
15-20 drops Essential Oil
Hot Water

A Note:
Some recipes call for vinegar to be added into the detergent, but Ken found it works better when he adds it to our fabric softener slot in the washer. When we do this it rinses through after the soap has, and for whatever reason when we do this we don’t need to use dryer sheets. Even living at 8200 feet where it is VERY dry, we don’t get shocked anymore.





Fill the stock pot about 2/3 full of hot water and put it over medium heat. Pour the Borax and Washing Soda in – give it a stir. It’s not boiling but it’s getting pretty hot so be careful! Add the 1/4 cup of Dr Bronners and the 15-20 drops of oil. Give it another quick stir.

Right before your lovely smelling concoction comes to a boil, remove it from the burner and pour the contents into an empty 5 gallon bucket. Then fill up the stock pot again with HOT water and pour that into the bucket. It will just about fill the bucket, and that’s what you want.





See how it’s almost full? The size of your stock pot might make this a little different, so just remember that the recipe makes 5 gallons, so if you have to add a little more or a little less, that’s okay, just as long as you end up with 5 gallons.





We put our finished product in recycled bleach bottles.

And that’s it! Wasn’t that simple?? Cover the bucket and let it stand over night. In the morning when you take the lid off it will be ready to use. Don’t worry if there are little clumps of stuff in it. That is perfectly normal and those dissolve easily when you start the load. It might look kinda funky compared to that thick, pretty stuff you’re probably used to, but it’s not about how it looks, it’s about how your clothes look, and they will look (and smell) FANTASTIC!

~~~

Thanks so much again to Jen and Ken for cracking this code for all the BA readers out there!

If you want to catch up with Jen and Ken you can find them blogging at Rocky Mountain High. You can also follow their amazing journey across America, and you can read their original story here.

I had requests for a liquid version, as some machines will only do well with liquid. As well, my readers with hard water were experiencing less-than-stellar results. I knew I had more work to do . . .

And here’s my answer! An all-natural, all green, liquid dishwasher detergent that *should* stand up to hard water. (I say ‘should’ because I haven’t tested it myself – I don’t have hard water. But I’ve corrected for the issue as best I understand the chemistry of it. You’ll have to let me know how it works!)


Sayward’s Homemade Liquid Detergent Recipe

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
2 tablespoons pure lemon juice (not concentrate)
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon washing soda
**10-15 drops antibacterial essential oil, if using an unscented castile

extra white vinegar for the rinse cycle

In a small saucepan, combine water and vinegar over medium heat. Bring to just boiling and then reduce to low heat. Add each additional ingredient, one at a time, whisking as you go. Make sure everything is dissolved before removing from heat.

Allow to cool and then transfer to a storage container. When completely cooled the solution will separate into two layers, so shake it up real good before use.





I use 2-3 tablespoons per load. I also fill the machine’s rinse indicator with white vinegar – a very important step. Don’t skip this part! It will keep the dished ‘soap-scum-free’ and extra sparkly.

Enjoy, and happy green dishwashing!

So lets say this was an accidental spill. Red wine. Muddy tracks. Or . . . pet pee. First – and quickly – you’ll need to grab your rags and your vinegar spray bottle. Every green-cleaning household should have these on hand! Rags can easily be made out of an old towel or tee shirt. You can always recycle an old spray bottle, perhaps leftover from your ‘chemical’ cleaning days. Fill it with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water.

1) Lay the rag down over the spill and using either your finger tips or the heel of your hand, blot the spill. DO NOT rub it in! Press *down* and let the rag soak up the spill. Rotate the rag so that a dry area covers the spill, and repeat. Like this:








2) Continue blotting until you’ve soaked up as much of the liquid as you can.





3) Take your vinegar and spray the area – liberally. Get it good and wet. Then let it sit for maybe 5-10 minutes.





4) Now you just need to soak it all up. The blot method will work again here, but you can scrub it if you want. Scrubbing can be pretty satisfying, ya know??





Your stain should be removed, though you may not be able to tell with the carpet still damp. Don’t worry – just check back on it the next day.

Now, if you’re concerned about odor (like with puppy piddle), the next day you can sprinkle the DRY spot – and only once it’s dry – with baking soda. Rub it in, let it hang out for a few hours, and then vacuum it out.

BONZAI!

It seemed that a lot of interested folks were coming in late to the game, and so in an effort to make sure we all could benefit, I extended the mission an extra month. This was great for me as well, as it gave me a full two months to acclimate to the new cleansing method.

So what can I say? NO-POO IS AWESOME. I use baking soda paste with an apple cider vinegar rinse, once per week, and my hair is in excellent shape. Why would I ever, ever go back to chemical cleaners and conditioners? My hair is strong and shiny and thick and soft. I don’t get ‘build-up’, even though I clean only once a week and use product every day. I never feel greasy or oily.

So suffice to say, I’m sold. Hands down. I can’t imagine I’ll ever need shampoo again. How liberating!

But what about you, my dears? Yours are the stories I’m really dying to hear. How has this little adventure gone for you? Will you continue to no-poo? Let me know how it went!

Last Month:



And This Month:


Not bad, right?! And the best part is, I think this is totally doable. I think I could maybe even improve it. So, success! Woo-hoo!

So what about you guys? Did any of you track your plastic again this month? And how did you do?





#7
For this month’s mission we went No-Poo! But this is also a long-term sort of mission, and many readers didn’t join in until after I wrote the follow-up article half way into the month.

For that reason, I’ve decided to extend the No-Poo mission another month. Thus, we won’t have a November mission, except to continue no-pooing and working on getting harsh chemicals out of our bathrooms!

So keep it up guys, and keep in touch. Let me know if it’s working or if you’re having issues. And don’t hesitate to ask questions!

So I’ve written up a little faq on the no-poo hair care system, an expanded addendum to accompany this Mission. I hope it helps to clear up the confusion!


What is the point of no-poo?
No-poo is a method of natural hair maintenance, including cleaning and healing, to be continued indefinitely. No-poo replaces conventional shampoo and conditioner, allowing your hair to self-regulate.

How does it work?
Baking soda and vinegar, of course! (would you expect anything else from me?) The goal is to ‘mess with’ your hair as little as possible, applying the baking soda (BS) and apple cider vinegar (ACV) once a week or less. Some people eventually remove the BS and ACV all together, and stick solely to water. Others continue the BS and ACV forever, but decrease the frequency and increase the dilution ratio over time.

You should still ‘water-wash’ your hair whenever you shower (not more than once daily), by running your hair under water and massaging with your fingers. Brush your hair carefully and thoroughly to distribute the natural oils that are essential to healthy hair. Finally, don’t overdo it! A little BS goes a long way (ha!)

But why would you do that???
I’ve written in the past about harmful chemicals in cosmetics, and shampoo is no exception. Common offenders include sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate, the detergents/surfactants that have been linked to all sorts of terrible troubles. There are tons of other worrisome additives lurking in your shampoo and conditioner too, variable by brand.

Then of course, there’s the oil industry connection. Yup, shampoo contains petroleum products, in the form of ‘mineral oils’. These byproducts are added to give your hair that extra shine, – by coating it in petroleum! Ick.

And finally, if all that isn’t enough to convince you, how about the cost? It’s just cheap ol’ baking soda and vinegar, and you use a lot less of it too. Can’t beat that!

So why baking soda? What does it do?
Believe it or not, water will remove the vast (vast!) majority of grit and residue found in ‘dirty’ hair. But for those tough times, BS does the rest. BS is oh-so-slightly alkaline, is a natural deodorizer, and gently scours away dirt and product build-up.

Apply the BS (try it in a squirt bottle) to the roots, gently massaging it thoroughly over the scalp. Allow it to sit and then rinse in warm water to cleanse and clarify.

So why vinegar? What does it do?
Conditioner was invented to replace the oils stripped by harsh detergents (that’s shampoo). Without the nasty, drying, stripping soap, there’s no need for extra oils. Vinegar can do it all!

ACV is mildly acidic, with about 3-5% acid content in most store brands. Most importantly, the tincture restores desirable pH. It seals the cuticle while detangling and clarifying hair. Additionally, it promotes circulation in the scalp and reduces flaking or peeling skin. No dandruff!

Apply ACV (try it in a spray bottle) to the shafts and scalp. Distribute evenly and allow to sit. Rinse with cool water to soften hair, reduce frizz, and restore curls.

What about the transition period?
If you use normal shampoo, your hair is accustomed to being stripped of it’s natural oil. When this stops, the hair freaks out for a bit! This can cause an ‘oily period’ where the scalp is overcompensating. Just give yourself a few weeks to re-adjust.

What are the benefits of all this?
A lot! People who no-poo claim:
• volume
• shininess
• bounciness
• softness
• cleaner/clearer scalp
• less breaks/shedding (more elasticity)
• less need for styling products

And that’s all there is to it . . . so what are you waiting for!?

#7

Alright guys, are you ready to go no-poo?

No, this isn’t some sort of 30-day endurance test in constipation (ha!). It’s all about our most luscious locks, and taking the ‘crap’ out of the shampoo.

The method is simple. Can you take a wild guess as to what we’re using instead? If you know me at all, you probably said ‘baking soda!’ or maybe ‘vinegar!’ And either way – you were right!

Eventually we’d like our hair to be self-regulating with its own natural cleansers and oils (believe it or not, it can self-clean). But we have to get there slowly, starting with a baking soda cleanser and an apple cider vinegar conditioner.

In the shower, mix 1 tbsp baking soda into ~1/2 cup water to form a thin paste. Apply to hair at the roots, massaging thoroughly into the scalp. Remember that this will not foam up (no poo!) but that doesn’t mean it’s not cleaning. Rinse. Follow with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar diluted in ~1 cup water. Massage into roots and shafts, and then rinse.

The baking soda is a natural cleanser, as we know. The vinegar is a natural softener. People who swear by no-poo claim that their hair becomes healthier, stronger, shinier, and more manageable/styleable. And it’s SO much better for our bodies and our environment. I can’t wait to try it out!

Remember that conventional shampoo is a chemical detergent, filled with nasty and unnecessary ingredients. These harsh additives strip your hair of its crucial oils and train it into dependence. Meanwhile, the hair overcompensates and oil production increases.

So, there may be a transition period while switching to no-poo. You may notice your hair is a little oilier than usual. Don’t worry! This should clear up as your hair and scalp re-acclimates to its natural state. If you currently shampoo your hair every day, begin no-pooing twice per week. If you shampoo your hair less frequently (I wash mine about every 4-5 days), try starting off with just one no-poo per week. Eventually you’ll be able to fuss with it less and less frequently.

So, my silken-tressed eco-mavens, do you choose to accept this mission?

BONZAI!