All Purpose Cleaner - Recipe

So I was tired of using cleaning agents that had harmful chemicals and cringed at the prices of commercial "green" cleaners. So I set out to make my own- after all, you can't complain if you are not willing to do anything about it.

The recipe is quite simple...You start with a base of equal parts water, vinegar, isopropyl  alcohol and a few drops of liquid soap (depending on how sudsy you would like it). Next are the essential oils. Now this is where you can get creative. Honestly, you don't even need the oils as the vinegar and alcohol provide the bulk of the cleaning and disinfecting. However, essential oils add their own beneficial properties, some of which I will discuss in a bit. Currently I am using a few drops each of tea tree oil (melaluca altenifolia), mandarin oil (citrus reticulata) and lemongrass oil (cymbopogon flexuosous).

I have also used eucalyptus oil as well, but I wanted a bright and fresh sent so I opted for the above mentioned oils and I look forward to trying different ones as well.

The vinegar can prove to be a harsh smell but in my opinion it is not worse than those of standard cleaning products, but minus the harmful effects. If you would like to diminish the smell you can use a little less of the vinegar. I found that the above combination of oils not only masks the vinegar smell but also gives it the bright, flesh smell I was looking for.

Here is some information regarding the ingredients used in my all purpose cleaner...

Vinegar: Well, what doesn't it do. It kills bacteria, mold and germs. It is also non-toxic so ingestion of and smell of the fumes have no adverse effect on people. If you are interested here is a link for some of the medicinal benefits of vinegar.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1785201/

Isopropyl Alcohol: Ok I will admit, some of you may not agree with me using this ingredient in a so called "green and safe" cleaner. There are harmful effects that can arise if ingested and if fumes are inhaled for a long period of time. However, the disinfectant, sterilizing and solvent properties, in my opinion out way the bad. Isopropyl alcohol is know to kill bacteria, fungus and viruses which is why it is used in hospitals to stop the spread of infectious diseases. Since I am usually cleaning up after two little ones that are prone to make sticky messes, the solvent properties render it almost invaluable. Not to worry the fumes and the alcohol dissipate very quickly.

Tea Tree Oil: Contains terpenoids which are known to have antifungal and antiseptic properties. It is commonly used for the treatment of acne, fungal infections of the nail and foot (athletes foot) and dandruff. It can also be used in bath water to help with a cough, congestion and pulmonary inflammation.

Mandarin Oil: Is also antiseptic and has additional qualities such as antispasmodic and is cytophylatic. The last two are fancy words that mean that it is good for muscle spasms and it encourages the new growth of cells. It is commonly used to treat acne, wrinkles, scars and stress. Here is a link to find out some other great properties of mandarin oil. http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-mandarin-essential-oil.html

 Lemongrass Oil: Has antiseptic, antibacterial  and astringent properties, to name a few. Lemongrass oil is often used to relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is also used as a pain reliever in joints and muscles and is said to aid in the reduction of fever caused by viral infections.


Hope all this encourages you to go out and make your own personalized cleaner as a means to use less harsh chemicals in your household environment and save some money in the process.

Enjoy,
Diana

Happy Father's Day

Happy father's day to all. I hope this day will bring with it many joys that will be treasured for years to come. We happen to have a wonderful father in our family. I could gush about all his qualities but that would just make him blush uncontrollably. But I will tell you that I am a very lucky woman to have him as both a husband and the father of my children.

I love you Jeff and I love our children. One day they will realize what a blessing it is to have you in their lives.

Hard to believe this little guy is almost 4 years old.

Now that's an armful of love!

Happy Fathers Day!

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."  ~Clarence Budington Kelland

I should have gotten the hint

Little girl just loves to wear big brothers helmet.

If she sees it, she wants it on her head.

I always knew she was a bit of a dare devil, so perhaps she was trying to tell me something. I should have listened. If so maybe this wouldn't have happened.....

Yep, little girl broke her collar bone. She is just too daring for her own good and for mama's poor heart.

So has the wrap and sling slowed her down any.....ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Still climbing and jumping and getting into mischief.

Only this time I am prepared...

And here he is.....

My very own Green Lantern.

My little man has been on a Justice League kick and since he has lots of Superman stuff, I thought he would like a custom made Green Lantern shirt. I wanted to try my hand an making my own stencils and fabric painting and this project did both.

First you need to iron the shirt and lay it flat.

I had printed out the image that I wanted and traced it onto freezer paper. Then with an sharp knife I cut out the image.

Lay the pieces of the image "waxy" side down where you would like it and then iron. The heat of the iron lets the freezer paper adhere temporarily to the fabric. Once it is securely in place just paint on your color. I used a small foam brush and dabbed the color into the fabric. While the paint is still wet pull off the stencil and let dry for at least 4 hours. Overnight is preferred.

Here it is. Hindsight I would have made the image more substantial but it actually came out better than I thought and little man loves it.

If you would like to try this please be sure that you wash the garment or fabric before starting the process and after you have let the paint dry wash it again inside out in cold water and either tumble dry on your lowest setting or hang dry.

St. Patrick's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful and joyful St. Paddy's Day, I know we sure did. We celebrated a day early because my Mr. had to work on the actual day. Nevertheless, we had a great time. The day before we made some festive white and green cupcakes.

These where very yummy with a luscious cream cheese frosting and some green sprinkles courtesy of my son. We also enjoyed some corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread. Both recipes came from www.allrecipes.com and I highly recommend them.

Next year we will have to double the recipes as I was looking forward to leftovers and there were none :(.