Orange Blossom water !

Orange Blossom water- Makes lovely air freshener !

Some time back I bought a bottle of orange blossom water, thinking we could use it to add to drinks and food for a special extra taste sensation, as I have been buying the same brand rose water which we love adding to drinks ...If you have read my blog you will know I love using rose water for perfume and deodorant as well ...Any way it's tastes awful, so its been sitting in the fridge waiting for me to find a use for it ! well that day came today ! I filled up a little spray bottle and sprayed it in the toilet and bathroom and it smells so lovely  ..So glad it wont be wasted, as from memory think it was about $6 a bottle..so it will make a great air freshener for the house ..and I might use it as perfume too...and deodorant... Pretty sure I'll find heaps of uses for it , to freshen up any area of the house...

Plants to help clean the air in your home !

This is what I have in my bathroom to help clean the air. I have philodendron growing in two big pots at the front of our house and I have cut some and put into a vase of water. This is so much easier then an actual pot-plant that needs soil..This has been in my bathroom for a few years now and seems to be thriving..When you cut them and place them in water they grow roots very quickly, which can be great if you want to pot some up for a gifts...I have read so many times over the years how plants remove toxins from our air ...and give us oxygen in return..I also have two lucky bamboos growing in water in my bathroom too..I really need to get some more plants into our house...I used to have a ficus inside but took it outside might bring it back in ..I'd love to hear what house plants other people grow inside ...There was a list of 10 that I did read some time back that are the best to have in your home, must see if I can find it gain ...To save me googling if any one knows please post and share with us..That would be great ....I know spider plants are supposed to be good too, a long time ago I used to grow that outside in hanging baskets..and bamboo is good too...My mother in law grows mother in laws tongue in her family room it always looks so healthy , she grows it in water ...Might see if she will give me some ...I gave her a lucky bamboo years ago for a gift and hers is huge..she has a real green thumb..think she could grow anything...

Free Dishcloths - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rethink

Free Dish cloths !Better for the environment and your purse...A win win...
Make your own dish cloths from any old t-shirts that aren't suitable to wear any more either because they are to small, stained, ripped or just worn out ...This was an adult  t-shirt that didn't fit any more, so I just cut it up into 10 dish cloths. I cut the back and front into 4 pieces each then cut off the sleeves to make 2 more so in total I got 10 dish cloths..I like to use a clean dish cloth each day, at the end of each day I rinse it out in the sink with some bicarb and peg it on the line to dry ...saves so much money ! For a while because I was really sick I was using store bought domestic wipes that I could just throw away...I know "what a waste of money"..But some times we just have to do what we are able too...also stops stuff going to landfill and as these are 100% cotton they can go in the compost or can be given to the worms, when they are thread bare and not able to do the job any more...I have seen so many people knitting wash cloths and that's great for the people who like to do that. I'd rather just reuse what I have and to be honest they look to nice to be washing the dishes with. In my laundry cupboard I have an old pillow case filled with suitable rags for cleaning around the house, they are also great for dusting ...cleaning mirrors and windows..cleaning up spills..  who else dose this ..I know most of the simple savers would..

Using soap nut liquid in my new foamy bottles !

Our new foamy soap bottles !
I bought these bottles a few weeks ago and they are fabulous ...I bought them to use for my soap nut liquid for washing our hands...We all love them ..
I bought them from the same place I bought my soap nuts .. They are so easy to fill and use, just put a few soap nuts into a jar or bottle and cover with hot water give it a good shake then let sit to get all the sapons out of the berry shells...strain and fill up bottles put lid on and off you go ...Kids will love it , makes washing hands so much fun..and no toxic chemicals..yay....Even the adults will love it ...I have one in each bathroom in our house...The foam would also be great to use as a shaving cream ..they cost me $8 for two of them ....
This is where I bought them from. I've also bought the bamboo toothbrushes and a bamboo brush ...I will do another blog post about them soon...
 www.gogreenathome.com.au

Bi-Carb to wash your hair ! It's amazing

Bi-Carb to wash your hair ! It's amazing !
This has been some thing on my to do list, I've read about it on a few blogs overs the last few years. Finally did it today and it is amazing ..thanks to one of my lovely readers for recommending it to me ..she said she uses it and her hair is squeaky clean... Well all I did was wet my hair under the shower and then I put about 2 tablespoons on bi-carb and rubbed and massaged it into my scalp and all through my hair and then rinsed it off and my hair felt so beautiful and soft...I toweled it dry, then I brushed it with my bamboo brushand sat outside in the sunshine for it to dry...wow it's like a shampoo and conditioner all in one...very excited...The last five years we have been using the alchemy range of shampoo and envirocare ..they are both pretty expensive so this is really a win win ...cheap and healthy ..no nasty toxic chemicals and no strong smells from essential oils which I prefer not to use...And how cheap is a box of bi-carb a few dollars ..should last ages...So as you can gather I'm very happy with the results..Almost slightly disappointed I didn't do this some time back when I first saw it ..oh well as they say better late then never...I recommend  it to every one ..please don't wait any longer like I did ..do it you'll be impressed...I have long thick hair ! ...Who else is washing their hair with Bi-carb ? If you try it, please post and tell me what you think ....I should do a post on all the uses for bi-carb ..That I have been using for years ..Just added another one to my list..No more shampoo buying for this chick...
Note: The last 2 times I have washed my hair with bi-carb I have only used about a teaspoon dissolved into a small dish of water and I just poured it onto my hair in a few stages and massaged it through my hair it really lathered up like shampoo, I was amazed, I wasn't aware of that the first two times..I hope every one  tries it, don't wait like I did, I'm amazed at just how soft and silky my hair has been since using the bi-carb.For people in the US and other countries reading this another name for bi-carb is baking soda or baking powder...
Update...it's July 13th 2021 and I'm still using bicarb to wash my hair..that's all I have used all the years and still loving how soft and silky my hair is..I make up a litre bottle with about 2 tablespoons of bi-carb and fill it up with rainwater I've been adding  drops of rosemary oil and I'm using it for my body wash too..haven't used any soap for years too drying on your skin..

Soap Nuts For Cleaning !

Soap Nuts !
About a month ago I received  my 4 kilo box of soap nuts that I ordered ..Some thing I've been wanting to buy for a little while now, I'm excited I finally have them. So far I have used them to wash our clothes and our dishes and I'm very impressed.I love just about anything that is natural and healthy for my family and the environment...I put a kilo of each of them in 4 big 4 litre ice cream containers and have them stored in my laundry cupboard...
Photos below show all the bubbles in my kitchen sick just before starting to wash our dishes...We don't have a dishwasher in our house ...Oh of course we do, its me ...lol...I'm the dish washer...I find washing dishes very therapeutic...Below that is a photo of our washing machine half filled with water and lots of suds/bubbles from just the soap nuts ...I love it that our clothes just smell clean ...don't like our clothes smelling any other way....
They say a kilo of soap nuts will do about 400 loads washing ..not so sure about that, time will tell . But my reason for using them is more about my families health and what is best for the environment ...I have been using non toxic products for a long time in our house but these are more to my liking...Then they can be thrown into the compost or garden ...100% recyclable even more to my liking ...might even see if the worms like them...I have a few seeds so I am trying to grow them myself....They can be used for washing clothes,dishes, body,hands,hair, floors, animals, cars the list goes on ...Also I bought a few other great items that I'll share with you next post.
I'm still experimenting with them ..I haven't used them to wash my hair yet, but when I do I'll post and tell you all about it ...Who else out there uses soap nuts in their home ....

Cloths To Wash Your Dishes !

Cloths to wash your dishes !
What do you use ....Well I'm so glad you asked !
I use home brand domestic wipes they are very similar to chux wipes but a whole lot cheaper and to make them even cheaper I cut each one into 4 ...I use one each day ...Not sure if a lot of you realize the amount of germs on peoples dish cloths...So to avoid this I use these, saves washing dish cloths. A lot of people sterilize their dish cloths in their micro wave ..but I don't own one of those never have. ...Any way I find these quick and easy and cheap ..some might say they aren't very environmental and that's probably true, but being unwell I really don't 
want any extra work so these suit me perfectly ... So I just thought I 'd share that, with you all...might be some thing you may consider doing, cutting them smaller. I find them the perfect size .....

Stop Using Toxic Chemicals To Clean Your Toilet !

Clean toilet without using toxic chemicals.

My Mission is to get people to use less or even better no toxic chemicals to clean their homes ! I posted a blog over a year ago about not using toxic chemicals to clean your toilet. I'm wanting to ask every who reads this post to please put it on your own blog, no need to link back to my blog only do so if you want to. If you don't have a blog please pass on this tip to others you know. As I don't think a lot of people realise the dangers in using so many toxic chemicals, we are poisoning our selves and our families. This is why so many people are getting really sick and have so many allergies. There are so many healthy alternatives to use like, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, water, elbow grease and old rags, saves the planet, saves us money and will save us from getting sick. that's a win,win.win the way I see it .Here is the link use citric acid  to my post on using citric acid to clean your toilet you can buy it in bulk and save even more money. So please help me pass this tip on to as many people as we can. Thank you every one! It work's believe me ! If you have tried this please leave a comment so every one can see just how good it really works.

Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner !

Make Your Own Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner !
Please stop using toxic chemicals to clean your homes. They will lower your families immunity and make your family sick. Especially when they really aren't necessary, try natural alternatives you'll be amazed at the results.All you will need is a bottle of white vinegar and some orange peels and a big glass jar. Half fill the glass jar with vinegar add the orange peels as you eat the oranges, just keep adding them to the jar until full. Top up with vinegar to cover orange peels if necessary then just leave for at least 6-8 weeks or longer if you wish and the vinegar will smell more like orange peels and the colour from the orange peels will colour the vinegar. Strain and bottle and use as an all purpose cleaner, I put a little on a cloth and wipe down benches etc....It's very cheap to make, as white vinegar is about $2 for a 2 litre bottle. A friend of mine uses it for under arm deodorant , I will make some with apple cider vinegar and try using it as deodorant and will report back.
Also here is the link to a natural non toxic toilet cleaner that is edible.non toxic toilet cleaner

A Sparkling Clean Toilet ! Using No Toxic Chemicals !

Our Sparkling Clean Toilet !
I should have taken a photo of our toilet before it was cleaned. We usually use fresh water from our rain water tank in our toilets , but since our rain water tank was hit by lightning last winter, we have been using bore water to flush our toilets. The mineral scale in our toilet was so bad, I have tried bleach which I really hate using, didn't clean it at all ,then I tried vinegar and bi-carb still looked just as terrible. It was so bad I even thought we may need to buy a new toilet, but after doing some research I tried citric acid, and we were amazed at the results.(Kev didn't think it would work)  So I say to you all out there DON'T buy toxic chemicals to clean your toilet ever again when citric acid works so great, its also antibacterial & antiseptic made from citrus fruits. If you have a dreadful toilet that has seen better days, try it for yourself, I'm sure you will be amazed.I used 3/4 of a cup of citric acid, which I put it into the toilet left it over night ,in the morning I gave it a brush and a flush and it was beautiful and clean.You can buy citric acid from your local supermarket, 75 grams for $2.15 or if you live in Western Australia or South Australia you can buy it in bulk for $1.99 for 250 grams I will place an order soon and buy 2 kilos which will cost me $15.90. Plus $3.50 postage. Here is the website, I use it regularly and its fabulous cheaper then petrol to get to the supermarket for us. http://www.2brothersfoods.com/  it used to be called the angry almond. I'd love to hear what others use citric acid for, I use it to make my home made lemon cordial, to make my son Jack, sherbet, I have used it for a hair rinse, I'm thinking I may use it as a household cleanser instead of vinegar, I find the vinegar can be a little strong and some times irritates my nose and throat. As a household cleanser use 100grams to a litre of water, or of course you can make a smaller amount 50 grams to 500mils of water. I will make up a spray bottle full and use it and see what I think. I'll let you all know the results. A few other uses for citric acid, removes mineral scale from washing machines,shower heads, also clean coffee makers, that's the best thing as its a food, it can be used to clean items that contain foods eg bottles that need cleaning down the bottom  just swish with a little citric acid and water.

Sewing/Craft Room 30 Minutes A Day Challenge Update !

Sewing/Craft  Room Update !
When my eldest two sons where home I didn't have a sewing room, we have a 4 bedroom house, very modest in size. The 3 boys had a bedroom each and ours makes 4. So when boys left, my middle son Anthony's room became my sewing room. So where you can see the bookshelf that I brought in today from outside in our swimming pool room, he used to have a chest of draws there. I was thinking the last few days how can I make this room function better with out loosing room space. When Kev and I got together in 2000 he had his house and I had mine, which was interesting how we would fit our stuff in this average size house, its a bit small, not so bad with just the 3 of us here now. Any way we have a swimming pool that is fully enclosed you have probably seen it in earlier posts on my blog it has all the solar panels on the roof, we had a book shelf in there from Kev's old place it had pool supplies in it . So yesterday I decided I would give it a good clean and bring it into my sewing room so I can have some more storage. Kev has said on numerous ocassions he would built some shelves for me in there, I keep saying I will wait till we get wooden floors, but after making the decision Sunday to clean it this week I think the bookshelf looks great I wish I had of brought it in a few years ago.Any way you cannot rush these things lol:) When we travelled around Australia in 2007 we said we would update some furniture and get wooden floors in all the bedrooms, I hate carpet. Now we are saving for our trip around  Europe in 2014 for 6 months. So Kev said today we will get wooden floors when we get back from our Europe trip I said yes ok. Its funny how we put of things, saying we will do when this or that happens etc...makes me laugh.. So after waffling on , that's my update in my sewing room. Nearly all those shoe boxes are empty, my plan was to cover them all put metal labels on them all then fill them with sewing/craft supplies. So through out my challenge, I will fill them and label them, so I'll be more organised and I'll look forward to working in there, every thing will have its own home. "That will be nice" So how is every one going with their own challenges, great I'm sure! It's so nice to be motivated, I'm really pleased with myself.

My 30 Minute A Day Challenge ! To Clean/Organise My Sewing/Craft Room!

My 30 Minute A Day Challenge !
To Clean/Organise My Sewing/Craft Room!

 Today I took three photo's of my sewing/craft room, I cannot believe I'm going to show the world how messy and disorganised it is. Some times I decide to clean it I open the door have a quick look in and think to myself maybe another day. Well after reading the lovely Sam's blog yesterday about being organised, http://myendlesstodos.blogspot.com/ I thought that will be my mission this week, I will set the timer on the stove for 30minutes every day and I will de-clutter/clean & organise this space of mine...Can I do ..Yes I can.I do tidy it from time to time, then I sew and craft and this is what happens. again, I don't put things away, then I miss place things and spend valuable time looking for them when they are virtually right under my nose. I said to Kev the other day I need to buy elastic as I've was making boxer shorts for myself for pj's and Jack, but I did think I had some. Well while I was cleaning today what did I find,you guessed it, a roll of elastic.This is what happens when you are disorganised, you end up spending more money on supplies you already have,because you cannot find them. Does this sound familiar to any one else. You will notice inside the door and in opposite corner a pile of shoe boxes, my plan is to cover them all and

use them for storage containers for all my sewing &craft supplies, and in the corner opposite the door I'm going to put a bookshelf there to maximise the storage area to free up floor space. I will also make a cover for my over locker I have an old Paper bag over the top, how shameful. Well it keeps the dust off. Well after the sewing room is clean, I may splash out and buy myself a new one, that one is a singer that I brought brand new from Myers over 20 years ago, Kev always says buy yourself a new one, I was never happy with it, I have had it back to the factory a few times before it was even a month old, so a new one would be lovely. You will also see my old Janome in there which I was using yesterday, I was going to get rid of it when I brought my new machine but when I got it home, I realised you wouldn't be able to hem jeans and mend knees etc because it has a flat base, I mainly brought it because it had a large throat area for quilting quilts. So my old machine only comes out of the cupboard when necessary, it when back in its home today. So if all goes to plan at the end of the week we will all see my lovely clean,de-cluttered,organised sewing/craft room ..I cannot wait to see it myself, maybe these before photo's may keep me motivated... Any one else have a sewing/craft room like mine if so please join me on my challenge.I still cannot believe that I'm showing the world ...oh well it may motivate some one else ..

Use Vinegar For Multi-Purpose Cleaner !

Use Vinegar For Multi-Purpose Cleaner !
I don't use toxic laden chemicals in our house, for health reasons, but it also saves us heaps of money, that's a win,win  good for our health and our bank balance. Vinegar is such a great cleaning agent, I half fill our spray bottle with white home brand vinegar and half with water. Great for cleaning windows, mirrors, benches, ovens, stove top, wiping out the sink and draining area. So I recommend stop using deadly toxic cleaning products in your homes, and try using vinegar. Make up a few bottles and keep them in the relative rooms, bathroom,laundry & kitchen. Most of the time I just use water, but some times we need something a little stronger. Also great to use as a fabric softener and it also cleans all the soap scum from the washing machine. I don't have a dishwasher but I have heard people using it for a rinse aid in their dishwashers. A great way to clean your toilets and drains, you put about a cup of vinegar and about a cup of bi-cab it will all fizz up, put lid down or plug in and leave overnight if possible or as long as possible.I also use it to wipe over door handles, also light switches, but I spray some on the cloth then wipe over light switches. What other uses around the house do people use vinegar for, please post and share them with us.

Our Lovely Clean Kitchen Table !

Here is our lovely clean kitchen table !             If any one has read old posts from my blog you will know it's always my mission to keep it clear from clutter. It is always filled with library books, magazines,mail, school stuff and maybe a project I'm currently working on. Then when it's dinner time I will push them all down one one end to eat . After reading a post from Rachel M from Simple Savings  I was motivated to clear it once again , that was last week so I'm really pleased to report it's now Tuesday and still looking great . I have to admit I love our table it seats 8 and  its from "The Savoy Collection" By the fine old timber Co. Its hand crafted from recycled timbers from the Savoy Building in London. We brought it in 2002 from a company in Fremantle. right next door to the Fremantle markets. Kev and I love it, so in saying that it probably deserves not to be covered in stuff all the time. It's my plan to keep it free from daily clutter. So I felt it was blog worthy! I love that it's made from recycled timber . Just wondering does any one else have the same problem with clutter on the kitchen table.