Why Buy When You Can Make?

As soon as we learned of my pregnancy with our daughter, Cadence, my husband and I began readying our home. A guest room was emptied and painted "Perfectly Pink", a crib was carefully constructed, and every electrical outlet was made safe with plastic covers. We knew there was more that needed to be done, but what?

In my near constant quest to read every important piece of literature on pregnancy, I stumbled upon The Complete Organic Pregnancy. In this well-thought-out and carefully researched book, the authors guide soon-to-be parents through every day decisions like which coffees to drink and foods to eat, to less commonly discussed concerns like what face creams to use or plastic bottles to drink from. Though the book completely overwhelmed me, I did take much of it to heart, namely the section on safe cleaning products.

After reading about all of the harmful chemicals found in most store bought cleaners, we got rid of ours and bought some all natural cleaners from Seaside Naturals. We were happy with them, but after reading the ingredients I realized they were something I could make at a fraction of the cost.

I have a couple formulas that I like well enough to share with my readers, so here they are. My gift to you!

CREAMY SOFT SCRUB

2 cups baking soda
½ cup liquid castile soap*
4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin (acts as a preservative)
15-30 drops antibacterial essential oil. I use lavender.

Mix together and store in a sealed glass jar, shelf life of 1 year
I use this on my sink, tub, and grout. Smells great and softens skin!

CANDYCANE GLASS AND SURFACE CLEANER

1 part water
1 part white distilled vinegar
30-45 drops of peppermint oil

Combine ingredients in a plastic spray bottle.
Gently shake before each use.