Amazing Two-Ingredient Tub Scrub

A wonderful bathtub scrub I stumbled upon and adapted. The original recipe called for plain castile soap but I really enjoyed the addition the peppermint oil added to this. I also added rosemary essential oil to this, and it made a yummy smell that filled my house.

Peppermint Tub Scrub
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap

optional: 15 drops rosemary essential oil

Mix until you have a pasty consistency. Use to scrub bathtubs, sinks and tile surfaces. Rinse with water.

10 New Ways to Use Lemongrass Essential Oil

Lemongrass essential oil is my sleeper favorite. I wasn't sure about trying this essential oil for quite some time because of the scent. But it quickly became one of my favorites for rubbing on sore muscles - kind of a poor man's Deep Blue Rub .

I typically use a drop or two per leg, diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil , when my legs ache. And it's been a blessing for me for when my tendonitis flares up and as my little guy deals with growing pains. But I'm finding more and more interesting uses for lemongrass oil.

Here are 10 new ways to use lemongrass oil:

1. As a natural fruit and vegetable wash. Add 1-2 drops lemongrass oil in a large bowl of water, wash your produce and it kills bacteria and cleans off pesticides.
2. Yoga mat cleaner using witch hazel and lemongrass essential oil.
3. Lowering cholesterol. I've heard anecdotally that using lemongrass essential oil can assist in lowering cholesterol levels.  Marlene Hunt reported on the dōTERRA Facebook page: “I lowered my cholesterol about 15 points- apply on bottom of feet & over my heart.”
4. As a bug repellant. Mix lemongrass essential oil in a spray bottle of water; or mix with an unscented lotion.
5. Fighting fleas and ticks.
6. For stress relief.
7. As an antiseptic.
8. Fighting lactose intolerance. Rub lemongrass essential oil on the bottoms of the feet before or immediately after having dairy. 
9. For a household cleaning spray.
10. In cooking. I stumbled across this interesting recipe on doTERRA's Facebook page:

Thai Tom Kah soup with lemongrass and lime EOs at the finish; simmer fresh-caught local or regional fish, coconut milk, and fresh, finely chopped or grated garlic, ginger, galangal, coriander, onion, celery, Add prawns and mushrooms 15 minutes prior serving, and cast scallions and cilantro after adding EOs. 

For more great tips on using lemongrass essential oil, visit doTERRA's Facebook page for reader tips.

Free e-books I'm checking out

Six free e-books I'm checking out today at Amazon:

• Coconut Oil - Easy Homemade Coconut Oil Recipes For Weight Loss, Health And Beauty (Coconut Oil Recipes, Coconut Oil For Weight Loss, Coconut Oil Diet)
• Natural Pain Relief Using Common Natural Ingredients in Your Kitchen
• Diary of a Messy Mom: 7 Days to Change My Messy ways
• Simple Green Cleaning Recipes: How To Save Money, Health & Environment
• Your Mid-Afternoon Energy Crash and What You Can Do About It

Two-ingredient upholstery cleaner that works

Finding the months-old puke stain in my van was the final straw. My car needed a serious scrub-down. And of course, I was out of Resolve cleaner, which I admit is my usual standby.

On this evening, I decided to bypass the store and see if there wasn't a way to make this easily myself. And what I found impressed me: a two-ingredient option that was worth the attempt even if it didn't work.

Homemade upholstery cleaner
2 cups warm water
squirt dish soap

In a mixer, blend on medium or higher until foamy.

Sounded easy enough, but did it work? I put my dirty, puke-stained floor coverings to the test.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I may never buy Resolve again.

The only challenge with making your own upholstery cleaner? It's your 8-year-old discovering how easy it is to make, and coming out with extra bowls of the cleaner that she's whipped up herself. Before I knew it the kids were slipping and sliding all over the back of the van. But then again, I have to say, my floor hasn't looked this clean since the day I brought it home!

Heirloom Guilt(y)

Heirloom guilt. I'm guilty 100 percent.

Somehow an item passed along carries an emotional weight. The table you spent Christmas dinners around. The painting your grandmother lovingly painted (even though you have eight others.) For those items, I struggle with their future.

I love the term heirloom guilt. It's just so right.

The box of paintings that I've yet to find a home for after five years in this house mocks me every time I enter my son's room. The stupid wooden ducks that do little but collect dust on top of our bookcase stay, year after year, because they're among the few things my husband has from his family. I have no idea from whom it came. But they stay.

Worse yet, I caught myself imparting this on my 3 year old the other day. The well-worn blanket that somehow made the return trip home from Kansas City? It's my husband's 37-year-old cuddle blanket. And it came home. And has joined my son in his bed.

It's easier to cope with items when they have a purpose. Like several of my grandmother's paintings. Or a quilt my husband's grandmother made. Or my grandma's dining room set, destined to pinch tiny figures, which later found a new home at my brother's house after a furniture swap.

For others, I struggle with the clutter they impart and the memories they represent. The box of photos and smaller paintings my grandmother made - which have taunted me to do something with them for five years now - doesn't diminish the love she had for me or the work she created. Quantity of things doesn't replace the quality of love.

Clearing clutter consciously

Instead of cleaning house today, I posted at the Green Phone Booth about how you can clear your clutter and make a difference for more than one family. Check it out.

Green (and budget!) carpet cleaner recipes

Nobody likes a sick child. And nobody likes the aftermath.

After my daughter threw up on the carpet, the recliner and a multitude of blankets last night, I realized something. As we came out of the bathroom, we were met from a chemical stench of Woolite carpet cleaner, which had drifted upstairs, overpowering everything else. Yuck.

This morning, I decided things needed to be different. I went to work trying to find a homemade solution that would be less fragrant.

Here are a few options I found online that hopefully wouldn't require a trip to the store for that 2 a.m. pinch:

Dry Carpet Cleaner (from easy-homemade-recipes.com)
2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 to 5 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cloves

Spot test a small, inconspicuous area of your rug first to test for color stability of the fibers. Put the ingredients through a sifter until blended. Sprinkle lightly on your carpeting and allow to sit several hours overnight. Sprinkle lightly on carpet and let stand for a couple of hours. Vacuum up and enjoy your fresh fragrant carpet. Store dry carpet cleaner and deodorizer in a coffee can.

Homemade Spot Remover (from frugalliving.about.com)
Mix white vinegar and baking soda together to form a paste. Then, work the paste into the carpet stain with an old toothbrush, or something similar. Allow the paste to dry; then vacuum up the baking soda, and the stain should be gone.

Green Carpet Cleaner (from thedailygreen.com)
Spots in carpets often remove with a simple dilution of one part vinegar, one-sixteenth part lemon juice and eight parts distilled water.

There are hundreds others that include essential oils, borax or other ingredients. But when you're tired, simple is the way to go!

Persistence, patience and a princess

Patience is a virtue. And tonight, my princess learned that things can be worth the wait.

This tale starts with a night like many other nights. A casual drive home from daycare. A discussion of all highlights of the day: from what was eaten at snack to who fell down or got into trouble.

Then, as we turned a corner in our subdivision, I saw it. A pink dressing table, complete with mirror and stool, stood at the side of the road, beckoning to be saved. No princess would be complete without one. At least that's what my daughter has mentioned from time to time.

Nevermind that her birthday was next month; cost and reality of a child's fickleness meant that a gift of this nature was not in the making. But a freebie was worth the consideration. I pulled to the side of the road.

It was technically free, but it would come at a cost. The thing was covered in grime, smudges I suspect (hope) were simply mommy's makeup, and in a few cases, things I'm just not sure I'd want to know what they were. (To give you a sense, the pictures were after a good hosing off!)

I walk to the car and sigh. And I propose a solution. "It's gross, really gross," I tell my daughter. "If you want it, you're going to have to help clean it up and clean up your room so it can go there."

She eagerly agrees. And I pick up the encrusted dressing table and toss it in the back, hoping nothing too disgusting makes its way inside.

Yes, my daughter has learned another lesson tonight: How to scrounge at the tender age of four. I guess she's ready for college.

After dinner, I cart the thing to the backyard and hit it with a power wash. Or two. At least half the dirt and the crusty stuff is gone. Then I summon the troops.

Both troopers come outdoors with rags and a small bowl of baking soda, ready to help.

The toddler lasts a few minutes before he turns to the hose, soaking me in the process, cackling enthusiastically. My daughter, to her credit, keeps scrubbing until I announce that with the heat, it's time to quit for the evening.

While it's not quite perfect yet, we're down to small smudges that I can take care of quickly on my own. And as soon as that's accomplished and the bedroom is successfully tackled, this might actually make it indoors.

What you don't see here is the face of a pretty princess, dressed to the nines in her frilly pink swimsuit, perched on a freshly washed stool by her freshly washed dressing table. With the smile of satisfaction and pride on her face.

Because something she waited for and worked for finally came to be.

I hope it's a lesson she'll remember for years to come.

Parting with the plastic: ISO home for kitchen containers

A silent weapon resides next to our fridge: Open the cabinet, and you'll be attacked by a sea of plastic containers.

Plastic food containers have taken over my life. OK, at least one kitchen cabinet. But I admit I'm at a loss of what to do with them.

I'll be the first to admit that our consumption of those Ziploc lunch containers has dropped considerably the last two years. Eliminate one full-time job and invest in a few glass containers to take your meals to work, and you suddenly burn through a lot less plastic. (And yes, burn is an appropriate word, considering how many of them have warped and melted in the dishwasher over the years.)

I've gotten more glass bowls of varying sizes to use for prepping veggies, and rarely get out my mixing bowls. Yet I've got container after container of these storage boxes, and no idea what to do with them.

It's not like you can casually say, "Hey, would you like some used plastic containers for your lunches? You know, because we don't use them anymore on principle." And donating them seems awkward, as you're essentially giving chemical-leaching things to others in need.

Sure, some of them become temporary homes for Goldfish crackers, or other small snacks for my rambunctious toddler. And I can use a few of them for random storage in the garage or other areas. But, really, I'd like to part with them as quickly as possible and reclaim my home! Any great ideas?

GPB: The Great Purge

Today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm sharing my successes and frustrations in trying to get my home organized. Visit to share your tips and wish me success!

Green on the cheap - Diapers, dishwashers and more

Shockingly I went to Babies 'R Us yesterday, and stumbled on a few finds worth sharing:

Despite my efforts to make major headways on the potty training front, I still need disposables for day care. Earths Best diapers are on sale for $5 a package, limit 3. (And just so you don't think they're in smaller packages, a size-4 package had 30 diapers inside).

Also, somewhat unmarked were their cleaning products. There's a clearance tag but no actual price marked on them at our store. I checked at the register and was able to score 20-packs of Method dishwasher tablets (which are phosphate-free) for less than $3.50 each. There were also Seventh Generation cleaning products, including laundry detergent, marked clearance, but I either didn't have a need anything they had at the time, so I don't have a price on those.

I believe the sales are this weekend only, but it may be worth stocking up while you had the opportunity!

Crayons off the walls: One green (working!) solution

Artistic expression on our walls. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Who knew, though, that it would be so prolific in our household?

Not a week goes by when I don't stumble upon a scrawl or two lovingly created on my windowsills, my walls, my bills, my tables. These are all created with a particular fondness for the color green. I suppose I should be grateful that they coordinate with my neutral color pallete. But still...

The day had to come when my boy picked up the non-washable crayon. Those sneak into the house in such unauspicious ways. From the dinner out with the grandparents. Or a gift of art supplies. Regardless, those wiggled their way into our homes and into the hands of an artiste-in-training.

Sadly, the green look on my bathroom door didn't work for our decor. Sadder still was the fact that not only the water-and-rag method of cleaning wasn't working, but also the 409 and other store-bought cleaners were failing the test. The scrawls might have stayed.

Thankfully, I stumbled online and found out that baking soda or vinegar might be a solution. And I'm thrilled to report, with a little elbow grease and baking soda, my door is scrawl-free! Keep that in mind in case your toddler decides to express himself in a more unusual place.

Monday madness and a few links to check out

Light on the posts this last week. We had a major deadline at work, followed by short notice that we’d have unexpected company (the in-laws) in town.

I confess I actually have posts written out – the really old-fashioned way - on the back of scratch paper; I just haven’t had a moment to post.

I admit I feel like I spend a lot of time apologizing for not posting as frequently as I should. But I would rather spend time to write something of interest than write to just make a self-imposed deadline. The beauty of the Web (especially if you have an RSS reader) is that you can come back any time!

Until we get the family back on schedule (hopefully by mid-week), here are a few links to check out.

A great-sounding recipe for roasted Roma tomato salsa over on Going Local.

One Green Generation shows you how to clean out that cooking standby – baking soda – and 20 ways to use it up: I’ll add No. 21: Getting crayon creations off your walls!

Parenting has no-sew Halloween costumes – if you're needing ideas

Green Phone Booth has some interesting ideas for a second life for old wool sweaters.

Conscious Shopper has some early fall seasonal recipes to share.

Have a great Monday!

Flu prevention: Can you do it without Clorox?

Flu prevention - particularly H1N1 and pandemic planning - has been on my list of hot projects lately at work. It's hard to advise people when even the CDC is evolving its understanding of the virus.

Many of the recommendations I read involve super-sanitizing everything - including regular use of hand sanitizers as your Plan B. Clorox and other cleaning wipes and hand sanitizers are well-positioned next to every cash register these days. And a coworker of mine is already choking us with regular use of Oust in the office. But can you take your flu prevention efforts a little greener? Yes!

Here are some of the CDC's recommendations on preventing the transmission of the flu (including H1N1):

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands immediately after.
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. Wash for 15 to 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, kitchen counters and toys for children) clean.
• If someone in your home is sick, don't use their dishes or utensils if they haven't been washed.
• Avoid “hugging” laundry when you're carrying it to the washing machine it to prevent contaminating yourself. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling dirty laundry.
• Wash linens using household laundry soap and tumble dry on a hot setting. (I know, not the greenest, but it beats getting a bug!)
• When possible, keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house.
• If you use cloth towels, assign different colored cloth towels to each person in the household.

Hmmm....Sounds like a lot of common sense during a potentially stressful time!

Mildew the Clean-Up Fairy

I love Mildew.

It’s not what you think.

The last few weeks, my kids have taken trashing the house to a new level. Being home five days a week, they tend to scatter toys, laundry, recycling, whatever they can get their hands on all over the house. It’s a parent’s nightmare trying to keep the house cleaned up.

Enter Mildew.

Mildew became my new friend Tuesday night, after 20 frustrating minutes of trying to get my kids to help pick up anything. I finally sighed and looked up at my husband. “I think we’re just going to have to call the Clean-Up Fairy,” I said.

My daughter’s ears perked up. “A fairy?”

“Oh yes, the Clean-Up Fairy comes to kids’ houses when they don’t pick up their toys,” I rambled. “She gives the toys to kids who don’t have any.”

She was intrigued. “What’s her name?”

Name? “Um, Mildew,” I said.

“What does she drive?”

“She doesn’t drive, she flies.”

“Can I see her?”

“Oh no, she comes when we’re asleep, kind of like Santa.”

She thought for a minute, and then agreed to help pick up her toys. It was a relatively smooth process; even her 19-month-old brother toddled around, picking up his Legos and proudly dropping them in a box.

That night, Mildew did stop by and left her a postcard, thanking them for the great work they did cleaning up the toy room.

I figured Mildew would become my little trick to pull out occasionally. Little did I know that her reputation would spread.

Last night, we stopped by a neighbor’s house. My daughter’s friend was in trouble for not picking up toys and not listening - typical 4-year-old stuff. My daughter, of course, wanted to play. I rolled the dice and offered a compromise.

“Tell K. about the Clean-Up Fairy!”

She proudly did. My neighbor was excited. I asked if she wanted to stay and help her friend clean her room (which as we all know, involves a certain amount of play).

Twenty minutes later, when I came to get her for dinner, the room was clean.

Mildew is here to stay!

Reducing your plastic consumption

Plastic - it's all around us. Whether you're picking up a prescription or a toothbrush, it's nearly an inescapable part of our society.

BBC reporter Christine Jeavans has done what so many of us cannot even fathom how to do: She attempted to go a month without any new plastic entering her home. While she wasn't perfect - and few of us who have undergone environmental challenges are - she managed to reduce her plastic intake by an impressive 80 percent.

Some tips from Jeavans and readers of her blog and her online reports:

Containing your container habit:

• Switch to a reusable water bottle and a coffee mug. Keep reusable plates and silverware at the office.
• "The idea of taking my own reusable containers to shops such as the butchers or even the local takeaway curry house - as suggested by some 'zero waste' enthusiasts on the blog - feels a little odd but it is logical and maybe something we will all be doing in future years, just like the way that reusable bags have taken off," Jeavans writes.
• "Bring a to-go container/utensils with you when dining out to bring home leftovers. Yes, it takes some getting use to to remember to do it," Jeavans writes.
• Buy bulk, and bring a reusable container to the store.

Eating right

• "We found we prefer bread from the bakers rather than the pre-sliced loaf so we'll be staying with that on grounds of taste if nothing else," Jeavans writes.
• Bake or cook at home.
• Cut back on your soda habit.

Habits at home

• "The wooden toothbrush, however, was not a winner for me and will be redeployed as a mini-scrubbing brush," Jeavans writes.
• Use natural cleaning products like baking soda and vinegar - rather than buying a product for every cleaning use.

What other tips do you have?

Raising Baby Green: 10 great tips for non-parents, too

Dr. Alan Greene's book, Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care, is a great resource guide, but it's definitely geared for the mom-to-be.

I did find many great green tips for non-parents, though. Here are 10 new things I learned from Greene's book:

1. There are alternatives to plastic toss-away silverware. You can actually buy "SpudWare" - forks, spoons and knives that feel like plastic but are made from potato starch and soy oil. Not sure whether they taste potato-ey.
2. When buying cling wrap, you should look for products made with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) which is safer than PVC (polyvinyl chloride, the #3 plastic.) According to the book, some of the brands that are LDPE-based are Glad Cling Wrap, Saran with Cling Plus, Saran Premium Wrap and Diamant Food Wrap.
3. To control your fridge's energy use, make sure there is space around every side, including the back. Vacuum coils on the back of your fridge biannually.
4. Insulating your water heater can reduce its energy use by up to 9 percent.
5. If you have clothing stains, try to soak the fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar.
6. Take care of your car. Keep your tires inflated correctly and change the air filter regularly. The author estimated those two tips could save more than $1,000 a year in gas money - and that was before the recent price increases!
7. Park your car in the shade. "It lowers the temperature of gas tanks by four to seven degrees, which curbs emissions, the author writes.
8. Using vinegar when doing laundry helps get soap out of the cloth, minimizes possible irritants and reduces static cling. The author suggests using a quarter cup of white vinegar in the wash water.
9. Looking at a remodel, or just a new look in your house? You can consider more earth-friendly options as salvaged or recycled materials; natural, milk-based or zero- or low-VOC paints; or wood, bamboo or natural cork flooring.
10. Since it's summer, it's worth mentioning that soapy water or citrus essential oil and water can kill ants quickly.

Read on for tips for parents.

Raising Baby Green: 10 tips for new parents

Recently I read Dr. Alan Greene's book, Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care . It is very much written for the parent-to-be, though I found several great tips for those of us with little ones already in the house.

10 things I learned from Dr. Greene's book:

1. If you're nervous about the gels or liquids inside traditional teething toys (as I am, since one leaked with my first), you can buy organic, machine-washable teething toys from several sources online. Or, moisten a wash cloth and cool it in the freezer.
2. Talc-based powders, often used for diaper rash, may have small particles that can irritate your baby's lungs. To prevent diaper rash, instead, use a little fresh air.
3. The best foods to buy organic are peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery and nectarines. The least worrisome are mango, pineapples, sweet corn, avocado and onions.
4. Instead of commercial air fresheners, you can squeeze a lemon into the diaper pail. (Or, you can do as I do, and open those perfume samples from the magazines and place them at the bottom.)
5. Look for plastic toys for your child that are PVC-free.
6. If you are bottle feeding, consider replacing rubber or latex nipples with silicone ones.
7. If you're formula-feeding, choose powdered over liquid. BPA is present in many cans of conncentrated formula and can leach into it.
8. If you choose any time to go organic, the most beneficial is before three years of age, when development is fastest.
9. If you use cloth diapers, don't bleach. Bleach is absorbed by the cloth.
10. Before loading up on adorable baby clothes, think green. While you can buy organic, the best things you can do are hit up a resale shop, get hand-me-downs or simply limit your purchases. Remember, your child will outgrow these clothes fast.

Read great tips that anyone can use from this book.

Green on the cheap: Baking soda’s benefits

What if I told you about a natural cleaner that you could buy in bulk for about $6? That you wouldn’t have to worry if your children got into it, and even better, that it actually worked?I have one for you: Baking soda.

These days, baking soda is considered for little more than cooking. But it’s a cheap and effective – and green – way to get many of your cleaning tasks done without buying another bottle of green cleaning products.

Turns out, baking soda (with a little white vinegar) is the only thing that’s making a difference with my hard water stains in the bathroom. My child loves to help me “clean” with it, and it’s actually making a difference in the shower.

Here are other cleaning tasks that you can tackle with baking soda:

• Unclogging drains
• Removing strange smells from your fridge
• Preventing odors in the litter box or trash can
• Removing stubborn stains from coffee cups
• Removing tarnish from your silver
• Brushing your teeth

Want to know more? Here are a few links to get started:

• 27 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda
• Many uses of baking soda
• Wikipedia – sodium bicarbonate