natural house cleaning with tea tree oil

 

When I was a foot-loose twenty-something I spent a lot of time in NYC doing trade shows for Marissa B. That meant walking everywhere and I'll never forget the myriad of smells I would experience as I navigated the city. One smell in particular would completely delight and capture me - the fresh, green, slightly astringent smell that wafted out of the day spas that dotted just about any given city block. It sounds a bit odd to articulate, but, man that herbal fragrance was totally intoxicating to me and I always wondered what the heck it was. Finally, crossing language barriers and my fear of looking like an idiot, I walked into one of these spas and asked the woman if she could pin-point the scent. Was it a perfume, a treatment oil...a cleaning product?! My efforts produced a bewildered shopkeeper and a slightly embarrassed self. It wasn't until one day, sick of the sneeze-inducing smell of Mr. Clean, that I decided I'd go grandma-old-school and use vinegar and water to mop my floor. To add an extra zing of cleaning power I dropped 1/4 teaspoon of tea tree oil and some peppermint essential oil into the mix. It was magic. I still don't know how that combination creates that "spa scent," but it does and it makes my house smell serene... taking me right back to strolling down a mid-August New York City street.

So, today I'd like to talk about tea tree oil. A friend of mine recently asked what I do with the stuff and I realized there was no short answer. What don't I use tea tree oil for? Definitely not for anything involving food since it's toxic when taken internally, so don't ever do that! 

First, a brief history: Tea tree oil, or melaleuca oil, is an essential oil derived from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia, a shrub native to Australia. It is widely accepted as an antifungal and antiseptic and is used to treat eczema, skin abrasions, dandruff, yeast infections... basically tea tree oil is mother nature's Tinactin. 

I love using tea tree oil in my cleaning products. I love that it has natural disinfecting properties without the harsh lung-irritating effects that bleach has (not to mention that bleach is to blame for too many be-speckled black yoga pants). Here is a list of all the things I make with tea tree oil. Mopping the floor is actually something I look forward to, knowing that my house will smell like a spa when I'm finished. You may not agree that the scent is as enrapturing as I've talked it up to be, but I hope you will agree that is much healthier for you than commercial cleaning products!

All Purpose Cleaner (for everything BUT granite and marble):

1/2 cup Citrus infused white vinegar (basicaly, anytime you eat an orange/grapefruit/lime/lemon put the peels in a jar of white vinegar. In a week you'll have upped the cleaning power of your vinegar).
1/2 teaspoon liquid castile soap
1 teaspoon baking soda
10-15 drops of tea tree oil
2 cups water

Pour all into a spray bottle, wait for the vinegar and baking soda to stop fizzing, put the spray top on, give a gentle shake and you're ready to rock. The reason you don't want to use this on granite or marble, is because the acidity of the vinegar is stripping. This formula works great on everything else, though!


Granite and Marble Cleaner

1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap
5-10 drops of tea tree oil
1 2/3 cups water

Pour all into a spray bottle, give a gentle shake and spray away! Clean you natural stone tiles with this too.


Natural Floor Cleaner (for ALL floors: wood, tile, linoleum, etc)

4 cups white vinegar (you could also use the citrus infused vinegar)
1 gallon of warm water
2-5 drops liquid castile soap
10-15 drops tea tree oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil

Mix all together in your mopping bucket of choice and enjoy a healthy (maybe even spa-like) cleaning experience. 

There you have it - my favorite three cleaning solutions that have tea tree oil in common. I haven't even gotten into the healing properties of topical applications for tea tree oil... that's a whole other post. In the meantime I hope you enjoy safer cleaning by trying some of these natural recipes - there's just no need to use a product that has disclaimers right on the package! Here's some further reading on the matter:  
the harsh reality of household cleaners 
10 household cleaners to avoid at all costs
why clean healthy

I only recommend products that I wholeheartedly believe to be valuable or that I use myself. - See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2013/09/12/diy-all-purpose-cleaner/#sthash.jX9yaQn5.dpuf

affiliate disclosure: links to products in some of my posts will lead you to amazon.com links where you can purchase the items being discussed. I receive an affiliate kick-back from any purchases made through the links. I love sharing my experiences and what I hope to be helpful tips. I appreciate your support - it's how I offset the costs of running my blog! Please know that I only endorse products I use myself or wholeheartedly believe in!

I only recommend products that I wholeheartedly believe to be valuable or that I use myself. - See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2013/09/12/diy-all-purpose-cleaner/#sthash.jX9yaQn5.dpuf

I only recommend products that I wholeheartedly believe to be valuable or that I use myself. - See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2013/09/12/diy-all-purpose-cleaner/#sthash.jX9yaQn5.dpuf

house

It's been a long past few weeks. Lots of anxious feelings and late nights involving calculators, spec sheets, fax cover sheets and wine. Anyway, we're 99% on our way to making a big move - to a new house. The property we'll call home in a few months needs a lot of work, but that's Hero Hubby's expertise and my passion! Some bathrooms will get ripped out and replaced, floors will be refinished ceilings will be torn down, walls will be painted, and some not-so-pretty kitchen cabinets will get a major makeover. And that's just the stuff on the inside. I hope I can keep up with blogging and report from the front lines of how home renovation, motherhood, small business and designing all come together! It will be interesting. I'm getting the wine bottles ready. For now, I've posted some color schemes I'm thinking of for the bedrooms. I love lilac and sherbert together for the girls' room and a light robin's egg blue seems like a peaceful choice for the master bedroom. Am I bold enough to paint the guest bedroom that lovely coral?

one | two | three

splurge worthy

While searching the web for some fun yet useful Christmas gifts for Hero Hubby, I got sidetracked (how typical) and stumbled upon poketo.com. The logo alone had me convinced that I want everything in this shop, but the real humdinger is the ceramic drip coffee maker by Hario. I'm *in love* with this and have deemed it splurge worthy (it's hardly going to break the bank at $30.00, however). It's the "I'll never crab at you in the morning with my perfect coffee" gift for me him. Hmmm...

dreamy dishware

Just when I got my mind around not purchasing another baking dish or serving platter (I have a thing for ceramics) I saw these gorgeous dishes at Anthropologie. We've been dining off of our basic white IKEA plates for so long and the lively pattern on these dishes is so refreshing. I know they will make whatever I serve on them look better... I wonder if they will make my cooking taste better? Either way, a page has come loose from the Anthropologie catalog and has mysteriously found its way into Hero Hubby's mail pile. He just might find it by Christmas.

a perfect autumn breakfast

Good morning, dear readers, I hope you enjoyed the weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. I am still dwelling on Sunday morning's simple, yet delicious breakfast with my family. The day started out damp and drizzley, but by 8:00 the sun had started to slice through the clouds to reveal a perfect autumn morning. Apple turnovers, I thought and swiftly brought a roll of puff pastry dough out of the freezer to defrost while I prepared the apple filling. Incredibly tasty and with such a fancy appearance, apple turnovers are very easy to make. I like to keep a few rolls of store-bought puff pasty dough in my freezer, but here is a recipe to make the dough from scratch.

APPLE TURNOVERS
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll each sheet into a 12-inch square and cut into four squares.
2. core, peel and slice 2-3 Granny Smith apples
3. place apples in skillet (use a cast iron skillet f you have it) with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt and a few shakes of nutmeg and cook over medium heat until the apples and soft.
4. place about 1/4 cup apple mixture in center of each square. Brush edges with water. Fold over to form triangles, seal edges firmly with a fork. Place on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. 5. sprinkle with sugar and let cool on wire rack.

diy project no. 004: laundry soap

I love doing laundry. So much, in fact, that when I came across a diy laundry soap recipe I just had to try it out. I hadn't realized just how chemical-laden commercial laundry soaps and fabric softeners are until I researched the topic, not to mention their cost is four times higher than the homemade version (this recipe ends up costing about $0.05 per load). Skeptical at first, I soon discovered how easy it is to make my own and, when put to the test, how effective! Which is verrrrry important when you have the kind of laundry we have... toddler + baby + husband = disastrous piles of stained and damaged clothes.

As for fabric softener, you ask? Simple white vinegar with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Yuck, vinegar?! I hear some of you saying... be assured that there was no vinegar odor whatsoever when I pulled the clothes from the dryer - just fresh clean clothes with a very faint hint of lavender. Use one tablespoon of vinegar per load - pour it right into the fabric softener dispenser and fill with water just like you normally would.

I encourage you to try this easy, chemical-free, money saving laundry soap; it's so simple and it works.

currently coveting:

There's nothing like a few wardrobe updates and a new scent to welcome the change-over of summer into fall.  I can count on my skin being thirstier this time of year and I am definitely coveting one love organic's all purpose balm.  Oh, how I would love to slip into a new pair of tall boots, namely these by Rachel Comey which would look kicky with this rust colored Halston dress... all the while sipping a dark and stormy from these glasses by Dwell Studio.  Speaking of glasses, a heavier pair of shades to go with the inevitable chunky knit sweaters and dark denim I'll be wearing are on my mind.  Plus, I love most anything tortoise shell.  The buzz about Target's partnership with Missoni for a much anticipated assortment of delectable stylings has me lusting after a new batch of barrettes.  Oh, the things I covet...


skin balm | sunglasses | boots | dress | perfume | barrettes | drinkware

color inspiration: yellow

 

I've been thinking up ways to add touches of yellow to our living room and the use of yellow in these interior spaces is inspiring!  In large quantities and small, I love the way it brightens up a room. 

one | two | three | four | five | six

take-out's new take

After seeing these porcelain take-out dishes I knew I had to blog about these!  Artist Lorena Barrezueta translates the iconic take-out containers we are all so familiar with into porcelain beauties fit for your dinner table.  But don't stop there... these would be fabulous as desk organizers, a place to keep your jewelry, or just a clever catch all.  Available at the Curiosity Shoppe.

delightful dwellings

 

 

 

 

It might be hard to live in any one of these houses and not be exceedingly cheery.  Neighbors may call these rainbow inspired exteriors eye-sores, but I'm digging the display of color and confidence.  Not shy about color myself, my personal favorites for house colors include rusty coral and lilac.  Not sure what Hero Hubby thinks about those color options...I'll let you know what we decide when the times comes.  For now I'll keep my love of living in color to the inside of the house. 

via DesignSoak

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