Non-Toxic Organic Insect Repellent

In order to enjoy the holiday and be comfortable, it's a good idea to use a non-toxic organic insect repellent so the pesky bugs don't bug you.  You can buy a good effective spray at your local organic  health food store or you can make your own.  Here is a good blend my husband and I make that is very helpful:

Soak 4 thick slices of fresh cut lemon in 4 C boiling hot water overnight.  The next day, once the lemon water has cooled, gently slowly pour into a spray bottle.  Add 3 drops organic citronella essential oil, 3 drops organic peppermint essential oil, 3 drops organic tea tree oil, (melaleuca) and 1 drop organic clove essential oil to the mixture and close the spray bottle tightly and shake well so the blend is thoroughly mixed.  Keep this mixture on hand to use when you need it.  Use caution, as some of the essential oils may cause skin sensitivity.  It's best to use the spray mixture to spray the bugs near you, instead of spraying directly to your skin.

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Green Your Laundry and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

One of the most important steps you can take toward greening your life and reducing your carbon footprint on Mother Earth is using 100% organic environmentally friendly laundry detergent. With the wide array of detergent products available on the market, it's very easy to feel confused. Unfortunately, the 21st Century has complicated a very simple necessary task. The best way to ensure that your laundry is green, safe, and non-toxic and that your carbon footprint is small, is to buy your products from an organic health food store.

To save money and your health, you can also make your own detergent. My husband and I have been using the following non-toxic method for more than 15 years and we are very happy with the positive efficient results. Please remember that the overpowering fumes from the toxic products you use seep into the groundwater and pollute the outdoor air and the wildlife. We tend to forget that we share this beautiful blue green living planet with beautiful graceful creatures that grace our skies everyday, including sea gulls, eagles, turtledoves, hummingbirds, butterflies, and little finches. These beautiful creatures deserve the right to breathe clean healthy air as much as we do. The following is a recipe I use every week to do my non-toxic green laundry.

For A Large Load of Laundry, Mix:
1 C baking soda
1 C white distilled vinegar

Instructions:
Begin a hot water load of laundry. As hot water fills the washing machine, pour the baking soda. Make sure you empty the bowl of all the baking soda residue and then pour the vinegar. The reason for this is that when you pour the vinegar in the bowl while there's some baking soda residue, the 2 ingredients fizz when mixed together and you don't want the bowl to overflow before you pour the ingredients into the washing machine. This mixture is great because it's affordable, easy to use, non-toxic, earth-friendly and completely free of toxic petrochemicals and irritants. My husband and I use this efficient method every time we do laundry and we always have very positive results!

When you add the number of people doing toxic laundry every week in every city across North America, the numbers are staggering and the air pollution that's being caused from this is a horrible environmental nightmare. It's the 21st Century and it's high time to vote green with our wallets and contribute to those companies that genuinely care about the environment, the humans, and the animals.

Photos Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net