Natural Cleaning Solutions

Okay ~ so you're eating a pure, healthy allergen-free diet. But what are you cleaning your house with? Chemical cleaners leave toxic fumes in your home and can contribute to poor health. Try these tried & true cleaning solutions, not only do they work great but they smell great too!

All Purpose Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)
1 cup vinegar

1/8 cup dish soap (1 oz.)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup water

Glass Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)

1/2 tsp. dish soap

3 Tbsp. vinegar

2 cups water

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet bowl, pour a generous amount of vinegar in toilet bowl
Scour with a brush & flush

Laundry
Replace fabric softener with ½ cup vinegar added to each load’s rinse cycle.
Adding ½ cup of baking soda to laundry helps naturally whiten them and deodorize them.

Furniture Polish
Mix well 1 ½ cups olive oil, with ½ cup of vinegar. Apply to furniture with a soft cloth.

Oven Cleaner
· Dampen the oven surface by sprinkling with water.
· Rub with a very fine steel wool pad using baking soda as an abrasive paste
· Wipe away residue with a sponge, rinse with a damp cloth and let dry before using oven.

Drain Cleaner
· First use a plunger or plumber’s snake
· Slow drains can be improved by pouring one cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of vinegar. Cover if you can and let stand for five minutes to let this mixture foam-up. This mixture works by breaking down fat & allowing the clog to be washed down the drain. After five minutes was away remaining clog with very hot water.

Mineral & Lime Remover
Soak a cloth in vinegar and wrap around a faucet for an hour to remove buildup.

Mold Killer (Mix in spray bottle, use on moldy places)
2 tsp. tea tree oil
2 cups water

Product Review: Udi's Whole Grain Bread

Our family is in love with the new bread by Udi's. We prefer the Whole Grain version, although a "white" sandwhich bread version is also available. The thing we love about it is it's soft texture and fabulous flavor. Up until this point, all gluten-free breads were very lacking in the flavor department and terrible in the texture department. That is why I spent the last year baking my own gluten-free bread from this recipe "Gluten Free Harvest Loaf".

My only complaint about the bread is it's small loaf size, which translates into small slices of bread. I will say, however, that the size of the loaf seems to have gotten bigger since we first tried it about 6 months ago. The upside is that the bread is dairy free, gluten free & soy free.

Try a loaf (or two) today. You won't be disappointed!