Cleaning with Essential Oils

Extracted from plants, some essential oils can kill bacteria and mold. They’re very strong, so don’t go overboard: One drop of peppermint oil is as potent as 30 cups of peppermint tea. Add a few drops to your favorite homemade spray cleaners and spritz the mixture on areas that need particular antibacterial attention, like bathrooms and kitchens. As an added bonus, peppermint also acts as a natural pest deterrent.

Price: $14 for 5 milliliters at health-food stores.
 

Use Them to Clean Your…

Combs and brushes: Fill a container with 1½ cups water, ½ cup distilled white vinegar, and 20 drops tea-tree, lavender, or eucalyptus oil. Soak combs and brushes for 20 minutes. Rinse and air-dry.

Scuffed floors: Apply two to four drops of tea-tree oil to the spots. Wipe excess oil with a cloth and rub in distilled white vinegar.

Gum-encrusted items: Orange oil is great at removing this sticky offender from various materials. (Don’t worry: It shouldn’t stain fabrics. But do launder immediately.) Apply with a cotton ball.

Shower doors: Wipe scum-covered glass doors with a few drops of lemon oil twice a month. It will protect them from grime buildup.

Toilets: Add 2 teaspoons tea-tree oil and 2 cups water to a spray bottle. Shake, then spritz along the toilet’s inside rim. Let sit for 30 minutes; scrub. You can also place a few drops of your favorite oil on the inside of the toilet-paper tube. “Every time the paper is used, the scent will be released,” says Siegel-Maier.

Windows: Mix 2 ounces water and 10 drops lavender or lemongrass oil to wipe grime off windows. Bonus: These oils may repel flies.


Warm regards and love,
Erin

How to Make a Flower Pen

A Great Back to School Craft Idea.

What You’ll Need: *

• 1 pretty silk flower {check your craft store}
• 1 Ball-Point Pen or however many you want to make
• 1 Mason Jar
• River Rocks
• Floral Tape {check your craft store)

What You’ll Do:

• Remove top off pen.  {on some pens these just pop right off…sometimes they don’t )
• Trim flower stem so the length will be just long enough for the stem to fit down into the pen.  {I used a wire cutter)
• Add a thin amount of hot glue to flower stem, and insert into pen. Allow to dry.
• Begin to wrap the floral tape around the pen {it will stick to itself when stretched}, so pull the tape fairly tightly as you wrap.
• Wrap all the way up to the base of the flower, then trim off the floral tape and secure.  Isn’t it looking pretty?
• Now… go grab your jar ~ fill it with shiny little river rocks, and pop your pretty flower pen into it! 
• Tie some matching ribbons around the jar, and you’ve got a Pretty Flower Pen {or another fun gift in a jar) !

Warm Regards and love,

Erin

 


* http://thefrugalgirls.com

Zucchini Gratan Recipe

If you are anything like me right now you have an over-abundance of vegis from your garden this time of year. Here is a wonderful recipe from * Ina Gartner for Zucchini Gratan. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Warm regards and love –

Erin

*http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/zucchini-gratin-recipe2

All Natural Insect repellent:

All Natural Insect repellent:

It is relatively easy to make your own insect repellent at home. You don’t really need those chemical laden cans full of god only knows what to keep the bugs at bay. Even if you don’t want to make your own, there are a lot of all natural alternatives on the market today. For example Burts Bees and Kiss My Face are two name brands that come to mind. Here are a few ideas you can try at home.

Ingredients:

1 cup of grain alcohol, ( vodka, or witch hazel )

30 drops of essential oils ( lavender, citronella, rosemary, rose geranium, lemon, tea tree oil, neem. ) Using one or two from this list will be fine.

Place all ingredients into spray bottle. Shake well. Spray liberally all over your skin just before going outside. Reapply as necessary.

Store your mixture in a dark bottle away from heat and sunlight.

Or

Ingredients:

1 Cup water

About 20-30 drops of Essential oils such as eucalyptus, rosewood, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, cedar, citrus or lemongrass

These can be diluted with water and placed in a container over night and used as a spray the following day.

Here is a list of oils that are found to have repellent properties.

• Catnip Oil–mosquitoes
• Cedarwood Oil–lice, moths
• Cinnamon Oil–ants
• Citronella Oil–mosquitoes
• Clove Oil–mosquitoes
• Eucalyptus Oil–mosquitoes
• Geranium Oil–flies, mosquitoes
• Lavender Oil–mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fleas, flies
• Lemongrass Oil–mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fleas, flies
• Litsea Cubeba–mosquitoes
• Patchouli–gnats
• Peppermint Oil–lice, spiders, ants
• Rosemary Oil–fleas, ticks
• Tea Tree Oil–mosquitoes, lice, ants

**Although found in many lists of repellents, avoid pennyroyal because of its potential toxicity.
All essential oils are best used in dilution. Don’t apply them directly to the skin in full strength. Be careful to avoid eyes. Do not use on pets. 

Warm regards and love,

Erin

Gardening with Epsom Salt:

 

Epsom salt is a well-reputed supplement in organic gardening. Epsom salt is an ideal answer to a variety of organic gardening needs. Both cost effective and gentle on your greenery and green treatment for your well-tended plants—for use indoors and out.

Composed almost exclusively of Magnesium Sulfate, Epsom salt is intensely rich in these two minerals that are both crucial to healthy plant life. These same minerals which are so beneficial for bathing and using around the house are also a wonderful facilitator to your garden, helping it reach its fullest potential and creating a lush and vibrant outdoor space. Unlike common fertilizers, Epsom Salt does not build up in the soil over time, so it is very safe to use.**

Magnesium

Magnesium is beneficial to plants from the beginning of their life, right when the seed begins to develop. It assists with the process of seed germination; infusing the seed with this important mineral and helping to strengthen the plant cell walls, so that the plant can receive essential nutrients. Magnesium also plays a crucial role in photosynthesis by assisting with the creation of chlorophyll, used by plants to convert sunlight into food. In addition, it is a wonderful help in allowing the plant to soak up phosphorus and nitrogen, which serve as vital fertilizer components for the soil. Magnesium is believed to bring more flowers and fruit to your garden, increasing the bounty as well as the beauty of your space.

Sulfate

Sulfate, a mineral form of sulfur found in nature, is an equally important nutrient for plant life. Sulfate is essential to the health and longevity of plants, and aides in the production of chlorophyll. It joins with the soil to make key nutrients more effective for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Sulfate works in conjunction with Magnesium to create a “vitamin” full of minerals, nourishment and health benefits for your garden.

To use:

For potted plants, simply dissolve 2 tablespoons per gallon of water, and substitute this solution for normal watering at least once a month – although it is safe to do this as often as desired.

When first planting your garden: Prep your garden soil by sprinkling up to 1 cup of Ultra Epsom Salt per 100 square feet, and then work it into the soil before seeding or planting.

After your garden is planted: Simply fill your tank sprayer with 1 tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per gallon of water. Then spray your garden after the initial planting, later when it begins to grow (or after a month or so for transplants), and lastly when the vegetables begin to mature.

Who would have thought Epsom Salts can be used for gardening as well as soaking your tired feet at the end of a long day. I will certainly give this a try in the garden. Happy gardening everyone!

Warm regards and love –

Erin

** Saltworks.us