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This is a lengthy post! With twelve different “recipes” you’re going to need to sit back, relax, and enjoy all the great toxin-free goodness I’m about to share!
Without further ado…
Homemade Laundry Detergent
day. (Don’t we all?) So it only makes sense that what you wash your little
one’s clothing with should be chemical free since they spend so much time in
those clothes! We’ve been chemical free with our laundry since November of
2015. (Yes, I was a little late to jump on this one.) It took me that long to
find a laundry detergent that didn’t require grating a bar of soap. (What can I
say? I’m lazy!)
four cups of nearly boiling water and mixed it with three tablespoons each of
borax and washing soda. (Not baking soda, washing soda.) I then gave the
container a good swirl to get them dissolved. Then I added two capfuls of
Thieves cleaner. (You could add two tablespoons of Dawn dish soap if you’d
rather.) Our clothes come out clean without the chemical filled fragrances of
store-bought brands.
just a little bit of soap grating. But it is Borax FREE.
Fabric Softener
the years I’ve gotten very used to using fabric softener with my laundry. Then
I came across a picture stating how many toxins are in this product and did a little digging to see if it was true.
EEK! Thankfully I had not used any fabric softener on my son’s clothing, but I
was using it mine and my husband’s – so we were all being exposed to these
toxins! I decided to look for an alternative, and this might be the easiest
“recipe” of them all.
That’s it! Does it work? Yep! Does it smell vinegar-y? Nope! My husband HATES
the smell of vinegar. After a month of using this as our fabric softener with
no comments, I told him what I was doing. He rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t
say anything since he truly hadn’t noticed. J
want to be a little bit more “high tech”, you can mix 1 teaspoon of rubbing
alcohol and 15-20 drops of essential oils with your vinegar. If you do this,
you’ll notice a faint smell of the oils when your clothes come out of the
washing machine.
Dryer Sheets
bit of research I’ve done, dryer sheets are no better than fabric softener.
(insert sad face) So how are we supposed to keep our clothes static free? Let
me tell you, it’s pretty easy!
first thing I tried was aluminum foil balls. They really do work! Take about
three feet of aluminum foil, crumple it up into a ball, and throw it into your
dryer. You now have chemical free dryer balls! I use two balls per load, but
I’ve heard you can use up to four. Also, I noticed after a month that they were
not working as well – so I replaced them.
next project I’m going to attempt are these wool dryer balls from Overthrow
Martha. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!
Baby Shampoo & Body Wash
that we’ve covered the laundry room, it’s time to venture into the bathroom! I
didn’t realize that all those suds we enjoy so much are actually chemicals that
put toxins into our bodies. Not wanting that for my little boy, I sought out
alternatives! Thankfully I came across an easy to make shampoo that also
doubles as a body wash! Here’s the direct link to the recipe. I also use this myself quite often now that I’m ridding my bathroom items of chemicals. But that’s a whole ‘nother blog post for another time…
Baby Lotion
so now you’re baby is all clean, dried off, and it’s time for some lotion. Yet
again we want to make sure we are putting only chemical free items on our
babies. The easiest recipe I have found is to mix equal parts of coconut oil
with aloe vera. If desired, you can 2-3 drops of essential oils in as well.
(Lavender would be good for right before bed, but any scent you like is fine.)
I love the smell of this! I always joke that our little man smells sort of like
a pina colada and I could eat him up! J
Baby Butt Cream
know that those little tushies need some extra loving from time to time. While
you can certainly use the store bought brands, I’ve found best results for our
little guy with this super simple, two ingredient mixture. Use 1/3 cup coconut oil combined with 5-10 drops of lavender. You’ll want to store this in a glass
container since essential oils can break down plastic, but it’s well worth it!
Use one of those larger baby food jars, or simply save a glass sauce container
from the kitchen. Scoop out a bit each time you need it, add it to baby’s
bottom, and put the diaper on as usual. Smooth as a baby’s bottom! 😉
go to we have on hand is plain ol’ cornstarch. It works great as a little butt
helper as well!
Baby Wipes
you’re going with all-natural products for baby, it only makes sense to go that
route with your wipes as well. This recipe from Kinda Krunchy only uses five
total ingredients (all of which I have in my house), so it shouldn’t be too
hard to crank out. She recommends using
paper towels, but using cloth for those wet-only diapers would save on the
garbage and make this even more economical since you could wash and reuse
those! {Kudos to you if you go cloth all the time!}
Hand Purifier
covered many great chemical-free baby essentials so far, but there’s still
more! Let’s talk hand purifier. We all know that occasionally we need to change
a diaper in a less than ideal situation, and sometimes there just isn’t water
to be found. That’s where a hand cleaner does wonders!
probably not the only one, but I once read an article about a little girl who
got into strawberry scented hand sanitizer – only the mom didn’t
realize it. Mom found the little girl passed out and rushed her to the ER. The
doctors could not find out what was wrong. Finally they did a tox screen and it
came back that the little girl was drunk! WHAT?! The alcohol in the sanitizer
got her. EEK!
don’t know about you, but I do NOT want that to happen to my child! The recipe
I’m about to share isn’t something I’d want my child eating up either – but at
least with this I know it’s made from chemical-free ingredients that won’t harm
him! This recipe is super easy to whip up, and you’ll only need a grand total
of five items.
Cleaning Wipes
are messy! Between the spit up, the food, the spit up (yes, again!), and the
spills – there can be a lot to clean up! I needed some type of cleaning wipe,
but I didn’t want it full of chemicals. Sometimes I use those wipes on little
man’s toys, and then he puts them in his mouth. EEK! That last thing I want is
for that adorable mouth to take in a lot of toxins!
the cleaning wipe recipe I use and love! Take a roll of paper towels and cut it
in half with a surrogated knife. In a container mix 1.5 cups of distilled water
with one capful of Thieves cleaner. Put your paper towel roll (minus the
cardboard tubing) into a container and pour the mixture over the top. That’s
it! I use these bad boys to clean the counter, high chair, occasional floor
spills, and even the bathroom! Thieves smells great, and it really works!
have any Thieves cleaner? No problem! Try this recipe instead. It’s got a few
more ingredients, but it still wouldn’t be too hard to pull off.
Toy Cleaner
you’ve noticed that everything goes into your baby’s mouth, right? Those toys
need to be washed! And by now you know that I’m going for a chemical-free
cleaner any chance I can! So here’s what I do. I fill the sink about half full
of hot water, add a splash of vinegar and 1-2 capfuls of Thieves cleaner, and I
let the toys sit for 30 minutes. (If they can be thrown in the washing machine,
that’s my first choice! Less work! 😉 ) Clean, sanitized toys that baby can
safely play with (and munch).
probably saying, “But Heather, what about those toys that can’t go in the
dishwasher or laundry?” Great question! If possible, I’m going to use the
cleaning wipes mentioned in post #11. But if that still doesn’t work, here’s
what I do. Take a spray bottle and put in three cups of water with one capful
of Thieves cleaner. Mix it up, spray it on the toys, and let them dry. Easy,
peasy, clean toys!
Floor Cleaner
your little one is crawling all over the floor, you’re not going to want those
harsh chemicals entering their body. Thankfully there’s also a chemical free
version of this as well. (Bet you saw that one coming, didn’t you? 😉 )
your mop bucket or sink with hot water. Add in 1-2 capfuls of Thieves cleaner.
Mop your floors as usual!
Immune Booster
essential oils.
This post is linked up with The Modest Mom Blog, A Mama’s Story, Milk & Cuddles, Time Warp Wife, Your Modern Family, Worshipful Living, The Deliberate Mom, Classical Homemaking, The Squishable Baby, Sincerely Paula