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Five Cheap, Natural, Accessible Products for Your Home

Five Natural Products

Trying to use fewer chemicals in your home? Frustrated with the higher prices of healthier options? Switching to natural cleaning and personal care products need not be expensive. Consider adding these five products to your regimen and enjoy the savings!

  1. Vinegar

    White vinegar is optimal for household use. Raw apple cider vinegar is ideal for personal care use. White vinegar costs approximately $2.50 per gallon at most big box stores. Raw apple cider vinegar is not as readily available and costs approximately $5.00 for 32 ounces.

    Uses for white vinegar. Keep it simple and pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and use for general cleaning. Dilute if desired or add a favorite essential oil. Make a citrus version by steeping the white vinegar in citrus peels for 1-2 weeks. There are so many uses for white vinegar around your home, there is an entire website dedicated to the topic at VinegarTips.com.

    Uses for raw apple cider vinegar (ACV). Make a heavy-duty cleaner by combining ACV with antimicrobial herbs such as lavender, sage, rosemary, and others (see our Naturally Healthy Bathroom article for our Vinegar of the Four Thieves recipe and how-to video). Use undiluted vinegar as a hair rinse or skin toner to help restore healthy pH. You can make a luxurious hair and skin conditioner, Queen of Hungary Water, by combining ACV with restorative herbs such as lemon balm, comfrey, rosemary, and others.

  2. Baking Soda

    A 2-pound box costs approximately $1.30 and goes a long way in your home. Add 1/2 cup to your regular load of laundry. Make a soft scrubber by combining with a bit of liquid castile soap. Polish silver with a blend of 3 parts water to 1 part baking soda. Use as a drain deodorizer and sports equipment deodorizer. Keep an open box of baking soda in your home and/or fridge to help absorb odors. You can even make your own washing soda, a stronger cleaning agent, from baking soda (see How to Make Your Own Washing Soda).

    For personal care, pat baking soda under your arm for a natural deodorant. Use as a foot soak or add a small amount to shampoo. Make a paste of baking soda and water to treat insect bites. Baking soda makes a gentle facial exfoliant. Use 3 parts water to 1 part baking soda and rub in a circular motion on your face.

    Note: There is no aluminum found in baking soda, though it is often found in baking powder. Baking soda brands like Bob's Red Mill and Frontier offer a more natural product since they mine their baking soda directly from the ground. Arm & Hammer uses a chemical reaction process to derive baking soda from the mined ore (described in their website's FAQs). The more expensive brands may be worth the investment when it comes to personal care products.

  3. Hydrogen Peroxide

    Hydrogen peroxide is an effective sanitizer consisting of water and oxygen. A 32-ounce bottle costs less than a dollar. Peroxide breaks down in sunlight, so it is best stored in brown or opaque bottles. Attach a spray nozzle to the top of the bottle to have on hand for disinfecting kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Peroxide used in combination with white vinegar effectively kills microbes such as E. coli and salmonella. (See this article for more information.)

    Peroxide is an excellent bleaching agent. Add 1 cup to a load of laundry in place of bleach. Sterilize washing machines and dishwashers by running a cycle with 1 cup hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide can be used to lighten hair as well as whiten teeth. Find out more in this article, 26 Amazing Benefits and Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide.

  4. Salt

    Salt has been used in cleaning, personal care, and food preservation for generations. A versatile mineral with thousands of uses, salt comes in a variety of forms. Unprocessed sea salt is optimal for consumption, while iodized and refined salt is fine for cleaning. A typical container of salt costs less than a dollar. Salt works well for cleaning cast iron. Make a paste with water and scrub. Combine club soda with salt to clean carpet stains.

    Sea salt mixed with baking soda and water makes a deodorizing mouth rinse. A combination of salt and baking soda works as a tooth powder. Salt mixed with olive oil can help alleviate itching from poison ivy or insect bites. For more suggestions on integrating salt into your household, see 46 Smart Uses for Salt.

  5. Pumice

    Pumice is formed from volcanic lava that combines with water, then froths and hardens into pumice. It too has been around for centuries. It is completely non-toxic and useful for cleaning and personal care. Pumice sticks are readily available for less than two dollars; check the cleaning aisle of your local big box store. Pumice stones, a bit less abrasive for use on skin, cost a bit more.

    Pumice sticks are effective rust and lime stain removers. Too much pumice can be abrasive, so test all surfaces first. For toilet bowl stains, consider the Pumie Toilet Bowl Ring Remover. For greater effectiveness, wet all pumice with water before using. Use pumice to remove rust on outdoor metal furniture. Cosmetic grade pumice can be used to remove stains on teeth.

The five items pictured above cost a total of $7.31. Not a bad investment when you think of the "return" on your health!

Quotes

"I've been living in a mold-infested home for 13 months... I was going CRAZY! Finally figured it out... Just a few days of recovering in a mold-free home and I feel AMAZING!!!"

– Lauren

"We all suffered from headaches, hormonal body temperature fluctuations, brain fog, fatigue, difficulty breathing, thrush, rashes, and yeast infections... we vacated our home two weeks ago."

– Anonymous

"I was skeptical at first that these (natural cleaning) products would work, but they work better than the stuff I buy at the store! We will soon be moving to the personal care products as well!"

– Jennifer

"I have been sick for almost 6 months now and doctors were not able to figure out why. I finally put it all together after going away for vacation for a week and suddenly my symptoms were going away."

– Anonymous

"The ERMI mold test as well as your helpful articles and Toxic Talk Tuesday programs have helped us avoid a terrible mistake in purchasing a new home."

– Angela

"Both of my sons went downhill quickly and coughed for months... They both lost their ability to read, had profound vision disturbances, and had phenomenal gastric issues."

– Lee

"I knew it was mold, but doctors kept telling me I had anxiety. I was sitting in my office and could not remember who I was talking to, or what we were talking about."

– Brenda

"The entire time we lived in our (mold-infested) house the kitchen sponge would get musty smelling within 3-4 days. It was so strange. I had to buy a pack of sponges nearly every week."

– Anonymous

"I started finding myself sitting on the floor in rooms of my house and not remembering how I got there, what I was doing before, or how long I had been there."

– Brenda

"In my moldy home if I left the wet clothes in the washer they would get musty very quickly and I'd have to re-wash... Sometimes I'd run a load, go to work, and they'd be musty when I returned that evening."

– Anonymous

"...at age 35 or 36 I started to become allergic to everything, and I got asthma at age 36... I went to doctor after doctor after doctor and was desperate for help, but nobody could help me."

– Mia

"We had some water leaks in our home... we never thought we needed to clean out and remove the floor, the ceiling, or the drywall... my two small children and I have remained constantly sick for years in this home."

– Mia

"I'm new at this, but today I cleaned my bathroom with baking soda and vinegar. It's much better not having those strong chemical smells afterwards."

– Anonymous

"My daughter has had many blood samples taken to test for everything imaginable and her doctor just seems puzzled. Everything comes back normal."

– Anonymous

"My symptoms persisted and eventually turned into lethargy and depression. At the age of 26, I required a nap every evening after work."

– Jennifer

"We were having a lot of health problems and had been to the doctor countless times... we had large circles of slimy greenish-black mold on the bathroom ceiling, where it had caved in a few months before."

– C.

"Our family has been out of our home for 9 months due to mold... I am so scared and weak from all of this. We have lost friends; family members don't understand."

– Anonymous

"I had been struggling with headaches, head fog, breathing difficulties (unable to get a full breath), constant scalp tingling, migraines, nausea, feeling spacey/detached, and severe itchy skin."

– Anonymous

"My daughter started having digestive problems... heart palpitations... coughing episodes... muscle/joint pain... asthma/allergies... Her doctor finally advised me to check for mold in our home."

– Anonymous

This site is dedicated to a true friend and mother — Barbara Dell Kessel (1929-2009)