Not everyone is an expert environmentalist, but you don’t have to be to appreciate cleaning with lemon juice. There are so many ways to use lemon juice around the house, that it is often called a miracle product. In fact it is so good that many chemical products companies use it as a way to sell their products. You can do the same with lemon as you can by using all the products that advertise lemon in their cleaning formula. Lemon cleans, scales, dusts, disinfects, deodorizes, shines… Let’s start squeezing!

Lemon is not just for cooks! A lemon sliced, or juiced or used as essential oil is one of the favorite product of the would be ecologist at the same title as baking soda or white vinegar.

Deodorizing the house

Use 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a pint of hot water. This mixture is just as good a deodorizer than any bought at the supermarket.
If your refrigerator has an unpleasant odor, cut a lemon in half and place it in a corner of the fridge. This will ensure you do not have to hold your nose when you open the door.

Sanitize the bathrooms

Lemon is the enemy of hard water. To remove the white spots that hard water leaves behind in sinks or bathtubs, cut a quarter lemon and scrub the areas to be cleaned with it.
The toilet can be cleaned and disinfected with a mixture of lemon juice and white vinegar. You can also shine your faucets with this mixture.
Lastly if you want really sparkling sinks use half a lemon sprinkled with salt, and rinse.

Tip – How to get more juice out of a lemon: Place the lemon a few minutes in hot water, or a few second in the microwave oven before squeezing.

A better way to clean the microwave oven

place ½ a lemon or pour the juice of ½ a lemon in a cup of water. Boil it in the microwave, let it cool a few minutes before removing the cup from the microwave. Then wipe the inside of the microwave oven with a soft cloth. Rinse with a wet cloth, you will have a perfectly clean microwave.

Use lemon for dusting

Pledge lemon is nothing compared with what lemon without Pledge can do. Make your own mixture ½ lemon juice – ½ olive oil. Mix well then apply in small quantity on your dusty furniture, on wood furniture let it stand a few minutes before wiping with a soft cloth. (This mixture tends to separate when not in use. Shake before using).

Lemon does windows

A little lemon juice in hot water and newspaper. Wet the paper slightly in this mixture and wipe the windows. If the glass is really dirty use several sheets of paper until they are clean. Sparkling windows, no residues.

Brass, copper, silver can shine again

you know how bad the chemical products for this items smell. No need to clean them with a clothespin on the nose. Lemon smells good! Use ½ lemon with salt, rub the items then wipe with a clean soft cloth. You can even let the items soak in lemon juice and salt all night, you will have very little rubbing to do in the morning, to make them shine again.
Lemon and salt will also remove coffee stains from a marble top.

Get rid of bugs

I don’t like these little bugs but somehow they often find a way in anyway. I cut slices of lemon and put them in strategic areas. It works every time.

Money saving tip

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Here is a homemade laundry detergent recipe that will make your clothes super clean, is biodegradable and economical.

No matter how we look at it, we always have laundry and we go through a bottle of detergent at an amazing speed. To top that they are getting very expensive and are not always eco-friendly. If you buy biodegradable product then the cost is through the roof. The solution is of course to make your own biodegradable laundry detergent.

Ingredients for the recipe with savon de Marseille and vinegar

Makes 3 quarts:

- 75 grams (2.6 oz) Savon de Marseille (without glycerin preferably)
- One cup white vinegar
- 3 quarts boiling water
- An empty gallon jug (use a clean empty laundry detergent bottle)

You will also want to have some essential oils to made it smell good. The choice is up to you. I usually add 4 or 5 drops of essential oils on a face towel for each laundry.

Directions for how to make laundry detergent?

You have to make soap flakes or shavings. I use a potato peeler and it is pretty fast.
Then put the soap in a pot or bucket and stir in the boiling water. Stir until you have a white paste. Let is cool off.
When the mixture has cooled add vinegar or the bicarbonate soda (see ingredients below). Vinegar is better if you have hard water. Essential oils are added at laundry time. I simply put a few drops on a small towel and toss it in. (use about 6oz per laundry, I use a small cup or glass to measure.)

note: Leave room in the plastic container as you will have to shake well before using.

Ingredients for the recipe with savon de Marseille and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

Makes 3 ½ quarts:

- 3 ½ quarts boiling water
- 150 grams de savon grated soap (grate you own or shave with a peeling knife)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon essential oil (I like lavender, eucaliptus or lemon)
- An empty gallon jug

You can even combine the ingredient of the two recipes and use both vinegar and baking soda as both act differently on clothes. I frequently do. Here are the ingredients when you use both and want a smaller quantity:

- 80 grams savon de Marseille
- 1 ½ quart hot water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda

What type of soap should you use to make your biodegradable laundry detergent?

As far as I am concerned savon de Marseille (Marseille soap) is my favorite. It must be made with olive oil and it should not contain glycerin. It comes in blocks in varying sizes. The most economical is the 1000 grams block.
You can also use Alep soap a very pure soap but in the US prices are higher.

Should you use baking soda or vinegar?

Frankly this is more of a personal choice. I have at times used both but when I did not have one or the other the detergent worked well anyway. An advantage of using both is that vinegar will clean your water pipes as well as your laundry, baking soda advantage is that it keep colors bright.

Why use essential oils?

Essential oils add perfume, in a natural way to your laundry. Not everyone likes that so you can skip it.

IMPORTANT: It is preferable not to use essential oils for washing baby clothes, to prevent possible allergies.

Each oil has specific properties and benefits
Lemon is classic and pleasing. It is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti fungal.
Lavender is one of my favorite, besides its wonderful aroma it is a disinfectant.Tea tree oil is another excellent disinfectant, it is also anti-fungal. It has immunity enhancing properties. Use a few drops in your bath water when you feel a cold coming on. You can combine lemon and lavender together very well.

Cost comparison:

Green laundry detergent $30 to $60 a gallon depending on location and brands
Commercial liquid detergent like Tide $12 to $15 a gallon
This detergent around $4 to $5 a gallon depending on the price of savon de Marseille in your area.

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Savon de Marseille is a soap with many virtues. In this article I help you know this great product better before you buy it.

With amazing qualities the traditional savon de Marseille is a 100% natural product, made exclusively with a base of olive oil, copra, palm oil without any synthetic additives or coloring. Authentic savon de Marseille soap is biodegradable and must contain 72% olive oil. (Stay away from Chinese imitations).

Savon means soap so when I say Savon de Marseille soap I am being redundant but I used this expression to the benefit of people who are just learning about this product. (From now on I will only say savon de Marseille).

Here is a list of the different uses of this most famous soap. I hope that by reading the virtues and the many ways you can use it, you will make part of your daily routine.

Savon de Marseille is an excellent house cleaner.

Baby clothes washed with slivers of savon de Marseille will prevent irritations and allergies. Furthermore you will discover that a stain rubbed with a slightly wet savon de Marseille, before washing, will be dissolved much better than with any synthetic detergent.

You can make your own ecologic laundry detergent using this soap and a few common ingredients. See my homemade laundry detergent recipe .

Using this recipe your colors will be spared because it contains baking soda, your washing machine will be cleaned because it contains white vinegar and your laundry will be clean because of the Marseille soap.

This soap is useful all other the house. You can clean leather, walls, floors, kitchen and bath. You can even do the dishes and it is one of the best stain remover anywhere even if you have a stain on the ceiling.

Other uses for savon de Marseille

• It is hypoallergenic and antibacterial, it can disinfect a child’s little scrapes or big people’s cuts.
• It is a good remedy for cramps and rheumatism! Place a block of soap in a stocking or knee high and place in the bed (at the foot).
• Do you have aphids on your roses or plants. Mix 50 grams of soap and a crushed garlic clove in a pint of water. Spray on the plants.
• Do you have moths or do you want to get rid of moths, place a small piece of Marseille soap in your closet with your clothes; it will act as a repellent.
• Clean your jewelry! Dilute a small amount of soap in boiling water and soak your jewelry pieces.
• Wash your paint brushes! Soak them a few hours in warm water and savon de Marseille.
• It can be used as shaving cream: lather your soap until you get the desired foam.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>It is truly an amazing soap that I encourage you to try if you have never used it before. I need however to tell you that if you are accustomed to synthetic products you will have to get used to a different experience. In the washer it is a low suds laundry detergent, but it washes well. It is not perfumed, some people have a hard time with this aspect at first.

It is sold naked, that means that no wrapping is needed so none is provided. Sometimes it will lose some of its color, but that is normal and a sign of longevity, you could keep it 10 years and it would still be good as it does not contain any animal products. It may crack as it dries this again is not a problem and does not affect performance. All this makes it even more eco-friendly. The block shown here is 1000 grams, and that would be the most economical way to buy it. It is a large block that you would have to cut to suitable size for yourself. It is easily cut.

Trivia : it take two weeks to make genuine savon de Marseille.

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td><img src="" /><td></tr><tr><td><td></tr></table>Since no coloring is added, Marseille soap is naturally yellowish or greenish. When it tends towards yellow, copra, palm and peanut oils are predominant, when it is greener the predominant oils are olive, copra, and palm.

A traditional soap is in the form of 600 grams cube, on which are stamped the words « 72% d’huile » (72% oil) and the name of the manufacturer.

Once more my caution is that if you buy Marseille soap you want to get organic soap not the newer industrial products that usually contain additives.

Some organic soaps are now produced with crushed flowers giving a new color and new fragrance to the soap. This is something that you can decide if you want to try, but for most household cleaning I much prefer the standard soap that has been around since 1630, in France and that we used when I was a child.

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With the hot weather days around the corner, it is not uncommon for fleas to appear in our houses. Now if you want to kill fleas you don’t need a lot of explanations on how they breed or how bad they are, I am sure that all you want is a quick tip for how to kill fleas in your house.

You could of course resort to commercial products that promise to get rid of fleas and eggs to prevent re-infestation. But getting rid of fleas can be done without, or at least with a minimum of toxic products. The tip I recommend does involve the use of a flea collar as you put on dog or cat but it will not affect you or your children as you will use it in the vacuum cleaner.

First place a flea collar in the dust receptacle of your vacuum cleaner and vacuum the whole house. Taking care to go to every corner, every crevice that you see. Fleas don’t like light and look for small crack in the floor, the baseboards… to lay eggs.

Then dispose little bags of chamomile around the house. Chamomile is an insecticide that repels fleas and many other insects, it also reduces their ability to breed. The flea collar will kill any fleas you picked up with the vacuum cleaner.

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Did you ever feel like you were “raising” moths in your closet, and were looking for any solution for getting rid of them. Here are a few tips on how to get rid of moths in your closet.

However getting rid of adult moths may not be sufficient to protect your clothes. It is the moth larva that eat natural fabrics. To protect clothes from moths please refer to… (coming soon).

The classic solution is the use of moth balls. Personally I can’t stand the smell. Besides it is the most toxic and dangerous way to get rid of moths. There are several moth repellents that work very well, are pleasant, organic, inexpensive even free…

Use lavender to get rid of moths

Cut some lavender flowers and tie with a pretty ribbon or a rubber band, or place them in a little bag and a default of a bag an old sock or stocking. Put these little lavender bags every where in your closets and wardrobes.

Getting rid of moths using bay leaves

Bay leaves are an excellent repellent against moths. Use as above for  lavender.

Horse chestnuts against moths

Horse chestnuts release an odor that will keep moths away. If you are in an area where you can get some, it is an easy way to get rid of moths. Place a few horse chestnuts in your closets.

Thyme is another clothes moths treatment that works.

Just like lavender, moths do not like the smell of thyme. Cut a few sprigs that you can place in an open container or in a sock. Place the thyme in all your closets. You can also use rosemary instead of thyme with the same effect. Mint is another herb that repels moths.

Another effective way to get rid of moths in the house is to make a pot-pourri with an orange and cloves. Stick cloves in an orange until the entire orange is covered. You can place these anywhere in the house, and in the closets. When dry they will last several months. Orange smell like lemon smell will work against moths, but it is more pleasant for the humans in the house to have an orange pot-pourri.

You can also use cloves by themselves to repel moths, simply place them in cup or saucer.

Essential oils of the herbs or fruit previously mentioned are also effective. Put a few drop of the oil on a smooth rock. When the odor is waning add a few drops.

It is well known that cedar wood is a great barrier against clothes moths. Unfortunately we no longer line our closets with cedar as did our grandmothers. But, you can find small cedar wood balls, or pieces and use them in your closet. In the house you can also add some cedar wood decorative boxes or trinkets.

MONEY SAVING TIP

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Salt water fish tanks are so beautiful, and like most people who love them, you want to have the best fish tanks you can. When buying salt water fish tank fish, make sure that the specimens were obtained ethically and humanely.  Some species that are harvested from the ocean are acquired through means that may prove harmful to both the fish you are buying, as well as the natural habitat of the species you love.  By refusing to purchase fish obtained in this way, you will be helping to put a stop to inhumane harvesting practices.

Customer reviews are extremely important in forming a picture of a company’s reputation.  Reviews are easiest to find for stores that maintain a website that solicits customer feedback, but there ways of looking into the background of any national or local company.  Message boards are gathering places for dedicated aquarists who are usually generous about sharing their experiences with various retailers.  You may also contact the Better Business Bureau regarding any complaints that have been levied against a dealer.

Many of the most reputable stores offer warranties that guarantee the health of a fish tank’s fish for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.  If possible, always buy from stores that offer this promise, as it shows a confidence in the health of their fish that should put a customer at ease.  When dealing with a store that does not promote this policy, you may talk to the owner about any guarantees they may be willing to extend to cultivate a relationship with you.

The most important element in establishing a good relationship with the supplier of your fish tanks fish is that they make you feel comfortable and are willing to answer any questions you have about your fish or tank.  The best store owners or employees are those that keep for their own fish tanks and share your love of aquatic life.  Good suppliers are great sources of information on the proper ways to care for fish.Similar Posts:

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Draught excluders for doors can save you money! Of that there is no doubt. In these insecure economic times there doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of money about, save for the trillions in government bail outs and billions in fat cat bonuses I suppose, but don’t get me started on all that. Certainly for the mere mortals outside of these spheres of influence and power times have been mostly difficult and any opportunity to save a little cash very welcome indeed, far better than auctioning off the home furniture in any case.

Energy companies have been making saving more difficult by increasing their prices and this combined with an unusually cold winter has really been a bitter pill to swallow for many home owners. Thankfully draught proofing your home can make a massive difference to the amount you need to spend on heating, and they are neither complicated to fit or expensive.

Small cracks and gaps in windows and doors can let out a lot of heat over time and this is all costing you money. Not only doors and windows but also letterboxes and most definitely dog and cat flaps can end up letting all that hard earned heat out. Those with large dogs and the appropriately sized flaps are saved the need to constantly open and close the door for their pets, but do tend to endure the transformation of their kitchen to something akin to a freezer during winter.

The good news is that today you can get draught excluders for virtually every place in the home that might require one, including letterboxes and pet flaps. If you are still not smiling when you see your next invoice from your energy company, then you might consider an additional excluder with a little more character. Draught excluders in the shape of sausage dogs, cats and even snakes can add a little fun to an otherwise purely functional household item, and are sure to raise a grin.Similar Posts:

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Solar pool covers are almost a mandatory swimming pool accessory today, with the high cost of heating pool water. Solar covers will raise the water temperature of your pool without adding any costs to your utility bills. Once you have amortized the initial purchase price, it is all savings. Furthermore, solar pool covers are not very expensive to buy and they provide many benefits, well worth the investment.

As already stated the first advantage is to have a nice warm pool, and never having to jump in frigid water. Not only will a solar pool cover keep the water of the pool warm, it will also protect it and keep it clean while the pool is not in use.

Solar pool covers are quite easy to use. Many pool owners place the solar cover near the pool attached to a roller, either manual or automatic. This roller will make it easy for anyone to roll or unroll the pool cover when needed. The only problem with solar pool covers, is that they can wear down after extended use over a period of a few years. Replacement costs are not so high, as to warrant  trying to repair an older cover, it is simply easier to replace it.

A Solar cover does a good job of keeping pool water warm, but you must sometimes keep it on the pool during sunny days, if the pool is not in use, to maximize its usability.

If you live in a colder area, you might consider using a combination of the solar pool cover and, a heating source, to quickly warm up the water, as the cover prevent heat loss but does not heat the pool. The biggest waste of water heat occurs during the night, as one might expect. Covering the pool at night with the solar cover will ensure that the temperature of the water does not drop too low.Similar Posts:

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There are many different factors that contribute to a good timber crop at the end of any forestry cycle. One of the first actors is obviously going to be the land that the trees are planted in. The better quality that the land is, the more nutrients that are going to be available to the tree throughout its life. Also, the availability of plenty of water and sunshine is important. In Irish forestry, we have plenty of water but sometimes the sunshine is lacking a bit. In order to compensate for this lack of sunshine, and in some instances the lack of quality in the land, we can fertilize the land, and attempt to push the forest through different energetic processes in an attempt to help it along.

One of these processes involves Forest access. As the trees grow larger, the amount of light that each tree is going to get diminishes. Every tree is going to try and extend itself upwards in order to compete with the trees next to it. Unfortunately, this battle for sunshine is going to produce a leggy stem of timber. While the tree is growing up into the air, it is not growing in girth. The whole reason why we grow any trees is to produce timber and if there is no girth in the tree, there will be no timber.

Forestry inspection paths need to be placed into the forest at between the ages of 13 and 20 years. This is to ascertain whether the trees need to be thinned or not. The forestry inspection paths are normally placed at intervals of 100 meters. They will be placed parallel to each other across the face of the forest, and further forestry inspection lines are then put across the forest at 90° to the initial paths. Forestry inspection lines are created with the use of a chainsaw, taking the branches of the trees up to head height.Similar Posts:

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