Ever since I discovered the meaning
of the word "organic" when I moved to the U.S. at the tender age
of seventeen, cooking with organic produce has been a priority.
Prior to this move I had lived a very sheltered and somewhat isolated
life on the tropical island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific.
My grandfather grew many of the vegetables we ate and I do not recall
him ever using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers in his garden.
Horse manure was his secret!
By the time I finished college and moved to Burlington, Vermont,
I was eager to grow my own vegetables, remembering with great fondness
those childhood days spent weeding my grandfather's garden, under
his watchful eye. Now that I live in Piermont and no longer grow
my own vegetables, I do all my shopping at Farmers' Markets and
organic food stores.
But there's one thing I use in my house that doesn't fit my profile:
Windex! I grew up using it and have always believed that it is by
far the best household cleaner ever made. It cleans and disinfects,
it leaves my glass tops and windows streak-free… It is all I have
ever used! Nonetheless, using this particular product brings about,
now and then, a very nagging thought, one that I've pushed away
for many years.
Lately, that nagging thought has sounded like this: "If I want to
continue buying organic vegetables, I have a responsibility not
to pollute our environment—not to mention my own house! So
how can I justify using Windex?" Finally, I broke down and did a
little research, and gave that nagging thought some power. What
I discovered was astounding! First of all, there are literally thousands
of pages on the Internet with recipes for making household cleaning
products… Who knew? Then I discovered that prior to the Sixties,
most women made their own cleaning products from readily available
"foods." (How I wish my grandmother were still alive! I have no
idea what she used before Windex entered our island-life.)
So I went to work. And while I'm at it, I thought, why not replace
all my cleaning products? My goal was to keep things simple and
to use my knowledge of essential oils to create products that not
only clean, but refresh the whole house. I quickly narrowed my list
down to 2 ingredients (baking soda and distilled white vinegar—my
new best friends!), 3 essential oils (grapefruit, lavender and eucalyptus)
and a few products from Seventh Generation, the Vermont-based leading
brand of non-toxic household products.
It took only one trip to our local health food store and a little
creativity. The results were surprising even to me. I discovered
that a mixture of vinegar, water and grapefruit essential oil works
better than Windex! Not only that, but the house was enveloped by
a clean and fresh aroma. It made the job of cleaning thoroughly
pleasurable. My nagging thought has been put to rest—a very
happy ending, mind you… I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to
get here!
Here are my recipes and simple guidelines for a clean and toxic-free
house:
Ingredients to purchase
Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
Grapefruit essential oil
Eucalyptus essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Seventh Generation bathroom cleaner
Seventh Generation automatic natural dishwashing gel
Seventh Generation natural dish liquid (for hand washing)
Seventh Generation natural laundry detergent
Earth Friendly Products OXO Brite — natural oxygen powder
Glass, mirrors, counter tops, faucets
etc… (excluding marble and granite*)
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup filtered water
8 drops grapefruit essential oil
1 spray bottle
Mix all ingredients and pour in a spray bottle. Shake well before
each use. Spray on surface and wipe in circular movements with an
old cotton dishcloth, until dry-this works better than paper towels
which are less absorbent.
* for granite and marble counter tops, use
warm water with mild soap and wipe until dry. Do not use any acidic
products on natural stones.
Floors 1/2 gallon warm water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup Seventh Generation natural dish liquid (for hand washing)
12 drops grapefruit essential oil
Place all ingredients in a bucket and mop.
Sinks (ceramic or stainless steel), tubs,
showers, toilets & tiles Seventh generation bathroom cleaner
Baking soda
Eucalyptus essential oil*
Spray surface with bathroom cleaner, sprinkle baking soda over
the whole surface and scrub. This will disinfect, remove hard water
stains and make everything shine.
For toilet bowls: spray toilet bowl with bathroom cleaner, sprinkle
heavily with baking soda and scrub with toilet brush. Add a few
drops of eucalyptus essential oil in the toilet bowl and let stand
at least 30 minutes before flushing. It will deodorize your whole
bathroom!
* Eucalyptus essential oil is not only
an antiseptic, it also deodorizes and purifies the air.
Dishwashing
Seventh Generation automatic natural dishwashing gel
Baking soda
Seventh Generation natural dish liquid (for hand washing)
Automatic dishwashing: place dishwashing liquid in your dishwasher
and sprinkle your dishes with baking soda. This will help with hard
water spots.
Hand-washing: to remove stains on stainless steel pots and pans,
sprinkle entire surface with baking soda and scrub with a sponge
soaked in natural dish liquid and warm water. Your stainless steel
pots will look like new!
Laundry Seventh Generation natural laundry detergent
Earth Friendly Products OXO Brite — natural oxygen powder (safe
for whites or colors)
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
12 drops lavender essential oil
Pour 1 scoop natural laundry detergent and 1 scoop of OXO Brite
in the washing machine. Fill with warm water and run the wash cycle
plus 1 rinse cycle. To soften fabrics: pour 1/2 cup distilled white
vinegar and 12 drops lavender essential oil with the second rinse
cycle. Your laundry will not only be soft and bright, it will smell
of fresh lavender.
Local sources Back to Earth 1 South Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960 (845) 353-3311
Organica Natural Foods 246 Livingston Street, Northvale,
NJ 07647 (201) 767-8182 Fairway Markets 2328 12th Ave (at 125th Street), New York,
NY 10027 (212) 234-3883 Whole Foods Market 110 Bloomingdale Rd, White Plains, NY
10605 (914) 288-1300 Whole Foods Market 905 River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020 (201)
941-4000
