Natural Gardening

In September, I moved from Seattle back to the East Coast, which meant moving from a one-bedroom apt in to a townhouse with a deck and a small (okay, very small) area for gardening, which I'm so happy about!  But the location I live in now has a fair amount of rain, abundant sun, and rich soil, which is the perfect storm for weeds.  I know one woman's weed is another woman's dandelion, but those little buggers choke out my flowers and other plants, and I just can't seem to keep up with them!

I've been trying to formulate a natural herbicide for awhile; something that won't harm the environment in any way & is safe for me to breathe, but that's still effective in eradicating my weed problem. Here's what I've come up with.

You'll need:

• 2 cups white distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup powdered citric acid
• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 15 drops lavender essential oil
• 15 drops chamomile essential oil
• 1/4 cup wheat germ oil

Heat the vinegar in a saucepan until it comes to a boil (be sure to open those windows!).  Remove from the heat, add the salt, and stir until it dissolves.  Then add in all other ingredients.  Pour into a large spray bottle.  You'll spray this directly onto the weed that is a problem, especially near the roots.  Apply the solution while still hot for best results.

This formula is great for getting rid of weeds, even poison ivy, but keep in mind that it will kill any plant it touches, so be sure you're only getting the plants you want dead.  

Maybe your problem isn't the weeds, but the bugs.  If that's the case, I have a natural debugger.  This isn't a pesticide, as it won't kill the bugs, just keep them away from your home and garden.  Here's what you'll need:

• a small onion
• 5 cloves garlic, skin on
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon liquid castile soap

Add the onion and garlic to a blender or food processor and process until it comes to a pulp.  Put the pulp in a bowl or cup, and cover with just enough olive oil to soak overnight.  In the morning, strain off the olive oil into a jar, and add the cayenne.  Allow this to sit for several days.  When needed, add 1 teaspoon of this oil blend to the water and castile soap to a spray bottle.  Be sure to shake before use.   

Happy Gardening!

Namaste-

Candace 

RedSunflower Designs

Clean The Car, Save The Environment

I'm one of those people who loves a clean car, but hates putting all of those chemicals into the ground.  There are natural, mass-produced products out there, but they're out of my budget, and I hate having to buy a product that only has maybe one use.  A big fan of having multi-use products, I came up with my own formulas for a natural carwash!

You'll need: 

• a gallon of water
• about 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 20 drops of essential oil (can be any you want; feel free to set a mood)

Combine all in a bucket, throw in a sponge or rag, and get to scrubbin'! 

Next, we wax.  You'll need:

• 3 tbsp beeswax (could also use soy wax)
• 3 tbsp carnauba wax
• 1 cup linseed oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 10 drops citrus essential oil (I recommend lemon or orange)

In a double-boiler, melt the waxes and linseed oil.  Remove from heat, stir in the essential oils, and pour into a coffee can or other container. (NOTE: Please be sure you choose a container that can handle the heat, so not plastic.)  Let this sit until it's completely setup, 1-2 days depending on the humidity in your area.   Once it's setup, you can either turn the wax out of the can, and apply directly to the car, or use a rag to get some wax and apply this way.  Once waxed, dip a different cloth into the lemon juice, and squeeze dry.  Buff to a shine. 

And as long as I'm actually in the mood, I guess I should probably clean the interior as well.  Now personally, I love the way Armor All makes the car LOOK, but hate the greasy feel and that weird smell.  So here's my alternative; it's natural but will still help to restore the dashboard.  You'll need:

• 2 parts water
• 1 part murphy's oil soap (or similar)
• 15 drops cedar essential oil (or other, if you like)

Combine in a spray bottle and shake well.  Spray on the dashboard and other vinyl parts of your car (think doors and windows) and wipe with a cloth.  

Last but not least, we have to do the windows.  I hate this part the worst, because you're spraying some sort of window cleaner in the interior of the car, making yourself feel like you've been smoke-bombed, and is it just me or does it ALWAYS create horrible streaks?!  Here's my solution to this; you'll need:

• 3 cups vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 15 drops lemon essential oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to combine.  Spray on and wipe off with either paper towels or a chamois.  You will smell the vinegar at first, but it fades quickly, and this formula is amazing!  Completely streak-free with very little effort. Bonus: This formula helps to reduce frost buildup in the winter months.

Happy cleaning :)

Namaste - 

Candace

RedSunflower Designs

Natural Dishwashing Soap

Washing dishes is, hands down, my least favorite chore.  Alas, it's something that must be done.  But just because you have to do it doesn't mean you have to harm the environment, or your skin.  So I'm going to show you three formulas to make your own natural dishwashing soap!  You'll need:

• liquid castile soap
• 15-20 drops lavender essential oil (#1)
• 10 drops lemon, 10 drops orange & 10 drops grapefruit essential oils (#2)
• 10 drops lavender, 8 drops rosemary & 7 drops peppermint essential oils (#3)

This is so incredibly simple you'll be shocked!  Take your container, whether it's an empty dishwashing bottle or a new bottle, fill most of the way with the castile soap.  Then add your essential oils for whichever blend you wish to create, and shake to combine.  Voila! You're done.

What if I don't have some of these oils?  Just adjust the total amount of essential oils used accordingly.  For example, for the Citrus Soap, if you only have orange oil, just use 30 drops of this instead of 10.  See? Simplicity at it's best :)

Be sure to check back for more recipes for making your cleaning products. See you soon!

Namaste -

Candace

RedSunflower Designs