Spring Cleaning Naturally

I recently recieved Herbally Grounded's latest newsletter and with their permission, I am excited to share it with you. This will be great to add to our other post we did a while back titled, Safe, Effective and Affordable Cleaning, by guest blogger Ashley Cole. I hope you enjoy the information as much as I did.

Ways to Clean, Disinfect & Deodorize Your Home Without Hurting Yourself or Our World!

You need only a few basic supplies to keep your home sparkling clean and smelling fresh! Using non-toxic, organic products is better for the family, for your pets and for the environment.

Basic Supplies:

Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• As a mild scouring agent, removes stains from pots, countertops and sinks
• A polish for metals (aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, silver, etc.), jewelry, plastic, and porcelain
• Deodorizes (absorbs odor) refrigerator, smelly carpets, upholstery and drains
• Water softener for the laundry

Better Drains

Pour 1/2 cup Baking Soda and then slowly pour about 1 cup of Vinegar down the drain. This will foam up and create fizzy noises. Repeat if needed. Follow this treatment with hot tap water. Regular (weekly) treatment will keep drains and pipes running free. (from 'Green Clean Eco-Friendly Cleaning for the Home' published by L&K Designs 2007)

Drain Freshener

Sprinkle with Baking Soda and follow with an all purpose dishsoap cleaner. Turn water on and let it rinse down. Use to deodorize and to keep drains clean of residue.

Scouring Paste for Bathroom and Kitchen

1 cup Baking Soda
Lemon juice of one Lemon
Enough water to make a thick paste
5 drops Tea Tree essential oil (optional - to disinfect)
3 drops Lemon essential oil (optional - for fresh smell and additional cleansing)
+ White Vinegar in a spray bottle

Make the paste, spread on desired surface with a rag, and then spray with Vinegar. The mixture will bubble up and actually pull scum and dirt from the surface while you scrub. Great for Bathroom/Kitchen sinks, showers, toilets, etc. (from Emily Yates)

Borax (water soluble mineral)
• An alternative to bleach
• Deodorizes and inhibits mildew and mold
• Cleans, softens water, and adds freshness to laundry

Trash and Diaper Pail Odor

Sprinkle 1/2 cup Borax in the bottom of trash cans and diaper pails to inhibit mold and bacteria growth that cause odors.

Carpet Freshener

1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Borax
10-20 drops essential oil (spruce or pine are very refreshing)

Mix well. Sprinkle on carpet (leave on for an hour if you have time) and vacuum. (from Jonelle Hughes, Aromatherapist)

Castile and Vegetable Oil-Based Soaps
• Comes as a biodegradable liquid, solid or powder
• May be used to safely clean almost anything

For Cleaning/Shiny Sinks/Countertops

Baking soda (as needed) liquid Castile soap (squirt of two) add a few drops of rosemary, orange or lavender essential oils for a fresh scent.

Cornstarch
• Cleans windows, polishes wood furniture
• May be used as a shampoo for carpets and rugs
• Absorbs oil and grease

Glass Cleaner

3 tablespoons cornstarch in 1/2 cup water. Mix ingredients well in a bowl. Dab a soft rag into the mixture and rub on the window. At first there will be a film, but as you keep rubbing, the window will become so clean you feel you could walk through it. (from 'Clean and Green', by Annie Berthold-Bond)

Essential Oils
• Eucalyptus - Disinfects, cuts grease and soap scum (rings around the bathtub, mirrors, counters, etc.)
• Lavender - Disinfects and has a pleasant fragrance
• Lemon - Cleanses, disinfects, deodorizes, and lubricates
• Orange - A solvent (dissolves sticky residues such as tape and stickers), conditions wooden furniture, cleanses and removes grease
• Tea Tree - Antiseptic, kills mold and mildew
• Other essential oils - For fragrance, and anti-microbial activity

Safety note: Essential oils are very potent. They should never be put into the eyes. If contact burning of the skin occurs, soothe the area with a carrier oil such as olive oil. Some citrus oils may stain the skin if exposed to sunlight directly after use.

Bed Sheet Sanitizer

Add 20-30 drops of Eucalyptus or Tea Tree essential oils to liquid laundry soap. Fill laundry tub with water, then stop and soak bed sheets for 1 hour before starting the laundry cycle again. Kills dust mites.

Bathroom Deodorizer

Add a few drops of a favorite essential oil to the inside of a tissue roll, or put on cotton balls and place in drawers, cabinets, and near trash cans.

Grape Seed Extract (found in most health stores)
• A natural disinfectant
• Good for sanitizing water for long-term storage

Glass Cleaner

1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Vinegar
6-9 drops Essential Oil of your choosing

Shake well before spraying. Wipe off with rag or a crumpled newspaper (doesn't leave streaks).

Counter Spray

Adding 15-20 drops Grape Seed Extract to Glass Cleaner recipe (above) cleans and disinfects surfaces.

Hydrogen Peroxide - Sterilizes and disinfects. More gentle than bleach.

Disinfect Countertops by putting hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray wiped-down countertops. (You can refer to our Simply Healthful post with further information here)

Lemon/ Juice - Deodorizes, cuts through grease, cleans glass, shines brass and copper, removes perspiration and other stains from clothing, and is a mild lightener or bleach when used with sunlight. May be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits.

Cleanser Scrub

Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle with baking soda. Use to scrub dishes or cleanse and remove stains on counter surfaces.

Olive Oil - Moisturizes and conditions leather furniture, and may be used as a wood furniture polish

Furniture Polish

Small amount of Olive Oil in a bowl with a squeeze or two of fresh Lemon juice. The Lemon juice helps keep the polish from being too heavy. Leaves a great shine.

White Vinegar - Deodorizes, cuts grease, removes stains (on carpets, countertops, pots, tea and coffee containers) and is an excellent water softener. Can dissolve mineral deposits, grease, and remove traces of soap, mildew and wax buildup.

Mineral Build-up on Taps - Soak a cloth in vinegar then wrap around the tap (leave on for about a half hour) to remove mineral deposits.

Toothbrush Holder - Clean grime and caked-on toothpaste drippings by cleaning with a cloth soaked with vinegar.

Grime Clean-up - Use vinegar to loosen food grime and clean countertops, stove, and microwave. For the microwave, use 2 cups Water and 1/2 cup Vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl and boil (takes 3-4 minutes). Keep microwave closed for a few minutes to allow the steam to loosen grime, then remove the bowl and wipe microwave clean. Laundry Softener - Add 1/2 - 1 cup of Vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine. This completely rinses out detergent and leaves clothes feeling soft. It also keeps lint from clinging to dark clothing.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

Do you remember the commercials for Chia pets when you were younger?

I do! I loved them and always wanted a Chia pet of my own.

However, today I'm not going to share about how we all need Chia pets, but I am going to share about the benefits of Chia seeds for our bodies.

Did you know that Chia seeds have the highest amount of omega-3s then any other plant? Chia has even more then flax seed and actually salmon too! They are also easier to digest then flax seeds, because they do not need to be ground up to get their full benefit and have a longer shelf life. They are also self sustaining, so that means no GMOs, pesticides, etc. All organic! There are many more benefits to the seeds; protein, fiber, great for diabetics, energy, hydrating etc. I am amazed at all I have read about the chia seed.

When using chia, soak the seeds in a liquid for a minimum of 10 minutes. The seeds will absorb the water and become like tapioca pudding. However, you can grind them up and put it in bake goods or eat them whole without liquid. Another thing I like about chia seeds - you can just sprinkle them on top of food you are already eating, since it has no real taste, you won't really notice the difference except for texture. So simple and yummy!

For the last week I have been trying to have my daily amount of it (I read 3 Tablespoons a day but I'm sure it varies). I have felt great and feel like I have more motivation to get things done. I even have a stronger desire to eat right. Since I'm almost 6 months pregnant, that is an accomplishment!

Here are 2 ways that I have been enjoying this yummy super food! Enjoy!

FYI, don't go get a Chia pet and use their seeds for your next meal time. Go online to a reliable source and buy them. Mountain Rose Herbs has an okay price for them, but take a look online there are a lot of sources. I'm not sure if Whole Foods has them, but I do know many herbal stores do carry them.

Raw Tapioca Pudding2 cups of Almond Milk (or whatever type of milk you drink)

5-6 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds

Sweeten to taste with Agave

Splash of Vanilla Extract (optional)

Whisk together ingredients for a couple of minutes and then let set in the refrigerator for one to 2 hours. You can wait longer if it is still watery. You may want to check it and stir it some more if the seeds have flooded to the top. We have also enjoyed it with added fruit to it.

Chia Lemonade

1 pint Your favorite homemade lemonade

3 Tablespoons of Chia

Whisk together ingredient and let set overnight for a yummy morning drink. You only really need to let the Chia set for 10 minutes, but I like the texture more the longer it sets. It becomes more like the Bobo drinks, only I like this better, because the bubbles are smaller. You can do this with any fresh juice.

To learn more about Chia: The magic of Chia Dr. Weil Intergrated Health I create Wisdom

Powdered Greens Recipe

For a long time, too long in my mind, my family and I would buy our powdered greens from what ever supplier we liked at the time of purchasing. The cost per pound would, on average, end up being in the $40-$50 range. Mind you this is an average. Yes, there were times when we would buy it for close to $25. Still, way to much money. Well, what would be the price if you made your own powdered greens?

Wait . . .

I should back up a bit and explain for those who may not know - what powdered greens are. Basically, they are vitamins in a more natural state. They are the next best thing to your fresh greens. They are not to replace eating fresh greens in your diet but to increase your nutrient intake. I use mine in lieu of a multi-vitamin. Even our wonderful fresh foods are deficient in nutrients due to growing conditions, so it is essential to 'beef' up our nutrient intake everyday.

Powdered greens usually consist of grasses and herbs that have been dehydrated and processed into a powder form for use. Be careful because quality does matter here. When looking to buy powdered grasses and herbs look for high quality organic and very little heat use. Make sure you go with a supplier that sells herbs that are considered 'raw' where the temperature did not exceed 115 degrees. If they are heated more, the herb's nutrients can be destroyed.

After taking some local herb classes a couple of years ago, I gained the knowledge and confidence to make my own greens at home. The first time I made it the cost ended up being $18 for two pounds. Now, because I created an herbal co-op I can get my cost down to about $8 per pound and sometimes less. For my family and I it has been a great money saver and we get to customize our powdered greens formula to our needs.

Customizing our greens has been so nice. For example, I have a friend, who likes to put eyebright (herb) in her powdered greens because she has eye sight problems and feels that including it will be beneficial to her. I like to put hibiscus in my own recipe because it has been known to be helpful to the body regarding the heart and hydration. This is where customization becomes very cool.

Below you will find a very basic powdered greens recipe. Feel free to add small parts to this basic recipe to customize it to your needs and wants. Try to stay away from strong tasting herbs like kelp or goldenseal for obvious reasons.

Some of my favorite places to get my bulk herbs and supplies are Frontier and Mountain Rose Herbs. What are your favorites suppliers?

Any questions? Leave a comment or email me!

Powdered Greens (all herbs/seaweeds/etc. are in powder form)

Mix 1 teaspoon in 8 oz. water. Can take 3-6 times a day. I like to take a tablespoon in a small amount of water twice daily ( I like my water clear most of the time).

2 parts Alfalfa Leaf

2 parts Barley Grass

2 parts Wheatgrass

2 parts Spinach

1 part Chlorella (with cracked outer cell wall)

1 part Spirulina

1/2 part Beet

1/2 part Rosehips

1/4 part Peppermint

1/8 part Green Stevia

Thoroughly incorporate all powders together. When done put mixed powdered greens in an airtight glass container if possible and store in a dark cool place (pantry/closet etc.). Can last up to 5 years if stored properly.

Ethical Eating Link

I was made aware of Masters in Health Care's article titled, "40 Easy Ways to Eat More Ethically".

It's a great easy read and something I thought might be good for others to browse through. I'm a huge believer of 'thinking for yourself' and being a smart consumer. Enjoy the insight.

Have a great weekend!

Raw Apple Sauce

Simple, delicious, healthy.

3 Apples (Fuji, Gala, or favorite crisp apple), cored and sliced
1/4 Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Place all ingredients in Vita Mix or Blend Tec Blender. Blend on medium speed for 1-2 minutes using tamper to continual push down apples to chop. Then turn speed to high and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve. Serves about 3-4 people.

Master Your Sleep Winners!

Our three winners according to random.org are:

Cheryl, who said, "This book looks interesting. I'd like to help a couple of my kids fall asleep better."

Stacey, who said, "This sounds like a book for me! In fact, I usually spend around 2 hours trying to fall asleep because I just can't turn off my brain. Thanks for the review!"

Rachlen, who said, "I have always struggled with sleep and it has gotten worse one husband and three kids later. This book sounds like it touches on a lot of the issues that I am having."

You will be receiving your very own Master Your Sleep, by Tracey I. Marks, MD book. For those who would like to buy her book for a fairly inexpensive price go HERE.

Winners, please email us your mailing address! ASAP! Please do not leave your address in the comment section.

Thank you for all who participated.

Giveaway Reminder: Master Your Sleep!

Here is your friendly reminder that you only have until tonight at midnight to enter into our Master Your Sleep giveaway. Don't delay.

Remember, there will be not 1, but 3 Simply Healthful readers who will win. Good luck!

To enter go HERE.

Master Your Sleep, Book Review and Giveaway

Having any trouble sleeping? How many times did baby or kids wake you up last night? Can't shut off life when you hit your pillow?

Hmm, this might be the post for you!

I have to chuckle at myself. That was a little cheesy but when I was approached to do this book review I thought to myself, "Oh, I don't have any trouble sleeping but I'm sure others do." This statement is somewhat true. I do get more than 6 hours of sleep on a regular basis and I can fall asleep fairly easily. What I did not realize are a few sleep practices that could possibly help me acheive better sleep. Which in turn will help my day to day life. Like say for instance, me getting uninterrupted sleep during the night (darn those kids!).

The book I am talking about is, Master Your Sleep, by Dr. Tracey I. Marks, MD. Dr. Marks focus for her book was to simplify a person's understanding of sleep and how to get the best kind of sleep. I was really surprised at what I learned while reading her book. It truly is simplified.

With my weak understanding on the subject, Dr. Marks in her 125 page book, was able to help a layman feel like a 'master' of sleep in training. The only thing left for me to do was to apply her methods practically.

For two nights my husband and I, based off her recommendation, turned off the nightly television/internet watching an hour before bed. In turn, we read, talked and believe it or not one night we even went to bed early. Just that one little bit was an eye opener for the both of us. Then, our weekend trip hit and it all went to pot! We are finally home now though and I am looking forward to putting her simple practices suggested in her book back to good use. I'm confident I'll be able to get a full uninterrupted night of sleep soon.


I got a chance to ask Dr. Marks a few questions. Here they are:

Q. What inspired you to write this book?

A. I kept seeing lots of professional women (especially moms) who would come to me for various issues but when I asked them about sleep, most if not all had sleeping problems that were contributing to their current issue (such as relationship problems, work problems, feeling stressed, etc.)

I would work with them to help their sleep issue sort of “on the side” while working on the main reason they came to see me. I notice that most would only remember one or two things I said. I decided to make a workbook to give people to help them remember what we talked about.

The workbook expanded to a book and I decided I wanted to be able to reach and help more people with this issue.

Q. Most of our readers are mothers, what would be your #1 tip for getting their kids to have restful sleep? What would be your #1 tip for how mothers can get restful sleep?

A. Enforce a wind down period one hour before bed. Just as adults need to settle down and get ready for bed, so do children. But in a household with working parents, the evenings can be hectic with dinner, baths, homework, evening emails, etc. It’s hard for a child to run around wildly and then 10 minutes before bedtime be told to get in bed and fall asleep now.

If your child goes to bed early (like 7 or 8 pm) and you don’t get home for dinner until 6pm, it may be hard to start your child winding down as soon as you walk in the door. But even 30 minutes of pre-bedtime activity that is distinctly different from usual evening “stuff” can help them ease into a regular bedtime. Try not to deviate from bedtime too much on the weekends (maybe one night) too avoid having to spend the first part of every week readjusting.

As for mom – it’s hard to narrow it down to one thing. If I had to sum it up to one concept, I would say “less is more.” With moms it’s so easy to want to cram every minute of your day with a task. If you only have 5 minutes, rather than do nothing, we have to throw one more load of laundry in the machine.

The problem with constant activity is the accumulation of mental clutter at the end of the day. It shows up as taking longer to fall asleep, or being irritable or less patient. Stressed women lose their sex drive.

So what do you do? Find 30 minutes each day to do nothing. Do this even if it means you don’t get something done. Some things can wait. AND, you can get more things done more efficiently if you are rested rather than pushing yourself too hard and ultimately taking longer to do the same thing.

Spend your 30 minutes focusing on your breathing or listening to music. Don’t spend it going over your grocery list. The idea is that you are pulling yourself away from the busyness and resting your mind (like rebooting your computer). I think Americans very much underutilize the power of meditation.

One more thing – apply the concept of less is more on the weekends. Find something to cut out so that you have some downtime over the weekend. If your weekend is stacked with activities, it can have the same effect of creating mental overload from too much stuff.

I cannot keep this knew enlightenment to myself.

There will not only be one lucky Simply Healthful reader but 3 Simply Healthful readers who will get their very own copy of Master Your Sleep.

Okay, here are the Giveaway Guidelines:

-To enter just leave a comment on this post

-No anonymous comments please!

-You'll have until midnight PST on Thursday February 10th to enter your comment

-The winner will be announced Friday the 11th in the morning

Guest Post: By Skip Hellewell, Wisdom Lost

Picture of thier Breakfast Compote recipe - Word of Wisdom Living



This post was written by Skip Hellewell. The creator of a new non-profit blog named Word of Wisdom Living. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Skip Hellewell, via email, and thoroughly enjoyed the insight he gave me on nutrition books as well as his new website.

Hellewell's site is full of beautiful pictures and wonderful information. The site's motto; eat smarter, look better, live longer - all things we aspire to here at Simply Healthful.

I hope you enjoy his post.



Wisdom Lost

It’s not like we weren’t warned. Nearly a century ago, books on nutrition were written as husband-wife projects. They made a good team: the scientist husband brought knowledge from the lab; the wife rejoined with wisdom from the kitchen. In the 1920s an English scientist and his wife wrote a best seller, Food, Health, Vitamins. Vitamins were the discovery of the time and the book warned about the rise of factory foods, deficient in vital nutrients:

Civilisation (sic) has made it too easy to get wrong foods of all kinds and difficult to get the foods we ought to eat. Natural foodstuffs form but a small part of the present-day diet, because they have for convenience been replaced by less perishable [processed] foods.

An American couple, also well qualified, John A. and Leah Widtsoe, followed with a book titled The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation. The Widtsoes linked processed foods, especially sugar, with the rise of chronic disease:

Is it purely incidental that appendicitis, diabetes, cancer and many other nutritional diseases have increased alarmingly since . . . the cheap manufacture of sugar? . . . The people of the United States have become known as the “sugar gluttons” of the world.”

It’s true that Americans eat the most sugar. And the link between high sugar intake and chronic disease has since been confirmed. But our appetite for sugar, despite dire warnings, has only increased—as have the diseases. A startling fact: sugar is the largest source of calories in the average American diet. Government policy has facilitated this disaster; USDA guidelines allow 25% of calories from added sugars!

The perceptive observer will note that corporations have taken the addition of sugar out of our hands. The bulk of our sugar now comes from processed foods, beginning with sugary soda drinks. In the ‘80s a new form of factory sugar was added: high fructose corn syrup. Table sugar contains glucose and fructose in equal amounts. HFCS has more fructose. For an education on the health penalty from fructose consumption, google Robert H. Lustig’s video lecture, “Sugar : The Bitter Truth”. Watch it and you won’t forget it.

There is a new blog, Word of Wisdom Living (http://wordofwisdomliving.com/), that is a forum for nutrition information and comment. The difficult task of actually changing our behavior is addressed by making one small change a week for the 52 weeks of 2011. These 52 healthy changes can transform the American diet over to the healthiest possible, in the course of a year.

Because talk is easy and action is hard, a premise of the blog is to engage your friends in this change. Studies of cigarette smoking cessation showed that doing it with friends was more effective, and that friends who did not stop found new friends who smoked. So keep your health while keeping your friends by inviting them to join in your diet reformation.

How To's and Links to Cleansing Part II

I thought this picture of my girls 'cleaning' their feet in a river was appropriate for our topic of posts as of late.

I had a request to give some further guidance to our last post.

Here are some links to further explain the suggestions for preparing the body before cleansing. I have also included some easy applications to what was suggested.

Preparing the Colon:

Slippery Elm Bark - You buy this in powder form (you can buy it HERE). Slippery elm is very easy to eat. The taste is extremely mild. You can sprinkle a teaspoon to a tablespoon (depending on how much you need, start out with a tsp.) in applesauce, oatmeal, or make into a grule.

Amaranth - You can cook this similar to how you cook oatmeal, it takes a little bit longer though. Or, you can sprout amaranth. Here is a great source on how to. Also, I posted on sprouting a while back (my favorite thing to sprout right now is mung beans, yum).

Bentonite clay or Montmorillonite clay - You can mix a teaspoon in a 4 oz glass of water and drink 1-3 times a day.

Preparing the Kidney and Liver:

Kidney and Liver herbs - You can take these in capsule form.

Yellow dock decoction - To learn how to make this decoction go HERE and scroll down to liver formula at the bottom.

It may have been listed last but it probably should have been listed first, get your food intake in check. Food matters, and when our bodies have enough nutrition many wonderful things can happen. Again, make sure you eat mostly fruits and veggies, preferably in variety and season.


If there are any other links or instruction needed, send me an email.