Natural Home Tips for Going Greener and Healthier!

I posted this Health Tip in one of our March blogs and I thought “Why not share some more?” 

Health Tip: A Naturally Clean Kitchen Free of Germs, Grime and Toxic Chemicals
For instant glass, counter top and appliance cleaner, fill a spray bottle with ½ water and ½ white vinegar and add a few drops of essential citrus oil. Citrus oils such as lemon, lime and orange are natural degreasers for that great shine and smell in your kitchen.

I had bought Natural Home and Garden magazine and it is full of easy and natural tips for around our homes. Here is a list of a few pieces of advice from the magazine. 

·         Bee Aware: Honey at many grocery stores has undergone a quality-diminishing ultra-filtration process (gross) so be sure to look at your grocery store for local sources of honey. Plus then you are a supporting a local business! 

·         READY-WHEN-YOU-NEED-THEM KITCHEN WIPES: Everyone loves those disinfectant wipes for the “extra clean” feeling for your kitchen. Instead of them, store multiple squares of cotton cloth in a container filled with a mixture of 1 cup water, 1 ounce liquid castile soap, and 6 to 8 drops of your favorite essential oil. The clothes can come from old t-shirts or pjs and can be washed and reused!

·         Don’t give up on Tough Jobs: For very greasy dishes, add ½ cup vinegar or lemon juice to dishwasher. 

·         Healthier Laundry Room:

o   Add Baking soda to detergent to naturally brighten colors and eliminate odors

o   Pre-treat stains with a combination of washing soda, water, and baking soda

o   Rid the washer of bacteria, soap scum, and grease by running a cleaning cycle with white vinegar and hot water

Health Tip:  Fish – Best Choices & Worst Choices

We all know eating fish is good for our heart, brain, and waistline.  What we don’t know is that some fish are actually dangerous to eat because they can contain high levels of mercury.  No matter how small a dose, mercury is poisonous.  Some seafood is better for dieters because of the low amount of fat per serving.  

Here’s the list:

Best

·         Wild Caught Salmon (not farm raised – that has a whole list of dangerous health and environmental risks see here

·         Mussels

·         Wild Sardines

 

Worst

·         Eel

·         Very large fish such as Blue Fin Tuna, Chilean Sea Bass, Orange Roughy, Swordfish; due to the high levels of mercury found in these fish

Good For Dieters

·         Tilapia

·         Crab

·         Mussels

·         Shrimp

Each of these has less than 150 calories in a 6 oz serving and are packed with protein so you will feel fuller longer.

Spring Into Clean! Organize, Declutter, and Detox Any Space.

Spring Into Clean!  Organize, Declutter, and Detox  Any Space. – By Julie and Joy

To help a friend raise funds for the Albie Aware Foundation, an organization helping women with little or no health insurance get the insurance necessary for mammograms and, if necessary, treatment for breast cancer- I cleaned out my closet.  She was having a “gently-used clothing drive” where California Clothing Recyclers, www.californiaclothing.net, pays the organization per pound for donated items.  My friend is battling breast cancer for the second time and the Albie Aware Foundation provides such excellent help to women in my community that I HAD to donate.  At first it seemed like such a daunting task.  My assistant, Joy, gave me her tips so I’d like to share them with you because it made the task so much easier!

5 Steps to Organizing any Space!

1.  Take everything out of the area (closet, drawer, garage, desk, cabinet, etc)

2. Create 3 piles: Keep, Donate, Throw (hopefully they should be about equal amounts in each pile.

3.  Vacuum, dust, wash, the area before putting anything back. Why put your stuff back into a dusty/dirty area?

4.  As you start to put your “keepers back” into the area, put items you will use more frequently in easily reachable/accessible part of the room.

5.  Want to make it easy to stay organized?  Use cloth or plastic bins* to keep like items together in a neat and tidy spot.  Use a label maker to clearly label each bin will provide an instant way to keep you organized in the future!  *Bins can be found at Target or any home goods store.

Happy organizing! 

Health (Sanity) Tip: Keep Great Ideas Organized on Pinterest!

I know I was a little late to get on the bandwagon of Pinterest, but now I am LOVING how I can show off my favorite products, find great ideas for future crafts, organizing ideas, items I may want to buy, and SO much more! In keeping with the organizing theme, GONE are the days of clipping out magazine pages to lose once you want to find the idea! Check out my new Pinterest page and let’s share great ideas! http://pinterest.com/anuyoubyjulie/