The kitchen is a great place to start if you’re looking for ways to cut the amount of waste your household produces. You already know what to do with all those old coffee grounds, but what if you’re a tea-drinking household?

Used tea leaves are pretty useful around the home and garden, so before you open the trash bin, here are 30 clever uses for used tea bags.

Body and Beauty

1. Banish Puffy Eyes

Whether you had a poor night of sleep or a great night on the town, puffy eyes in the morning are never a good look. Moisten used tea bags and place them over your eyelids or just below your eyes. Now spend the next five minutes meditating on how grateful you are for tannins that help reduce puffiness and caffeine’s antioxidant properties, which your skin is absorbing. Voila! Who went to bed at 2:00 on a work night? Not you.

2. Soothe Itchy Bug Bites

Tannins do wonderful things for the skin. They act as an astringent, which is great news when you’ve got an itchy bug bite. Place a warm tea bag on the bite to help draw out the toxins which cause the itch while simultaneously soothing the bite. Be sure you use black tea, as that is where the tannins come from.

3. Treat a Sunburn

Gently swipe sunburned skin with a cool, wet chamomile or black tea bag to bring relief. If your skin is especially tender, soak the used tea bags in a cup of water and put the water in the fridge. You can use a clean spray bottle to spritz the cold, weak tea solution onto sunburned skin.

4. Poison Ivy Rash Relief

For much the same reason tea soothes bug bites, it can also relieve poison ivy itch. Steep used black tea bags in a cup of warm water, then put the weak tea solution in the fridge to cool. Spray the cold tea onto the affected areas and allow it to dry. Don’t rub the areas, as you can make the rash worse.

5. Make Pimples Disappear Faster

Place a warm, damp tea bag on a pimple to bring it to a head. A warm tea bag compress can also bring relief from painful cystic acne. The antimicrobial properties in the tannins in black tea are great for the skin, and a weak tea solution makes a great facial toner to prevent breakouts. Green tea is the perfect tea to use on the skin.

6. Clarifying and Conditioning Hair Treatment

If you use any hair products to style your hair, it’s important to clarify your hair and scalp at least once a month to remove build-up. A great way to know when it’s time to clarify is if your normal styling products don’t seem as effective as they normally are.

Use spent tea bags to brew up a clarifying and conditioning hair tea. Using both black tea and herbal teas adds a double bonus for hair. The tannins in black tea will gently break down any product build-up on the hair and scalp, and if you use an herbal tea like chamomile or peppermint, both are great for your hair, leaving it smooth and shiny

Pour the tea onto washed, wet hair and massage it into your scalp before rinsing with cool water. For best results, allow the tea to sit on your hair and scalp for a few minutes before rinsing.

7. Herbal Tea Bath

Soften and soothe your skin with your favorite herbal teas. If you’re an herbal tea drinker, you’ve probably already noticed how many herbs that are good to drink are equally good for your skin. Save your tea bags for a soothing aromatherapy bath.

8. Natural Mouthwash

If you’re not a huge fan of the mouth-burning minty mouthwash options on the market, there is a better way. Create a natural mouthwash using spent tea bags. Tea has natural antimicrobial properties, and it’s the bacteria hanging out in our mouths that leads to bad breath. Brew up a weak tea solution to rinse and gargle with after you brush for fresh breath without the burn.

9. Clean Smelly Hands

If you’ve been chopping up onions and garlic for your favorite dish or handling fish or seafood, you know how hard it can be to get those smells off your hands. Regular hand soap won’t do it. Wet a tea bag and scrub your skin with it. The black tea will deodorize your hands in no time, then simply wash your hands with regular soap.

10. Honey Tea Mask

Whether it’s black tea, green tea or herbal tea, they’re nearly all good for your skin. If you want to treat yourself to a quick and easy spa day at home, mix the tea leaves from a spent tea bag with two tablespoons of honey. Gently rub the mixture on your face and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with cool water and moisturize. Avoid using teas with spices like cinnamon or black pepper, as these can irritate the tender skin on your face.

11. Soothe Your Aching Dogs

If you’ve been on your feet all day, there’s nothing more relaxing than a good foot soak. Add in a couple of used black tea bags, and the tannins will help to soften and deodorize your feet. If you’ve got a used peppermint tea bag, toss it in for a cool and refreshing foot soak.

12. Herbal Tea Facial

Fill a bowl with boiling water, then add your leftover herbal and green tea bags. Place a towel over your head and lean over the hot water allowing the steam to open your pores. Breathe in the scent of the herbs in your tea. Ahhhh, that’s better. The oils from the herbs are carried on the steam, infusing your skin with a trace of soothing chamomile, green tea, peppermint or whatever herbal tea you use.

In the Home

13. Refrigerator Refresher

Black tea is great at absorbing odors, so tuck a few used tea bags in a jar and place it in the back of your fridge. The leaves will lock in odors and absorb extra moisture to keep your fridge fresh and tidy. You can always add more bags as you use them, but change them up every couple of weeks for the best results.

14. Get Sparkling Clean Glass

If you want clean windows and mirrors without the smell of ammonia or vinegar, grab a few used tea bags. Moisten them and use them to clean the glass or brew a weak tea to spray on and wipe off. Hint – paper coffee filters are awesome for cleaning glass and don’t leave lint or streaks behind.

15. Add Flavor to Pasta and Grains

Use tea bags to flavor pasta, rice, quinoa and even oatmeal. Add tea bags to the water when making your pasta or grains to add subtle flavor to your dishes. Get creative; the possibilities are endless – chamomile quinoa, cinnamon spice oatmeal, and Earl Grey rice are just a few suggestions to get you started.

16. Peppermint Tea to Deter Mice

If you enjoy peppermint tea, stash your dried peppermint tea bags in your pantry, in the dark corner of your cabinet, under the sink and anywhere else mice might like to hide. The strong smell of peppermint is a natural deterrent to these tiny little critters.

If you don’t drink peppermint tea, that’s okay too. Dab peppermint essential oil or extract onto dried black tea bags. They’re just as effective.

17. Carpet Freshener

Ditch those horribly-perfumed powdered carpet refreshers and opt for something more natural (and free). Save your used tea bags and allow them to dry until they are slightly damp. Open the tea bags and sprinkle the damp tea leaves over your carpet. Allow them to dry out overnight. As they dry, they will absorb odors in your carpet. Vacuum up the tea leaves the next morning, and you’ll have a fresh-smelling carpet.

18. Litter Box Deodorizer

Sprinkle dry tea leaves in your cat’s litter. The natural deodorizing qualities of black tea can help to control one of the most pronounced pet smells. Of course, this won’t eliminate the smell; the only way to do that is to be diligent in keeping a tidy litter box. However, adding tea leaves can go a long way in helping to minimize the smell of cat urine.

19. Save Elbow Grease by Cutting the Grease

Soak a few used tea bags in your dishwater to add the power of tannins to your suds. Tannins naturally break down grease, making doing the dishes less of a chore. You can even use the tea bags to scrub your pots and pans.

20. Clean and Shine Wood Floors

Using tea to shine and clean wood floors is an age-old secret. Black tea brings out the beauty in wood flooring and leaves it super shiny without making it too slick to walk on. Steep your used tea bags in hot water and at it to your mop bucket, or spray directly on the floor before wiping off. You can also use it to clean and shine wood furniture.

21. Create “Antique” Crafts

If you do any needlepoint or paper crafts, you can use spent tea bags to create pieces with an aged, antique look. Soak your needlework fabric in water with a couple of used tea bags to give the fabric a slightly yellowed look. If it’s uneven, so much the better.

You can also create yellowed paper by brushing a weak tea solution onto cardstock and paper. This gives the project a look of being much older than it is.

22. Tenderize Meat

Use a cup of water, a used black tea bag, and your favorite herbs and spices to create the perfect marinade. Not only will it flavor the meat, but the tea’s tannic acid will help tenderize even the toughest cuts of meat.

23. Clean a Smelly Cutting Board

It’s important to take good care of wooden cutting boards if you want them to last. If you have a cutting board that smells like onions or garlic after your best efforts to clean it, don’t despair. Use a warm, damp tea bag and wipe down the entire surface of the cutting board. Let the tea-soaked board air dry. Bye-bye, stinky board.

24. Herbal Sachets

Save spent herbal tea bags to scent drawers and closets. Be sure the bags are completely dry before tucking them in the back of a drawer or closet shelf. Use a few black tea bags for their natural deodorizing properties.

25. Protect Cast Iron with Black Tea

If you own a cast iron teapot, you already know that the tannins in tea prevent it from rusting. Keep your cast iron looking great by wiping the entire surface with a slightly damp tea bag. Use this trick each time you’ve washed and dried your cast iron skillet, or use it before putting away pieces you don’t use that often.

26. Easy Tea bag Fire Starters

If you love camping or have a fireplace at home, this tip is for you. Make fire starters using dried tea bags and paraffin wax. Be sure the tea bags are completely dry first, then dip them into melted paraffin and lay them on a sheet of parchment paper or tin foil. Once the wax is set up, store your fire starters in a tin or baggie. These are especially great when you use old cinnamon tea bags.

27. Deodorize Stinky Shoes

A dried tea bag tucked into each shoe is a great way to help absorb extra moisture after wearing them. The tea leaves are also a natural deodorizer and will help to keep stinky foot odors at bay. Just don’t forget to remove the tea bags before your wear your shoes.

Around the Garden & Outside

28. Fungal Plant Protection

Prevent fungal diseases before they start by spraying plant leaves and watering the soil with a weak tea solution. The tannins will prevent the growth of many fungal diseases. This works well both in the garden and in your houseplants.

29. Car Air Freshener

Tuck dry tea bags under each seat in your car for a natural air freshener. Not only will you enjoy the smell of whatever tea you use, but the leaves will help absorb odor and moisture in your car. If you want something with a bit more scent, dab your favorite essential oil on the tea bag first. You get a burst of fragrance and a deodorizer in one.

30. Compost

Anyone with a sharp eye will notice that most ideas for reusing spent tea bags still land you with a used tea bag when you’re done. And you would be right. When you’re finished giving your tea bags another go, you can always compost them.

Granted, some tea bags can’t be composted; I’m looking at you, fancy plastic tea pyramids. But more and more tea manufacturers are switching to tea bags that can be composted, so always read your packaging first.

The post 30 Brilliant Ways To Reuse Tea Bags Around Your Home & Garden appeared first on Rural Sprout.

The rich hue and warm shine of brass has a way of drawing the eye, which means it only takes one or two pieces in a room to pull you in. Like many things from the mid-century, brass is having a moment, and vintage brass pieces are being snatched up from thrift and antique stores everywhere.

Of course, grabbing some vintage brass usually means cleaning it as well. There’s no need to head to the store for a special brass polish, though. You’ve probably got an excellent brass cleaner in your cabinets.

Brass is a soft metal, so it can scratch easily. To clean brass, you should always opt for a soft cloth, such as a scrap of cotton flannel or an old t-shirt. Avoid scouring sponges or metal as they can scratch or gouge the brass.

Lacquer

Before you subject your brass to any polish, you need to figure out if it’s lacquered or not. Some brass pieces are treated with a very thin layer of lacquer to keep the brass from tarnishing. Over the years, this lacquer will flake and peel away.

A dead giveaway as to whether or not a piece is lacquered is whether or not it’s shiny. If the piece is still quite shiny and bright, it’s probably lacquered. You can also look closely at the piece to see if there is any flaking.

If the piece is lacquered, all you need to do is wash the brass in hot soapy water with a sponge. Buff it gently with a piece of flannel, and it will be good as new.

Brass or Brass-plated?

It’s important to determine if your piece is solid brass or brass-plated. Put a magnet on the piece; it will not stick if it’s solid brass. Brass-plated pieces should never be scrubbed hard or with commercial brass cleaners. The harsh abrasives in commercial polishes or scrubbing vigorously could remove the plating and damage your piece.

To Shine or Not to Shine

Before you polish your brass, something to consider is whether or not you should. The patina of well-aged brass is part of its appeal. And if the piece is an antique, you could diminish its value by trying to polish it. Your best option might be to leave it as it is.

Candlesticks

One of the first things you should do when cleaning brass candlesticks is to remove the candle wax. Put your candlesticks in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Once you take them out, most of the wax will pop right off or can easily be peeled off.

For residual wax, gently warm it with a hairdryer and wipe it off, then use a cloth soaked in white vinegar to remove any remaining wax.

Hot Soapy Water

You should wash your brass with hot soapy water before trying anything else. Sometimes this is all that’s needed to restore the luster and shine. And if not, it prepares the piece, making any of the following natural polishes and cleansers more effective.

1. Lemon Juice and Salt

This solution works well for only slightly tarnished pieces. Slice a lemon in half and sprinkle the cut side with salt. Use the salted lemon to rub down the brass piece. Let the piece sit for a few minutes before wiping off the lemon juice and salt with a clean, soft cloth. Buff the piece lightly to bring back its shine.

2. Lemon Juice and Cream of Tartar

For stubborn tarnish, mix a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar. Use a clean, soft cloth or pastry brush to apply the paste to your brass. Let the brass sit for 10-20 minutes before rinsing it with warm water. Dry the piece off and buff it lightly with a soft cloth.

3. Ketchup  

No lemons? Grab the ketchup.

The acid in tomatoes makes a great tarnish remover. And the consistency of ketchup makes it easy to spread onto candlesticks, sculptures, and bookends.

Coat your tarnished brass in ketchup and let it sit anywhere from 5-15 minutes before rinsing the ketchup off with warm water. Dry your brass, and it will be as good as new.

4. Tomato Juice

Tomato juice is an excellent option for brass pieces that may be fairly intricate, where getting into the nooks and crannies may prove difficult for other methods. You can submerge the entire piece in tomato juice, which will take care of hard-to-reach tarnish.

Let the brass piece sit in the tomato juice for 10-30 minutes, depending on tarnished it is. You can check the piece every few minutes to see how it’s progressing. Simply rinse the tomato juice off and dry the brass.

5. Flour, Salt and Vinegar

Mix up one teaspoon of salt with a ¼ cup of vinegar. Now stir in enough flour to make a paste. You want it thick enough to stick to the brass. Apply the paste to your brass piece and let it sit for 5-15 minutes, depending on how dirty the brass is.

Rinse the paste off and dry the brass with a clean towel.

6. Tin Foil and Baking Soda

This is perhaps one of the easiest methods to clean brass.

Line a baking dish or bowl with tin foil, ensuring the shiny side is up. Sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda across the bottom of the dish. Now place your brass pieces in the dish and pour in enough boiling water to submerge them.

Let the piece sit submerged for about fifteen minutes.

A neat chemical reaction (which I am bad at explaining) will occur in which the tarnish lifts from the brass and bonds to the aluminum foil. Especially tarnished pieces may need to be soaked in this manner twice. This method also works on silver.

Keep It Shiny

Now that you’ve put in all that hard work to clean up your brass, keep it shiny with a very thin coat of mineral oil or boiled linseed oil. Buff your piece with a clean piece of flannel and wipe off any excess oil.

If your piece is used for serving food, don’t use the boiled linseed oil; instead, opt for food-grade mineral oil like the kind that is sold for conditioning wood cutting boards or as a laxative.

Coating your piece with the oil will prevent oxygen from oxidizing the piece as well as protect it from the oils on your hands, both of which will cause the brass to tarnish.

And that’s that, keep your brass shining like new with very little elbow grease and a few household items.

Here are some more articles you may enjoy:

How to Clean Copper Easily Without Harsh Chemicals

Make a Bottle of All-Purpose Natural Citrus Peel Cleaner

8 DIY Natural Cleaning Products For The Entire Home

The post 6 Ways to Clean Brass With Everyday Household Items appeared first on Rural Sprout.

The basic recipe for making soap has been the same for thousands of years.

Combining plant or animal fats with an alkali causes a chemical transformation, a process known as saponification.

Saponification is what gives soap its sudsy cleaning action, bonding with oils and grime so they can be rinsed away.

Soaps processed in this manner mimics the naturally occurring surfactants found broadly throughout the plant kingdom.

Saponins are surface-active compounds with a similar chemical structure as soap, typically occurring in the tissues, roots, flowers, fruit, or seeds in more than 100 plant families.

When wetted and agitated, saponin-rich plants create a nice foamy lather that can be used as a gentle cleanser.

With no need for processing, equipment, or ingredients, growing soap is the easiest way to obtain your own soap supply. This is especially valuable when there is a run on soaps in the stores or you would like to become more self-reliant.

While soap nuts are among the better recognized saponin-rich plants, there are plenty of other sudsy cultivars to grow or forage for soap.

1. Wavyleaf Soap Plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum)

Wavyleaf soap plant, also known as soap root or amole, is a low growing perennial native to California and Oregon.

Named for its long wavy edged leaves that emerge in a rosette from a large underground bulb, it bears star-like flowers on a tall stalk that can reach 6 feet in height. These flowers bloom only once per season and only at night.

How to Harvest for Soap

The bulb of wavyleaf soap plant is where the saponins are found. It is about the size of a fist and is covered in dense brown fibers.

Remove the fibers carefully with a knife to expose the white, inner “heart”. Crush up the bulb, add some water, and agitate to produce a nice soapy foam.

To avoid killing the entire plant, cut the bulb in half lengthwise, making sure to leave some of the roots intact. Replant the one half and keep the other for soap.

To store for later use, dry the bulb in a cool and dark place.

Wavyleaf soap plant is excellent as a laundry soap (especially for delicates), dish detergent, bath soap, and shampoo.

2. Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Producing orb-like clusters composed of numerous five-petal flowers in pink or white, soapwort is a pretty specimen that blooms from July to September.

Individual flowers are sweetly fragrant and stay open for only three days during the evening.

A European native, soapwort has been naturalized throughout much of North America. It is hardy in zones 3 to 8 and grows best in poor, sandy soil.

How to Harvest for Soap

The leaves, flowers, and roots of the soapwort plant can be used as soap.

Chop up these parts of the plant and place in a pot of boiling water. Stir well to create a soapy lather. Strain out the plant debris and allow it to cool before using.

This lathery liquid is a mild cleanser that has been traditionally used to clean fabrics and is especially good for delicate wool fibers. It also may be used as a gentle facial cleanser and treatment for dry skin.

3. Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus spp.)

The Ceanothus genus makes up some 60 species of small trees or shrubs in the buckhorn family. They can be found throughout North America in deserts, shrub land, and mountainsides, but are most abundant in the West.

Providing colorful blooms and a lovely fragrance in the wilds, many species of Ceanothus may be used as soap.

The easiest way to determine whether the plant is rich in saponins is to take a handful of blossoms, add water, and rub. If it is mountain lilac, it will produce a good lather with a nice aroma.

How to Harvest for Soap

Mountain lilac blooms in dense clusters of white, purple, or blue in early spring. Once the flowers drop in early summer, tiny green fruits develop.

Both the flowers and fruit of mountain lilac will create suds with water and agitation.

To store for later use, dry flowers and fruits in a cool, dark space. When ready to use, grind them up into a fine powder and add water.

4. Soapweed Yucca (Yucca glauca)

A plant with many uses, soapweed yucca is a drought-tolerant species that ranges throughout central North America, from the Canadian prairies south to Texas.

It grows in spiky clumps, about 3 feet wide, with pale green dagger-like leaves. Each summer, it flowers with a 4-foot tall stalk bearing numerous cream colored bell-shaped blooms.

In addition to its soapy properties, the stiff leaves of soapweed yucca have been used in weaving for baskets, mats, ropes, and sandals.

How to Harvest for Soap

While the rootstock of soapweed yucca is the most abundant in saponins, the spiky leaves are also quite useful for making soap and shampoo.

To harvest the leaves, snip off the leave at the base of the plant. To avoid jabbing yourself with the pointy end, cut off the tip as well.

Strip leaves down the length from tip to base until you have many thin strands. Add water and rub between your hands to generate a sudsy lather.

Similarly, harvest the “heart” of the plant by pulling it from the ground. Slice off the leaves and roots and set aside, leaving the base of the plant.

To produce soap, simply crush up into a pulp and add water.

Here’s a helpful video demonstrating how to harvest yucca for soap both ways.

5. Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

Horse chestnut isn’t a true chestnut but a member of the soapberry family. It bears inedible seeds that are highly concentrated in saponins.

Native to the Balkans, it has been introduced to many temperate parts of the globe and grows well in hardiness zones 3 to 8.

Horse chestnut trees reach a height of 75 feet with a 65 foot spread, bearing showy white upright floral clusters dotted in pink or red.

These turn into shiny brown chestnuts that are covered in a spiky green husk.

How to Harvest for Soap

Harvest horse chestnut seeds by first removing the green husk.

Soak seeds overnight to soften them before chopping or crushing them up with spoon. Add hot water and strain out the seed bits once it has cooled.

You can also store horse chestnuts for later use by grinding them up in the blender and air or oven-drying until they are completely dehydrated.

When ready to make a soapy solution, add a tablespoon or two per cup of hot water and stir. Strain before using for cleaning, laundry, soap, and shampoo.   

6. Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

Found in every state in the US except Nebraska, bracken fern is a common sight in forests and woodland areas.

Bracken fern is a vigorous grower, emerging from its rootstock in spring with numerous fiddleheads that eventually mature into expansive fronds.

A non fussy plant, bracken fern grows well in full sun or partial shade and prefers sandy and acidic soil conditions. It is hardy in zones 3 to 10.

How to Harvest for Soap

The creeping underground rhizomes of bracken fern are plentiful in saponins. These tuberous stems are covered in black root hairs and can reach 20 feet or more in established plants.

Dig up and harvest a portion of the rhizome and cut into smaller pieces. Boil in a pot of water and stir to make a sudsy cleaning solution. Strain and allow to cool before using.

7. Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata)

Best known as a filler for floral arrangements, baby’s breath is actually a lovely mounding bushy plant in its natural state, blooming profusely with teeny tiny white flowers in summer.

Hardy in zones 3 to 9, its flowers will persist throughout the entire season, from April to August.

With a height and spread of 2 to 3 feet, baby’s breath grows best in full sun in alkaline, well drained soils.

How to Harvest for Soap

The roots of the baby’s breath plant can be rendered into soap by boiling them in water.

Stir and agitate until foam is produced, then strain out the roots and allow the mixture to cool.

8. Wild Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii)

A flowering shrub native to the western parts of North America, wild mock orange is so named due to the lovely citrusy scent of its flowers that produce no oranges.

Wild mock orange may reach up to 12 feet in height, with long arching branches and simple oval leaves.

Clusters of 4-petal white flowers bloom from late spring to early summer, emitting a strong orangey fragrance with just a hint of pineapple.

Adaptable to a range of soils in full to part sun, wild mock orange is hardy in zones 3 to 9.

How to Harvest for Soap

The leaves, flowers, and bark of wild mock orange are rich in saponins.

Harvest these parts and place in a jar of cool water and shake. Once a soapy mixture is formed, strain out the plant bits and use as a mild all-purpose cleanser.

The post Grow Soap: 8 Saponin Rich Plants That Can Be Made Into Soap appeared first on Rural Sprout.

It’s mid-September; prepare for the invasion of the eight-legged freaks!

Does anybody get that reference?

No?

Lucky you. I had the supreme misfortune of seeing that movie in the theater, and I spent hard-earned money to watch that atrocity.

Anyway.

Despite being helpful creatures, spiders have a tendency to get squashed if they make an appearance in homes.

Whether it’s the eight hairy legs or the fact that they have too many beady eyes, spiders usually top the list when it comes to loathed creepy crawlies.

And much to the chagrin of spider-squashers everywhere, as the weather cools and the days grow shorter, all those sun-loving spiders in your garden are packing their bags and heading to the nearest Airbnb – your house.

Except, that’s not quite what’s going on around this time of year.

Despite what you’ve been told, the sudden appearance of spiders in your home around this time of year has nothing to do with arachnids seeking shelter.

If you’re a spider-hater, you might want to sit down for this.

Those spiders you keep seeing in your house from September through October? Yeah, they were already there, and they’ve most likely been there for their entire lives. Your home is their permanent address. They get their Verizon bill sent there; they just get to the mailbox before you do.

And it doesn’t stop there.

The reason you’re seeing these eight-legged roommates so often is that it’s breeding season.

Yup, that’s right, my friends, your home becomes the local pickup joint for spiders from August through October.

The spiders you see moving about are often the males. The females and the wee baby spiders usually stay hidden, away from rolled-up newspaper-wielding humans. The males are moving about your domicile, looking for the love of their life. However short that may be.

It’s kind of fascinating, really; there have been house spiders, meaning species that don’t live outdoors, noted as far back as the Roman times. These species evolved to live inside with humans and are ill-suited to the living conditions found in the great outdoors.

Okay, Tracey, but where do all the outdoor spiders go in the winter?

All those spiders out in your garden, they’re hunkering down in your woodpile, in weeds at the corner of your lawn and in other nooks and crannies that offer shelter.

Spiders are cold-blooded, and most begin to go through a kind of chemical toughening-up before the cold weather, which allows them to survive the freezing winters. They find a spot to hide outside and spend the winter dormant.

This isn’t to say that the occasional wandering spider won’t make its way into your home and decide to stay; rather that it’s not the norm.

I know what you’re thinking, “Great, Tracey, I still don’t like spiders. What am I supposed to do about all the spiders in my house?

How to Keep Spiders Away

Completely ridding your home of all spiders is unlikely; however, you can do some things to give them fewer places to hide and to encourage them to make their appearances few and far between.

1. Keep Things Tidy

Probably not the answer you were hoping for, but this is one of the most effective ways of discouraging spiders from hanging out in the areas of your home where you’re active.

They prefer dark spaces and places where you won’t bother them. If you leave things around for a while, long enough to start gathering dust, chances are it’s going to be prime real estate for a family of spiders.

Clean up clutter, dust often and don’t give spiders a place to hide.

2. Vacuuming

This one might be one of the easiest ways to deal with spiders beyond a rolled-up newspaper. Grab your vacuum cleaner and use it to suck up spiders and their webs. Granted, this only deals with them once they’ve settled in.

3. White Vinegar

White vinegar is made of acetic acid, a substance the is harmful to spiders. Lucky for you, it’s not harmful to us, our kiddos, or our pets. Mix up a solution of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle in a ratio of 1:1 and spray windowsills, doorways, dark corners, even the corners of your ceilings.

4. Citrus

The smell of citrus apparently also repels spiders. Save those orange peels and tuck them in your closet corners, gently rub them on windowsills, or place them in any other dark places where a spider might wish to hide.

Of course, you could always put the power of citrus and vinegar together to make an all-natural cleaner that will also have the added benefit of repelling spiders. Cheryl shows you how here – All-Purpose Citrus Cleaner.

5. Peppermint

Yet another common item, whether the plant or the essential oil that has a strong scent spiders detest.

6. Cinnamon

This spicy bark is more than just a tasty addition to pie. Place cinnamon sticks wherever spiders might lurk to keep them from making themselves at home.

7. Clove

The same can be said of cloves, and their small size makes them perfect for scattering in small spaces where spiders may choose to dwell.

8. Eucalyptus

This popular staple in dried flower arrangements from the 80s is making a comeback, and its strong medicinal smell keeps spiders from getting too close. Place long sprigs of eucalyptus around your home and replace them with fresh ones every few months.

9. Get a Diffuser

A great way to keep your home smelling wonderful, enjoy a little aromatherapy and keep spiders from getting cozy at your place is to buy an essential oil diffuser.

While you may not want cinnamon sticks, whole cloves or eucalyptus branches strewn about your home, you can easily reap the same benefits by diffusing the oils into the air. Citrus, peppermint, cinnamon, clove and eucalyptus essential oils are all relatively easy to find and inexpensive.

If the goal is to keep spiders out, you’ll want to be sure you opt for a diffuser that can handle large areas or get one for each room.

10. Cedar

Using cedar balls or disks around your home pulls double duty. Not only will cedar repel spiders, but it also keeps moths away too. Protect your beautiful wool sweaters all while keeping Charlotte out of your house too.

11. Horse Chestnut or Conkers

Chestnuts, or as the Brits call them, conkers, are purported to keep spiders away. This one is more anecdotal, so we’ll file it under “It can’t hurt to try.”

Place a few chestnuts on your windowsills and in closets, and let us know if it works.

12. Starve ‘Em Out

Spiders are attracted to food, and food for spiders is flies. Keep fruit flies and houseflies in check by removing any fruit or vegetables starting to go bad.

13. Turn Outside Lights Off

In the same vein, turn outside lights off. Lights attract flying insects, and flying insects attract spiders.

Our local walkway along the creek has beautiful landscape lights to light the way on an evening stroll. Locals will note that there isn’t a single one of these large lights that aren’t home to at least a couple of spiders.

Turn the lights off outside your home, and prevent any spiders from making their way inside.

14. Keep Yard Debris Tidy

Remember all those outdoor spiders and how they like to hide in debris to hunker down for the winter? If you have dead leaves or other landscaping debris piling up around your house, you’re creating the perfect habitat for spiders. Those same spiders may unwittingly find their way into your house.

Keep the area immediately outside your home cleaned up to prevent stowaways.

15. Keep Recycling Outside

Take recyclable items outside as soon as you’ve rinsed them. The sugar in things like empty wine bottles, soda and tin cans attracts flies. And wherever there are flies, spiders soon follow.

16. Osage Oranges or Spider Balls

These strange-looking fruits are said to repel spiders, hence earning them the colloquial name of spider balls. Every fall, they can be found for sale or given away free to place around the inside of your home.

Much like the chestnuts, this is anecdotal, but it’s worth a shot. You should be aware of the fruit secrets a latex that can cause skin irritation in some individuals. Be sure to wear gloves when handling an Osage orange.  

House plants that keep spiders away?

While you’ll see plenty of articles around the web with titles that imply there are house plants that keep spiders away, once you click on them, you may be disappointed. Without fail, these articles all point to some common aromatic herbs and flowers that are typically grown outdoors.

• Basil
• Eucalyptus
• Chrysanthemum
• Marigold
• Mint
• And lavender

To name a few. And while nearly all of these could be grown indoors, they aren’t what the average person typically thinks of as a house plant.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you have room for a eucalyptus tree in your home.

And finally…

Let Them Be

Granted, if you suffer from arachnophobia, this last option may not be one you can tolerate. But for the rest of us, it’s probably the easiest solution to the problem. Just let the spiders carry on doing their thing.

As they tend to avoid humans, they want to see as little of you as possible, too. You can all happily coexist together under one roof. And just think about all the fruit flies and houseflies they will eat. Letting spiders continue doing their thing means they’re earning their keep as useful household members.

I’ll bet your cat can’t even make that claim.

In closing, I leave you with this little fellow, Lucas. He’s a jumping spider, but don’t worry; he just wants to play you a song and be your friend.

5 Ways To Get Rid Of Mice In Your House (& 8 Ways That Don’t Work)

The post 16 Natural and Easy Ways to Keep Spiders Out of Your Home appeared first on Rural Sprout.

When life hands you lemons, go ahead and make a fresh-squeezed lemonade, but don’t toss out those peels. At least, not just yet. There are plenty of better uses for them – even before those citrus peels end up in the compost.

And if your ultimate goal is to go zero-waste in the kitchen, concocting your own DIY all-purpose cleaner certainly fits in with using up all scraps. Keep reading and you will discover just how easy it is. You may even wonder why you never thought of making a batch before.

Or maybe you landed on this particular page because you are interested in a naturally clean home. One that is healthy for you, your children, all pets and indoor plants.

Perhaps you have discovered through trial and error that you are allergic to certain chemicals or artificial scents. Many of which are extremely harmful, especially when flushed down the drain. In that case, listen up.

What I am asking you to do, is take a peek inside your cleaning cabinet and observe what name brands you have been using without judgment.

Then decide for yourself whether you wish to exchange those plastic colorful bottles in favor of a sustainable cleaning solution. One that can be made for pennies, that smells great and works like magic too.

Are you storing dangerous chemicals in your home?

Before getting to the how-to and know-how of making your own DIY all-purpose cleaner, I’d like to quickly ask another question.

Have you ever taken a really good look at all the ingredients that come in conveniently packaged household cleaners?

Most all-purpose cleaners contain the following ingredients:

• Alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs)
• Glycol ethers
• DEA, MEA and TEA

I’m not going to point out their harmful ways, as it has already been done here. But I am encouraging you to check them out if you are unfamiliar with what they do, both in your body and in the environment.

Another question arises from the mist: how toxic are your household cleaning supplies?

It turns out that “clean” doesn’t always mean healthy. Good smelling doesn’t always mean all is well. In fact, your chemical cleaners may just be poisonous.

Never fear, millions of people are waking up to the hidden dangers and you can be one of them too.

Making the switch to natural cleaners couldn’t be easier. Start with these 8 DIY natural cleaning products for the entire home and you will be well on your way to a healthier home and lifestyle.

Let’s move onto something brighter – more citrusy.

Citrus peels contain D-limonene, a powerful oil that works as a solvent for removing grease and dirt.

If you are using lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins or the like in your kitchen, chances are good that you have just been throwing the rinds away.

Today I’m going to help you put an end to that food waste.

What you need are 2 simple ingredients, a jar and a glass spray bottle to make a DIY all-purpose cleaner:

• citrus peels, enough to fill a jar, organic if possible!
• white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or apple scrap vinegar
• a few drops of essential oils, optional (lavender, lemon, mandarin, pine, etc.)

With a little bit of waiting time (which you can use to declutter, garden or take care of your growing number of houseplants) your natural cleaner will be ready for use.

In the end, you’ll also need a mesh strainer, or cheesecloth, for removing all bits of peel and/or pulp (anything that would clog your nozzle).

Making your DIY all-purpose cleaner with citrus peels

First things first, you’ll need to collect enough citrus peels to make your all-purpose cleaner.

Only use the peels of the fruit you are going to eat or preserve and nothing goes to waste. If you are making lemon curd, preserving lemon jam or marmalade you’ll always end up with a pile of peels.

Lemons, oranges, mandarins, limes, grapefruit – anything goes.

As always, support organic farming when and where you can. After all, fruit trees can be heavily sprayed, and if you truly want to go au naturel, biologically grown is best.

If you can’t fill a jar at once, go ahead and let the peels dry out slightly as you fill up the jar. Or if you have a fridge, keep them in the cold until you have collected enough. Wait until the jar is lightly packed to add the vinegar.

It is also worth noting that not only the citrus peels can make it inside the jar. You can also add piths, membranes and seeds.

Adding vinegar to your all-purpose cleaner

Most recipes will tell you to use white vinegar. It is an effective cleaner and it is cheap. In other words, it works well for most applications.

However, we tend to use what we have. Since we have loads of apples throughout summer and fall, we also make apple scrap vinegar.

While it can’t be used for canning due to its lower acidity than apple cider vinegar, it is wonderful for making herbal-infused vinegar and of course, for cleaning.

DIY all-purpose cleaner with citrus peels

Once you have the ingredients, here is how to put it all together, including the wait time.

Instructions

1. Pack a glass jar loosely with citrus peels, at least a handful.
2. Top off with vinegar of your choice.
3. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks on the countertop. Stir it up every few days to ensure that all peels are submerged.
4. Strain and bottle your citrus-vinegar essence in an additional jar for safekeeping. You may even want to double strain it, so as not to create a potential clog in your spray bottle.
5. Grab a funnel and transfer your citrus peel solution to a spray bottle.
6. To dilute or not to dilute? The choice is yours and it depends on what you are spraying. At first glance it is best to dilute your all-purpose cleaner and see how it reacts on the surfaces you are spraying.
7. Get ready to clean!

All in all, for stuffing a few handfuls of citrus peels in a jar with vinegar and waiting a few weeks, it really isn’t that much work.

What surfaces can you clean with your DIY all-purpose cleaner?

Once it is ready, you’ll be keen to try it out.

Not only does it smell fantastic, but it also works great too.

Feel free to spray your citrus cleaner on kitchen counters, sinks, showers, tiles, inside the fridge, appliances, and more.

It can even be used to get that stubborn onion and garlic smell off of your cutting boards.

Let it sit for a minute or two on the surface you wish to clean, then wipe it off with a natural sponge, or cotton cloth.

What not to clean with your citrus spray

Naturally, a citrus-vinegar combo can’t be wildly sprayed everywhere.

Never use vinegar on granite, marble, stone or hardwood floors, or on your tech screens. Tempting as it may be to wipe the dust off of your laptop, it is better to do that with a dry rag.

Always exercise caution when applying cleaners for the first time, natural or not, to see how the surface will react.

Other than that, feel free to spritz away and experience what your future life could smell like, chemical-free.

The post Make a Bottle of All-Purpose Natural Citrus Peel Cleaner appeared first on Rural Sprout.

It has such a beautiful, warm glow and charm to it. I mean, come on, it’s even one of Julie Andrews’s favorite things – bright copper kettles.

The image of a bright copper kettle feels homey and welcoming.

Now you need to grow a tea garden so you can blend your own herbal teas too.

But what if your copper isn’t so shiny these days. What if those well-loved pots and pans and that much-sung about kettle are rather tarnished?

There’s no need to break out the harsh chemicals.

We’ll get them spiffed up and shining again with a few items floating around your pantry and a touch of elbow grease. If you’re low on elbow grease, I’ve got the easiest copper cleaning secret for you. (It’s crazy, you’re going to be amazed when you try it.)

A few things you should know about copper before we begin. Copper is an exceptionally soft metal, and it will scratch easily. Never use abrasive cleaners or scrubbers on it. Even the blue scrubbers that are designed to be gentle can scratch unlacquered copper.

If you need to ‘scrub’ copper cut a lemon in half and sprinkle the cut side liberally with salt and use this to scrub it.

If you’ve found a neat vintage piece that you plan on cleaning, know that if the tarnish is very dark, you may not be able to return the copper to its original color.

And that’s okay; copper has a gorgeous patina as it ages, which is just as charming as that lovely warm orange it started with.

Sealants and Coatings

Some pieces are sealed in lacquer to make the copper a bit more durable and resist tarnishing. If you use vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid to clean the piece, it may remove or damage this coating.

How to tell if my copper is sealed

If your copper is shiny and gets dusty, rather than darker in color, your piece is lacquered. Unlacquered copper has a soft, warm glow to it and will darken as it ages.

The good news is that lacquered copper only requires soap and water and a gentle sponge to bring back its sheen.

If you have unsealed copper, keep reading, and we’ll bring back that warm glow.

White Vinegar and Salt

This is the quickest and often the most effective way to clean copper.

Mix 3 cups of water: 1 cup of vinegar: 1 tablespoon of salt in a pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and add your copper piece. Let it boil for around 60 seconds; this should be more than enough to dislodge the gunk and grime off it.

Remove the piece and rinse it off. If it still needs a little more work, you can hit it with the salted lemon and a soft cloth.

Likewise, if your piece is too big to be boiled, mix one cup of vinegar, and one tablespoon of salt, then dip the copper piece into the mixture. Turn it frequently to cover the whole piece. After the piece has soaked and the tarnish is removed, rinse and dry your piece.

Once your copper is as clean as you like (or as clean as it’s going to get), buff it with a chamois or flannel.

Here’s the before and after side-by-side…

Would You Like Ketchup With That?

One of my favorite ways of cleaning copper is also the easiest. All you need is ketchup. Yup, you read that correctly. We’ve used acid to remove the oxidation from the copper with the previous method.

And as anyone who has ever made ketchup will tell you, it contains vinegar – exactly what we need to remove the oxidative tarnish.

The great thing about using ketchup is it’s a paste. You can easily coat the piece you want to clean and let it sit. The vinegar does all the work for you; let the piece sit for half an hour or longer.

My mom taught me to do this as a kid.

When she gave me the chore of polishing the copper-bottomed pots, I would draw smiley faces or short words in ketchup on the bottom, and leave the rest of the pan unpolished. Needless to say, she didn’t find it funny when she looked at the bottom of her favorite pot and saw the word “Poop” in bright shiny copper.   

Well, I thought it was funny.

Keeping Your Copper Shiny

The thing to keep in mind about copper is that it oxidizes quickly, so after you’ve got it nice and shiny, it won’t stay that way for long.

For pieces you want to display but don’t want to have to clean regularly, a thin coating of linseed oil or carnauba wax will do wonders to protect the metal from the oxidizing effects of air.

When it comes to fine copper cookware, I suggest you avoid all coatings and simply learn to accept the nature of the beast. A little patina gives it character anyway. Or you can teach your kiddos how to clean copper with ketchup and see what interesting things show up on your pots and pans.

Hmm, I wonder if they’d let me clean the statue of liberty with ketchup. “Give me your tired, your poo…”

Better not.

6 Ways to Clean Brass With Everyday Household Items

The post How to Clean Copper Easily Without Harsh Chemicals appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Your home is your nest. The place where you rest and find respite from the crazy world outside your walls. But is it a safe place?

We are not referring to location, unpredictable weather conditions or age of your house, here. Rather we are calling your attention to the alarming amount of chemicals that are hidden in your cabinets and cupboards. The ones that are brought out on occasion to make sure that your house maintains that “sanitary and squeaky clean” feel. After all, a certain level of cleanliness is a wonderfully healthy thing.

Not only are cleaning products chock-full of chemicals, so is your toothpaste, your shampoo, anti-aging skin care products, your luscious wall-to-wall carpeting, that new mattress designed to help you sleep better, the paint that brightens your walls and your mood… It seems that no matter where you look, danger is abound. And fewer and fewer things are as natural as you wish for.

As a former housecleaner, I felt firsthand the power of what chemicals can do to your body when you are using them everyday. Even if you are cleaning your home just once a week, you still must exercise caution when using strong chemicals, because they can build up in your system over time.

In an effort to better my life – I quit. And immediately started my own business (almost two decades ago) that embodied the concept of natural housecleaning. In this way, I could also enrich the lives of others with uncluttered homes that were cleaned without the use of toxic chemicals.

They all loved it, and you will adore the way it smells too!

Why make your own DIY cleaning products?

Having a naturally clean home is actually an unassumingly huge beneficial form of self-care.

When you spend time caring for yourself, you have more energy to take care of others as well, including the Earth. No matter how you look at it, reducing or even eliminating the amount of chemicals in your home, can be a series of life-changing events.

Switching from conventional cleaners to DIY natural products and an eco-friendly cleaning routine will:

• help your entire family to be healthier, with potentially fewer allergies.
• make your indoor pets infinitely happier! Stop using carpet cleaners and deodorizers for your pets’ sake.
• increase your indoor air quality.
• reduce your cleaning costs as most DIY products are cheaper (and safer!) to make.
• save you time, as many natural products are effective at eliminating dirt. Since DIY cleaning products are non-toxic, you may find yourself naturally cleaning up, to the point where things do not get dirty enough to take those strong chemicals.
• provide you with a safer place to be – to cook – to eat – to bathe – to live.

Once you stop spraying every surface with chemical disinfectant, you can trust where you set your food down on any countertop or table.

There is a tremendous sense of freedom in a naturally clean home, that everywhere is safe. Which is exceptionally important with babies and children in the home.

Natural cleaning and clean water

Not only are the benefits of natural cleaning limited personally to you, your sustainable actions give some comfort to the environment too.

Think about all those colorful toilet cleaners getting flushed down the drain every day, straight into the (most often drinking quality) water.

Whatever “mountain mist” or “ocean breeze” air fresheners are sprayed in your home, know that they will take a journey into the atmosphere as soon as you open a door or a window (ironically for fresh air). The important thing to remember is that just because something goes away, meaning we cannot see it, or smell it, does not mean it is really gone. It is simply diluted, like microplastics in the ocean. Hindering healthy livelihood, and the innate right to such, of everyone and everything on Earth.

It is true that some of our chemical cleaning habits may be hard to break. Yet, if you understand the dangers, your chance of wanting to change is increased.

So, what can you replace those chemical cleaners with?

Well, it turns out that there have been natural solutions all along. Only it takes a bit of research if you are new to the idea.

Whole books have been written about natural housekeeping and they are a wonderful way to sweep into the topic.

If you want to go all out from the start, begin reading here: The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning.

This way you can jump straight into your naturally clean home with more than just the basics.

In the meantime, keep reading to find 8 tried and true recipes that have come my way (and have been in continuous use) over the years. All of them will give you a solid base to get started with cleaning your home naturally, simply and sustainably.

But, as you make the switch to using all natural cleaners, be sure not to get carried away with the novelty of it all.

Do not dump your old housecleaning supplies down the drain in your excitement to get started.

Instead, see if you could first pass them along to someone else who may be able to use them up.

If not, dispose of them properly, so as not to contaminate soil, air or water. Many of the cleaning items under your sink may be listed as having toxic materials and need to be disposed of as hazardous waste, along with old paint, antifreeze, motor oil and weed killers. Not that you should be using the latter either!

Natural ingredients to get started with making your own DIY cleaning products

Once you start making your own cleaning products, and discover just how easy it is, soon you’ll be teaching it to others. Telling your friends and family about the benefits of a naturally clean home too. Give them the knowledge and let them clean their own homes though. That is always the best way.

Not only does a naturally clean home smell better, in fact it can smell just about any way you wish with the use of essential oils. It often saves you money as well!

All you need to get started, are the following natural ingredients, many of which you may already have at home.

• baking soda
• vinegar
• essential oils
• castile soap
• lemons
• salt
• fresh and dried herbs

You will also need some spray bottles, rags of various sizes, sponges and some energy to get scrubbing.

8 natural cleaning products for the home

Before you lose your will to step away from the screen and get to the actual cleaning of your home, let’s get on with cleaning recipes. Enough natural cleaning philosophy, for now.

1. The best natural all-purpose cleaner

If there is a single spray bottle in your home, make sure that it contains an all-purpose cleaner.

One that can be used on the table, on the countertops, the fridge, even in the sink.

In order to love cleaning your home (how many of us do?!), it helps to have an efficient cleaning process. So, with your home already decluttered, all you have to do is race through with cotton rag and a simple good-smelling spray.

Count this among one of the best all-purpose cleaners you will find:

• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 3 cups distilled water
• 30 drops essential oils (organic citrus, grapefruit, tea tree, bergamot, basil or eucalyptus)

Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle and give it a good shake each and every time before using. As far as essential oils go, choose your favorite scent one month, and switch to another when you run out!

Note: Never spray vinegar on marble, granite or other stone countertops or floors, as it will harm the surface. In that case, rather than making an all-purpose cleaner, use this homemade granite cleaner instead.

2. Squeaky (naturally) clean glass cleaner

The name brands all have catchy commercials and very shiny windows.

So, when you decide to make your own equally squeaky clean glass cleaner, you’ll have to make do with making a video of your own success. Though chances are it won’t ever be as popular.

Now is your chance to join the less popular crowd of women and men, who embrace simplicity and natural living. Those who care for their windows and mirrors with non-toxic grace. Now, there are several recipes for cleaning glass, and all of them have their merits, though this is my favorite for it is uncomplicated, and doesn’t involve a hint of cornstarch.

• 2 cups distilled water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 5-10 drops essential oil

Add all ingredients to a glass spray bottle, give it a shake and spray liberally on your mirrors and windows when you are ready for them to shine.

The key to a streak-free surface is in what you use to wipe the glass cleaner off with. A very worn densely woven cloth will do, though black and white newspaper is the secret to window-washing success.

3. Dusting spray

Dust, it seems, is everywhere and it is impossible to get rid of.

If we could only just blow it away… Tried it. That doesn’t work.

Because dust is inevitable, industry has come up with a way to fight it. Bringing in a whole line of waxes, harmful fragrances and chemicals to tame it at best.

Often it comes in an aerosol can, which is also bad for the environment, and it is quite expensive for what it does.

What are your alternatives?

Homemade dusting sprays that contain no more than water, castile soap and essential oils in a spray bottle with a fine mister.

To keep your shelves dust-free, get the full recipe here:

A Simple and Effective Homemade Dusting Spray @ DIY Natural

4. Toilet cleaner

And it doesn’t even take a recipe!

All you have to do, is keep a jar labeled “baking soda”, and another bottle of straight vinegar.

Sprinkle 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda under the rim of the toilet bowl, then spray (or pour) vinegar until it bubbles and foams. Let this sit for a few minutes before scrubbing with your toilet brush.

Do this often, to prevent stains from hard water from building up.

Or you could try these practical, useful and good smelling Thieves Toilet Bombs from Coconut Mama.

5. Basic floor cleaner for tile and linoleum

We all have different floorings, so we will need different cleaning solutions.

For linoleum and tile floors, you can make a one-time-use cleaning mixture in a bucket that contains:

• 1/2 gallon warm water
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup vinegar (depending on the griminess of the floor)
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon castile soap
• essential oils are optional

Get out your trusted mop, or clean the floor the old-fashioned way on your hands and knees. For good or bad, you see more that way.

Dispose of your waste water responsibly.

6. Floor cleaner for wood

Wood floors come across as being some of the most traditional floorings still in use. And yet, they can be coated with so many kinds of stains and preservatives that is hard to know what will work and what will leave soap scum behind.

As with any cleaning product, natural or not, do yourself a favor and always test a small area first.

Testing is a good way to gauge whether your time and/or money will be wasted, don’t skip this step.

As for wood floors, some people proclaim that a bucket of hot soapy water works wonders. Others think that vinegar and water are the best.

If your hardwood floor is “finished”, it is better to avoid vinegar altogether. Note that baking soda can also damage the surface.

One of the best wood floor cleaners goes like this:

• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon castile soap
• 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil (citrus, tea tree, eucalyptus, pine, juniper, etc.)

Add these natural ingredients to a spray bottle (not a bucket) and clean your floor systematically, patch by patch, with a mop or rags.

This allows you to not soak your wooden floors, which could cause long-term damage. In essence, keeping your wood floors alive and well for much longer than you imagined.

7. Deodorizing carpet cleaner

Carpets in the home can pose a real challenge.

They get spilled on by overturned cups of milk and wine, trampled with muddy shoes, and worse – all pet owners can agree.

While rugs can be put in the washer and dryer when needed, wall-to-wall carpeting is in a category all its own.

The simplest way to keep your carpet smelling fresh, is to make your own deodorizing carpet powder.

In a glass jar with a shaker lid, add 1 cup baking soda and 30-40 drops of essential oil.

Shake well to combine the two ingredients and sprinkle on the carpet. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so before vacuuming.

Once you start gathering essential oils, you will find that some are unsuitable for pregnant/nursing mothers, as well as crawling babies and pets that lick their paws on the carpet. It’s important to educate yourself before using essential oils.

8. Air freshener

Usually, the best way to get fresh air, is to simply open the windows.

Incense has long been used for purification purposes, as well as smudging to clear the air, though sometimes you just really want a fragrance. A scent that is not too strong, more subtle and refreshing.

You may choose to burn a beeswax candle, or to indulge in an essential oil infuser. Both are far superior options to using anything from a can.

They can help you sleep better, keep illness at bay, boost your mood and productivity. What’s that if not loving self-care, and a clean home all at once?!

One final word of caution:

Label your bottles of DIY natural house cleaning products. Always.

To be sure you know what you are spraying and where. And just in case you get something in your eyes, or one of your concoctions gets accidentally ingested by both two or four legged creatures.

Otherwise, have fun with keeping your house clean, the natural way.

The post 8 DIY Natural Cleaning Products For The Entire Home appeared first on Rural Sprout.

The sound of the crackling fire, the smell of the burning wood, the dancing flames, and warmth that penetrates deep into your bones – are all perks of heating with a wood stove.

Over time that pleasant wood fire creates creosote buildup and ash accumulate in the firebox meaning it’s time to clean the stove.

It’s necessary to clean your stove periodically to prevent accidental fires and to get the most efficient burn from your wood.

A dirty wood stove can also lead to unpleasant smells in your home and furniture. And let me tell you, once that smell gets into your upholstery it’s difficult to get out.

Creosote is extremely flammable and can lead to a chimney fire. Creosote forms from a combination of moisture and debris not being fully consumed by the fire. This sticky substance builds up on the inside of your stovepipe, where if left unattended, it can become a serious fire hazard.

Hotter burning fires create less creosote, another good reason to maintain a clean wood stove.

Softer woods like pine are known for producing more creosote. Pine is great for starting a fire and has a lovely smell, so rather than giving up burning pine, you can always clean your wood stove more frequently.

Related Reading: What’s The Best Wood To Burn In Your Stove?

Safety Tips

• Never clean a hot stove. Let the stove cool off entirely first.
• When scooping out ash, always wear gloves.
• Keep in mind that embers buried in the ash can stay hot long after the fire has gone out.
• Always put ash in a metal container, never a plastic one.
• Take your pail of ashes outside once you have finished cleaning, in case there are still any hot embers in the ash.

Tools For the Job

• You will need a metal ash pail with a shovel. Choose a pail with a lid to avoid ash billowing throughout your house when you take it outside.
• I recommend picking up a sturdy metal dustpan, and a heavy bristled dust brush to make clean up of stray ash, wood, and bark around your wood stove easy.
• A couple of pieces of soft, clean cloth, such as flannel and a spray bottle with water, are needed to clean the glass of the woodstove door.
• While it’s not a necessity, a small shop vacuum comes in handy for cleaning up spills and really deep-cleaning your firebox.
• And if you choose to clean the stovepipe yourself, you will need a chimney brush that fits the inner diameter of the pipe snuggly and extension rods. A note – if your chimney brush is showing signs of being worn down, be sure to replace it.
• Cleaning your wood stove tends to be a messy job. You’ll want to dress appropriately, and if you have furniture nearby, you may wish to cover it with a sheet.

How often you clean your stove really depends on how often you use it. If you’re using your wood stove every day as your primary heating source, you will need to at least scoop out the ash daily and do a more thorough cleaning once every week or two.

You must clean your stovepipe more often during the winter as well. If you tap on your flue when it’s cold and hear debris fall, you need to clean your pipe immediately.

If you only use your wood stove occasionally, you can clean it less frequently.

A good rule of thumb is to scoop the ash out once it’s a few inches deep. Too much ash prevents good airflow in the firebox, and you want a good, hot burn. If you begin to notice creosote buildup of 1/8”, it’s time to do a thorough cleaning.

How to Clean a Wood Stove

To clean your stove, you’ll first need to let the fire go out, and let the wood stove cool completely. Safety first, you don’t want to risk getting burned. Remember that embers buried in the ash can stay hot long after the fire itself has gone out.

Start by removing the ash using the shovel and place them in a metal pail.

Spritz the top layer of ash lightly with water to make the job less messy. Once a year it’s advisable to clean out all of the ash entirely so you can inspect the firebox and fire bricks, but usually, you can leave a bit of the ash behind.

If your wood stove has one, empty the ashtray and ash box.

Using a flashlight inspect the inside of the firebox, the flue, and the chimney for creosote buildup or glazing. You can use the chimney brush to scrape and clean around the flue. If the creosote is 1/8” or thicker, you will need to clean the stovepipe. More on that later.

If your wood stove door has a window, you’ll want to clean the glass so you can enjoy the beauty of the fire.

An easy trick is to dampen your flannel square and then dip it in some ash. Gently scrub the glass with the ash to loosen and remove the buildup. Wipe it clean with a little more water and a clean piece of flannel.

Put the lid on your pail and take the ashes outside.

Be sure to put them away from any buildings and allow them to cool for at least 24 hours before using them.

If you need some ideas, here is a fantastic list of 45 Practical Ways to Use Wood Ash Around the Home and Garden.

Cleaning the Stovepipe

You should clean your stove pipe each year before the heating season. Aside from creosote, it’s common for birds and mice to build nests in your stovepipe in the offseason.

While you can clean your chimney, and many people do, having a professional do the job is sometimes preferable.

Not only will they clean your stovepipe, but they can also inspect it for wear and tear. When deciding whether or not to clean your stovepipe or pay someone else, bear in mind that this means you will be on the roof, sometimes in inclement weather.

It also requires a lot of physical effort to use the chimney brush and do a thorough job. Please keep your safety in mind when making this decision.

If you opt to clean your stovepipe, never do it alone. Always have a helper on hand.

To clean your stovepipe, make sure the flue is wide open and shut the door to your wood stove. It’s not a bad idea to put an old towel or sheet under the door anyway.

From the roof, you’ll need to remove the chimney cap.

Tie a length of rope to the handle end of your chimney brush, and tie the other end around the base of the stove pipe, that way if the brush slips out of your hand while cleaning, you can pull it back up.

Begin by scrubbing the topmost inside of the pipe.

Really put some elbow grease into it and be sure to twist the brush as well as plunge it up and down.

Once you get down into the chimney a bit, you’ll want to screw the next extension rod onto the end. Continue brushing and scraping and adding extension rods as needed until you run into the flue.

If you have a spark box, this is an excellent time to brush off the vents with your chimney brush.

Replace the chimney cap and you’re done.

Great! You’ve just made a huge mess in your wood stove, but the stovepipe sure looks nice.

Back on the ground and inside the wood stove, scrape and clean the smoke shelf above the damper if there is one and sweep or vacuum the debris from inside the firebox.

Clean up debris around the outside of your wood stove with the dust brush or shop vacuum.

(The fine ash will tear apart a standard household vacuum cleaner’s motor.) It’s important to keep flammable items away from the wood stove to prevent fires.

Take this time to wipe down the outside of the stove with a damp, wet cloth.

And of course, if you use a pot or kettle filled with water to help add moisture to the air, now is a good time to refill it.

Slow the Buildup of Creosote

• Only burn wood in your stove – not garbage or papers.
• Burn only properly seasoned wood – not wet wood.
• Do a ‘hot burn’ each morning when you start the fire by opening the vents fully. After about 15-20 minutes, you can adjust the vents.
• Occasionally, burn a Creosote Buster log in your fire.
• Be diligent about cleaning your wood stove if you burn wood daily. Consider marking period cleaning and inspections on a calendar.

A wood stove provides a wonderful and economical way to heat your home. It provides ambiance and a sense of comfort and security. With proper care and maintenance, it’s a safe way to heat as well.

The post How to Clean A Wood Burning Stove For The Best Performance & Safety appeared first on Rural Sprout.

When you think about washing clothes by hand, you probably conjure up images of someone in a calico dress scrubbing furiously on a washboard, up to their elbows in hot, soapy water.

Nah, it’s not that bad.

Getting clothes clean without a washing machine isn’t hard.

It’s not even all that time-consuming. It just requires a little know-how and planning. You may also be surprised to see that your clothes are cleaner when washed by hand.

When I started washing my clothes by hand, I was shocked at the amount of leftover soap in them from my old washing machine.

The first few times I did laundry, I didn’t even need to add soap because there was still so much residual detergent on my clothes. Yuck!

One thing I’ve learned in my self-sufficiency adventures is that modern life has given us convenience over quality. Nothing beats the soft, creamy bubbles from a bar of homemade castile soap. Freshly made yogurt is by far better than anything you can buy at your local supermarket. And hand-washed clothes actually get clean instead of just swirled around in detergent for an hour.  

But Tracey, it’s so much easier to chuck my clothes in the washing machine, why would I want to wash my clothes by hand?

There’s plenty of reasons to wash your clothes by hand.

• Maybe your washing machine is broke, and the repairman can’t get to it right away.
• Perhaps you moved into an apartment with no washer and dryer hookups, and you don’t want to deal with the laundromat. (Because let’s face it, laundromat machines are gross.)
• Maybe there’s a power outage.
• Perhaps you’re looking to simplify your life, or save water.

In any case, knowing how to wash your clothes by hand is an excellent skill to have.

Before we begin here are a few tips

• Washing clothes by hand is a lot like baking cookies – it takes a little time and prep work to get started, but most of the actual time involved is inactive hands-off time. I try to wash my clothes when I’m busy doing other household tasks or when I’m in for the evening, so I can do other things while my clothes are soaking or draining.
• Doing your laundry this way means you can’t let it pile up for two weeks and then play catch up. You’ll be washing much smaller loads, so try to wash one load a day or pick one day every week and make that laundry day.
• If you’re messy like me, attend to dribbles and spots on your clothes as soon as they happen. This will lessen the likelihood that they stain.
• When you are first switching over to washing your clothes by hand, don’t add detergent. You may be surprised (and a little freaked out) to see that there is plenty of leftover detergent still in your clothing. Once you start agitating the clothes, if the water is still pretty clear, then go ahead and add soap. Again, this is only when you are first moving from a washing machine to washing by hand.
• I find it most comfortable to set up and wash clothes right in my bathtub. That way, if I slosh water out of my bucket, it’s no big deal. And it makes filling and rinsing so much easier.

Okay! Let’s do some laundry.

First things first, you need a new washing machine. And, you can replace your old one for just $12 and a trip to the hardware store.

Yup, that’s right, a 5-gallon bucket and a plunger are all you need to get your laundry done.

Use a clean bucket and plunger. I highly suggest purchasing a new plunger to use only for laundry for the obvious reasons. You want a good old-fashioned rubber plunger that screws onto the wooden handle. This will be your agitator.

Before you get started, see to any spots on clothing that need a little extra attention.

I use several items for spot-treating clothing, depending on what I’ve spilled on it.

A mix of peroxide and dish soap (2:1 ratio) makes a great all-purpose laundry stain remover. And I’ve yet to find a stain that Fels Naptha can’t get out. I’ll even use a plain bar of castile soap if it’s what’s handy.

Wet the spot with warm water and then rub whatever spot treatment you are using on it. I will use an old toothbrush on harder wearing items like denim, but for most clothes, a toothbrush is too abrasive. For scrubbing spots on clothes, I use these little nubby silicone scrubbers.

They are gentle on even my most delicate fabrics but do a great job of working the soap into the fabric. (These silicone scrubbers are also great for washing fruit and veggies.)

Once you have dealt with any spots, you can load up your bucket.

I usually put the plunger in first and load the clothes around it.

I try to keep the level of clothes to about ½ to 2/3 of the bucket, loosely packed. You want to leave room for sloshing them around.

Add your detergent or soap.

Do NOT use a lot of detergent. For a typical bucket load, I only add around two to three teaspoons of detergent. Yup, that’s it.

We have a habit of using way too much detergent because we associate suds with cleaning. If you see a lot of suds when you’re washing, you’re using too much detergent.

Did you know that most commercial laundry detergents don’t create suds naturally? Many of them have additives to make them foam because we somehow got it into our heads that suds = clean.

If you want to avoid harsh chemical detergents altogether, consider giving soap nuts a try. They’re a great natural alternative.

Now fill your bucket with water at the appropriate temperature for the clothes you are washing.

You want the clothes to be covered by about an inch or two of water. You should be able to slosh the clothes around easily, but you don’t want to fill the bucket completely.

Start plunging.

You’ll be surprised to find that the plunger will create suction on the clothes – this is good! You’re drawing the water and soap through the fabric.

I try to keep a good steady pace moving the plunger up and down, while gently stirring the clothes a bit. I’ll also pull the plunger up out of the water to shift the load of clothes around.

Keep at it for about five minutes.

You don’t have to go crazy and break a sweat doing this. Just keep a good steady motion that effectively agitates the clothes. You shouldn’t be slopping water out everywhere.

After five minutes of agitating the clothes, let them soak for fifteen to twenty minutes while you do something else. I usually set a timer because I’m forgetful.

If there were any stains, now is when I usually check on them and give them an extra scrub if needed.

After the fifteen minutes is up, come back and give the clothes another quick stir, then tip the bucket over in the tub to drain. Let the bucket of clothes sit on its side for another fifteen minutes draining.

Now we’re going to rinse.

Mostly, it’s the same as washing only we won’t be adding detergent, and we’re going to add cold water this time. You don’t have to agitate the clothes with the plunger as long, a couple of minutes should suffice. Tip your bucket out to drain when you’re done; you don’t need to let it soak.

Depending on how dirty the clothes were, you may wish to rinse them one more time.

When you’ve finished rinsing, let the clothes sit in the tipped over bucket and drain for about fifteen minutes.

Squeeze the water out from each item of clothing individually.

You never want to ring or twist your clothing as you can stretch out the fabric. Just ball it up in your hand and give it a good squeeze.

For items that tend to hold more water, such as sweaters and jeans, squeeze as much water out as you can by hand. Then sandwich them between two towels, roll the towels up and press firmly. This will help get out excess water.

Hang your clothes to dry.

Once you have finished extracting as much water from your clothes as you can shake them out gently and hang them to dry, my personal choice is hanging clothes outside on the line, but that’s not always an option.

For indoor drying, I have a foldable clothing rack and a few stackable sweater racks that come in handy.

I have a good friend who said one of the smartest things she ever did was put an indoor retractable clothesline in her house.

I like to put my clothing rack next to the radiator, or if it’s something that might drip, I’ll set it up in the tub to dry.

I also purchased a Laundry POD.

To be honest, I don’t think it’s great on its own for washing clothes. The motion of spinning clothes around in a circle drives the water outward, like a centrifuge, not into the clothing.

That being said, I would still recommend it if you plan on washing your clothes by hand exclusively; here’s why.

The Laundry POD does a pretty good job for delicate items like sweaters and bras, etc. I’m a knitter, and l have a ton of knitwear. The Laundry POD handles these delicate items beautifully.

I also think it’s worth the purchase price if you only use it to spin your clothes. It’s basically a giant salad spinner. (And I suppose you could use it for that too!)

I set mine up in the tub and use it to spin out water from my clothes, which means they dry faster.

The Laundry POD gets some not-so-great reviews online, but overall I think it’s pretty handy to have.

Take a look and see if it’s for you here.

So, there you go.

See? Hand washing your clothes is pretty simple.

When I had to give up the convenience of my washer and dryer, I was worried about how labor-intensive this whole process would be.

As you can see, it’s pretty easy. And as an added benefit, my clothes look and feel better since I’ve started hand-washing them—just another case to be made for being more self-sufficient.

The post Hand-Washing Clothes Made Easy – Try It Once & You’ll Never Go Back! appeared first on Rural Sprout.

You’ve seen bags of it in the health food store and you have pinned images of the fine powder stating its health benefits on Pinterest, but have you gotten around to exploring the many uses of diatomaceous earth in your home and garden for yourself?

If not, you should – for several reasons that we’ll list below.

Diatomaceous earth is most commonly known as a strong parasite cleanser, taken internally, for pets, livestock and humans, yet it is so much more than that!

Diatomaceous earth (DE) does several things at once:

• improves energy and digestion
• boosts your immune system
• strengthens your bones
• aids your nails, skin and hair
• detoxifies the body
• rids your home of parasites, bed bugs and viruses
• acts as flea control for dogs and cats

Overall, diatomaceous earth is a common-wonder mineral that has essential uses inside and outside the home, inside and outside of the body.

What is diatomaceous earth?

Diatomaceous earth, DE for short, is a porous, ground dust made from the fossilized remains of algae-like organisms called diatoms. The resulting powder is comprised of 80-90 percent silica with trace clay minerals and a minimal amount of iron oxide (rust).

It has a very high absorption rate, making it an excellent health-promoting supplement used in toothpastes, lotions, cosmetics and exfoliators. It is also used in paints to alter the sheen and gloss, added to non-toxic cleaners and filters of various kinds.

Even though it resembles chalk or finely powdered bentonite clay, do not confuse it for either of these – diatomaceous earth has completely different properties.

As with any fine powder, you need to take care how you spread it in the garden, on your animals or inside your home. DE also has abrasive attributes that you do not want to inhale into your lungs.

Different types of diatomaceous earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth is mined all over the world from Nevada to Scotland, the Czech Republic and beyond. More important than where it comes from, however, is the quality.

Food-grade DE

To stay on the safe side of life, always opt for food-grade diatomaceous earth which contains less than 1%, or even 0.5% crystalline silica. Also, to meet safety standards, it cannot contain more than 10 mg of arsenic or 10 mg of lead.

Whether you buy it at your local health food store, or online, be sure to purchase the best quality to reap the best rewards.

This ten pound bag of diatomaceous earth is the most popular on Amazon.

Feed-grade DE

Not so long ago, feed-grade was the thing to buy for livestock and pets. The silica content varied, as did the origin of the diatomaceous earth, making it suitable perhaps for the garden, less so for human consumption. But your pets, chickens, dogs, horses and donkeys deserve the very best, so set the standard and deliver them food-grade DE.

Pool-grade DE

This grade of diatomaceous earth is ineffective for eliminating insects (natural insecticide) as it is treated with very high heat by a process called calcination. This process turns the silicon dioxide into crystalline silica – which is toxic to both humans and animals!

It is often used to filter out impurities in water, and while it has industrial uses, it should not be used in the home or garden.

Only purchase food-grade diatomaceous earth from reputable sources.

Diatomaceous earth in the garden

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This was so wisely stated by Benjamin Franklin almost three hundred years ago and it still rings true today.

In order to remain healthy, we must watch what we eat, exercise enough and drink plenty of water. On top of that, we must strive for happiness. The same applies to the garden.

If you want a little peace from common garden pests, a little diatomaceous earth will go a long way.

Slug prevention

Slugs have their favorite plants – marigolds, hostas, sunflowers, basil, cabbage and lettuce – just to name a few.

If you have a bounty of slugs in your garden, you may want to consider raising backyard ducks, or take the easy way and sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around your most favorite plants.

Natural pest control

DE is one of the best non-toxic ways to eliminate pests in the garden. However, it does not discriminate, so be careful where you spread it, you do not want to put it on flowers where bees will be collecting pollen, for instance.

It works well to get rid of many insects, because the fine, dry powder is extremely dehydrating. As they crawl over it, the diatomaceous earth is absorbed by the soft skin and they die slowly from dehydration. It may take a week, or two, to see results, but it is effective and long-lasting.

Get rid of unwanted ants

One way to get rid of ants is to cover their nest with wood ash. If you don’t have any leftover ash from your wood stove or latest campfire, diatomaceous earth is the next best option.

Simply dust the anthills and surroundings with powder to encourage them to relocate.

Aphid control

A bounty of aphids can quickly get out of hand as they feed on young plants and shoots, sucking the sap as if their lives depended on it (because it does!). They have the ability to eat and eat, until an entire plant is gone.

A quick remedy is to dust an aphid infested plant with powder, alternatively mixing it with water in a sprayer and applying it wet, waiting for it to dry to do its work.

Always be sure to rinse your garden produce well if you have previously applied diatomaceous earth.

Discourage rodents in your backyard and garden

Mice, moles, rats and rabbits are all garden visitors that may stop by for a bite or two, but if they are eating the entire buffet…

Likely, you’ll want to discourage them from eating too much, and luckily there are some things they do not enjoy. As diatomaceous earth is so absorbent, you can place small jars of it in the garden along with a few drops of peppermint or citrus essential oils to help curb their appetites.

Prevent tick, mite and flea numbers from growing too large

While you can apply diatomaceous earth directly to the fur of your farm animals, there may be times when you want to stop these irritating visitors at the gate, so to speak.

Edges are where ticks and other crawling bugs enter the lawn. Good news is, you don’t need dangerous chemicals to stop them.

1 to 4 tablespoons of diatomaceous earth per gallon of water makes for a good spray ration. Use it liberally on your lawn, shrubs or in the garden.

Feed it to chickens and other farm animals

Besides the fact that diatomaceous earth treats all sorts of intestinal parasites, it is also beneficial to feed DE to your chickens for other reasons. Studies show it can lead to larger eggs, containing more albumen, as well as larger, healthier ladies.

Goats with lice will benefit from a good douse every now and again, just as pigs are at an advantage consuming it as a dewormer.

Mix it with your potting soil

Diatomaceous earth is extremely lightweight and porous, making it an excellent substrate for hydroponic growing and Bonsai cultures.

Adding it to your standard potting soil will help to increase drainage, as well as air circulation around the plant roots.

Diatomaceous earth in the home

Most of our lives we spend a great deal of time bringing the outdoors in. Nature has so much to offer by way of holistic remedies and treatments, that it is hard to turn the best ingredients away.

Diatomaceous earth is no exception.

A natural deodorizer

Just like with baking soda, diatomaceous earth can be sprinkled inside smelly sneakers and left overnight, to rid the shoe of unwanted odors.

It can be used on carpets and rugs as well, combined with 10 drops or more of your favored essential oils for a greener clean. As mentioned above, be mindful of inhaling the dust, and make sure to vacuum thoroughly after an hour or so, leaving the windows open for some fresh air.

Natural, indoor insecticide

To get rid of indoor ants, simply apply diatomaceous earth directly where the line enters and exits.

For more serious problems, such as non-toxic ways to get rid of bed bugs, DE is definitely on the list of natural elimination techniques, but don’t rely on it alone. Declutter, clean, apply diatomaceous earth, and repeat, for as long as it takes.

Chemical-free cleaner

In the bathroom, DE has a special use – you can make a paste of it, along with vinegar and lemon essential oil to keep your faucets, sink and shower sparkling clean. It is a gentle abrasive, that can easily be washed down the drain.

Absorb spills

Diatomaceous earth can absorb up to twice its weight, making it a super stain remover.

Sprinkle the dry powder over a wet spill, then vacuum or sweep it up. If necessary, you may need to take additional measures with hot soapy water, but it can soak up the bulk of the spill.

Diatomaceous earth for pets

DE can be used as a non-toxic flea and tick repellent for dogs and cats. Gently apply it to the animals’ fur, bedding and any other places they may spend a lot of time. It is best to use it minimally, to avoid creating a dust cloud, and reapply it as necessary – after a bath or a swim in the lake.

Dogs can also benefit from having diatomaceous earth mixed into their food – for a healthier coat, better appetite and improved digestion.

How to use diatomaceous earth safely

Any kind of dust or powder can be hazardous if inhaled in any quantity, and DE is no exception. The fact is, diatomaceous earth particles have sharp edges that can irritate the lungs and throat.

If you are sprinkling it in the house or out in the garden, we recommend you to wear a mask that filters dusts, and it never hurts to wear a pair of properly fitting safety goggles as well.

Where to buy diatomaceous earth?

If you live out in the countryside, your local feed store should carry food grade diatomaceous earth in larger quantities. As a food supplement, you’ll likely find it at health food stores, or online.

This Amazon listing for 10 pounds of food grade diatomaceous earth seems to be the most popular with most positive reviews.

The post 14 Ways To Use Diatomaceous Earth In The Home And Garden appeared first on Rural Sprout.