Stoneware is one of the best, greenest, and most efficient cooking surfaces I know of. You don’t use soap or harsh chemicals to clean it. When cared for properly, stoneware becomes naturally non-stick. Here’s a link to an outside article I wrote about using and caring for stoneware.

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Outside Link to an article I wrote titled, Five Natural Cleaners For Your Home. Covers uses of vinegar, baking soda, lemon, borax, and essential oils for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces.

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Outside Link to an article I wrote: Controlling Cat Box Odors

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The toilet is perhaps one of the hardest areas in the home to clean in an environmentally friendly fashion. Commodes are prone to all sorts of nasties - stains, germs, odors - ick!

There are two basic areas of a toilet that must be cleaned: inside the bowl, and everywhere else.

To clean inside the bowl, I recommend that you mix equal amounts of borax and baking soda in a large-holed shaker bottle (the sort you’d put grated parmesan in works well). You can add a few drops of tea tree oil if you like, just mix well. Use a mop-style toilet scrubber. These can be hard to find - check janitorial supply houses or Fuller Brush. This type of scrubber looks like a big, full pompom on a stick. Use this mop to force the water out of the commode (simply insert it into the hole at the bottom and work it in and out a few times - the toilet will “flush” with no water. Use the wet mop to coat all inside surfaces, then sprinkle the borax/baking soda all over. Use the mop to scrub all areas, then flush. If necessary, use the mop again to get any remaining powder off into the water.

To clean outside the bowl, use either All-Purpose Cleaner #1 or Citrasolv solution. Spray, leave for a few minutes, then wipe.

As far as I know, from knowledge of the chemicals and using them myself for nearly 5 years on a septic system, these chemicals are all safe for use with septic systems.

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If you’ve ever burned something in a pot, or cooked something sticky, you know what it is to be able to clean it! Before I learned this simple, natural dishwashing trick, I scrubbed, soaked, and sometimes prayed for stuck-on foods to come out of my pans.

The first trick, of course, is prevention. We use naturally non-stick surfaces like cast iron and stoneware for nearly all cooking. These get cleaned with baking soda and very hot water.

The other trick is to put the pot something’s stuck in on the stove, and boil water in it. Add about two tablespoons of baking soda (more for a larger pot) and let it boil for a while. Be sure that there’s no food stuck on above the water line! It’ll stick worse. Sometimes you need to keep the water simmering for an hour or more. If you don’t like wasting energy “just” to clean a pot, try adding some orange, cinnamon, and cloves to it. Your whole home will smell wonderful!

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Is there something in your house that just stinks? Perhaps food spoiled in a container in the refrigerator, or you cat’s litter box has picked up an odor that won’t leave no matter how well you washed it, or your sweet husband used your best drink cooler last time he went fishing. This stuff will even remove skunk odors*!

Never fear! There is a natural way to deoderize stinky surfaces.

You’ll need a glass or hard plastic mixing bowl. Stir together 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide and three tablespoons of baking soda until the baking soda is dissolved. You can also add 3-10 drops of tea tree oil, if desired.

Sponge the solution on the surface and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse well.

If the surface is scratched or is particularly stinky, it may be best to soak the surface. For items like catboxes, just make enough solution to cover the bottom few inches and let soak for an hour or longer. Small items could be submerged in a sink or bucket full of solution. You can dilute with water; just let it soak longer. To do larger items or flat surfaces, try soaking an old towel in solution and covering the surface. Leave for a few hours.

I have also used this solution to deoderize pet stains on carpet (my carpet is cheap and colorfast. Make sure yours is, before you try this!) … I used a dilute solution (add 3 cups water to the above recipe) and saturated the area. I let it sit for 15 minutes and used my carpet cleaner to suck up the excess water. Alternatively you could press with towels, getting as much moisture as possible out of the carpet and pad.

Warnings: Keep out of reach of small children and pets. Do not ingest or get in your eyes. Peroxide can bleach out some colors - spot test first. Check with a doctor/veterinarian prior to human/pet use.

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Making your own laundry powder is easy and unbelievably cheap! This is a highly customizable soap powder. You can make a lot or a little.

First, decide how much you want to make. I’d recommend starting with a small amount, to be sure you like it. If you don’t, all of the other “ingredients” can be used for other purposes.

If you’re starting with a small amount, get a coffee can or a large glass pickle jar or similar container. If you’d like to make a large amount, use a five gallon bucket with a lid.
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