Run an environmentally friendly home

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As environmental education continues to grow, more people are becoming aware of the dangers of using harmful chemicals in their homes.

Not only can they trigger allergies and irritate your eyes, but they can cause respiratory problems due to the toxins they release in the air.

As such, it is important to use natural ingredients to disinfect your home, and here’s how:

Chose the right air freshers

Though air fresheners disguise odours and can make a room smell lovely, those containing ingredients like ammonia, chlorine bleach, phosphates and butyl ethers can be harmful to your health as well as the health of children and pets.

For a fresh scent at home, use a natural air freshener.

Make your own cleaning detergent

Sometimes it’s best to make your stuff instead of rushing to the shelves.

To keep your shower, bathtub and tiles cleaner, you can make your soap using Conny Oberrauter’s method. All you need is 20g dishwashing liquid, 10 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of eucalyptus oil and 250g of white vinegar.

Mix the dishwashing liquid with the essential oils and then add vinegar to the mix, stir for a minute until clear.

When done, pack into spray bottles and use to keep your home spotless.

Make a toilet cleaner

You can also make a toilet cleaner using only four ingredients – 40g borax, 50g white vinegar, five drops of lavender oil, and 10 drops of pine oil.

Mix all the ingredients into a thermomix bowl and blend for 20 seconds before pouring into a spray bottle.

Flush the toilet to wet the bowl, spray the mixture into the toilet, and allow to sit overnight to get rid of tough stains. In the morning, scrub the bowl and flush.

Ensure that you keep all the detergents, including air freshener, away from children.

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