DIY vs. Chemistry

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Whenever a movement becomes popular there will be people who espouse that way of life without full understanding, and there will be the push back and criticism from others. Such is the case with living a green life and trying to avoid toxic ingredients.


Can We Trust Commercial Products?

One way people try to be more eco-minded is with household cleaners and personal care products. Without a chemistry degree and knowledge of how chemical compounds react and affect the human body, I find it difficult to know the difference between greenwashing products that throw around buzz words like "natural" and "eco", and truly non-toxic products. I am a diligent product ingredient reader, but I may not know what sodium chloride, laurel glucoside, sodium laureth sulfate, ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane are. They may or may not have toxic effects on humans, but I cannot trust that they are safe, or assume that they are dangerous, if they are listed in product ingredients.

In case you are wondering, sodium chloride (salt) and laurel glucoside (a surfactant from coconut oil and sugar) are fine, but ethylene oxide, sodium laureth sulfate and 1,4-dioxane, which can be found in soaps, are not fine. But I did not know this without doing some reading because I only studied chemistry until grade ten. How many people do this before they go shopping and grab dish soap or shampoo off the shelves? I am, therefore, electing to learn how to make my own products rather than reading about each and every ingredient in the commercial ingredients I purchase.

Is the Eco Movement Uninformed About Basic Chemistry?

The pushback is coming in the form of "science defenders" who feel the need to point out chemicals are not bad, and that everything is made of chemicals. If we make our own cleaning products from vinegar, salt, or baking soda we are idiots because these too are just chemicals. Chemicals and chemical compounds are natural because they are a part of everything and naturally occurring. How silly of people to make natural cleaners that are really just chemical compounds.

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Baking Soda Love

I love baking soda. Along with my other love,  vinegar, and a little bit of elbow grease, it has so many uses around the home.

With so many harmful ingredients in commercial cleaners it is hard to know who to trust and what to buy. I'm not a chemist and I don't have time to research ingredients before I go shopping. I like the simplicity of baking soda. I also appreciate that baking soda is reasonable and now that I use baking soda for so many jobs I buy it in bulk, bringing the cost down even more. 

Ten Ways To Use Baking Soda:

1. Shampoo: I use baking soda, with water, to wash my hair (No 'Poo). 
2. Air Freshener: I put a container of baking soda in key areas of the home (near the garbage, kitty litter, and in the bathroom). When I notice the smells return I change the baking soda. I saw a great idea on Pinterest that I am trying - put baking soda and a few drops of essential oil of choice (I am using rosemary) into a glass jar. Punch a few holes in the lid and shake it whenever you need to freshen up an area. So far I am pleased with how it works.
   
3. Microwave Oven Cleaner: after loosening the food around the microwave by heating water in a bowl, I make the baking soda and water paste and scrub anything left. This has the added benefit of eliminating nasty microwave odours.
4. Stove Cleaner: I have a glass cooktop and a lot of food gets stuck on the surface. First I soak the surface with a wet cloth to moisten the debris. Then I scrub the surface with a paste of baking soda and water and wipe clean. Sometimes I have to repeat the steps if the food is particularly caked. 
   
5. Bathtub and Shower Cleaner: I spray with water, then sprinkle the area with baking soda, rub the soap build up, then rinse with water. For particularly dirty areas I spray a vinegar and water mixture onto the baking soda, letting that oh so fun science experiment do it's job bubbling away at the grime. 
6. Wall Mark Remover: my home is no stranger to wall art created by my three year old and in the past I used numerous magic erasers to get rid of the marks. While I find they get rid of the marks, I go through them quickly. Baking soda / water paste gets rid of the marks just as well, with significantly less cost. 
   
7. In the bath: shake a desired amount of baking soda into a warm bath and climb in (don't forget a book or magazine!). I like soaking with it to leave my skin feeling soft. Sometimes I add a bit of Epsom salts to help with detoxing (especially when I feel myself getting sick).
8. Shoe deodorizer: sprinkle some baking soda in smelly shoes and leave overnight. Before you wear them shake out the baking soda.
9. Carpet deodorizer: we have had our fair share of stomach bugs since having kids, and despite my best efforts to avoid accidents, smells in my carpet are inevitable. Sprinkle baking soda on the area if wet, or make a baking soda / water paste and gently rub into the area if dry. Let sit then vacuum.
10. Skin exfoliant: use a baking soda / water paste and gently rub face in circular motions. Follow up with witch hazel toner. 

Eco Jewelry Cleaning

After my second daughter was born I asked for a charm necklace with my girls' names and birth dates inscribed on them. The internet is chalk full of companies that can create beautiful personalized jewelry for women to commemorate motherhood and I succumbed. I love my necklace that now has three charms on it. I like to tell my girls that when I wear it I am keeping them close to my heart. But because I wear it everyday it can get scruffy looking.

I am very partial to silver jewelry and most of my earrings and necklaces are made of it, but a drawback is that it can tarnish easily when exposed to the humidity in the air because of oxidation.

I tend to forget to clean my jewelry until I am in a hurry getting ready to go out and I realize that my earrings are tarnished, so I put it away to clean at another time. Then I forget again until the next time. Lather rinse repeat.

Silver dips and pastes worked for me because they were quick and easy to do, but I knew that they contained toxic chemicals that smelled horrible. I have been working on detoxifying my home cleaning products and personal care products so I knew that I had to find a better way to make my silver shine again. I don't want to put something on my skin that has been cleaned in harsh chemicals.

It isn't hard to find non-toxic silver cleaner recipes on the internet but this is the one that I like to use.

Supplies for eco jewelry cleaning:

liquid dish soap (some recipes skip the soap)

salt

aluminum foil (I save a piece of recycled foil for this purpose)

water

bowl

Steps:

1. Place aluminum foil in a bowl
2. Pour a tablespoon of salt on top of the aluminum
3. Pour a tablespoon of liquid dish soap on the salt
4. Add 1/2 cup - 1 cup of water 
5. Place silver jewelry on the aluminium and mixture. 
6. Swish the jewelry around then leave for a few minutes.
7. Remove the jewelry from the bowl, rinse in water and dry off.
8. If my silver is particularly dirty I like to give it a quick shine it with a cloth.

That's it! No harsh chemicals, no gloves required.