One of the best things you can do for yourself, your wallet, and the environment is to learn how to DIY (Do It Yourself). No I’m not talking about transforming your father’s ornate heirloom frame into a hot pink dorm accessory (unfortunate but true story); I’m talking about something much sexier… DIY household products.
Forget expensive, store-bought products and transition to doing, or rather, making alternatives yourself.
There’s been some scary stuff in the news over the past few years about toxic chemicals in many products we use everyday. Frightening headlines in major publications tell of creepy ingredients in everything from our non-stick pans to our artificial face bronzers (guilty) to those “handy” wet wipes we use to clean dried pasta sauce from the counter top.
Reading the label on almost any packaged item will reveal a host of illegible words like Alkyl phenol ethoxylates and paradichlorobenzene, which are essentially gibberish for “bad for you and bad for the environment.”
But it must be safe to assume that if something is on the shelf, it’s at least sort of okay. Right? Wrong. According to the NRDC, there are over 80,000 chemicals available for sale in the United States that have never been tested for their toxic effects on our health and environment. Instead, the U.S. takes an “innocent until proven guilty” approach to chemicals and additives, earmarking them with the phrase GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) until compelling scientific evidence corroborates any allegations of harmfulness.
All the while, we consumers fall prey to absorbing innumerable toxins sneaking into the food we eat, the air fresheners we breathe, and the clothes we wear…unless we choose otherwise.
So here’s your tip of the week: Gradually start replacing your household products, such as laundry detergent, toothpaste, lotions, and cleaning spray, with homemade alternatives. Find a “recipe” you like, watch some YouTube tutorials and do one project at a time. Most of these products can be made in bulk and stored for long haul.
Most of your homemade concoctions can be stored in—you guessed it—the ever-useful mason jar. You’ll also find that many recipes call for what I like to refer to as “salad dressing” ingredients: some sort of oil, vinegar, and plant extracts for added health benefits.
Here are two examples of how you can swap store bought concoctions with a little ingenuity and elbow grease:
All Purpose Cleaner:
Mix 3 parts filtered water, 1 part vinegar, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, and pour into a stainless steel or glass spray bottle. Add 5-7 drops essential oil, such as lavender or tea tree.
Drain Cleaner:
Pour a pot of boiling water down your clogged drain. Next, dump in ½ cup baking soda followed by ½ cup of vinegar, and stop the drain with a plug or a wet cloth. Wait about 10 minutes, then flush with another pot of boiling water.
Learning to DIY will save you money, reduce packaging waste, and minimize the exposure of your family and the environment to harmful toxins.
Not ready to DIY? Check out these brands for “green” household products:
Mrs. Meyers, Ecover, Method, Seventh Generation, Dr. Bronner’s, Bi-O-Kleen.
