Detox Your House and Cosmetics! What do you do?

[FrankHomestead]

Cool thread, you guys are way better than I am!

When we bought our house that is on well and septic, we cut out most chemicals... or so I would like to think!

But... I use antiperspirant. Tried the salt rock one and hated it. Mostly just brush my teeth with straight water. Bought Dr. Bonners castile soap for all our hand pumps and to use in the shower, but I hate it in the shower. For some reason my hubby insist on using Irish Spring, which quickly build up and clogs my drains if used with cold water. Still use Dawn and dishwasher packs (whatever the green ones are), as well as laundry detergent. We just scrub and flush the toilet. Doesn't smell quite nice and clean afterwards, but I guess it's OK since that's how it's been for almost 3 years now and I haven't changed it yet. Bleach is used as a cleaning agent in the laundry machine, when it starts to smell and on smelly dish sponges. We practically just rinse our hair, with the occasional use of shampoo and conditioner. Hubby uses hair spray daily. No cosmetics here. And yes, I used permethrin on my birds to combat lice/mites. (will switch to pyrethrum when it comes time to replace it.) I also cannot afford to use organic chicken or dog feed. Nor do I buy organic everything for myself. I do not however use herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. We do use things like otc pain relievers as well as all the stupid meds we have to take. I used to have a red wiggler bin for composting but since the chickens have quit doing that. However anything left behind seems to attract rats. So my big fight right now is rats. Trying real hard to avoid poison as it doesn't line up with my lifestyle. So snap traps and 1 electronic shock trap are what I'm using, with some but probably not total success. We also use topical mosquito bite relief agents. And sadly I ferment my chicken feed in one of those big ol' non food grade plastic yard trash cans. As well as feeding it in a non food grade plastic rain gutter. I'm sure there have got to be more things I forgot to confess to! Sounds like I'm the temptress at the wrong place.. but I really do have a goal of becoming chemical free to the best of my ability. And I choose not to beat myself up for what I haven't yet been able to change, knowing that most things are a process.

We actually have a cheese factory right here in town and they are working on zero waste. They have some though not all organic products. They put them on sell often for only $2.50/#, that's a steal! We do talk about doing our own simple mozzarella, but I did NOT know you needed to use un-homogenized milk. Great info! I did buy raw, pasture raised milk (Humboldt creamery) for a while, but got scared off by one of the local vet's wife having used raw milk and catching something and being paralyzed in the past. Now all the milk from that place goes to the local cheese/butter factory. Also learning there is no regulation for the term pasture raised made me wonder (never mind the $16/gallon). That place (Alexandra's) that sells the milk to our cheese factory (Rumiano) also does sell pastured eggs and pasture raised and finished (no corn) beef and pork. This place being local I can see their pastures with the livestock in it. They still transport 3-4 hours for slaughter though. And we have another local farmer who also does pasture raised and finished beef/lamb and only transports his 2 hours for slaughter. In our move to conscientious consumption we WAY cut back, try to buy local/pasture raised (though not always because it gets pricey $8/# ground beef). We are lucky to get a good bit of local caught seafood. And we moved to buying only line caught for tuna or anything else we can. Big chicken can bite me! We raise and process our own, though I don't feel one bit of guilt for looking to pay someone else to process. Though we have done all our own so far.

Anyways, my biggest personal issue(s) with making all the soaps and such is I'm lazy(ish), limited storage space, failure to follow through with ideas because I spend WAY too much time spinning it through my head, and the unending projects already consuming my time. Yep, I sprout for my chooks and do FF. Plus I grow meal worms. And chicken math has pushed my limits till I'm exhausted by mid summer every year and I just can't wait for winter so I can sleep a little more!

Yes, I did come to this thread to learn and I'm open to suggestions. Please don't hate if I can't be as awesome as you!

And I'm 100% jealous you have access to fresh seafood

 

[mobius]

This is a process! No beating up on self. It took me five years to make all of the changes and make purchases. it is very step by step, and then suddenly i had everything i needed.

Since I love to experiment with things, the recipes were fun for me. So I made one thing at a time, like the toothpaste. That led to something else like deodorant...then I read some people use just coconut oil for deodorant!

It is a hobby and it is changing your lifestyle, yes. But don't take on too much at once, or get all nutty about it.

Do what makes sense to you, like composting, or yogurt making it can be anything really, and what you think you will enjoy and feel good about....it truly is one step at a time.

One of my first recipes was bath bombs. That was amazing fun. Another first recipe was arnica balm...cause it really works on strains and bruises. I give bits of these things to friends and they are truly amazed...like what is IN that stuff you gave me. So it fits my ability to be generous with others too.

Every summer, i use some of that good milk and my chickens eggs and I make ice cream...chocolate, nutella etc. I purchased a Donvier (non-electric) used ice-cream maker on Ebay. Super easy, no ice or salt or heavy grinding.

You know what is in whatever you make, and my motto is: "It can't hurt and it may help".

For me bottom line is that this is about the immune system AND our environment....so it hits on all eight cylinders for me. It is about other things too, like Big Ag and Big Pharma and food that is local and so on. I am not strident about it, i do not preach to others, but I love to share with like-minded people....always learning something!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Oh ya, forgot one of my major offenders... DEET! We mostly just avoid mosquito time when at home. But out on some of our hikes if we don't use something we might get carried off into the wilderness.

I hate mosquitoes, and they LOVE us. The mosquitoes are actually why I bought the permethrin in the first place, to keep them off my goats and dogs. It was labeled as horse fly spray, but with MANY different approved applications.

I have used a lemon eucalyptus pump spray one that worked well enough with regular reapplication every few hours. I will probably look for that one again in the future.

I'm open to suggestions that have really been tried and true, not oh grow mint because I heard it repels mosquitoes. That's some hog wash, I've seen mosquitoes land right on the mint plant itself. So MAYBE if it was fresh cut every single day. That being said, sometimes tried and true just doesn't work for a certain individual or area. One of my dogs that had mange when I first adopted her required trying many different options and persistence because the normally very effective treatment didn't work at all for her. And that was with prescriptions from and supervised by the vet.

Thanks again y'all!

 

[FrankHomestead]

Anyone know how to make sunscreen? been meaning to look into that for ages

 

[Junochick]

Love your realness, we are NOT better than you, everyone starts from somewhere. this day in age it's likely none of these topics we're taught to any of us, and we never questioned it growing up because that's all we knew. The good part is, we each have something to teach to the person next to us, and vice versa.

I agree we are not better, just learning how to do things differently. I didn't learn anything from my mother. I started with baby steps, I am on medical retirement so I have time to change the way I live. I do believe getting closer to nature is the best thing we can do. I still buy factory made animal feed,use electric washer, air conditioning, drive a car. Don't beat yourself up. I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts thanks for sharing

 

[mobius]

Sunscreen will require zinc oxide I think...also an ingredient good to have around....I will look this up! they are like little lotion bars I think...so good for your skin at the same time...

https://wellnessmama.com/4844/sunscreen-bars/

And I love that lemon/eucalyptus spray no DEET, at walmart or wherever for $5. I have used it myself to good effect.

 

[mobius]

Also for mosquitoes I researched and put up a bat house. They really keep the problem down around my house and decks. Not saying I dont have any mosquitoes, just very few. Bats do other great things for my little eco-system! I think if you have acreage and a lot of livestock, it would be a great and natural solution. I think I paid about $45 (?) for my bathouse from bats.com.

here is the new website info: http://www.batcon.org/resources/getting-involved/bat-houses/bat-house-buy


I stained it very dark (cause they need the heat up here in MOntana) and hung as high as I could on a big old pine tree.

 

[mobius]

Could make your own insect repellant with lemon and eucalyptus EO (both inexpensive) if you wanted..1/4c regular vodka or white rum, say 30 drops of each EO, (add the EO to vodka first, shake and let the EO dissolve, then add the water)...1.5 c water (distilled is best) and put in a 2 cup spray bottle. Shake before use...

In fact sometimes I do the following:dilute the EO in a carrier oil like grapeseed say ten drops to two TBL and apply it like a perfume.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

IDK if paba is good or bad.. but you can by tablets and crush them into your own lotion I believe for sun screen.

Yep, that's the skeeter spray I was referencing.

Have thought about many times, and will definitely look into a bat box!

 

[Junochick]

IDK if paba is good or bad.. but you can by tablets and crush them into your own lotion I believe for sun screen.

Yep, that's the skeeter spray I was referencing.

Have thought about many times, and will definitely look into a bat box!

I to want to make bat houses. This year I am growing birdhouse gourds , I have a neighbor with similar interests and when they dry we will make them together. She has a book about making soup mixes in a jar for gifts and once a week we make soup together. then we will make some of the jars up with are favorites for Xmas gifts. It's a lot more enjoyable to have someone to do projects with. To bad we don't live around the corner from each other , we could have a weekly get together and make jelly, bread, lotions and such.