Wendyl's Green Goddess Website

Laundry Powder/Clay

If you use washing soda from the supermarket or hardware store this will turn out to be a clay-like consistency. To get it to be a powder you need to source soda ash instead of washing soda (it is a finer version of washing soda). You can find it at www.lotusoils.co.nz.

1 cup washing soda or soda ash

1 cup baking soda

60mls liquid castile soap

2 mls lavender essential oil

Put the washing soda in a food processor and reduce the lumpy crystals as much as you can. Slowly drizzle in the liquid castile soap while the processor is still running to create a white frothy paste. Then add the baking soda and the lavender oil and continue to process until you have something resembling white clay or powder. Keep it in an airtight container and use 1Tbs for an average load, double if you are washing a big load.

Silver cleaner

Cleaning silver has never been easier when you use washing soda crystals. You will need a container large enough to hold the item to be cleaned, preferably made of aluminium, such as a pot, pan or jam pan, etc. Alternatively, using enough aluminium foil to cover the bottom of a glass bowl will also do.
Make a solution by mixing one rounded dessertspoon of washing soda per litre of hot water, enough to cover the item to be cleaned. Immerse item to be cleaned, making sure that it is in contact with the aluminium when in the solution.
Lightly tarnished items should come clean in seconds, while heavily tarnished items may need repeat treatment and even the help of a soft-bristled paintbrush to help rub off the tarnish. Do be careful though. I was demonstrating this on April in the Afternoon and it wasn’t working fast enough for the cameras so I kept adding more and more washing soda, which worked so well it removed the silver plating! Be patient is the general lesson here, and don’t rush for the cameras was my personal lesson.
If you are cleaning a mass of cutlery in a stainless-steel sink or other stainless-steel container this will take longer, as the solution will first clean the stainless steel. It is the use of aluminium that sets off the cleaning action.
Rinse in clear water and dry with a soft cloth.
Warning: do not immerse any non-metal items or items with painted surfaces, as damage could be caused. These could be items of jewellery and be cautious if silver items have other non-silver components.

Daisy's Hand Lotion

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp cornflour

Mix the cornflour with the boiling water and allow to cool. It should thicken.

10 drops Friar's Balsam

2 Tb olive oil

2 Tb glycerine

Stir in these ingredients and add some essential oils if you want a stronger smell, although the vanilla smell of the Friar's Balsam is nice. This is quite runny, but soaks into the skin well.

Lemon dusters – I can guarantee that once you have made and tried these you will never use anything else. You can make them in separate little jars – they make great gifts – or I fill a large Agee jar and use them as I need them. The longer you leave them brewing in the jar, the better.

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

3–4 lemons

6 drops lemon essential oil

6 to 8 dusters (made from old towels, nappies or sheets)

Mix equal quantities of water and white vinegar in a bowl. Add lemon essential oil, soak your clean dusters in the bowl for a few minutes and squeeze so that they are damp. Peel the rind off the lemons and lay a couple of pieces on each cloth. Roll up cloths lengthwise, then roll the other way into a ball. Place these in the jar one on top of each other, throw in the occasional extra piece of rind and screw on the lid. Take the dusters out when you need to use them, and if they aren’t too soiled you can roll them back up and use them again. The smell in the room is divine.

Moth Repellent Linen Bags

Naphthalene, the main ingredient in conventional moth balls was recently listed as a registered carcinogen by the U.S. so natural moth repellents are the only safe choice, and their fragrances are effective. These are great to use when storing sheets, clothes of blankets:

50 g dried rosemary

50g dried mint

25 g dried thyme

25 g ginseng

200 g whole cloves

Mix together and put into sachets. This should make about four good sized sachets.

I also did an hour on NewstalkZB's Kerre's Cafe and gave out this recipe for a natural lip tint. Many red lipsticks contain zinc and other nasty chemicals so it's a good idea to make your own, and I really like using this -

Beetroot tint

5g raw grated beetroot - leave skin on

3 Tbs glycerine - vegetable glycerine is best - you can get it at health shops or buy normal glycerine in the supermarket beauty aisle.

Put beetroot and glycerine in a double boiler and gently heat for 15 minutes. Cool, strain and apply to your lips with a brush. You may need to make several applications. For a more brown/red add 1 tsp coffee grounds.

Carpet Cleaner : Mix 2 cups water, with 2 Tbs white vinegar and 2 tsp dishwashing liquide.

Milk cleaner for walls, vinyl etc: Into a bucket of hot water add 1 cup milk and 1 cup kerosene

Laundry detergent

½ bar Castile or vegetable-based or Sunlight soap, grated
1.5 litres of water
½ cup washing soda
50 g borax
1 litre hot water
Place soap in a saucepan with the first quantity of water and heat on low until soap is dissolved. Stir in washing soda and borax. Stir for a few minutes until thickened and remove from heat. (If you're using Castile or vegetable-based soap it won't thicken straight away, but don't worry, it will overnight in the bottles). Add 1 litre of hot water to a bucket. Add soap mixture and mix well. Fill bucket with another 5 litres of hot water and mix well. Pour into old milk bottles or other containers and set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens. Use ½ cup of mixture per load. It is easy to squeeze from the bottles as it is quite gluggy.

Tip: Add about 20 drops lavender oil at the end before pouring into the bottles for a nice fragrance or try eucalyptus oil, which is great for woollens.

Spray cleaner

This is easy to mix up and not only cleans well but fills the air with gorgeous smells. It takes a whole minute to make.

Nearly fill a 1 litre spray bottle with water. Add 1 tsp baking soda, a few drops of liquid soap (preferably Dr Bronner's Castile liquid soap, or use Sunlight) and 10 drops of lavender or tea-tree essential oil. Shake together. If you have wooden bench tops, add about 1 tsp of olive oil and shake the bottle every time you use it to disperse the oil.

You can use other essential oils in the spray cleaner. In the winter I like to use warm oils, like cedarwood, rosemary, clove or even some natural vanilla essence, to give the kitchen a cosy smell. In summer, go for citrus smells like orange, lemon or lime. And if flies are a problem use citronella oil which will help deter them.

Glass Cleaner

Fill a 1 litre spray bottle with one part white vinegar and two parts water. Add a few drops of liquid detergent. Make sure you use newspaper to clean. Or you can use soda water neat in a spray bottle.

Blueing Powder

Mix three cups of baking soda wtih 1/2 tsp of Prussian Blue pigment (available at art stores). Use 1 tsp of this mix in your final rinse, making sure the bowl is full before adding. For best results dry in direct sunlight.

Blocked drain

Sprinkle 2/3 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 200 ml white vinegar and leave for 10 minutes. It will form a gas that will clear the blockage. Flush with water. If there is still a blockage, repeat, but use washing soda instead of baking soda. Keep repeating until blockage clears.

Natural antibacterial spray

Many disinfectants on the market are highly toxic and too strong for the home. In the old days herbs were used to disinfect the home environment. Lavender, mint, lemon balm and thyme were laid on floors, hung from rafters and potted up in window boxes. This spray is great for using on your chopping board and any other areas you want to stay bacteria-free such as sick rooms.

1 cup water
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Pour water into a spray bottle. Blend essential oils in a glass jar. With an eyedropper add 8 drops of this base to the spray bottle. Spray on surface and let set for at least 15 minutes. No need to rinse. Keep the base oil mix in a dark-coloured glass bottle in the cupboard and use to mix up more spray as you need it.

Tip: Also use orange oil to stop cats urinating in the same spot inside the house. Put it in a dish. Or, you can simply peel an orange and scatter the peel around.

Oven cleaner

Cleaning ovens is potentially one of the most toxic things we do in our homes. Yet a mix of baking soda and washing soda can do the job for you. Mix together one cup each of washing soda and baking soda. Sprinkle the bottom of the oven to cover. Spray with water until very damp, and keep moist by spraying every few hours. Let set overnight. In the morning scoop it all up along with the grime, and rinse.

If your oven is in a really bad way and has a lot of baked-on grime and grease, you may need to pour some vinegar over the washing soda. Let it fizz for 10 minutes then scrub with steel wool. Keep applying both the washing soda and the vinegar and scrubbing until all the grime has gone.

You won't get a headache from the fumes, or be polluting your house, but do wear rubber gloves as the washing soda can be quite tough on the hands.

Fabric Softener

Simply add ½ cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle, or add ½ cup washing soda to your wash to soften the water. Or make this softener:

1 cup washing soda
1 cup white vinegar
10 drops essential oil of your choice (e.g. lavender, lemon, eucalyptus)
Mix together and store in a bottle. Use as you would a commercial softener.

If you’re not so fussy about having soft clothes but want a nice smell, then put about 10 drops of any essential oil into the fabric softener receptacle in your washing machine with enough white vinegar to fill it. Or make up this rinse:

1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 tsp lemon oil
1 tsp eucalyptus oil

Combine and put a cup into the final rinse.

Septic Tank Bacteria Booster

I always test recipes before recommending them in this column, but until I can afford my country farm I have no septic tank to try it on, so please feel free to have a go, at your own risk, and if you find it useful let me know. If loaves of bread start growing out of your toilet, then I guess let me know about that as well!

Septic Tank Activator

500gms brown sugar

2 x 8gm packets of Edmonds Instant Dry Yeast

Mix together in a bucket and then pour on 4 cups of warm water. Stir and set aside until the yeast activates and you can smell it by putting your nose in the bucket. You should also see lots of foam and cloudy activity. This will take about 10 minutes, maybe longer in cooler weather. Flush it down the toilet – this might take a few flushes to get it all down.

Natural floor cleaner

This won’t sparkle, and sometimes it leaves a few streaks, but it is great for all floors. The secret is to use a barely damp mop, not a soaking one and I like the old fashioned rag mop which you can still buy at hardware stores. I also carry around a shaker full of baking soda to sprinkle on any hard-to-shift spots as I go.

To 4 litres of hot water add a squirt of liquid soap (Sunlight or Dr Bronner’s Castile ) and a teacup of white vinegar. Add a good 10 drops of lavender essential oil, or any other kitchen oils which take your fancy, to give the room a nice smell and cut the slight vinegar odour you will get initially.

Not-at-all-green-but-cheap floor cleaner

If you’re really after ‘hospital grade’ this is the one for you. But do be aware that fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes and the respiratory system, and I’m really not happy about it going down the drain. Having said that, if I need a really strong clean I’ll use this once in a blue moon.

To 4 litres of warm water add 1 cup of cloudy ammonia and ¼ cup liquid detergent.

Old-fashioned floor polish

250 ml turps
80 g beeswax
20 g Sunlight Soap, grated
250 ml tea, made from infusing a handful of lemon balm leaves in boiling water

20 drops essential oil.

Place beeswax and turps in a double boiler. Heat gently and do not take your eye off the mixture, as turps is highly flammable. When they are combined put to one side and melt the grated soap in the lemon balm tea. When both mixtures are cool mix together until creamy then add the essential oil. Pour into a wide-mouthed jar.

Furniture scratches and heat marks

Grab a brazil nut (which you should have handy, because one a day is a good for you) and simply rub over the mark or scratch. Or try rubbing gently with a piece of steel wool.

Floor polish

You can’t beat the polish abovie for floorboards, but another really easy polish is jojoba oil, which is a wax that has some sealing properties for floorboards and doesn’t go off. Unfortunately it’s a bit pricey, but I get 50 ml for about $11 on TradeMe and it lasts well.

2 tsp jojoba oil
1 cup cider vinegar

Mix together and apply with a rag to polish the floor.