Some Practical Green Cleaning Tips From Love For Lemons Co. Owner- Kate

   I was at the Yarmouth farmers Market Yesterday and was talking with some customers and I realized that I should do a Blog post about some of the interesting (well, interesting to a geek like me) alternative uses of our products.

 So here are a few tips and alternative uses for some of the products that I make.

1.) Our Eucalyptus Carpet Deodorizer is a versatile 3-in-1 product. Its main use is to deodorize your carpets. The eucalyptus is effective at removing mold and mildew odors and the Sodium minerals are perfect for the toxic free deodorizing of carpets and upholstery. 
         The Second awesome use for this product is to put it to use as a bathroom or stove scrubber. Mix the powder with a little vinegar or water for a great tub, sink ,toilet, or stove scrub that has some real teeth! 
          Lastly, When I find my drains running slow- I mix a half cup of the powder with a half cup vinegar and immediately pour into drain. I let it sit for 15 minutes and rinse with very hot water. Beat that caustic Drano!!

2.) This next one is a bit weird, but I will explain. Our Antiseptic Boo-Boo Spray is always perfect for cleansing scrapes and cuts. It is super antibacterial and uses the power of tea tree oil, lemon oil, and a few other expertly blended essential oils to fight germs. This blend of botanical oils are just as powerful as rubbing alcohol (MRSA bacteria is rapidly becoming resistant to alcohol as a disinfectant) or other petroleum based antibiotic ointments (VOC's yuck). 

        The Alternative use for this product is to combat body odors with this antimicrobial spray. Think feet and armpits mostly. The odor causing bacteria is no match for this product and it is much more body and earth friendly than deodorants. It has been said that some  breast cancer tumors contain the staple chemicals used in Antiperspirants and are located near the armpits. Here is a little research on this from JulieGabriel.Com
     
         British molecular biologist Philippa Darbre reported that found in breast cancer tumors came from something applied to the skin, such as an antiperspirant, cream or body spray. This could explain why up to 60% of all breast tumors are found in just one-fifth of the breast – the upper-outer quadrant, nearest the underarm.

“The presence of intact paraben esters in human body tissues has now been confirmed by independent measurements in human urine, ” writes Dr. Darbre, “The ability of parabens to penetrate human skin intact without breakdown by esterases and to be absorbed systemically has been demonstrated through studies not only in vitro but also in vivo using healthy human subjects.” In addition, the parabens have now also been shown to possess androgen antagonist activity, to act as inhibitors of sulfotransferase enzymes and to possess genotoxic activity. You can find the entire post here- http://juliegabriel.com/parabens-and-breast-cancer-parabens-tumor/. 

3.) On a lighter note, One of my favorite customers from the Local Farmers Markets told me that she has used my Maine Rosemary Laundry Soda in her dishwasher and it worked. It's low sudsing formula won't remind you of that time that you put your dish soap in your dishwasher (we have ALL done it, right??) and the salt based minerals are a powerhouse on dirt and grease. Also, anytime that you are using a more natural dishwasher soap, make sure to use white vinegar and a bit of rubbing alcohol as your rinse aid. In fact, since Phosphates were banned from all dishwasher products a few years back- it is smart to use vinegar/rubbing alcohol for a rinse aid 100% of the time. It makes a huge difference in streaking and white spots.