Welcome

If you are new to this newsletter welcome, and thanks for signing up. You are joining the wonderful community of 11,882 people who read this every week.
I am a former magazine editor who left her highly stressed life and came home to tend a garden, some chickens and slowly discover a life free of chemicals and based on old-fashioned principles. I send this newsletter out every Thursday at 3pm (NZ time) and parts of it go onto my website blog page.I share recipes, tips, ideas and links to information about living a chemical-free life.

www.wendyls.co.nz

Last day in Barcelona

It's the final day of our holiday today and we're spending it in Barcelona where we've been since Monday.
Before we got here we went to Marseille, Monaco and Livorno on the Tuscan coast. Paul and I went to the Uffizi art museum in Florence which we booked months ago. Last time we were in Florence we tried to go there but couldn't get tickets so we weren't going to miss out this time.
Today we are going to wander up to the wonderful Boqueria food market on the the Ramblas where I have become addicted to Boquerones which are white anchovies in oil. Yum!
Tomorrow we head home after a wonderful trip and I really feel as though I've had a relaxing time as our tour group have been wonderful friends and so easy to look after.

Top 5 cleaning recipes

These are my top five cleaning recipes to keep you busy until next week's newsletter.

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
I rarely bother with a fabric softener, but both vinegar and washing soda are great. 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 it doesn't dissolve completely don't worry, just chuck it in, it will work fine.)
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.
Toilet bowl cleaner
• Throw 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar into the bowl and watch it explode. Leave for 10 minutes, then clean with a brush and flush. To finish, make a solution of 1 cup water to 30 drops tea-tree oil and spray all over the toilet, leaving it to sit there. Also spray on the outside of the toilet and give it a wipe with a damp cloth as bacteria lurk around there.
Shower cleaner
• Mix together in a 1 litre spray bottle 500 ml water and 500 ml white vinegar. Spray on shower doors or anywhere there is soap scum and leave for five minutes, then wipe off. If there is a lot of build-up you can use straight vinegar combined with a lot of scrubbing with a steel wool pad.

Ridiculously Easy Lime Water

This is a great recipe I shared with my newsletter readers in April, 2011. This tastes a lot like the flavoured waters you can buy and really quenches your thirst. I had forgotten how lovely this is and encourage you to make some.
If you're cutting down on sugar, try substituting it with glucose syrup or powder which metabolises better in your body than sugar. You may need more than 4 tsp of glucose powder - just taste and adjust accordingly.
Scroll down to Recipe of the Week to see the recipe.

Baking Soda - 30% off this week only.

Where would we be without a big tub of baking soda? I dip into mine all the time whether it's just to provide an extra scrub on a sink bench, make up my spray cleaner on the run, clean the bathroom or throw down the toilet with a little vinegar to give it a good clean.
These tubs are so handy to have around and the baking soda is the best I can find. It's premium quality food grade and it is the one I use in all my cleaning products so you know that it will work. We've put it on special this week for just $10.50 for 1kg so stock up while you can.
Here are just 15 things to do with your tub of baking soda:
1. Make Toothpaste
Mix 2 Tbs baking soda mixed with a pinch of Stevia (a natural herb sweetener you can find at New World or Health stores) and 5 drops lemon essential oil. Shake well and dip you wet toothbrush into it. You can also try substituting the lemon oil for peppermint essential oil or 1/4 tsp cinnamon which is great for getting rid of garlic breath!
2. Freshen Your Mouth
Put one teaspoon in half a glass of water, swish, spit and rinse. Odors are neutralized, not just covered up.
3. Soak Retainers
Soak oral appliances, like retainers, mouthpieces and dentures, in a solution of 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a glass or small bowl of warm water. The baking soda loosens food particles and neutralizes odors to keep appliances fresh. You can also brush appliances clean using baking soda.
4. Use as a Facial Scrub and Body Exfoliant
Give yourself an invigorating facial and body scrub. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle circular motion to exfoliate the skin. Rinse clean. This is gentle enough for daily use. (
5. Skip Harsh Deodorant
Pat baking soda onto your underarms to neutralize body odor.
6. Use as an Antacid
Baking soda is a safe and effective antacid to relieve heartburn, sour stomach and/or acid indigestion. Mix a teaspoon in a small glass or warm water and swallow.
7. Treat Insect Bites & Itchy Skin
For insect bites, make a paste out of baking soda and water, and apply as a salve onto affected skin. To ease the itch, shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into damp skin after bath or shower.
8. Make a Hand Cleanser and Softener
Skip harsh soaps and gently scrub away ground-in dirt and neutralize odors on hands with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, or 3 parts baking soda to gentle liquid hand soap. Then rinse clean. You can try this honey and cornmeal scrub for hands too.
9. Help Your Hair

Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda into your palm and mix to a paste. Use this instead of shampoo to removed chemical residue left by commercial styling agents and shampoos. I do this once a month. Follow up with a rinse of 2 tbsp cider vinegar and a cup of warm water. Leave in the hair to soften.
10.Make a Bath Soak
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids on the skin and help wash away oil and perspiration, it also makes your skin feel very soft.
11.Clean Shower Curtains
Clean and deodorize your vinyl shower curtain by sprinkling baking soda directly on a clean damp sponge or brush. Scrub the shower curtain and rinse clean. Hang it up to dry.
12. Soothe Your Feet
Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub of warm water and soak feet. Gently scrub. You can also make a spa soak for your feet.
13. Make a Surface Soft Scrub
For safe, effective cleaning of bathroom tubs, tile and sinks–even fiberglass and glossy tiles–sprinkle baking soda lightly on a clean damp sponge and scrub as usual. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. For extra cleaning power, make a paste with baking soda, course salt and liquid dish soap—let it sit then scour off.
14. Handwash Dishes and Pots & Pans
Add 2 heaping tablespoons baking soda (along with your regular dish detergent) to the dish water to help cut grease and foods left on dishes, pots and pans. For cooked-on foods, let them soak in the baking soda and detergent with water first, then use dry baking soda on a clean damp sponge or cloth as a scratchless scouring powder.
15. Freshen Sponges
Soak stale-smelling sponges in a strong baking soda solution to get rid of the mess (4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water).
To buy your $10.50 1kg tub of premium baking soda click here.

Don't forget to enter the WeWOOD watch giveaway!

We are now stocking WeWOOD earth friendly watches Designed in Florence, Italy, WeWOOD make a sophisticated, luxurious range of watches, designed to be 100% natural and free of artificial and toxic materials.

WeWOOD’ s unique philosophy of crafting beautiful timepieces from only sustainable or scrap wood has captured the attention of eco-friendly consumers around the world. This philosophy to not harm, but rather to improve our planet, has seen WeWOOD pledge to plant one tree for every watch sold - restoring nature, one watch at a time. Since 2011, WeWOOD has planted over 300,000 trees.

WeWOOD’s collection uses six types of wood sourced from around the world: African Blackwood, Verawood, Indian Rosewood, Maple, Tasmanian Blackwood and Teak. Care is taken to make sure that each type of wood chosen is durable, sturdy and looks great.

WeWOOD uses state-of-the-art Miyota movement parts in each watch’s instrumentation. The engineering is as meticulous as it would be with any high quality watch.

You can find out more about the WeWOOD range at www.we-wood.co.nz.

We have a WeWOOD Metis Black watch valued at $120 to giveaway to one lucky reader.

Simply send your name and address with "Win a WeWOOD watch" in the subject line to wewood@ecoguardian.co.nz. WeWOOD NZ will subscribe you to their fabulous mailing list, and we'll select a winner.

New Simple DIY Kit - just $80.

We've had another look at our DIY kit because we figure many of you already have bottles and equipment you need and you just want the basic ingredients to get started.
This kit will give you four 1kg tubs of premium baking soda, borax, oxygen bleach and soda ash, plus a 1 litre bottle of our double-strength white vinegar (you only need half as much) and a 236ml bottle of Dr Bronner's Mild castille soap. You'll also get 10 of my favourite recipes to get your started.
All you need to do then is get your favourite essential oils and you're away, making your own home-made all-natural cleaners.
Daniel's ordered plenty of stock so click here to buy one of these $80 kits for yourself, or maybe you'd like to encourage a friend into the art of making their own cleaners?
Click here to buy now.

Recipe of the Week

1/2 tsp citric acid
4 tsp sugar
Juice of one lime or lemon
Add these ingredients to 1 litre of ice cold water then slice up the squeezed lemon or lime and throw in as well. Great for the morning after the night before!