Cleaning without Chemicals
by Mary Lee
Founder and CEO Earth Tribe International
Natural, chemical free health, beauty and home care products.

If you check under your sink, chances are you have at least half a dozen products to clean your house. Most of those products probably contain harsh chemicals. Here are some tips I'd like to share with you on how to clean your house the natural way.    Use your kitchen to whip up a lot more than just food. You can make your own cleaning solutions, usually with as little as 2 or 3 ingredients. All you need to clean the counter is a spray bottle filled with water and ten drops of highly disinfectant lemon or orange oil. This combination is more effective then many household synthetics at cleaning and disinfecting germs and it's naturally antibacterial, anti yeast and viral. Just spray your countertops and wipe away germs.   To cut through grease and grim on the floor add apple cider vinegar to the mix, pour a 1/2 a cup of apple cider vinegar into a gallon of water with about 20 to 30 drops of an essential oil. This natural approach to cleaning becomes an extension to your life style.   In the garden instead of pesticides I use 10 drops of peppermint oil added to a pint of water. Spraying twice a week should keep most insects away without harming them or anyone else in your garden.     We should all be as concerned about what we're using for household cleaning and personal care products as what we're putting into our stomachs. Because of this I launched a line of natural, chemical free skin care and home care products called Earth Tribe. I wanted products I felt comfortable using around my twin sons because I just can not bear the thought of my babies inhaling chemicals or having toxic ingredients on their skin. You can use essential oils and water to clean toys and stuffed animals. My sons were the inspiration for a unique line of children's products called Tribe Kids. It includes Owie Juice for nicks and cuts, Lip Balm and Monster Mist: which is a little aromatherapy to keep the monsters away at night. The kids can spray it themselves to keep monsters at bay.