THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING

Its time to celebrate. A year ago I launched Sebon Organics. Some of you may remember that this is not my first time around trying to bring these great products to you and the problems I faced?

All companies struggle in their start-up and I am sure that the parents of these companies are as proud of what they accomplished as I am. I only hope that they have not had to face many of the problems and situations as I have. Problems that would make a great crime novel or who done it in some instances.

I have always had a dream to make my own products. A dream that started out as a young  fourteen year old apprentice sweeping floors in a small salon in a rural  market town in England. I created one of the first true organic salon in the U.S.A at a time when it was not the cool thing to do and people did not yet understand the problems chemicals and their effects in beauty products.


When I eventually settled on formulas (Ten Years in the making) that met all of my requirements, healthy, usable and chemical free I did not intend to make them for financial wealth, quite the opposite in truth. I made them to create awareness and hoped and still hope to make a difference in an industry that has been a major influence in my life and helped mold me in to who I have become today.

I originally started Sebon Organics under another name, I was naive and eager and unprepared for what what was to come. I don't want to go in to details, lets just say that my investor was a wolf in sheep's clothing who bullied, coerced and tried their hardest to take my dream of beauty away from me. My past investors have had me falsely imprisoned on a paid warrant, dog-napped my pet, ruined my name as best as they could. I have gone hungry  to buy ingredients and have I been scared out of my mind with worry at times, yes sadly I have. I have had days that have made me question what is it all for but I carry on and fight for what I believe in. I do however take satisfaction that I am fighting to keep my dream alive regardless of the challenges I have been given. 

My company is small, I have been told told that we are to small to buy from by a couple of online organic product retailers who sadly buy from companies who's ingredient lists are not health conscious in my opinion. I can manufacture 2000 finished bottles a day no small feet if you have tried your hand at soap making. I have worries as I have already said, I worry that I do not have the money to buy my raw ingredients and hope for the next sale to be larger than the last so I can put that money right back in to creating something worth while.

My passion to make a difference has altered my life in ways that looking in you would probably think me insane for carrying on. I do because you and your family are on my mind, I want a healthy cancer free life for you and all those still not aware of the harm Chemicals can cause us.

We made it to our first year in business against many obstacles for that I am very happy. Thank you all for believing and helping make my dreams come true and just so you know that the next time you place your order there is a guy doing the happy dance thanking you.

Thank you

Brand Loyalty

It’s been a while since I last posted a blog. Sorry to those who wrote in asking about it and for not delivering this any sooner. Like any new parent and a single one at that, Sebon, my baby is going through the expected stages of any new company.  Sleepless nights are many and already showing signs of teething troubles, nothing to major thankfully but enough to jolt me awake from a deep sleep and forcing me out of bed to make notes or reassure myself on something I may or may not have done.

What instigated my entry was a brief exchange of emails between one of my loyal customers. I had contacted her asking if I could send my newly purchased pump tops in exchange for the caps that she had received in a previous order. At the time of the order I honestly did not have the money to get the pumps I wanted and made do with what I had at hand. I was already aware of the problems and annoyance they had caused customers who although very happy with my product actually wrote in saying that they did not want to miss one drop. Those who know me intimately know how frugal I am, I did not want them to miss any of its goodness either. 

Within the email exchange my loyal client told me that all of her clients were falling in love with Sebon. This made me think for a moment. You see, Sebon customers are not like regular customers, they are aware of the harm chemicals cause in major brand products. They are environmentally conscious, and are owners of organic salons who in turn have clients who are equally as savvy. 

The reason I paused for thought mid email exchange was this. 

It is not my product they fall in love with, it's because of my loyal client that they love because of the passion they possess . Sebon is in line with what they believe in and thankfully Sebon’s product is strong enough to carry that belief home with their salon guests. 

I know I have a great product, my marketing director actually sat me down one day just to make sure that I was aware of how good my product is and if I was aware of its potential. Yes and more so every day as my client loyalty base grows, thank you good people. I truly made these products not for wealth but for awareness! 

In the past few days of my writing this blog there has been a lot of stir in the media with headlines about Johnson & Johnson “announcing a groundbreaking new initiative to reformulate many of its personal care products, including baby shampoos and lotions, to remove chemicals of concern to consumers.” 

Environmental Working Group, EWG for short, is said to applaud J&J  for being a pioneer among the major personal care product companies and taking these bold steps to put their customers’ health first. Give me a frekin break I thought as I read these headlines, with all their money and power  J&J could probably do a lot better than saying they are going to make changes to their formula by 2015. 

Then I had another thought, what do their loyal customers think of this, are they as fastidious as my tiny group of followers? Do they care about the chemicals absorbing in to their blood stream or do they think it a load of horse crap when they are told about the harm it is causing to their health and our Eco system? J&J’s fan base must love the brand because this megalodon of a company have the monopoly in the beauty and care market. Will they be upset about the formula change? Will the prices stay the same are they asking each other?

I do want to thank EWG and Ken Cook for forcing this change and creating awareness, I would like to meet him and shake his hand. 

I however do worry how far they will go, after all EWG’s website is the place to go to look up ingredients, I have many times. In my personal opinion they don’t make fair claims with their ratings system and lack scientific study. They do rely on your funding to give your voice in congress. Just saying!

What am I afraid of?

 I am afraid that they will side with large companies like Johnson and Johnson who may flex their own political power leaving small companies like Sebon who are true innovators left out in the cold because we don’t have the funding to stand up for ourselves. Will they make regulations making it almost impossible for small companies to meet “Gove mental” standards?  Prove me wrong please Mr. Cook!

Look after the small companies too, we may have a winning formulation that sets new standards for the beauty industry and in turn making a difference to brand loyal followers lives!

PRESERVATIVES

While reforming my company into what is now Sebon Organics, I received quite a number of calls from salons and home formulators wanting to replicate my products. Many of the calls and emails  that came in were about their struggle to meet the standard and requirements that I use when formulating. Maybe I should have been a little miffed that they were trying to replicate something that has taken me several years to perfect. The fact that they want to make a difference to beauty products without harsh chemicals is enough for me to give them a shove in the right direction, so I did, naturally.

I actually combine several techniques and ingredients to preserve my products safely and I will add them in to a blog at a later date. One thing I want to make a point about. We buy food fresh so why not products we use frequently?  Sebon Organics products use less than 2% preservative in our formulations compared to over 7% by 99.9% of manufacturers. That is why we add a use by date, we keep it fresh!

Preservatives, by their very nature, are designed to kill things, specifically they work by killing cells and preventing them from multiplying and are intended to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in commercial cosmetic products – mainly Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherechia coli, Aspergillus niger and Stephylococcus aureus – which could potentially cause serious infections on the skin and in the body. The names alone makes my skin crawl.

Bacteria and fungi can get into cosmetics and body care products in several ways.

It would be easy for a formulators like myself to point a finger of blame at consumers for introducing microbes into a product with use – for instance from dipping unwashed hands into tubs, leaving tops off, diluting with water, storing in a moist warm bathroom and buying large, wide-mouth containers that the entire family can and does use. However, a significant amount of contamination actually occurs during manufacture – a problem that should be, but is rarely, addressed at the factory floor level by simply adding more chemicals to the finished product. A small manufacturer like myself has more control of contaminants, if we are aware of methods to take to control our environment selectively.

No preservative will prevent contaminants from getting into your product – their purpose is simply to keep their growth in the product to a minimum.

Widespread concern about the use of cosmetic preservatives stems from the fact that human skin is comprised of living cells and so preservatives, even if they are used in small quantities, present a risk to the integrity of the skin and, should they be absorbed into the bloodstream, to the rest of the body. For this reason most cosmetic preservatives generally have restrictions on their use – usually limiting them to a small percentage of the total formula.

For cosmetic formulators identifying and using effective preservatives is complicated because, in order to be considered effective, a preservative has to fulfill several criteria. It must be:

•  Effective across a wide range of microbes

•  Long lasting –  it continues to keep the product free from contaminants for the life of the product

•  Rapid acting at the first sign of contamination

•  Non-sensitizing

•  Non-toxic and non-irritating

•  Compatible with the other ingredients in the mix

•  Stable – not break down during storage, stays active in a wide pH range

•  Inactive, except as an antimicrobial – ie not interact with other ingredients

•  Soluble – mix well with whatever base (water or oil) it is in

•  Acceptable in odor and color

•  Cost effective

No single preservative, synthetic or natural, fulfill all these criteria, which is one reason why manufacturers often use mixtures of several different preservatives in a single product. Another reason is solubility; some preservatives are water-soluble and some are oil soluble – in a water-oil emulsion such as a hand lotion formulators need to use both types.

All the most commonly used preservatives can cause dermatitis and other skin reactions; some carry larger risks. For instance, the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetics belong to a family known as Parabens. In the lab these substances act like estrogens. Traces of parabens have also been found in breast tumor samples, suggesting that they may have an estrogenic effect in the body as well.

Other commonly used cosmetic preservatives include Kathon CG (a mixture of methylisochlorothiazolinone and methylchlorothiazolinone – a neurotoxin and potential carcinogen) and the preservative DMDM hydantoin and quaternium 15 (formaldehyde formers, thus potential carcinogens). Mercury-based preservatives such as thimerosal are sometimes used in eye makeup and eye makeup remover. They are neurotoxic and can damage the eyes with long-term exposure.

Preservatives that end in EDTA (e.g. disodium EDTA) can irritate skin and mucous membranes and they are bad for the environment. EDTA preservatives don’t readily biodegrade and bind with heavy metals in the water supply, causing them to reenter the food chain.

While the idea of a preservative-free cosmetic sounds good, it may be a misnomer. All commercial products require some degree of preservation and while products based on botanical's, for instance, some may claim to be preservative-free, this is often because the active plant ingredients also function as preservatives.

Because there are few profits to be made from truly natural preservatives, many companies are formulating patented blends of ‘natural’ preservatives, which they market as natural preservative ‘systems’. Some are more natural than others and it’s always worth checking what’s in the ‘system’ before accepting that it is natural.

With natural preservatives such as essential oils, herbal and fruit extracts, sugars and even grains, the shelf life of the product may be shorter and the overall package may need to be smaller. However, the tradeoff is better skin health in the short-term and better overall health over the longer term.

Reduce your exposure to potentially toxic preservatives by buying plant-based products in smaller containers. Products that are hermetically sealed or provide a metered-dose (ie pumps and squeeze tops), allow fewer contaminants in during storage and use so require fewer preservatives. Likewise collapsible tubes discourage contamination, which is why they are so widely used in pharmaceuticals. Tubes made from aluminum have a preservative effect and they are recyclable.

Take action

1. Go into your bathroom and look at the labels of your favorite products. Do any of them contain the following preservatives?

Benzoic acid
BHT (butylated hydroxytoulene)
Butylparaben
C12-15 alkyl benzoate
Diazolidinyl urea
Disodium EDTA
DMDM hydantoin
EDTA
Ethylparaben
Formaldehyde
Isobutylparaben
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Methylisothiazolinone
Methylparaben
Phenoxyethanol
Propylparaben
Quaternium 15
Salicylic acid
Sodium benzoate
Sorbic acid
Tetrasodium EDTA

IS MY FRIEND AN ENERGY DRINK MONSTER?

I have a friend who has recently turned 40 and has started to be more active with his running schedule and want’s to keep his energy level up. Every time I see him lately he is pounding an energy drink. On more than one occasion I have opened the passenger door to his car and have found myself picking up empty energy drink cans up off the street from them falling out. Is my friend an energy drink monster?

He is a busy guy, he works hard, and his wife is away on business most of the week and spends his free time running his son to soccer practice or another like-minded activity. Like most of us we are forced to try and squeeze more work hours, and more efficiency out of each day, all the while trying to maintain our exercise routine so we don’t croak before we see 50.

He dropped by my house recently energy drink in hand, I had just made a pot of coffee and offered him one, its good coffee too and comes from my friends organic coffee plantation in Hawaii. He declined saying he would stick to his canned drink, I jokingly said, "that stuff will kill you." He did not stay long and was soon on his way fueled up and ready for a ten mile run. As he left I had this vision of him driving at a 100mph, sweaty palms gripping the steering wheel racing to his next destination like some hopped up meth head as his energy drink and anxiety ruled his actions.

My friend, lets call him "Reckless Dan" got me thinking, are energy drinks bad for us? It’s a big business, $9 billion to be exact.The industry leads us to believe that by drinking these energy drink elixirs you will be given the ability to maintain your focus and be able to increase your productivity or your sports performance by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the energy drink industry for the most part is fueled by capitalism and not by your health, big surprise!

For those of you who are hammering energy drinks like Reckless Dan, really take a step back and think about what you are putting into your body on a daily basis, these drinks could be potentially causing you long term health issues. You are wreaking havoc on your blood sugar levels, I found by researching that causing an unbalance with your sugar intake leads to long term side effects associated with Aspartame.  Aspartame hides behind big name companies such as NutraSweet and Equal and is probably the most harmful substance added to food on the market today.

There are over 92 health side effects linked to aspartame ranging from eye problems such as blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound, headaches, migraines and (some severe) dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, severe drowsiness and sleepiness, irritability ,aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia. I have to stop this list here its giving me anxiety!

So, as you reach for your low cal, artificially sweetened drinks ask yourself if energy drinks are really the answer for all your productivity needs. If you suffer with an anxiety disorder, these drinks are not what you need and if you are not aware anxiety affects everyone around you. Please read my blog on this topic, it may help you.

Now that I have become aware of the effects of energy drinks, sugar additives on our health let’s find an alternative for your pre workout, long day at the office drink.

This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 small gingko or ginseng tea bags
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 large or 2 small herbal tea bags

Directions

In a medium pitcher, brew all the tea bags in 1 quart of water. Add the lemon juice to a large pitcher. Add the sugar and the remaining water and mix well. Pour the tea into the lemonade mix and stir. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Hand Soap or Sanitizer

 I am not very good at touching anything in places where there are high volumes of people, grocery store baskets, hand rails, crosswalk buttons and most of all door handles. I am like a contortionist when it comes to using a public door handle, feet, elbows, they all come into play as I try to work my way around them. 

This winter has been particularly mild where I live in Georgia and spring is in the air, we are however still in cold and flu season, so keeping your hands clean is as important as ever. Hand sanitizers and wipes are a very popular way keep those germs at bay…or are they?

Hand Sanitizers

Formulas for hand sanitizers are very basic and so are the ingredients that go in to them. Most hand sanitizers are simply alcohol thickened to a gelatin with color and fragrance added to make them more appealing to the consumer. Some formulas contain a moisturizing agent, which can help a little but in truth are not effective. They are there to rebalance what the alcohol is doing and no the alcohol is not what you would order from your local pub, it is generally ethanol or isopropanol. Some of the better formulas contain vitamins and extracts, the amounts are so small I think that they are ineffective and are there for the “show” factor. 

So how do they work? When you work them in to your hand ‘most’ of the living bacteria are killed, the alcohol bursts the cell wall and the organelles leak out. If you notice advertisements for hand soap they will say “kills 99% of germs” have you wondered what that 1% is doing? That one percent’s spore is immune to alcohol and is a trouble maker that encourages its buddies to unite and that is when the bacteria starts its cycle all over again as soon as you touch something else. 

Do they work? 

Yes, they work like the label claims they will, although there testing is done in a lab and not in human conditions on human skin. Soap and hot water is more effective because it removes all the microbes present. Another added bonus are non-microbial chemicals are removed and that’s a good thing because they can make you equally as sick. I see people obsessed with the pump bottle sanitizers, overuse generally results in drying out the skin and creating very small cracks, a haven for bacteria to nestle. 

Bottom Line

Hand sanitizers are a good option in a pinch or when that nasty public water closet is inevitably out of soap! However, you can't beat good old-fashioned soap and water in the battle to fight disease-causing germs.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer recipe

• 1/4 c. aloe Vera gel (as pure as you can get)
• 3/4 c. rubbing alcohol (at least 91%)
• 1/8 c. vegetable glycerin (optional) (if omitted, use an extra 1/8 c. aloe Vera gel)
• 10 drops essential oil

Pour everything into your food processor or blender and let it go on high for a minute or two. Bottle and use as you would any hand sanitizer. Keeps for 6 months or more.

Why use glycerin? I added glycerin to mix to add extra softening. 

Note: I have played around with this recipe quite a bit over the years, adding more glycerin will make your hands feel sticky. You do not have to use glycerin however.

Here’s a list of antibacterial and/or antiviral essential oils and how they can affect your mood/nerves with their fragrant action:

• Cinnamon: Reduces drowsiness, enhances concentration, may decrease headache pain – one of the most antiseptic essential oils out there.
• Lavender: Relaxes, rejuvenates, relieves headaches and migraine pains; a good choice if you’re going to use it on kids (over the age of 2), as it induces calmness
• Lemon: Rejuvenates, helps ease depression and sadness, energizes
• Peppermint: Calms frazzled nerves, energizes, improves mental clarity
• Tea Tree: Maybe not the best-smelling option, but it’s VERY antiseptic and antibacterial – use this if you care less about the smell and more about nuking the germs – but tea tree oil does promote calmness and mental alertness
• Rosemary: Extremely effective in helping with information retention, alertness, and memory
• Geranium: Milder, but the most floral of the bunch: Lifts moods, eases PMS, promotes relaxation (one of my personal favorites when I formulate).

How we can cope with stress

When stress has risen to a point that you feel that it is out of control and you are going to blow up inside. Those horrible things that cause stress can cause a lot of wear and tear on your body and mind. Bills, hidden fears, bad decisions, responsibilities, consequences, can bring an abundance of stress and we all have it in our lives.

I wrote on my facebook wall yesterday stating I was worried about a situation, a friend posted a reply, 'are you stressed' I honestly did not know how to reply because I am such a literal person, and yes stress is in my life, always has been, always will be. It's how I cope with it that makes a difference and the rebound effect has a significant effect on not just your friends and family but their friends also.

Life is too short to take everything personal, so why not move ahead and deal with the troubles by relaxing a little more. Friends are great and we need them so don't isolate yourself. If you have good friends they will recognize your problem, help if they can, and soothe you when they cannot.

How can we cope with stress?  A stress management system has to be put in to effect when you feel like you can’t take any more and you feel like your body is going to explode. Stress can lead to some major problems if we do not learn how to cope with it and manage our emotions. 

There are several ways to relieve stress; exercise is at the top of the list even if your body feels in a state of paralysis you have to move about and get those endorphins working. Music is a great stress reliever, meditation; self-talk, visual, contrasting and comparing can be a great way to find your own stress management system. 

It’s important that you find what works for you before you cause harm to yourself or to people around you by reason of reaction. A moment of out of control anxiety can have a lasting effect on us all. Take back control!

1.      Unfortunately, prescription drugs are usually offered as a remedy for such illnesses and they can be dangerous if used over a long period of time. The demand for alternative medicine has skyrocketed because many of them offer relief from symptoms without the side-effects linked to prescription drugs but natural remedies are not meant to be long-term treatments, although they can offer relief in the short-term. It is very important that you do your homework and research to increase your knowledge of any herb or vitamins to make sure it is the right thing for you to take. It is also a good idea to consult your family physician in order to ensure that the alternative treatment is safe for you.

2.       St. John's Wort is one of the most popular anti-anxiety herbs on the market. After taking St. John's Wort for as little as two weeks, you should notice a difference in your anxiety level. Valerian Root is another herb you might want to try. It is especially helpful in combating insomnia because of its sedative quality as it helps to lull the central nervous system to sleep. Vitamins can also provide an effective treatment for anxiety and B-complex can help produce neurochemicals, which in turn, assists in the synthesis of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Kava Kava is considered to be one of the strongest anti-anxiety remedies in the world. Another aid to combating anxiety is Passion Flower because it helps to calm the central nervous system, leading to feelings of peace. 

3.       Exercising should make you feel less anxious. Your muscles become less tense and you will be calm and relaxed after at least 30 minutes of your favorite type of exercise. 

4.      Insomnia is one of the most dangerous side-effects of stress. It can rob you of your energy, strength, and endurance. There are some steps you can take to improve your sleep. You can make sure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep by finding the most comfortable bedding available, decorating your room with soft, subtle colors, and eliminating clutter or other signs of work in progress. Try not to do work in bed and avoid watching TV. You want to try to eliminate stimulants from your sleeping area which could prevent you from falling asleep. If you like to read in bed, make sure that you read something light that will not engage your mind as you are trying to fall asleep.

5.       Enjoy your time by making a hobby out of it.

Above all find a way to love your life, it’s worth it!

Non-Toxic Cleaning

Today’s blog was inspired by my neighbor Shelby who has just stepped away from a large house cleaning company and setting a new and positive path of being her own boss.

Always wanting to encourage people to live healthy in all parts of their lives I asked if she was using environmentally safe Eco-friendly products and offered some tips on making her own if she was not.

Making your own cleaning kit is not hard, not to time consuming and is very cost effective, they also really work. They are better for your health, not just because of being chemical free; they are also good if you are susceptible to depression. 

Have you ever noticed spraying furniture polish and shortly afterwards noticing a change in your mood, or a slightly thick headed feeling. The petroleum distillates and solvents in commercial furniture polish are highly neurotoxic. Replacing commercial furniture polish with a homemade formula is at the top of the list of priorities for establishing a healthier home, along with oven cleaner and pesticides. 

Furniture Polish

1/4 cup vinegar plus a few drops of oil—makes for a much better wood cleaner and polish. The vinegar pulls the dirt out of the wood, and the few drops of oil lubricate the wood so that it doesn’t dry out. The best oils to use are the ones that have the longest shelf life; I like olive oil and always readily available in my kitchen.

I also like to use noncommercial linseed oil, mixing a little treacle to it can help the tone of the wood. More you use the darker the wood, add a little alcohol also makes it spread easily.

Window Cleaner
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set while you take on another task. You can easily wipe up the grease because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

All Purpose Spray Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Vinegar Deodorizer
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off. Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Mold and Mildew Cleaner
In my opinion nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used it successfully on moldy tents, a moldy shower curtain, and bathroom tile. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days. Tea Tree oil is a great astringent and antiseptic. The Australian army used to put it in their soldiers first aid kits.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. This makes two cups.

Creamy Soft Scrum

Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

Clear drains.

Pour ½ cup of baking soda down a clogged drain then follow with a ½ cup of vinegar. Cover the drain to keep fizzing action inside. After the fizzing subsides, follow with a liter or two of boiling water. For very clogged drains, you may need to follow the boiling water by “snaking” the drain with a piece of wire or a straightened wire hanger. If you don’t achieve success the first time, repeat the entire process.

Remove stains from clothing. Combine ½ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda and 3 cups water in a spray bottle for a pre-wash natural laundry stain remover. Spray the solution on stained clothing then wash as normal.