Tags
antibacterial, child friendly, cleaning spray, eco friendly, environmentally friendly, gluten- free, green cleaning products, green living, herbalism, homemade, homemade.homemade cleaning spray., lemon, natural, natural cleaning spray, non toxic, rosemary, thyme, vegan, vegetarian, vinegar
So i’ve been spending a huge chunk my time learning about the wonderful world of Herbalism. A natural and symbiotic tangent to naturopathy and all the knowledge that fuels the cooking aspect of this blog. I’m about a year (and four thousand pounds- yikes) away from being able to study formally but this is in no way stopping me from studying, foraging and creating my own all- natural herbal medicines, teas, lotions and potions.*
You probably already know this but folks- herbs are the greatest thing in the world!!!
Anyway, i’ll leave my ode to the herb for another post but i will describe why this cleaning spray is super frickin’ awesome and why you should make it the next time you’re about to run out of your current one:
Its natural, so its totally safe to use all around your home. Especially swell for parents, carers and pet owners.
It helps you reduce your household waste by using ingredients and equipment you may (/do) throw away.
Its heaps cheaper than buying it from shops.
It ain’t gonna contribute to the pollution of the environment.
You can consume it!!!
Not that you would but you know, i might. I have this sneaking suspicion it would be awesome as a bitters in cocktails and even the magic ingredient in a marinade!
The base is vinegar- my long-term love of my life (again, another story for another time) which contains weak acetic acid which causes the death of harmful bacteria (sorry bacteria). It cuts through grease, grim, stains, moulds, mildew- all kinds of funky stuff that collects in our busy homes. The acid in Lemon works in many ways that vinegar does, plus they both neutralise odours which makes them super great for kitchens and bathrooms (you can even use this spray as a room spray!)
Thyme and Rosemary are super great friends for cleaning as they contain anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
If you have the monies i would recommend using the essential oils of these herbs but i don’t and the maceration time draws out enough of their goodness anyway so i stick to the fresh/ home- dried plants.
So here you are- make, clean, be merry!
(And if you try it in a cocktail please do let me know how it goes).
(Makes one large bottle)
- 1 cup clear distilled Vinegar (or Cider Vinegar if you got dem fancy pants)
- 1 cup Water
- rinds of 2 Lemons (or however many/ little you have)
- couple of sprigs of Thyme and Rosemary
- large glass jar
- empty spray bottle
- Add the vinegar, lemons and herbs to your jar, mix well and seal/ close
- Leave somewhere dark and shake once a day for 7-10 days
- Strain the liquid through a sieve, squeezing as much from the solids as possible
- Add the water, mix well and transfer to your spray bottle.
*I do have to reinforce that i am not a qualified herbalist, i am only conveying what works for me. Please be careful and make sure ya’ll ain’t allergic to any ingredients.
Green & Leithy 