Photo: Sophia El’Rae
This lemon cleaner recipe is courtesy of Laura Paulisich and Behzad Afshar-Naseri at ToxyFree in Stillwater. “We’ve made our own lemon cleaner for 15 years,” Paulisich says. The duo also shares recipes to make your own toothpowder and whitener.
All-Purpose Lemon Cleaner
- organic lemons, cut into pieces
- organic vinegar
- organic orange or lemon essential oils
- 2 glass qt. jars, with lids
Fill glass jars with cut lemon pieces. Pour vinegar over the lemons to fill the jars, leaving an inch of headspace. Close the jar; store it in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks. Then, pour the mixture through a strainer into a fresh glass jar, squeezing as much liquid as possible from the lemons. Add 20 drops each of orange and lemon essential oils to the jar. Cover, label and store until ready to use. To use, fill a glass spray bottle halfway with lemon cleaner, topping the bottle off with water. Use everywhere, and enjoy! For difficult areas, spray and let sit for 10–15 minutes before wiping clean.
Toothpowder
- 1 Tbsp. arrowroot
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 drops organic peppermint essential oil
- 2 drops organic clove bud essential oil
Mix in a mortar with a pestle for several minutes until the powder becomes silky smooth.
Whitener/Remineralizer
- 3 Tbsp. bentonite clay
- 3 Tbsp. organic turmeric
- 3 Tbsp. activated charcoal
- 3 tsp. Celtic sea salt
Pour in ingredients from darkest to lightest; mix until blended.
