Tag: non-toxic

10 All-Natural Homemade Cleaning Products

March 1st, 2012 · Bambino Steps (Kimberly) ·

Today is the launch of the Spring edition of Sparrow Magazine. Once again I am so honored to be a contributor to this stellar online publication. Please visit their space to read my article: All-Natural Homemade Cleaning Products, where I feature 10 green spring cleaning solutions:

Orange Salt Scrub
Lemon Lavender Wood & Leather Cleaner
Cloth Napkins
All-Purpose Antibacterial Cleaner
Natural Room Fresheners
Lavender Tea Tree After-Shower Spray
Unpaper Towels
De-cluttering Tips & Tricks
Homemade Laundry Powder
Wool Dryer Balls

Happy Reading & Green Spring Cleaning!

4. Live, Create, Love, Remember 9 comments - Tags: DIY, eco-friendly, featured, non-toxic, penny-pinching, spring, tutorials, winter

homemade laundry powder

January 30th, 2012 · Bambino Steps (Kimberly) ·

About a year ago I discovered this homemade laundry powder recipe from Soule Mama, and I’ve been using it ever since…mostly. When I first started making it, I grated the soap by hand, which I loathed. I began dreading the process whenever my batch ran out, and eventually went back to my favorite laundry soap, only occasionally making the powder. For Christmas this year, I gave away several dryer balls along with a jar of laundry powder to friends and family, and during the hand-grating process, I wised up and streamlined the process.

I only purchase Dr. Bronner’s soap when it’s on super sale, which is quite rare, so my preferred castile soap is Kirk’s, which I get for 99 cents a bar. I have also used Fels Naptha, but stopped after reading it contains icky petroleum.

First I cut each bar into more manageable chunks using the blade on our cheese board.

Then using the grating attachment on my food processor, I run each chunk through the machine. It easily fits 10 bars at a time.

Finally, I transfer the gratings to a large bowl, change to the standard “S” blade, and run the gratings through the machine again. In my experience, this is a must to ensure the soap fully dissolves in the wash.

Following the recipe, I mix the other ingredients in a large bowl (my sinuses prefer this done outside), and transfer to large jars, adding up to 50 drops of essential oil to each batch. So far, these are my favorite combinations:

Clove, Sweet Orange and Peppermint
Lemon & Lavender
Peppermint
Rose & Grapefruit

I use anywhere from 1/16 to a 1/4 cup per load, depending on load size, stains, etc.

Again, a quart jar of the laundry powder along with several wool dryer balls makes a fantastic gift.

Happy Laundering!

4. Live, 5. Give, Create 14 comments - Tags: DIY, eco-friendly, gift ideas, non-toxic, penny-pinching, reviews, tutorials, winter

wool dryer balls, two ways

January 16th, 2012 · Bambino Steps (Kimberly) ·

One of the items that I sold at the craft fair this year was wool dryer balls. They were a huge hit, and for good reason.

Wool dryer balls are non-toxic, making them a wonderful replacement to using dryer sheets, which contain all sorts of nasty chemicals and have a tendency to gum up the dryer screen over time, which may pose a fire hazard.
Not only that, but they also replace the need for fabric softener (which I’ve never actually used), and depending on how much and what brand you use, by replacing both conventional dryer sheets and fabric softener,
it can save you over $100 per year.
And because dryer balls can last for over seven years, it can save your family nearly a grand. That doesn’t even factor in the energy savings, which I assume is pretty huge.

I’ve been using six balls in my dryer lately I’ve noticed that it has cut down drying time significantly, kept the clothes wrinkle and static-free, and imparts a very light scent thanks to adding a few drops of essential oil to each ball. My favorite is a combo of rose, grapefruit and tea tree. To make these balls, I used this tutorial from The Sleepytime Gal which uses 100% wool yarn, which I made sure to get with 40-50% off coupons. Wool yarn is spendy.

For Christmas presents I gave away what dryer balls I had leftover from the craft fair along with homemade laundry powder, which was very well received. After Christmas I started working on wool dryer balls using an old wool cardigan and vest (a gift from Kendra), and one of my husbands old hats that I accidentally put in the dryer. I used this tutorial from Eco-Friendly Homemaking, but used the felting methods from the previous tutorial by first creating a “core,” felting it, wrapping strips of wool fabric around the ball and hand-stitching it as I went, until it reached the desired size. Then I felted the balls twice in a pair of old pantyhose.

I won’t lie. It required a lot of hand-stitching. I used 100% cotton thread because I wanted something that would shrink up with the wool, but I switched to regular thread when my spool ran out. I’ve had no issues so far.

I made eleven balls using this method, and it took me about three weeks of working on it in little bits here and there. It was actually really nice having an ongoing project, something to keep my hands busy, mostly during nap times. I allowed myself to watch movies while I stitched (something I never do during the day), and really enjoyed watching New York in the 50’s and Magic Trip on Netflix. Totally interesting watching those two films back-to-back. I can’t really recommend using one method over the other, but I will say that re-purposing old woolen items is not only eco-friendly, but free.

Happy Stitching!

1. Sew, 4. Live, 5. Give, Create 9 comments - Tags: DIY, eco-friendly, gift ideas, non-toxic, penny-pinching, sewing, tutorials, winter

gluten-free play dough recipe

December 7th, 2011 · Bambino Steps (Kimberly) ·

Last I blogged about homemade play dough, gluten was still a hot and heavy part of our diets. After my diagnosis (and coming to terms with the fact that my son also has trouble with gluten), I got rid of all the gluten in our home, and stopped making dough. In the back of my mind I kept a mental note to Google gluten-free play dough recipes. I mean, one had to exist, right? Right! I have no idea what took me so long to investigate.

I used this recipe, and had little issue with whipping up a fresh batch, only that I cooked it a bit too long which left it on the drier side.

I also finally got around to putting together a little play dough tool kit, an aspect of Meg’s post which I just adored. It’s been so fun to watch how my son uses the tools.

Just as before, we still use these fantastic containers,

which make clean-up and storage a snap.

I purchased the little suitcase at Michael’s on a super sale, and opening and closing it is half the fun of the whole activity.

Happy Playing!

Note: the craft fair, for all intents and purposes, was a success, and I loved my visitors! I most certainly had higher expectations than what was reasonable, and I may have 13 baby bibs still in my possession among, sigh, many other things. It was a learning experience, to say the least. Expect a giveaway in the near future!

5. Give, Create, Nurture 4 comments - Tags: autumn, baby, DIY, eco-friendly, gift ideas, kids, non-toxic, Paleo, penny-pinching, reviews, toddler

3 all-natural winter skin care recipes

December 1st, 2011 · Bambino Steps (Kimberly) ·

I am so pleased to announce that today is the launch of the winter edition of Sparrow Magazine. This edition features an article written by yours truly; I am so honored to be a contributor to this wonderful online community. Please pop over to their site to read my article: 3 All-Natural Winter Skin Care Recipes. I feature the following skin-soothing winter recipes: