Should We Peel Fruits & Veggies to Minimize Pesticide Exposure?

The best way to remove chemical residue from fruit has been found, and it’s peeling them. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst tested three different liquids to soak apples in for 12-15 minutes, the bleach solution that farmers dunk fruit in after harvest, a liquid slurry of baking soda, and plain old tap water. The baking soda was the best option for receiving surface pesticides. Even though the baking soda was effective, researchers concluded that peeling is the best way to avoid fungicides and pesticides as it’s the only way to remove some of the chemicals the fruit absorbs.

Things to Be Concerned About

Twenty percent of the fungicides and four percent of the pesticides scientists treated the apples with soaked into the flesh of the apple, and the only way to remove that is to peel it. For this experiment, the apples were soaked in fungicide for 24 hours. This is not a faithful recreation of conventional apple growing practices, and it’s likely that real-world apples have absorbed even more fungicide than those used in the experiment.

Of the three solutions, the one used by the agricultural industry is unlikely to have any effect at all. The positive baking soda results took 12-15 minutes to manifest. Apples are washed in a Clorox bleach solution for 2 minutes post-harvest, but researchers found that it did not effectively remove any pesticides. Organic produce can also use pesticides, and there’s no way to truly eliminate them, nor do standard industry practices suggest that considering consumer health is a priority.

Take it Off…

The solution offered again and again? Peel your fruits and vegetables! But this is problematic from a health viewpoint. That’s where a lot of the nutrients are, including much of the all-important fiber. Fiber is a critical component in fruit, as it’s the fiber that slows down the body’s absorption of the fruit’s natural sugars.

Fiber is not the only nutrient you reduce when the apple is peeled. A peeled apple has less potassium and vitamin C. It’s also missing compounds called triterpenoids that kill cancer cells and prevent the new cancer cells from growing. The peel also includes antioxidants that help prevent the oxidation of polyunsaturated fats.

Most Options Are Not Great Options

Don’t want any agricultural chemicals on your food? Only buy organic…but even that isn’t a failsafe. Organic food is still sprayed with approved pesticides, and our environment is so saturated with glyphosate that the likelihood of your organic apple coming into contact with it is quite good. Other solutions take away as much as the help. Peeling can eliminate a greater amount of pesticides, but it comes at the expense of health benefits. Safe food options are disappearing. Are we worried yet?

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The Most Effective And Eco-Friendly Way To Clean Your Oven

Cleaning your oven with baking soda and vinegar will leave it sparkling clean and shiny, without you having to rely on dangerous chemicals. It is easy and very effective! All you will need is baking soda and white vinegar, some spare time, and a few home cleaning tools to do the job. Follow this step-by-step guide:

  • Remove the interior items. Before you proceed with actual cleaning, you will need to remove oven racks, thermometer, pizza stone, etc.  Clean each of these as it is likely they have accumulated a lot of spills, too.
  • Prepare your solution. You are going to need half a cup of baking soda and some water to create a paste-like mix. The goal is to add enough water to turn the soda into a spreadable paste that you are going to use instead of the usual commercial cleaning products.
  • Coat the oven interior with the paste. Don some gloves and spread the baking soda/water paste on the interior of your oven. Try to be as thorough as possible, and don’t forget to coat the oven door as well.
  • Let the paste sit overnight. Now that you have coated the oven interior, it is time to let the baking soda do its job. Let it sit overnight before you proceed with further cleaning.
  • Wipe the baking soda paste. Now that the solution has had enough time to do its job, you must wipe it from the interior of your oven. Use a damp cloth for the job. Start with the door, as you might want to lean inside to get to the interior areas. Use a spatula to gently pick off baking soda that is hard to remove with the cloth.
  • Spray with vinegar. After you have cleaned most of the baking soda, continue by spraying the interior with white vinegar. This will react with the leftover soda, making it easy to remove. Additionally, it will further sanitise your oven.
  • Take your time to enjoy a restored oven. After you wipe the vinegar, you will notice the brand new shine of your oven.

For more eco-friendly cleaning methods be sure to check out the Tidy Up Blog.

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How to Use Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Your Home

When it comes to cleaning your home, how do you choose products? Marketing companies try to convince us that scrubbing bubbles or a bald genie will do all the work. These advertisements may entice much of the population to purchase these products, but chances are most of us choose cleaning products by habit. Many of us probably use buy the same household cleaners our parents used.

The problem is, these conventional cleaners are made with chemicals. They pollute our water, they pollute our homes, and they pollute our bodies. We come in contact with these toxic chemicals through our skin and we breathe in the fumes, long after we have finished using them.

In this toxic world, we are exposed to so many chemicals, why would we want to go to the store, buy more chemical solutions, and expose ourselves to a daily dose for the sake of cleaning? Is a toxic home a clean home? No! Of course not!

It’s time we skip a generation or two and learn how to clean from our grandparents or great grandparents. Two of their best-kept secrets were vinegar and baking soda.

Use Vinegar to Clean

Vinegar, plain white vinegar, is a great non-toxic cleaner. It removes odors and is great for lifting dirt. And don’t worry, the smell of vinegar does not last.

  • Add a cup of vinegar to a bucket of warm water to clean wood, linoleum, and tile floors. (Do NOT use on stone floors.)
  • Mix equal parts of vinegar to water in a spray bottle to clean mirrors, windows, countertops, refrigerators, walls, and more. (Do not use on granite or marble counters or tables.)
  • Mix with an equal amount of olive oil to use as a furniture polish and to remove glass rings from wooden furniture.
  • Freeze vinegar in an ice cube tray – use to clean disposals.
  • Use full strength to disinfect cutting boards.
  • Use full strength to clean mildew in showers or on patio furniture.
  • Add one cup of vinegar to final laundry rinse for soft soap-residue free laundry. (Use with Dr. Bronners liquid soap to wash your clothes. Works great!)
  • Soak rusted tools or nut and bolts in full strength vinegar for several days. Takes dried paint out of paintbrushes, too.
  • Remove glued on tags and stickers with full strength vinegar.
  • Add 1-2 cups to the bottom of the dishwasher to make dishes and glasses shine. (Use in a regular cycle along with your soap).
  • A mixture of 1 part vinegar, 1 part lemon juice, and 2 parts water was able to eliminate 99.9% of E.coli, Listeria and Staphylococcus bacteria from surfaces. The acidic nature of vinegar makes it a good disinfectant that is also effective against mold.
  • Equal parts salt, vinegar, and borax makes a great stain remover for carpets and fabrics.

Use Baking Soda to Clean and Remove Odors

Baking soda is also an excellent cleaner and odor remover.

  • Sprinkle baking soda on countertops, stovetops, or inside refrigerators. Scrub with a damp rag. Rinse with a clean wet rag.
  • Make a paste with water to clean ovens. Leave on overnight. Wipe out with clean wet rag the next day. You can also make a paste with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda for really stubborn caked on food.
  • Sprinkle baking soda in pans with burned on food. Add hot water and soak overnight.
  • Add to wash load – you can even replace half of your laundry soap with baking soda.
  • Make a paste with water to clean the bathroom sink, tub, tile, and toilet.
  • Sprinkle baking soda in trashcans before and after adding trash bags.
  • Sprinkle baking soda on the dog and brush.
  • Soak diapers in a solution of baking soda before washing to remove odors. (Great addition to diaper pails).
  • Sprinkle baking soda on carpets, let stand for 15-20 minutes and vacuum to remove odors.
  • Leave an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator.
  • Add to kitty litter to control odors.

Combine Baking Soda and Vinegar

It seems to be all the rage to combine these two wonderful cleaning products together, but basic chemistry puts a damper on this. One is an acid and one is a base, and the result when you mix the two is essentially water; they cancel each other out.

Have you used vinegar or baking soda in other ways to clean? If you have, please let us know.

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Baking Soda: A Lot More Than Just a Baking Staple

(NaturalNews – Danna Norek) Baking soda has long been heralded as a multipurpose wonder. Even with this sort of reputation, there are still several ways most people haven’t even thought of that it can be used as a natural and inexpensive alternative to so many of the necessities we rely on every day.

It is prudent to choose a brand of baking soda which states it is aluminum free. Some brands may be contaminated with aluminum. Although some have the opinion that it is only baking powder that contains aluminum (as a rising agent), it doesn’t hurt to play it 100 percent safe and choose a brand that asserts itself as free of this contaminant.

Mix baking soda with lemon juice as a natural gout remedy

Gout can be a painful and uncomfortable condition. Gout is caused when uric acid is overproduced by the body and builds up to high levels. It then is deposited into the joints, which causes painful swelling and inflammation. Mix roughly two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice with a teaspoon of baking soda for relief. It works by alkalinizing the urine and neutralizing uric acid.

Additionally, baking soda works as a general alkalinizing and pH balancing agent within the body. If the body is overly acidic, baking soda can actually provide a short term remedy to putting it back into an acid/alkaline balance. Health problems, disease and sickness typically abound when your body is overly acidic so it is important to keep it within a healthy pH range.

Of course you do have to be cognizant of the sodium content if you have any issues with high blood pressure. Usually a dosage of no more than a teaspoon at a time diluted in a glass of water is recommended.

As a natural cleaner

A mixture of lemon juice and baking soda also makes a wonderful semi-abrasive natural cleaner for surfaces such as bathroom and kitchen sinks, bathtubs and showers and other surfaces. The mixture of the two actually produces a bit of a fizz due to a natural chemical reaction. They also provide excellent natural antibacterial properties as well as serious cleaning capabilities.

As a natural itch remedy for bug bites and poison ivy

Baking soda may also be useful as an anti-itch remedy. Add just enough water to moisten the baking soda into a paste and rub on a bug bite, poison ivy, bee stings and even chicken pox to help with the itching.

Baking soda has the ability to absorb moisture and to draw toxins out of a bite or bump caused by an irritant under the surface. This can offer quick and effective relief when it comes to itching and the swelling that goes with it.

A natural yeast infection remedy

Women who suffer from yeast infections due to candida imbalances can use a baking soda douche to help kill the candida bacteria that causes the infection. It is also a natural remedy for itching, so you get not only an effective treatment for the infection itself but also treatment of the itching symptom.

Facial skin care uses

Baking soda makes a wonderful exfoliating scrub for the face and other parts of the body. It helps to smooth the skin and take the dead layers of skin off to reveal a fresher and more vibrant surface.

It also may be used in a paste to dab on acne. It acts as an antibacterial agent and helps to kill the bacteria that cause acne. It also helps to draw out excess oil and dry the acne out quicker while helping promote faster healing. It also may help with reducing redness.

Sources for the article include:

http://www.diet-for-gout.com
http://baking-soda.ezinemark.com
http://www.acnemagazine.com/good-natural-scrubs-for-acne-prone-skin/




Organic Cleaning Tips with Just 3 Natural Ingredients

We know how unhealthy chemical cleaning products like bleach can be, and the environmental damage they can cause when disposed of improperly. Do we really want to clean our own home with these chemicals, where they can get into the air we breathe, the food we eat, even the clothes we wear? Of course not. Believe it or not, it’s just as easy to clean our homes using three simple natural products: lemons, baking soda, and white distilled vinegar.

Not only are these three items a lot cheaper to buy and healthier to use, we can also avoid buying into the excessive packaging of chemical cleaning agents. Without consuming this stream of cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and plastic-wrap, you’ll reduce your household’s carbon footprint in an instant. While the Internet is awash with cleaning tips, read on to learn just some of the many ways we can clean our homes with lemons, vinegar, and baking soda.

Removing stains on fabric – Amazingly, these three ingredients can help us remove most of the stains on fabrics. If you have a stubborn stain on white cotton or linen, soak the stain in lemon juice, lay it under direct sunlight, and the stain should disappear. For other fabrics, soak the stained area in a water and vinegar solution, or mix a thick paste of baking soda, vinegar, and warm water and spread it on the stain. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes or even hours for maximum effectiveness. Afterwards, scrub and rinse. The stain or residue should be gone! Some synthetic fabrics like acetone can be damaged by vinegar, so use a paste of just baking soda and water in these cases.

Removing stuck-on residue from hard surfaces – That same paste of baking soda, vinegar, and warm water also treats stains and difficult residue on hard surfaces. Spread it on, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, and the stain or residue can be scrubbed away. Remember, vinegar should not be used on aluminium, cast iron, or waxed surfaces.

Getting rid of limescale – Similarly, the natural acids in vinegar are a great at dissolving limescale on surfaces which come into regular contact with water. Instead of using a chemical descaler, spray a solution of equal parts vinegar and water on your tiles and pipes. Let it soak, and scrub away the limescale. Boil the same solution in a kettle, and after soaking overnight and scrubbing with a clean toothbrush, your limescale should be gone. Or unscrew a clogged showerhead, and soak it overnight in a bowl or bag of the solution for the same results.

Disinfecting ovens, refrigerators, and hobs – Avoid commercial oven cleaners by mixing a solution of warm water, vinegar, and baking soda, with a few drops of lemon juice. Use this to scrub and wipe down your ovens, fridge and freezer interiors, and hobs. It’ll cut through the grease, disinfect the surface, and leave your kitchen smelling lemony-fresh. Again, for burnt-on residue, use the baking soda paste.

Cleaning drains and waste disposals – To clean out your sink, shower, and bathtub drains, pour down half a cup of baking soda, then follow with a cup of vinegar and plug the drain. Leave it for an hour, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain, and it should be clear! For your kitchen’s waste disposal, do the same, and then cut a lemon in half and send the two halves down the disposal for a final cleanse.

A natural air freshener – Baking soda easily combats odours, so to keep your fridge smelling fresh, leave an open dish of baking soda on the bottom shelf. You can do the same with microwave and conventional ovens, or microwave lemon wedges for 30 seconds to zap odours. If any garments or fabrics have developed a mildewy smell, soak them in a solution of water and vinegar. And to freshen your house in general, boil a pan of water with shaved pieces of lemon peel. Leave bowls of the lemony water in your rooms, and the air will smell a lot fresher!

These are just some of the countless ways we can do our household cleaning with these three easy ingredients. Say good-bye to buying chemical cleaners, and say hello to an organic, eco-friendly cleaning regime for your home.

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Uses for Baking Soda