How To Clean Makeup Brushes A task often overlooked, cleaning your makeup brush is an easy way to promote healthy skin by keeping bacteria and dead skin cells at bay. This two-minute task is easy, and can even prolong the life of your makeup brush. Castile soap or organic baby shampoo Glass or small bowl Clean cloth or paper towel 1. Whether or not your brush looks clean, the bristles are porous and are more than likely harboring bacteria and oils that you won't want on your face. Before mixing the solution, wipe your brush off with a dry cloth. You'll be surprised how much makeup you can remove with this simple step. 2. Add a few drops of castile soap or baby shampoo to a bowl of warm water. I used Dr. Bronner's unscented baby-mild castile soap which is fragrance free and contains double the amount of olive oil, perfect for my sensitive skin. At this point you can also add hydrogen peroxide to the solution as an anti-bacterial. 3. Gently swish the brush around in the mixture.

You may allow the brush to sit in the solution for up to ten minutes. 4. Remove the brush from the solution and wipe down a clean rag to remove any excess moisture from the brush. 5. Reshape the brush and lay flat to dry. More great tips and tutorials: Cleaning BasicsMaybe you’re a clean-as-you-go type of home cook? Or, do you cook under the leave-the-mess-for-later philosophy? Either way, kitchens get dirty—and fast. Even if you’re meticulous about cleaning up after each meal—doing the dishes, wiping down the counters, scouring the pans—after a while your entire kitchen still needs a deep clean. Food and grease splatters manage to stick to the stovetop. Stray spills gook up the floors. And, do you ever find yourself wondering which condiment culprit leaked down the refrigerator door? As the place where you eat and prep your food, no one wants a dirty kitchen. So, why dirty it up with toxic cleaning products? Most conventional cleaners, from oven cleaner to all-purpose cleaners, contain a noxious mixture of harmful chemicals.

Many conventional cleaners even include ingredients banned in the European Union and other countries. From carcinogenic chemicals to asthma- and allergy-causing substances, the ingredients in those cleaners aren’t anything you want near the area where you chow down. Instead, clean your kitchen with ingredients that you’d eat! Can’t get safer than that. You can make most homemade cleaners with different mixtures of baking soda, vinegar, water, olive oil and lemon juice. If you add in non-food grade essential oils though, don’t be tempted to taste test your homemade cleaning supplies! These homemade cleaner recipes will get your kitchen looking good enough to eat in no time. The fridge is one of those neglected areas that doesn’t get a good clean too often. Before you give your fridge a good scrub down, turn it off. Or, turn the temperature all the way up to save energy while you clean. First, remove all of your food items. Chuck any smelly or expired foods.

Don’t forget to check your condiments’ expiration dates! Then, take out any pieces of the interior of the fridge that you can remove easily, like shelves. home air purifiers home depotScrub them down separately in the sink with a natural soap.air purifier pet hair dander To clean the rest of your fridge, use the following recipe:best air purifier for allergies and mold 2 cups hot water1 cup white vinegar10 drops of your favorite essential oil Combine the ingredients in a bucket or spray bottle. Use the mixture and a cloth to scrub the inside of your fridge. Replace all of your food and turn the temperature back down. Many conventional oven cleaners contain carcinogens and chemicals that lead to respiratory illnesses.

Plus, they make your food taste like Easy-Off for weeks. All you need to get your oven sparkling clean is baking soda, a scrub brush, a spray bottle full of water and our all-natural method. The kitchen sees a lot of foot traffic. Shoes and paws likely bring in all manner of germs and dirt on the trek for a snack. Spills and drips from who-knows-what also tend to accumulate on your floors. You likely want to disinfect, as well as remove dirt and stains. The vinegar and lemon juice in the following recipes will sanitize your floors and make them shine. Basic Floor CleanerYou can use this simple floor cleaner on sealed wood, tile, laminate and linoleum. 1 part hot water1 part white vinegar Wood Floor Cleaner and PolishIf you also want to give your floors a good polish, as well as a scrub, mop with this cleaner. 1 gallon hot water3/4 cup of olive oil1/2 cup lemon juice All you need to clean the surfaces of your kitchen is a good ol’ rag and this simple, but effective all-purpose cleaner.

Use it to scrub down countertops, appliances, tables, walls and the sink. 1 cup white vinegar?2 cups water?5 drops essential oil of your choice Mix all of the ingredients in a spray bottle, shake and get cleaning! Keep up with Kirsten on Twitter @kirsten_hudson, Google+ and Pinterest. Image adapted from It’s Great To Be HomeLavender Dry Shampoo Spray A homemade dry shampoo recipe that combines clarifying witch hazel and lavender essential oil to life debris and leave a clean, floral aroma. Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil Aura Cacia Amber Mist Bottle with Writable Label 1. In bottle, combine all ingredients. 2. Replace lid and shake until well blended. 2. To use, shake bottle and part dry hair in sections over scalp. Lightly mist each part to roots and allow to dry. Use a wooden comb or natural bristle hair brush to distribute throughout hair and brush clean.A common misconception when cleaning any kind of upholstery is that the more water used, the better the result.

This could not be further from the truth as more water doesn’t necessarily mean more effective stain removal. Moisture is extremely bad for the fabric, and can damage the fabric as well as leave the interior of the car with a dump or musty smell. Another point to note is to avoid getting water on any metal portion of the seat such as zippers. This can lead to rust, and more stains to deal with in the future. With these two important points in mind, below is how to use home remedies to clean your car upholstery. It is common for car upholstery to absorb stains and odors over time. Before starting any kind of cleaning on the car seats, the first step is to deal with the smell. Removing smells from car interior can be done in 5 easy steps: STEP 1: Fill two bowls with white vinegar. STEP 2: Place one bowl on the dashboard of the car and the other on the back seat the night before cleaning. STEP 3: Close all the windows and doors and leave the bowls over-night. The white vinegar should effectively absorb all the odors from the car.

STEP 4: Remove the bowls of vinegar in the morning and leave the car doors and windows open for as long as it   takes for the smell of vinegar to completely disappear. STEP 5 (optional): The last step is to vacuum clean your car upholstery thoroughly and take stock of the stains that need to be dealt with as the car is airing out. Before starting the stain removal process, you’ll need to prepare the following two homemade cleaning solutions: For the first part of the cleaning you’ll need: Mix together the baking soda and water and you’re ready for the second part. For the second part of the cleaning process you’ll need: Mix the warm water, the few squirts of dish detergent and the ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well and leave for 5 minutes to set. And now we’re ready to start cleaning the car upholstery: STEP 1: Use a toothbrush to gently apply the baking soda and water solution to any stains that you might have on the upholstery and leave the solution for 30 minutes to penetrate the stains (This is by the way a great cleaning procedure for stubborn stains including ketchup and coffee stains among others)

STEP 2: After the half hour, use a clean dry towel to blot the stains with the baking soda and water. Be careful to absorb as much liquid as possible before commencing the next step in the car upholstery cleaning process. STEP 3: Use the detergent, water and vinegar mixture to spray the upholstery starting with the front seats and working your way to the back. STEP 4: After spraying the seats, use a stiff-bristled brush to gently work in the solution. STEP 5: Leave the mixture to sit for 15 minutes on the seats, and then use dry towels to absorb excess moisture. STEP 6: The last step is to air out the car to get rid of any smells. You may want to leave all the car doors and windows open for the rest of the day or until all the cleaning smell is gone. Baby wipes: These work surprisingly well when cleaning car upholstery. You don’t necessarily need soap and water to clean your car seats. Baby wipes are a great alternative, and should get most stains out. They don’t contain abrasive chemicals, which is especially great for the environment and safe for people with small children and adults with sensitive skin or allergies.

Dry cleaning cloths: Dry cleaning cloths such as Dryel are also great for cleaning car upholstery. They are easily accessible, and are effective car upholstery cleaners. – An additional bonus for using Dryel or other brands of dry cleaning cloths is that they leave the car smelling great. Club Soda: Club soda is also another great stain remover worth considering. This works especially well for vomit stains on car upholstery. Club soda is cheap and easily accessible, and offers a thorough cleaning job at a fraction of the price. A mixture of baking soda and water also works great as an alternative for cleaning car upholstery and getting rid of stubborn stains. Clear ammonia: A mixture of clear ammonia and water can be used to brighten the color of the carpets. Over time, the color of the carpets may begin to fade. This mixture can help restore the color, and have the car carpets looking great even after many years of service. If you enjoyed our car upholstery cleaning guide, don’t forget to share it 🙂