Do it yourself and avoid waste

Today I will focus on oral hygiene and cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. When I buy toothpaste it almost always comes in a cardboard box as well as the tube, which annoys me. Why double the packaging costs and waste? And is it necessary to use plastic?

I produce a very practical salt for oral hygiene and put it in a used but well cleaned small jar that in this way is used again and doesn’t have to go to the bottle bank. Whatever container you use to store your dental salt in, it can always be reused.

Recipe for dental salt to replace toothpaste:

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of baking soda; being alkaline this neutralizes the acids that cause dental caries and thus gives the mouth a pleasant freshness;
½ tsp of turmeric powder. This has an antibacterial action;
3 teaspoons of xylitol. This has an antibacterial action and prevents cavities and bacterial plaque;
1 tablespoon of dried mint leaves. You can also use five drops of peppermint oil; this has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal effects and freshens your breath;
1 tablespoon of dried sage leaves; These are not only anti-inflammatory but also have an antiseptic effect.

Preparation:
put all the ingredients in a mortar and grind;
then put into a sterilised container with a lid.

Use:
moisten the toothbrush;
Put some dental salt onto the toothbrush with a small spatula or spoon and brush your teeth.
Dental salt is really good to take with you when travelling. Even on walks if the container is not glass, is lightweight and takes up little space.

Citrus Vinegar

There is, of course, in every home an empty bottle of window cleaner or degreaser, the kind of bottle with a spray top. This too can have a new life.
This vinegar is suitable for cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, and is really effective for cleaning limescale, leaving a pleasant citrus smell. A little may also be placed in the softener compartment of the washing machine, thus doing away with the need for softener. The same goes for the dishwasher rinse agent. Fill the respective machine compartment with this vinegar.
Make use of large, empty pickle or honey jars. Stop putting citrus peel in the compost. Put them straight in the jar with a lid. Of course you can also use jars for jams.

Ingredients:
citrus peel (lemon, lime, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, etc.);
vinegar or spirit vinegar (do not use vinegar essence);
a large glass bottle that can be tightly closed;
a spray bottle;
some dishwashing detergent.

Preparation:
pack the citrus peel tightly inside the glass container;
add vinegar to completely cover the peel;
close the bottle tightly and let it stand for 2 to 3 weeks;
check regularly that the vinegar is still covering the peel well and add more vinegar if necessary; the peel absorbs some of the vinegar and if the peel is not covered it can go mouldy;
after 2-3 weeks the vinegar will have darkened a little. Pass the liquid through a strainer;
put the liquid into the spray bottle;
add a little detergent so that the citrus vinegar adheres better to smooth surfaces. In this way the vinegar will lose tension and spread better.
Warning: This vinegar is not suitable for cleaning natural stone, silicone joints, rubber and linoleum flooring. Vinegar is too aggressive for these materials.
Silicone joints can be cleaned with citric acid or sodium bicarbonate.