Oven Cleaning Using The Simplest of Ingredients

I heard about using baking soda and vinegar to clean my dirty oven. I had my doubts. 

I rarely clean my oven (can’t say never, because in eight years, I have cleaned it once, maybe twice). If the stuff burnt on the bottom doesn’t catch fire, I can wait until later to clean it, right? Is it bad to admit that one of the two times that I cleaned my oven was because I did catch the baked on pot pie filling on fire?

My first time cleaning it was with that oven cleaner in a can. I hated every minute of it. My mind kept wandering to, “What am I breathing in?” I made the kids go outside while I sprayed it and it sat in the oven. The next time was much less traumatic. I felt so smart when I thought to use baking soda. This time I remembered to get the camera out to take before and after pictures! So proud of myself – nothing like an idea for a blog post to motivate me to stop procrastinating!

What you will need…

1 box of Baking Soda – I started ¾ of a box (the big box) and I still had some left when I was done. Remember, my oven was beyond gross so you might need as much.

2-3 cups Water – you can put it in a spray bottle or just sprinkle it from a measuring cup.

2-3 old wash cloths or rags & pail of water for clean up

Rubber gloves

Spray bottle

Optional – ½ to 1 cup Vinegar and scrubby cloth (i.e. non-scratch Scotch Brite)

Prep work needed

1-I took off my oven door and took out the heating element. OK, my husband did, but I was about to clean the oven (nowhere near my list of things that I want to do), a little help is acceptable.

2-Mix the vinegar & water together in a spray bottle and shake well.

Here is how it went…

Off came the door and out came the heating element. Not necessary, but makes it a bit easier. Out came the vacuum (shop vac suggested if you have one) to suck up all of the loose crunchy stuff. I did mention that my oven was filthy, right?

Spread enough heavy sprinkles of baking soda to cover the bottom and pay special attention to the crunchy black areas. Next came lots of spraying. I wanted to see the paste sitting at the bottom of the oven. At some point, I remembered the sides of the oven, so I sprayed them with the water and vinegar mix, then gently tossed some baking soda onto the sides. It was a little sloppy, but most of it stuck to the sides well enough to do the job.

Then I just let it sit. If your oven isn’t that dirty, you might just wait 30-45 minutes. Mine was bad and besides that we had plans that took us out of the house for the rest of the day. When I got home eight hours later, I sprayed a bit more of the vinegar and water mix to keep the baking soda moist. My hope was that it would continue its cleaning action while we slept.

Huge success! It was easy to wipe up and only a little elbow grease needed to get it sparkling! I had to scrub more the time I used the store bought cleaner in a can. I had easy and cheap supplies already on hand without fumes and it worked! All criteria for natural home cleaning solutions met!

Note to self for future oven cleaning – remember to clean the back wall of oven AND be careful not to push the connectors for the heating element into the hole at the back when wiping the back wall (oops).

For more home cleaning remedies, visit www.kristajean.com.

Healing your skin after a sunburn

Since the summer solstice is tomorrow, it’s time to celebrate the sun – on the longest day of the year it seems only fitting. Many of us need to be careful not to get too crispy from lots of fun in the sun.

Some basic facts:

-Most of us know from experience that a sunburn is red skin that is hot and usually painful to the touch.

-Sunburns are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation –aka sunlight.

-Sunburns can vary in severity. The top layers of the skin can be slightly pink or can suffer the damage of second & third degree burns.

-Tanning happens because exposure to some UV light triggers the skin cells to produce more melanin. Melanin is the dark color pigment in your epidermis that gives your skin its normal color. Production of more melanin darkens the skin and acts as a shield to the lower layers of skin. Genetics determine how much extra melanin can be produced, which explains why some of us are dark brown, others turn golden brown and others will only ever turn a crispy shade of red after time in the sun.

After a sunburn, the most important thing is usually minimizing the uncomfortable symptoms. Here are a few natural remedies and suggestions:

-Take a cool bath – a bath will help to cool the skin and lower the body’s temperature to give you a little relief. Avoid using wash cloths, bubble baths and perfumed body washes that will either irritate or dry out your already sensitive skin.

-Moisturize – use unscented, all natural products as much as possible. Consider raw or unrefined products such as jojoba oil and coconut oil. Apply these gently to slightly damp skin and let them absorb.

-Stay hydrated – drink lots of water. Stay away from flavored waters or sports drinks. Stick with room temperature water.

A great guide for determining the amount of water to drink every day is take your body weight and divide it in half, that is how many ounces of water you should drink a day. For example, a 200lb person should drink 100 oz of water a day.

-Wear loose fitting cotton clothes – these should not rub or chafe and will allow for airflow.

Over the years, I have developed an After Sun Spray to combat the ouch and the heat of a sunburn. The chemistry of the ingredients has also shown to aid the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

-A spray allows you to avoid touching or rubbing your already sensitive skin

-Aloe vera & Peppermint are cooling

-Lavender & Peppermint are analgesics (help reduce the pain)

-German Chamomile reduces inflammation

-Helichrysum helps the skin heal

All of these work together to soothe the skin allowing you to rest and heal.

*Be very cautious if you have blistering due to the burn.

The above should not replace the advice or treatment suggestions of your trusted medical professional. Seek help if you feel faint, have a racing heart rate or rapid breathing, if you are severely dehydrated (really thirsty, drinking, but not urine), nausea, fever, severe blisters/burns covering a significant portion of the body and and/or you feel that it is important that your burn be seen by a medical professional.

Other places to find recipes

www.aromaticsinternational.com

www.mountainroseherbs.com

RESOURCES

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sunburn/DS00964

http://douglasmckee.com/pdf/Vitamin%20D%20from%20Sunlight.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pill/S0190062281701038

For more fun natural remedies, visit www.kristajean.com.

Distracted by Herbs

I have always loved plants - watching my Gram garden, helping my mom plant flowers, trying to keep houseplants alive while living in apartments and finally planting my own garden. Now my herbs love their spots so the trick has now changed from how to keep them alive to how to use all of them.

Lots of sunlight and lots of rain means that my herbs are bursting at the seams. As much as I cook from scratch, this time of year we always have more than I can use. Then I am sad later when I need to buy dried herbs to supplement during slow growing times of the year.

While picking some herbs for dinner a couple of weeks ago, my mind was wandering (which it does often) from topic to topic. Topics such as: How to use the herbs -give them away to family and friends and How to have herbs all of the time -freeze them in olive oil cubes like I have seen on Pinterest or dry them.

As thoughts kept circling around, I remembered reading that herbs were hung in homes & castles as a way of freshening the air. Next came the image of herbs hanging in quaint European villages. Then it was a hmmm, let’s try something. Who cares that friends were on the way over for dinner and prep & cooking still needed to be done? I had a fun idea so I ran with it.

Friends arrived and we wandered back out to the garden to harvest some bunches. (Note to self, next time remember the scissors and a basket). Next I needed to round up some string and a place to hang them. Scored some string when I remembered about the kitchen twine used when we roast things, but I am sure other things around would have worked like yarn, ribbon or twine from hay bales.

I have seen herbs hung from rustic old boards and it looks awesome, but before I could go on the hunt for a board or a fallen tree branch, I realized that a curtain rod is perfect. This spot also happens to get some air flow when the AC turns on so it helped with the drying. And this spot just happens to be in the kitchen and looked great (almost like I planned it).

Took a week or so for everything to dry - the herbs will be crinkly when you touch them. Since I liked the way everything looked it was almost hard to take it down to chop everything up and store them away. Guess that means I just need to do another round. When I did chop everything up, the aroma was as strong as when they were fresh! I was so excited to cook with these ‘freshly dried’ herbs!!

Suggestions:

Pick herbs when they are dry, but not in the heat of the afternoon

Shake them out to detract any critters from coming in with them.

Sort through them to ensure that there are not any critters or dirt

Bunch them up and hang them

Once dry, remove the leaves from the stems and chop them into small pieces

Store in airtight containers (small herb jars are great)

Should keep 6 months to year depending on the herb and storage methods

Enjoy your herbs and your summer!

DIY Pampering for Dad

I don’t know about you, but the dad in our family usually gets the short end of the stick. We are into the summer schedule so the cool artwork projects from school don’t come home, and unless there is a new project around the house, no new tools are needed. What oh what do we do for this amazing man who hasn’t asked for anything (so no hints darn it)? He snuggles, wrestles, cooks, cleans and most importantly loves us no matter what!

With so many essential oils and various blends around the house over the years, I have learned that men appreciate them too! Only a few days away and here is an idea that should be easy to pull off with ingredients in your kitchen/bath or after a quick trip to the store.

Dad’s Foot Scrub

The dad in our house would never think to go get a pedicure, but he would really enjoy the benefits of one so I came up with this scrub recipe.

Supplies for the scrub:

-4 oz of course sea salt (found in bulk or in the same isle with iodized salt at the grocery store)

-2-4 oz of olive oil, sweet almond oil or jojoba oil

-Warm water (you can use a bucket or sit on the side of the tub)

-His favorite lotion

-Soft towels

-Optional – essential oils to add to the scrub are a great idea, but not necessary

Mix your oils and salt in a (plastic) container that can be sealed.

Add as much oils as needed to achieve the consistency that you want. Some like more salt and less oil and others prefer the opposite.

Stir everything together to combine it. This is the time to add the essential oils if you have them.

Now the trick is convincing your favorite dad to sit still long enough to be pampered. Work a palmful of oil & salt into the foot and rub, then gently rinse, dry and massage with your favorite lotion or oil (use what is left of the olive oil/sweet almond oil/jojoba).

You can deviate from the above and just make bath salts if you so choose.

Manly smelling essential oils include Balsam Copaiba, Cedarwood, Ho Wood, Juniper Berry, Patchouli and Vetiver as well as various pines and citrus oils.

A favorite masculine smelling bath salt combo of mine is

Large palm full of salts

2 drops Laurel Leaf

2 drops Frankincense

2 drops Juniper Berry

To learn more about essential oils, visit www.kristajean.com.

What is an Essential Oil?

I sometimes get a blank stare when I tell people that I create blends, clean and heal various injuries using essential oils. Many nod their heads and know the term essential oil, but a sentence or two into the conversation, it is clear most do not understand what they are.

What most people know about essential oils is that they smell good. That's a great place to start, but for something considered so "simple," I do not have a quick answer (when do I ever?). I was able to narrow down what essential oils are to a few key points though.

Essential oils are highly concentrated volatile chemical compounds found in various plant parts. Each essential oil is unique. They are not found in every plant, but hundreds of essential oils have been found in plants around the globe. Small sacs of essential oil are undetectable to the naked eye and are found in all types of plant material (each plant is different) including leaves, flowers, grasses, roots, rhizomes, resins and trunks.

Essential oils are not really oils. While they are not water soluble (hydrophobic), they do not have fatty acids so they are not like the vegetable or plant oils that we consider oil. If rubbed between the fingers, they will not feel slick or ‘oily.'

At a molecular level, essential oils are tiny (see pictures below). A plant's distinct aroma comes from the essential oils found within the plant. Each essential oil has its own unique composition of molecules and chemical components.

(Magnified photo of leaf surface taken from Secretory Structures of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, by Svoboda & Syred, 2000.)

When these small sacs are broken, the aroma is released. Try it yourself. The next time you are holding an herb, rub it between your fingers and smell. Even better, if you have access to a lavender field, run your hands over the plants as you walk through and take note of how the aroma intensifies.

Essential oils are described in Gabriel Mojay’s book Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit as “…the unique combination of the plant’s chemical constituents that determine both its synergy of therapeutic effects and its aroma. These can not be imitated by a chemical mixture that is produced in the laboratory.”   

The chemical structure and components of an essential oil dictate its therapeutic effects (antibacterial, antiseptic, analgesic, etc.). Essential oils were used first and foremost by the plants that created them to protect the plant from pests, other invasive plants, disease, fungi, to heal it and/or to attract pollinators. It's not surprising that after extracting them (usually using steam distillation), these same therapeutic or healing effects can be used by humans.

Recently, essential oils and aromatherapy have been getting a lot of attention.  Many are wondering if there is validity to the therapeutic claims or if the statements are part of a marketing ploy to capitalize on the swing toward ‘green’ and ‘sustainability.’ I think it is important to understand some of the basics. Knowledge is a powerful thing and at a minimum helps you be a wiser consumer.

Feel free to send any questions my way. You can reach me at http://www.kristajean.com/contact/. I'd also be happy to point you to other resources to answer your question(s).

Resources:

http://www.naha.org/

Davis, Patricia. Aromatherapy an A-Z. 3rd. London, UK: Vermilion, 2005. Print.

Keville, Kathi, and Mindy Green. Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Random House, 2009. Print.

Mojay, Gabriel. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1999. Print.

A Clear View Needed

Spring is here (it’s pretty much done in Florida though). The pollen coated everything including my screens and windows. I like clean windows so I try at least twice a year to clean all of the windows inside and out. The front and back doors are lucky to get more frequent attention, but the rest of them are easier to ignore.

Years ago, guilt about waste led me to trading in my wads of paper towels for old junk turned rag t-shirts. Now I can wash the inside and outside of all of our windows with two or three t-shirts that are then washed and put back under the kitchen sink for their next use. Before the shirts, a roll or more of paper towels would go in the trash.

My spray bottle started out with 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. Today it can vary a bit (mainly due to distractions while pouring) and I usually add 10-20 drops of a citrus oil that is near or past its expiration date. If I have to smell this stuff as I spray it, I want it smell better than just vinegar.

Try it and let me know what you think!

You will need:

20 oz Spray Bottle (size is up to you, this is just what I have)

10 oz tap water (distilled would be another good choice, but tap is free)

10 oz white vinegar

2-3 old t-shirts (100% cotton is best)

Optional items:

10-20 drops of a citrus essential oil

Stool/ladder

You will need to:

Mix the water, vinegar and oil(s) in your spray bottle and shake well. If you have added essential oils, shake often while using. Remember oil and water do not mix, so between uses, the oils will float to the top instead of mixing with the cleaning solution.