Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

Stocking Your Natural First Aid Kit for Summer

This week, Krissa Jeldy of More Than Mundane shares about natural first aid kits in Positively Real Media Network’s Raising Healthy Families in a Not-So-Healthy World series:   Summer is right around the corner and now is the perfect time to start planning and preparing your natural first aid kit for summer. Discover safe and effective ways to heal sunburn, relieve bug bites, and care for cuts and scrapes. Head on over to More Than Mundane to learn how to prepare a natural first aid ... Read more

Learning all about cloth diapers through ‘Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert’

When I was pregnant with my first child, I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers – but my husband and I didn’t want to use the old-fashioned flat diapers that required a pin and waterproof cover. I tried to do my own investigating – hours of it. And I found what kinds of diapers sounded like they would be a good match for our family: pocket diapers, which are a lot like disposables, only washable. I bought our stash of cloth diapers, yet never really understood many of the other kinds of cloth ... Read more

Make Your Own Sugar Scrub and Lotion

  Trying to think of a creative way to pamper your mom for Mother’s Day? Homemade Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub would be a treat! Krissa at More Than Mundane has shared the recipe to her fragrant gift idea.   If your mom could use a little moisturizing, try making Katie Mae’s Shea Butter Body Lotion from Nourishing Simplicity.   Or, you could try Debra’s DIY lotion bar from Sweet Kisses and Dirty Dishes. Talk back Have you tried making your own ... Read more

Make Your Own Deodorant

In February, when I wrote about deodorants and anti-perspirants (to refresh your memory, check out my posts What’s In Your Favorite Underarm Product? and What’s the Difference Between Deodorants and Anti-Perspirants?), many readers were wondering about effective homemade deodorizing options. Susie, a reader from Minnesota, wrote that she creates a deodorant paste by mixing even amounts of baking soda and arrowroot power, then adding a few drops of lavender essential oil and a little melted ... Read more

Make Your Own Body Wash and Anti-Bacterial Soap

Are you in the mood to whip up some soap? Don’t worry … you won’t have to deal with lye, or the lengthy process required when making bars of soap. Here are two easy DIY soap recipes: Adrienne from Whole New Mom shared a recipe for Invigorating Citrus Body Wash. And Sara from Your Thriving Family shared her family’s recipe for Naturally Anti-Bacterial Soap. Talk back Have you tried to make your own soap? What was the result? What recipe did you use? Please vote for me! I've been ... Read more

Go Play in the Dirt! It’s Good for Your Health

This week, Susan Vinskofski of learningandyearning shares about the benefits of playing in the dirt in Positively Real Media Network’s Raising Healthy Families in a Not-So-Healthy World series: Did you realize that our health is intimately connected to soil? It plays a role in our mental health as well. Read learningandyearning's Go Play in the Dirt! It's Good for your Health to learn more about a very special bacteria found in soil which boosts serotonin in our brains. The post has lots of ... Read more

11 Natural Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! I have eleven different ways to celebrate – and they all involve getting outside today: 1. Look at the clouds. 2. If it’s raining, don’t run from the raindrops. Feel how they can soak you. 3. If it’s sunny, give yourself a few minutes to bask in the sunlight. 4. Study a newly blooming spring flower. 5. As long as it’s not too cloudy, watch the sun rise or set. What colors do you see? 6. If you’re close to a body of water, stand on the shore. Listen and ... Read more

Natural Sources of Folic Acid

This week, Justyn Lang from Creative Christian Mama looks at a way to keep your family healthy in Positively Real Media Network’s Raising Healthy Families in a Not-So-Healthy World series: When a woman is pregnant or is trying to conceive, she is usually told to start taking a folic acid supplement to prevent birth defects. Did you know that this synthetic form of the vitamin folate has been shown in many studies to cause cancer? Please visit Justyn over at Creative Christian Mama to get the ... Read more

Naturally Remove Stains and Clogs with Unique Products

Sometimes homemade cleaning remedies just don’t work. In the past few years I’ve tried so hard to clean or fix problems around our home with as many non-commercial remedies as possible – yet I seem to get nowhere. For instance, I thought I could clean my toddler’s poop stain off of our carpet with baking soda and water. That was a huge disaster. (Weeks later I discovered my idea wasn’t completely unreasonable – I found a recipe that worked wonders.) I've gotten similar results when I try to ... Read more

The Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Bathroom Challenge

As we’ve talked about the danger of typical bathroom cleaners this week – as well as safe solutions – today’s Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Challenge shouldn’t come as a surprise. This week’s Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to learn more about the products you're using when you clean your bathroom. For starters, head to the Environmental Working Group’s Cleaning Guide. Look how your bathroom cleaners rate. Are you satisfied with the grades? Great. ... Read more

Making Your Own Safe Bathroom Cleaners

Since this post originally was written, I've revamped the way I clean my bathroom. It's safe, simple --- and I love it. I've detailed it in my post, How to Safely Clean Bathrooms. Even after searching for ways to naturally clean my home for years, I never heard of cleaning with citrus-infused vinegar until a couple weeks ago. Where has this homemade cleaning product been all of my life? In case you’re as clueless as I have been, here’s how you make it: According to Estelle, ... Read more

Discovering the Dangers of Bathroom Cleaners

Did you ever stop to think that a bathroom is one of the most polluted rooms in your home? And it’s not because of the bacteria. Bathrooms are easily filled with hazardous cleaning fumes. Even though most cleaning products for bathrooms should be used in well-ventilated spaces, most bathrooms are anything but well-ventilated. Bathroom cleaners are particularly dangerous because they contain extremely harsh chemicals that are able to kill living things, like mold. Yet the cleaners don’t ... Read more

.
.