Living Well Naturally

Happy "Flowery" Friday Everyone!

2009-07-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

This flower display is just incredible to me. Close to a million begonias were used to create this 300 square metre carpet in Brussels. I'm not sure how many feet are in a metre, but metre or feet it's a whole lot of flowers. The pattern is based on a medieval carpet design. Isn't it gorgeous! Happy Friday everyone.

Crop fertilizer breeding super bugs?

2009-07-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Waste-water treatment by-products are often used as fertilizer. Whatever this sewage sludge contains, some very hazardous to humans and animals, could end up in our food supply. In a study, scientists have recently discovered antibiotic-resistant super bugs in this sewage sludge and are very concerned about the danger of antibiotic-resistance genes getting into the food chain.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a serious threat to human health and our pets. Resistant genes can pass from animals through the food chain and back to humans. Another study found that antibiotic resistant infections are rising and VRE infections (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) that make it into the bloodstream increase death rates, lengthen hospital stays and increase medical costs.

For more details on this topic and the studies conducted, read the article at http://www.naturalnews.com/026583_bacteria_infections_fertilizer.html

Cleaning your oven without chemicals

2009-07-05T20:04:00.002-04:00

If you have a self-cleaning oven, then you don't need to read this. But if you don't, you've probably resorted to using those foul smelling chemical oven cleaners.

There are safer alternatives. Many people report good results using baking soda and vinegar, as follows:

* Sprinkle baking soda onto the spill, then follow it with vinegar, let it bubble up and then wipe the area with a sponge or rag.

* Make a paste of baking soda and water, apply it to the spots and leave it on overnight. It works best to periodically moisten the spots.

I have used baking soda and water or vinegar, and it does work well on newer oven spills. But I recently tried them on an older oven mess that I had neglected, and had some trouble getting it off. So I tried my old standby, the "All Purpose Cleaner" made by Tropical Traditions that has worked on other greasy problems, and it worked beautifully with no elbow grease needed. I just sprayed it on and let it sit about 5 minutes, and it loosened up the old baked-on spills and splatters.

I don't believe I've covered this product in previous posts, and thought this was a good time to write about it. It's chemical-free, made from water, amino acids, minerals and other ingredients from green edible plants. We use it to clean the bathtub and shower, toilet, sinks, walls, floors, outdoor grill, and tar on the cars. It even took a stain out of our bathroom sink that bleach wouldn't touch. It's really great for cleaning a shower because you don't have to worry about being overcome by the fumes in a poorly ventilated space like with other bathroom cleaners. We discovered it while shopping online for our coconut oil, as it's manufactured by the same company.

I hope you find this information helpful to you for your cleaning needs.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

glitter-graphics.com