So, the other day, I woke up to find a line of ants marching along the back splash behind the kitchen sink! Yuck! Dearest husband jumps up to go get the ant killer. Me, being me, says hold up! Let me look up if there is something without all those chemicals that might get rid of them. So, I get online and look up all the information. Then, I get mixing and leave my concoction to steep while I give the kitchen a good clean.
This recipe has a number of strong smelling ingredients, so I used a direct jet nozzle setting, and left a stream of this repellent along the top of the back splash, around the window ledge and in the tiny hole we had seen them going. Guess what? It worked! Not a single ant come morning, and haven’t seen any in the last week. I’m pretty impressed!
What You Will Need:
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but any will work)
2 tbsp grain alcohol (I used rice wine, cheap vodka would work too)
Measure the water, vinegar and alcohol in the mason jar. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon, cut up the peel and add that too! Add the herbs, close tightly and give it a good shake! Shake it up every hour or so for about 12 hours. Thoroughly strain so you just have the liquid, discard the herbs, lemon peel and any particles left in the strainer. Put liquid in the spray bottle and spray anywhere in the home you see ants!
In my quest for safe alternatives for chemicals used around the home, and reducing our environmental footprint, I came up with this simple to make cleaner. I first came up with it just messing around with ideas and incorporating my spiritual path into daily living. Not having much luck in the past with homemade cleaning products, I wasn’t expecting too much from it, other than a nice smell to linger after cleaning with dish soap. Boy, was I wrong! As an experiment, I used it on the outside of the stove hood, which hadn’t had a proper clean in a year. To my surprise and astonishment, it made a difference! A couple more applications, letting it sit for just a few minutes each time, and it actually cut through and got rid of all the grease and dust that had accumulated, and it really didn’t take much elbow grease! Now I just give it a spritz and a wipe after cooking and it is shiny and clean.
Safe enough even for the little ones to help
Even though this is one tough cleaner, the ingredients are all natural and perfectly safe for little hands to help with the cleaning. The worst it will do is sting if it gets into an open cut or the eyes, due to the lemon juice and salt in it. As mentioned before, we follow a spiritual path that brings us close to nature, so I prefer to use nature itself in my products and recipes. I also associate with the energies all around us and the deity in all things. For this product, I use rain water that I collect and strain of any debris or dust particles from the air, and leave it out under the full moon to absorb the energy and blessings of the Goddess. The full moon is know for cleansing and protective energy, so this is ideal. For those who follow other paths or religions, or none at all, tap water will, of course, work perfectly well!
So, onto the recipe!
You will need:
Quart sized mason jar with lid
1 quart of water (see above)
1 lemon
1 tbsp dried sage (or a few dried sage leaves, lightly crushed)
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon oil
1/2 tsp lavender oil Spray bottle to put finished product in
How to make:
Start with the water in the mason jar. Cut the lemon in half and lightly squeeze into the water. You will want at least a tablespoon of lemon juice. Slice up the lemon peel and at that to the water, seeds and all. Add the salt, sage and essential oils and put the lid on. Give it a good shake! Leave it somewhere you pass by frequently, such as by the kitchen sink, and shake it up ever time you pass it. Leave it to infuse for about 24-48 hours, depending on how often you shake and how strong a sage scent you want.
Once ready, strain into a clean container. I like to strain two or three times through a strainer lined with paper napkins, although cheese cloth would be ideal, to ensure all the sage particles are gone. Pour into a spray bottle, colored glass is best to preserve the qualities of the oils. To use, just spray and wipe!
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hearth & home 