Kombucha! (Antibiotics Suck)

Over the summer, I had a bladder infection and had to take antibiotics. Not only did that severely mess with my monthly cycle, but it also left my stomach upset for over a month. Being unable to consume dairy products (and thus take advantage of all those fabulous probiotic cultures, I started looking to other […]


Homemade Carpet Cleaning Solution

It was with disgust one day that we found our cat had been peeing on a specific area of carpet. Carpets are hard to clean, and even harder if the urine gets into the padding underneath. Luckily, I had made a pet stain remover already, but we felt it was time to clean the whole […]


The Struggle to Find Homemade Dishwasher Detergent that Works

Dishwasher detergent can be a tough thing to make yourself. So little is used throughout the cycle, various water qualities, hardnesses and particulates make for varying qualities of clean, and detergents are pretty near impossible to make at home. The best cleaning of organic matter (food) happens at basic pHs, while many people advocate adding […]


Easy, Allergen-Free Dish Soap, for Now

Commercial hand-washing dish detergent such as one might buy in a grocery store is a very useful product. It removes vast quantities of grease, it rinses clean, and it’s super-concentrated. When you have chemical allergies, and start to realize what’s in the things you use, your perspective changes. Most commercial dish detergents contain isothiazolinones. The […]


Homemade Enzyme-Based Pet Stain/Odour Remover

If you have pets, you have pet stains. It might just be where Fluffy threw up, where Spot dragged his bottom across the floor, or Boots may have a favourite inappropriate place to pee. We only have one cat, but he doesn’t always pee where he should, and when the basement bathroom door is closed […]


Misadventures and Lessons in Starting a Garden

I spoke on Wednesday about sourcing and growing food. I’m still in my first few years of gardening, but I’m slowly learning the ins and outs. The first year, I went on vacation and came home to lettuce four feet tall; we offered some to our neighbour, and our unwitting neighbour walked away with two […]


Easy Homemade Deodorant/Antiperspirant

I started looking for a new deodorant about three years ago. Part of the reason for this was a desire to move away from deodorants and antiperspirants with aluminum. I had also found that my underarm skin was getting rashy and sore, though I didn’t know why. I started by moving to Adidas cotton tech […]


Homemade Laundry Soap

Laundry detergent is one of those things most people think nothing about until they have to. Most people go out and pick up the cheapest one, or the one they’ve always used. They may have a preference of liquid, powder, or scent, but there’s not much to it. My mother always used powdered laundry detergent […]