When I was a kid, my mother used to catch me in the
bathroom, mixing up concoctions of lotions and perfumes. It was horrible stuff; little wonder Mom
objected. That desire to experiment,
though, probably explains my current passion.
It thrills me to take basic ingredients, common in our house, and mix up
new recipes to create a wide variety of household and personal care
products. My most recent experiment led,
ultimately, to an inexpensive, environmentally safe way to clean calcium-lime
deposit from the showerhead.
The product I first sought to replace was chlorine
bleach. Years ago, I limited its
household use to laundry, only (for ecological and personal health reasons.) Even this limited use was too much, though,
so I kept searching for an alternative -- something less toxic on the
environment and less corrosive to fabrics and my hands than conventional bleach. The substitute I found is so mild I can wash my hands with it, yet it
works as well (if not better) than chlorine bleaches, which tend to cause
yellowing of many white fabrics. This
homemade bleach recipe is very quick to make, costs me pennies per use, and has
even brightened those yellowed items.
This bleach leaves laundered fabrics free of chemical assault and
refreshingly UNscented, as is the washing machine, also.
The most impressive result I got with this bleach, however,
was not in the laundry room. I had tried
a number of household cleaners, both home- and commercially-made, and couldn’t
find anything to clean the growing calcium-lime deposit from the
showerhead. Other people recommended bleach
to remove the build-up, so I figured I’d try this new recipe instead. After removing the showerhead, I soaked it,
for a few hours, in a small measure (about 1 cup) of this mild mixture:
1/2 cup Hydrogen peroxide
2 tablespoons Lemon juice (Or: substitute 1/2 teaspoon
citric acid)
3-1/4 cups Water
5 drops Lemon essential oil
Makes a little less than a quart. Use approximately 1 cup per load of laundry –
results vary depending on water hardness.
I wouldn’t have believed the results if I hadn’t seen them
first hand! The crust, now fallen away from
the showerhead, was a slurry of scale at the bottom of the measuring cup. The liquid had changed from clear to a
slightly green-blue tint, but there was no toxic fumes or odors. A few persistent grains still clung to the
plastic on the showerhead, but a quick brushing removed them. The showerhead now looks as clean as it did
when new.
The
success of this “other application” for the new mixture proves there is
often other potential uses for these homemade products. The ecological concern,
which prevented me from using bleach as a cleaning agent, is no longer present
and that opens up other cleaning possibilities.
Once again, the results of simple test has jazzed my experimental
spirit. This is what keeps me avidly
seeking out new recipes, as well as finding new applications for the fantastic
products already discovered!
