Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Non-toxic grey water


As you probably know, my whole house is off grid. And since I have a composting toilet, all the waste water that leaves my house is gray water. To be able to use this for anything (like watering plants) I want to be sure it does not contain anything toxic. How do I do this? By not using chemicals in my house. ....ok, almost never. I did put some bleach on one thing. Much of what I do, I've been doing for years due to having skin that reacts to lots of things, not just since moving tiny or off grid. Here's a list of what I use on a daily basis that replaces the average 150+ chemicals that are used in the average household. 
1) Shampoo - home made soap nut liquid or a homemade Dr. Bronner's combination
2) Conditioner - apple cider vinegar or coconut oil
3) Body Soap - none, it's always irritated my skin and warm water is sufficient
4) Acne Cream - apple cider vinigar
5) Face Wash - pure liquid aloe
6) Body Lotion - olive or coconut oil
7) Toner - apple cider vinigar
8) All Purpose Spray - cleaners, not always sprays, I use vinigar, baking soda, and soap nuts for all cleaning/washing
9) Dishwashing Liquid - soap nut liquid or biodegradable dishwashing liquid from our local health food store
10) Mascara - I use very little, and don't worry about it's contents too much. I've tried making my own and never got one I was very happy with.
11) Laundry - soap nuts and baking soda or borax to freshen and whiten (See my whole post on how I do laundry here.)
12) Toothpaste and deodorant - half and half mix of coconut oil/baking soda
Everything's biodegradable, and mostly edible. And seriously, not only healthier, but way less expensive. If you can save money and improve your health, why not give some of these a try?



2 comments:

  1. Agree on all counts and do many of them. (Additionally, I've found the making your own make-up to hardly costing me anything because the initial product lasts a long time.) It's smart on or off grid.

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  2. I've had trouble brushing my teeth with baking soda. It wore the enamel off my teeth, so now I use coconut oil with a small amount of tumeric and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Works great! I also have a friend who is into Young Living essential oils, so I bought a tube of Thieves toothpaste that I also use ... alternating between the two. The turmeric in the toothpaste can stain counters and vanities, so I keep a "parmesan bottle" filled with aluminum free baking soda under my vanity that I use as a soft-scrub cleanser.

    For shampoo, this stuff is awesome: Organic Excellence (no chemicals, mostly herbs and oils) and ACV for rinse. http://tinyurl.com/OrgExc

    I eat mostly raw so I don't need deodorant because my diet is so clean. For body soap, I make us sugar scrubs.

    The one thing you posted that's new to me is soap nuts. I'll have to check into those.

    Love your posts!!

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