Spring is in the air! Which motivates me to get started on some spring cleaning. When I’m freshening the house, I want things to SMELL clean and fresh. I’ve been making these DIY garbage disposal pods for a while now and they are a fast, non-toxic way to keep my garbage disposal fresh. (Nobody likes a stinky kitchen, right?!) Believe me, if these guys weren’t quick and easy, I wouldn’t be making them!
Why is using safe, non-toxic ingredients important?
Unfortunately, just because it’s for sale at the store, doesn’t make it safe for us. There are tons of chemicals hidden in our every day products that contain ingredients toxic or disruptive to our health. The Environmental Working Group (or EWG) is a great resource for learning more about making your home a safe environment for your family, and learning if ingredients in your current products are safe. If our bodies are healthy and functioning as they should, they may be able to filter out small amounts of these chemicals. But we aren’t exposed to just small amounts. These things are hidden in tons of products we use everyday: cleaning supplies, facial care products, lotions, air fresheners, even baby care items! This creates a “toxic burden” on our bodies from chronic regular exposure to these ingredients from so many different sources. And studies show that kids carry a larger toxic burden because they are smaller and their systems aren’t yet fully developed. No bueno. Don’t mess with mama’s little ones! The good news? It’s super easy to replace all of these products with safe and chemical-free alternatives that are still effective. We use essential oils to replace so many toxic products in our house (more on that HERE)!
Sooo…back to the recipe for one such gem!
What you will need:
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup salt
- 1/3 cup liquid castile soap, unscented (I like THIS kind)
- 35-40 drops Lemon essential oil (get it HERE)
- 1/2 cup water (roughly)
- Any container will work, but I’m obsessed with mason jars. LOVE these BLUE or PURPLE ones!
Instructions:
Start by combining the salt and baking soda in a glass or stainless bowl. Once it’s mixed up good, then add in the castile soap and essential oil. Add your water a little bit at a time, until you get the right consistency. It should look something like this. You want it damp enough to form in to a ball, but not so wet that it won’t keep it’s shape. I like to pack the mixture into a table spoon or cookie dough scoop. Drop the “pods” onto parchment paper to dry for about 24 hours. This makes around 30 pods.
You can play with the essential oils in the recipe! I sometimes add half Lemon and half Purification essential oils. Some others that would be great:
- Purification blend
- Grapefruit
- Orange
- Citrus Fresh blend
I keep mine by the sink and just pop a couple of pods in my garbage disposal every few days to keep it fresh and clean…easy-peasy! If you want to learn more about eliminating chemicals and toxic products from your house, check out my 30-day free Facebook class that is going on NOW!
