Smelly Bath Toys

I don't like the way bath toys can hang on to water and then have this musty smell to it. Apparently I wasn't the only one. My friend called me the other day to ask if I had tried vinegar and water with bath toys like I already do with my towels. Why hadn't I thought of that!? So now it was time for me to experiment.

She asked if I would put them in the washer and run the wash like usual with a cup of vinegar. I haven't tried it that way yet as it was already laundry day for me and my washer was full. I decided I would soak the toys in the sink with water and vinegar then let them dry on a towel. This way worked great. The smell was gone and I could throw them into a clean basket. I do plan on trying out the washer next time. If you have already tried this let me know how it worked out for you!

7 Dirtiest Areas In Your Home

Yesterday I was out running some errands with a friend when we got to talking about the dirtiest and germiest areas in a persons home. This had me thinking the rest of the day of what I thought they would be and what I would find when I would research it. Every website you go to has a different list of their top ten or top five so I have put my personal list along with some that I found and I'm going to tell you how to keep those areas cleaner and safer for your families without the use of chemicals.

1. Kitchen Sinks-so lets think about the last time you cleaned your kitchen sink. You probably can't remember when that was considering people think that its clean since you wash dishes there. This is at the top of almost all lists. Use a mixture of vinegar and water (I already use one for about everything in the house) spray down and wipe down the sink to kill bacteria.
   
2. Kitchen sponges-my thought was I use these to clean with so they have soap in them but let think about how they sit in their compartments with water still in them so the mold and bacteria just spreads. You can easily fix this problem with putting them in the microwave for ten seconds or putting them in the dishwasher on sanitize cycle.
3. Carpets-Carpets collect not only odors from cooking or pets but also all the dirt and little bugs that like to live on your pets. To clear the odors you can pour baking soda on the carpets and vacuum it up after you have let it sit for awhile. To get rid of all those lovely bugs and dirt that comes from traffic through the house you can choose to have them steam cleaned which is probably the best choice but more costly or you can mix 1/2 c. baking soda, 1/2 c. borax, and 1 c. cornmeal sprinkle the mixture over carpet and rub with cloth, then you need to let it set for a couple hours or overnight then vacuum.
4. Beds-Bedbugs are real! You should wash sheets once a week or more depending on if your a person that sweats while sleeping. Wash them in hot water and use a mattress cover that you should also wash often. Vacuum the mattress while the sheets are being washed.
5. Bathtubs-Yes, I said bathtubs before toilets but if your like me anything in the bathroom needs to be sanitized regularly. Just think of the bacteria growth when the water just sits in some spots of your bathtub. And we put our kids in there?! Use the mixture that you use for everything 1 part vinegar and 1 part water, spray and wipe down. You can use this mixture after every shower/bath.
   
6. Hand-held Appliances-I had to put this all in one category to fit all my personal choices for dirtiest places down to 7. This includes phones, remotes, mouse, keyboard, and anything of the sort. People chew nails, eat, sneeze, and who knows what else before touching these appliances so you can imagine the bacteria. Use a microfiber cloth, spray your vinegar/water mixture on the cloth, then wipe down. You can use a pin or toothpick to get the small areas. Be careful with toothpicks near the microphone/speaker on phones as you can puncture them.
   
7. Wooden Cutting Boards-Most people wash these but are you washing them correctly? Do not immerse in water as this will cause cracking when it dries. Clean off with hot water then use a soft cloth to wipe down with vinegar to kill the bacteria.

For some reason I now feel this need to clean the entire house!

Is Your Water Safe?

I was watching the Dr. Oz show a couple weeks ago and this show about water pollutants has just stuck with me. I knew I didn't like drinking tap water at some places but don't mind it at others. I was just under the impression that it was just me because everyone should have to follow the same regulations for cleaning the water from contaminants. Well, in a way, I was wrong!

There was an article in the NY Times about the safety of water. They even have a map of your state and utility showing how many violations there are in your water. These pollutants can make you sick and/or rot your teeth. You can check out the map at www.nytimes.com/toxicwaters. There are also a couple articles on this issue that will just blow you away!

I have since started buying water from the grocery store and reusing the jugs to refill the next time I go to the store or filling them at my mother-in-laws as her tap water has no violations but ours has 45 violations. I now like drinking water which I have never enjoyed since I thought it was just my taste buds and now know what clean water tastes like.

Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

High blood pressure can effect anyone. The causes can be a wide variety of things. Such as:

• Weight-the greater your body mass the more pressure there is on you artery walls
• Activity level-lack of physical activity tends to increase heart rate
• Tobacco use
• Sodium intake
• Potassium intake
• Stress
  
• Alcohol consumption-Excessive intake overtime can increase your risk
• Age
• Family history
• High blood pressure can also be cause by underlying issues such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease, and adrenal gland disease

If high blood pressure is left untreated it may damage other organ and increase risk of heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney disease, and vision loss. It is always good to go over your options with your doctor and if your not wanting to use prescription drugs like they will more than likely offer they can give you other options or specialists.

Things to avoid when you have high blood pressure are meat, dairy, and intake of salt or sodium. This would include avoiding restaurants as they use an excessive amount of salt. If you need a salt flavor use sea salt or ocean salt.

You should increase your intake of water. When the body is lacking water it attempts to hold onto the supply that is available by resorting to vascular constriction throughout the body which helps reduce the loss of water through the skin. Avoid soft drinks, coffee, sports drinks and any other drink containing sugar and replace with water. You should also add fruits to your diet with plenty of berries.

Some natural remedies would be:

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)-in studies the people taking CoQ10 significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure
• Garlic-this supplement should only be used under the supervision of a health practitioner, especially if you are taking other prescriptions, as garlic can thin the blood.
• Hawthorne-reduces diastolic blood pressure
• Fish Oil-there is some evidence that shows DHA lowers blood pressure
• Folic Acid-Folate is a B vitamin necessary for the formation of red blood cells.
  

Most of the natural ways to lower blood pressure is just changing your lifestyle. By just changing your diet, exercising, and lowering stress levels you can change your blood pressure levels.