For my ‘Something Different’ today I decided to try out a recipe that I found on the Internet. However, this is not a food recipe… it is a recipe for my TOILET! Yup… I am pretty fed up with burying my head in the sand, ignoring a stark truth – that most of the cleaning products we use in our homes, found in our local stores, are seriously harmful to the environment and even to ourselves. They are filled with ingredients that are toxic and chemical – a list of ingredients that we are barely able to pronounce and have no cooking clue as to what they really are. So – it is high time to become more conscious of this and make some real changes! How can we preach to our kids that they must become environmentally aware to help our earth heal without putting these practices into play as an example to them? Leading from the front and making the effort to create healthier positive changes in my household was the inspiration behind my ‘Something Different’ today. Every journey begins with a first step… this was mine.
Nobody likes a smelly toilet – and all of us must clean them daily – so perhaps this recipe could get the job done without harming the environment further. The recipe I chose (of many) was amazingly simple – and I am pleased to say that it worked. I made Toilet Bombs or Toilet Fizzies. It was not super quick. I think it took me about 20 minutes to make them, but the effort was rewarding. The ingredients used are simply, cheap, and easy to find, and I was able to make enough to last about half a month. I think the next time I make these; I am going to double or triple the recipe. Here below is the recipe:
1 ½ cups of Bicarbonate Soda
½ cup of Citric Acid
50 drops of pure organic essential oil (25 x one oil, and 25 x another oil if desired)
1 to 2 teaspoons of water (in a repurposed spray bottle to make it easier)
Silicon Moulds (small half rounds work well!)
Simply combine the bicarbonate soda and citric acid powder together. Add the essential oils – and mix well. Then little by little add water to the mix with your spray bottle, thoroughly mixing in between each ‘wetting down’ until it becomes clumpy, and it holds together when you gently squeeze it. Next, press it into the mould and then allow to dry at room temperature for approximately a day (depending on the temperature and humidity level of your home). Once dry remove them from your mould and put them into a clean repurposed glass jar with a good lid (to keep them dry).
Once a day drop one into the toilet and allow it to gently fizz and dissolve, for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, using your toilet brush, swish the water around and you will be left with a clean toilet bowl that smells wonderful.
So, there you go – that was my ‘Something Different’ for today, and it felt great. I learnt something new that I can continue doing indefinitely and I practiced a good environmentally friendly deed. That alone is enough to make one feel good.
Is it just me or may I ask those who have been following this journey with me…? Do you find that whenever you finish a ‘Something Different’ project, you are suddenly filled with many other ideas of things to try? I certainly am – let me know if this positive benefit happens to you too.