Loofahs

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The loofah is a climbing plant with beautiful yellow flowers. The luffa plant is a cucurbit, a group of plants including gourds, pumpkins, and cucumbers. Its fruits are cylindrical and during ripening the interior is transformed into a dense network of fibres somewhat like a mesh.

It is the only known plant that can be grown and used as a sponge.

Loofahs can last for months and are excellent exfoliators. They gently remove dead cells (exfoliate) and make skin soft, smooth and healthy looking. It is also said that the fibres stimulate blood circulation, making it useful in the fight against cellulite.

If you are trying to be more environmentally friendly, try cutting the loofah in rounds and use it as a pot scrubber, use it whole as your car wash sponge or kitchen sponge... even to scrub your veggies. Loofahs contain no chemicals and are completely biodegradable.

Get crafty and make your own loofah soap!

TIPS for using the loofah:

-The best way to use he loofah on your body is to get it wet and soft first, then apply your soap of body wash.

-Keep your loofah clean and fresh by letting it dry between uses. Do not leave it in a wet soap dish between uses.

-To clean your loofa, soak it in hot water with a little baking soda and vinegar, rinse and let it dry completely.

Next Time You Do Laundry, Try Soap Nuts!

Are you looking for a more environmentally-friendly way of doing laundry? Give Soap Nuts a try.

Soap Nuts are actually not nuts at all. They are berries (also known as Soap Berries) that grow on trees in India and Nepal. They contain large quantities of saponin in their shells. It acts as a natural, gentle detergent when it comes into contact with water. Without any chemicals, fragrances, or dyes, they are safe and gentle for hand-washing delicates and are also tough enough for regular laundry. They are 100% non-allergenic and will leave your clothes soft, clean, and fragrance free with no need to use fabric softeners.




How do you use Soap Nuts?
For laundry soap, you can use them in one of two ways:

1. Toss 4-5 Soap Nuts in a muslin (cloth) bag and put it in with your laundry. Make sure that you take them out before putting your clothes in the dryer. The nuts will do 4 to 5 loads.

2. Boil 15-18 whole Soap Nuts in 6 cups (1.5 quarts) of water for 30 minutes. The liquid you have is now a concentrated, chemical-free detergent. The leftover shells can be placed in your compost. Use 3 Tbsp (45 ml) of this detergent with each load of laundry. This allows you to do approximately 60 loads of laundry. Keep the liquid in the fridge, or add preservative (approximately 2 tsp of Germall or Liquipar to cooled soap).


Soap Nuts can also be used, in the liquid form, to clean just about anything; from dishwasher detergent to window and glass cleaner. They are a great multi-purpose cleaner.

With great cleaning power and no harmful chemicals, Soap Nuts are one of the best cleaners you can buy!

Go Green with Microfiber Cleaning Cloths!

Why Switch To Microfiber?

These highly absorbent cloths can hold 6 times their weight in water, to soak up even the toughest dirt and grime and they can be reused hundreds of times. They have been designed for cleaning bathrooms, kitchen surfaces, stoves, walls, tables, glass, highly polished surfaces or any area that requires a thorough cleaning.

These cleaning cloths can be used with little or no cleaning products so they are  great for home use especially with small children and are better for the environment. Fewer cleaning products means fewer containers are put in the garbage.

There is also a microfiber cloth designed for exfoliation, gentle enough for use on the face as well as body. It's great for makeup removal.

Remember you can always add a few drops of essential oil to your water to boost the antibacterial cleaning in your home. Try the Four Thieves Essential Oil Blend.