Living Naturally

Household Hints

Learn to do things the old-fashioned way

How to Improve your Indoor Air Quality with Houseplants

In a few minutes of attention per day, you can improve the air quality in your home. Based on NASA studies, these houseplants have been proven to remove harmful chemicals from the atmosphere. Read on and see how ordinary houseplants can really help you breathe a little easier.

How to Care for Sterling Silver or Silverplate without Toxins

Whether your silver is brand-new or inherited, plate or solid, it will last many lifetimes with a little care, and bring you much pleasure. Silver is easy to care for with completely nontoxic methods.

How to Clean Ivory Piano Keys with Natural Ingredients

If you have a modern piano, you've probably already found that a mild soap and water solution is the best for cleaning your keys. However, if you have an older piano, you will want to make sure to follow these steps to protect those delicate ivory facings.

How to Freshen Your House Naturally

If your house has been closed up all winter, you know how stale-smelling it can get. With all the concerns about chemicals, here are some ways to keep your house fresh naturally all year and never have to use those "freshening" products and artificial fragrances.

How to Bank a Fire

You've built up a roaring fire, either at the campsite, or in your fireplace, but now what? How do you keep it burning through the night without having to get out of your warm bed or sleeping bag. If you're heating your house with wood, here's how to get the most out of it.

How to Green your Holiday

These days, it's important to think green as you decorate your house. With some tough financial times ahead, you can also save money and time while making your Christmas a little greener and brighter!

Sustainable Space Planning

You may be composting, recycling, and shopping with an eye towards sustainability. But how about using your living space sustainably, too?

Natural, Nontoxic Way to Sleep Better

Yes, you can achieve deep, restful sleep without drugs. Knowing what keeps you awake, or wakes you up, is the key to understanding the cause(s) of insomnia and how best to remedy the sleep problems you may be experiencing.

Cook It Yourself!

Don't buy it--make it!

How to Make Sorbet From Scratch

Amazingly, almost anything with a smooth texture can be turned into a sorbet. No longer just for desserts, sorbets can add an exciting touch to any meal, especially in the summer when the heat is unbearable. Serve these and your guests will be asking for blankets, no matter how hot it is outside!

How to Grill without Worrying about Carcinogens

PAH is caused when meat drippings fall onto charcoal or a hot grill element. PAH is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which may cause cancer. Then they are deposited on the food by flame-ups and rising smoke. With this simple method, you can grill safely and enjoy your food without worry.

How to Make Delicious Homemade Vinegar

The vinegar you buy in stores lacks flavour because it is made in hours, rather than allowing it to develop naturally over a period of time. But homemade vinegar is easy and is better than all but the most expensive vinegars--and it's a great way to use, rather than throw away, your leftover wine, beer or cider!

Never buy Stock or Broth again!

How to Make Stock in a Crock Pot. Stocks are the basis for soups, gravies, and sauces for savoury dishes. Why buy the canned when you can make it at home to your taste, with so little effort and cost? Crock pots generally cost only two cents per hour to run!

How to Make Yoghurt at Home

Making your own yogurt is easy and so much cheaper than buying the store brands, and because you have made it yourself, you can avoid undesirable ingredients like added sugars, stabilizers, and preservatives.

How to Make Iced Tea with Herbs in an Iced Tea Maker

We all know about the benefits of herbs, and many people who grow herbs have more than they can use in cooking. But did you know that you can make healthy herbal iced teas to drink? Almost any fresh or dried herb can be made into delicious iced tea, and you'll be glad you did it yourself! If you grow herbs, you always have more than you can use, and this is a great way to use them and get the health benefits!

How to Make Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale at Home

Making your own ginger ale or ginger beer is easy and fun, and you'll have an almost never-ending supply. And because you've made it yourself, you'll know exactly what ingredients are in it.

How to Make Bacon, Lemon, or Any Flavour Vodka

Wondering how to use those olives stuffed with bleu cheese? Looking for a different taste for those same tired cocktails? Yes, you read it right--here's how to make Bacon Vodka! You can cook with it, too! Instructions are also given for lemon vodka, including stuffing a whole lemon into your carafe!

How to Dry Mushrooms

Mushrooms are extremely important for the environment. They condition the soil, produce antibiotic and antiviral compounds, can break down hydrocarbons, and even produce fuel!Have you ever seen mushrooms on sale but couldn't eat as many as were in a package? By drying them, you will be able to keep them and use them for months ahead.

How to Make Hard Cider at Home | eHow.com

If you've ever had hard cider, you know how well it goes down on those hot summer afternoons. Now you can make it yourself at home for much less than you'd pay at the store and it takes very little time and effort. The hardest part is the waiting!

How to Make Herb Salt

Herb salts are easy to make and once you have them, you'll find hundreds of uses for them. Instead of spending money on those expensive seasoning mixes, you'll be experimenting with making your own blends, with completely natural ingredients.

How to Make Herb Sugars

How to Make Herb Sugars. Herb sugars are easy to make and once you have them, you'll find that you use them all the time. Try them in place of regular sugar in teas, coffees, cookies, baked goods, and desserts.

How to Preserve Lemons in Olive Oil

How to Preserve Lemons in Olive Oil. Preserving lemons in olive oil is easy and you will have wonderful-tasting fresh lemon flavour in your cooking. It's so easy to do! You'll be able to add great Mediterranean flavour to soups, salads, and much more, and you won't have to worry about artificial flavourings.

How to Make Mead at Home Easily

How to Make Mead at Home Easily. Mead is ridiculously expensive to buy, and very easy to make. With only a small amount of time and attention, for a minimal investment, you can have delicious mead any time!

How to Make Wine at Home Easily | eHow.com

Winemaking doesn't have to be complicated. This recipe, adapted from a medieval book, requires very little time and attention, and makes delicious wine. You can make a bottle of wine for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying a bottle. (Hint: if it doesn't turn out well, use it for marinade, or making vinegar.)

Use Your Herbs in Unusual Ways

If you have more herbs that you know what to do with, give some of these ideas a try. Not only are there delicious and exciting recipes, but great herbal gift ideas as well!

Healthier Alternatives to Diet Drinks

Whether you drink regular sodas or diet sodas, there are healthier alternatives out there. Check out some of these recommendations for drinks that will actually improve your health!

Garden and Pets

Healthier living inside and out

Natural, Nontoxic and (Mostly) Vegan Flea Control

If you've ever read the warnings on flea-control products, you may be wondering how safe they are to use around your pets and children. Try all natural flea control instead!

Natural, Nontoxic, Vegan Fire Ant Control

Fire ants are dangerous, and can easily take over a neighborhood. Learn to control fire ants with proven methods, and without dangerous chemicals. This is the only method that has been scientifically tested, and when followed correctly, ensures fire ants will leave and never come back!

All Natural Insect Repellents

Don't want to use DEET or other unproven or unstudied chemicals around your family and pets? Try these all natural insect repellents, backed by scientific research.

How to Plant a Herb Lawn

There's a lot of work involved in maintaining a grass lawn. But did you know that you can increase your neighbourhood's biodiversity, encourage butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, and save mowing and watering, simply by planting something other than grass?

How to Use Herbs in Foundation Plantings

Maintaining your foundation plantings is a chore. By choosing your foundation plantings carefully, you can reduce your maintenance, watering, trimming, and attract a huge variety of birds and butterflies to your yard.

How to Adjust the pH of your Soil Naturally

Most of us live in an area where the pH (acidity) of our soils could use some adjustment. Many of the agents sold for amending the soil contain toxins; here's how to amend the pH of your soil using only natural ingredients.

Herbs in your Landscaping

My experiments replacing the usual grass and landscaping plants with herbs. The herb lawns and herb foundation plantings have added a wonderful, sensual experience to my parents' house!

Natural, Nontoxic, Vegan BedBug Control

Bed bugs are making a comeback, and are notoriously difficult to eradicate. Without chemicals, there is only one sure method that has been scientifically proven to completely eliminate bed bug infestations. And you can do this in a single day!

Natural Beauty

How to Dye Hair Naturally

Hair dyes have been shown to have a link to breast cancer, and some contain toxic chemicals. Commercial hair dyes are, in any case, not good for your hair, but by using natural ingredients, you can get that colour without a care!

How to Make Nontoxic Shampoo

With the concern about toxins in fragrances and many chemicals in common household and cosmetic products, here's at least one way to reduce the levels of harmful chemicals: make your own shampoo by GROWING it!

How to Make your own Mascara

With times being tough, and our desire to avoid toxins in our environment, it's time to take a page from our grandmothers' books and learn to make your own mascara--it's simple, fast, and saves big bucks!

Reasons Not to Wear Makeup

There are many reasons not to wear makeup. Although you may not have thought of such things before, your health, the environment, and more are at risk every time you wear cosmetics!

Makeup has many undocumented ingredients, some of which are known to be carcinogens.

One thing that has really changed my life!

Essential Oils from Young Living

All about Raindrop Technique, essential oils and applied aromatherapy

Raindrop Texas is designed to help readers find Raindrop technique in Dallas, essential oils, information about the center for Aromatherapy Research and Education, C.A.R.E., and various Raindrop training classes.

Young Living Essential Oils

Click on "Product Link" on the left, and then on "Essential Oils" on the top, to see what all the fuss is about. These oils have changed my life! (Note: I don't get anything from selling, or recommending them, as I'm not a part of this company. I'm just one very happy customer.) Instead of using perfume, try wearing a drop or two of essential oil--you will avoid contact with phthalates and you will reap the many medical benefits of these therapeutic-quality essential oils. You'll save money, too, because most of these oils are much cheaper than perfume!

Find a Certified Raindrop Practitioner Near You!

Interested in Raindrop? Check this directory for a certified Raindrop practitioner near where you live or work. Travelling? Don't forget to look up a Raindrop practitioner and consider Raindrop as part of your vacation or business trip!

Save Money, Live More Sustainably

Save the Planet!

Ways to Go Green and Save Money at Home

Money-saving ideas to live a little greener and healthier life.

More Money-Saving and Green Ideas

All kinds of things you can do to live a little greener, including the approximate time it would take the improvement to pay for itself (and then after that every day after that is profit).

Cheap Ways to Save Energy at Home