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How to Give Your House that Holiday Smell

How to Give Your House that ‘Holiday’ Smell–the Easy, Non-Toxic Way

The holiday season is fast approaching.  Many folks love to fill their homes with “holiday scents”–cinnamon, pine, vanilla and citrus are popular aromas that evoke cozy feelings associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas. By now you’re no doubt aware that artificial fragrance is downright dangerous, having been linked to cancer, migraines, fertility issues and the like.…

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Homemade Lysol Spray with Essential Oils

Homemade “Lysol” Spray {Easy & Non-toxic, with Essential Oils}

During my days as a Coupon Queen, I used to stock up on cans of Lysol and other aerosol sprays for next to nothing. We used them mainly for the kitchen trash can and in the bathroom. But guess what?  Now I know that most household cleaners and sprays contain dangerous chemicals.  When you know…

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CD case--front, before and after

Yet Another Reason to Love the E-cloth

We’re still loving our e-cloths here at the Yankee Homestead.   Have you tried them? I thought I’d give a quick report on yet another reason to love these microfiber cleaning cloths: they remove permanent marker! Recently, I picked up a few ex-library CD’s at a local used book sale.  

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Kitchen Diffuser

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Four}

Did you read the first three posts in this series on essential oil diffusers? Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}–features to consider Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Two}–my personal experience with two mid-range options Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Three}–all about doTerra’s official diffusers, plus one low-cost option I…

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doterra diffusers

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Three}

Did you catch the other posts in this series?  I recommend reading the first two before reading today’s post. You can do that here: Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}–features to consider Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Two}–my personal experience with two mid-range options Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Four}–how,…

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Whisper Diffuser

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Two}

Did you catch the first post in this series?  I recommend reading it before reading today’s post. You can do that here: Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}–features to consider. Now that you know which features to consider in an essential oil diffuser, let me share the diffusers we’ve used here at the Yankee…

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Favorite Natural Laundry Products: Detergent, Stain Remover and Dryer Balls

“Clean” doesn’t have a smell. That’s one of the {ahem} few useful things I learned from the Oprah show, years ago. It’s really stuck with me! Thanks, Oprah! It’s true: most of the scents in cleaning products are completely artificial, meant to mimic natural scents.  But they’re NOT natural at all!  And many are actually…

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Ditching Paper Napkins for Good (hopefully)

  I’m not the greenest gal on the face of the planet, but I like to do what I can. We’ve tried using cloth napkins before, but it’s never stuck. For one thing, we had supply issues. There simply weren’t enough napkins to last between launderings. Actually, we do technically have enough napkins, but most…

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Easy Gift Idea: Homemade Air Freshener (and the dangers of regular air fresheners)

I live in a house with three boys and a dog.  Let’s just say there are times when I could use some air freshener.

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