Get a happy home with Feng shui

featured last week on Examiner.com

Feng shui is not just about moving furniture around; it’s really a philosophy that looks at how to design a healthy and positive environment that supports and nurtures you. According to Anjie Cho “Today, I will share with you three simple ways to use feng shui to create a healthy, happy and holistic home."

Add Houseplants

When we talk about creating a holistic home, an important factor to consider is the indoor air quality. Houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and remove harmful chemicals from the air. They also add natural beauty to your home, bringing some nature inside. From the feng shui perspective, green houseplants add the wood element. The wood element brings life, joy, and flexibility into the home. Plants create a softer and more vibrant energy in a home and are healing visually and physically.

Reduce EMFs

In this modern world, we are inundated by dangerous electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and radiation emitted by electronic devices such as Wi-Fi, mobile phones, computers and even the electrical wiring found in your home. EMFs produce stress on the body and cause health problems such as fatigue, headaches, and even nausea.

Orange Essential Oil

Unfortunately, many conventional cleaning products are made up of toxic chemicals. Not only do we breathe in the toxins, the chemicals get absorbed directly into our bloodstream through our skin. One of the easiest ways to make your home more sustainable and healthy is to switch to non-toxic cleaners.

Here is a recipe to make your own feng shui, non-toxic, all purpose cleaner:
You need white vinegar, water and your orange essential oil. In feng shui, oranges and orange peels represent vibrant life, affirming happy energy. On a practical level orange oil disinfects, enhances your mood, and it just smells so good and clean. To make the non- toxic all-purpose cleaner, take one part vinegar to three parts water and add 18 drops of orange essential oil in an empty spray bottle. Then shake it up! This all-purpose solution is great for wiping down counters, windows, glass, bathroom surfaces, floors, etc. As a feng shui plus, the orange scent carries with it vibrant life energy to clear space, and in turn rejuvenates you and your home.

There you have it, a happy home in just 3 easy steps! 

by Anjie Cho

eHow.com Video: How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

VOCs,  Volatile Organic Compounds, are toxic and harmful to humans. Learn how to remove these VOCs from your clothing

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Video Transcript:

 

I'm Anjie Cho and this is how to get VOCs out of clothing.

Did you know that conventional clothing off gases VOCs? VOCs stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. Toxins are released into the air by VOCs from synthetic materials found in buildings, in traditional paint, furniture and even clothing. VOCs are found in even what you might consider natural fabric like cotton. Many fabrics are treated with VOCs during the washing, dyeing and printing processes. VOCs can cause health problems such as headaches, dizziness as well as skin and respiratory problems.

Clothing is especially problematic because of the direct skin contacts, and we can easily absorb toxins directly through our skin. So, how do you get the VOCs out of your clothing? First, air the clothing out outdoors, in sunlight if possible.

The most effective way to reduce VOCs is to allow the clothing to off gas in a well-ventilated place in sunlight. This allows the VOCs to dissipate and leave the fabric. If you don't have outdoor space, set a fan up or make sure you have a breezy room. Setup some indoor green plants which will help to absorb the off gas and chemicals.

Second, after you've aired out the clothing, be sure to soak and wash them thoroughly with a non-toxic eco-friendly laundry detergent with an additional cup of baking soda added. I suggest soaking the clothing overnight, then wash and air dry the clothing. Again, make sure you use eco-friendly non-toxic laundry detergent, so you don't add back in more toxins. Repeat these two steps as required, but for most of us one round should be enough.

Although VOCs can be harmful to our health, we can use natural methods to remove the VOCs from our clothing.

by Anjie Cho

eHow.com Video: How to Make Natural Cleaners for Shower Curtains

How to Make Natural Cleaners for Shower Curtains

How to Make Natural Cleaners for Shower Curtains

Try using natural cleaners like white vinegar and peroxide to reduce the use of toxic cleaners in your bathroom and keep shower curtains and doors clean

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Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Anjie Cho, and this is how to make natural cleaners for shower curtains. I think the most offensive and toxic cleaners are the conventional ones made for bathrooms. I'm going to share with you my favorite non-toxic natural cleaners for shower curtains and doors.

First, to get the soap scum and mildew off. White vinegar's excellent for this because its acidic properties can dissolve the soap scum. Spray undiluted white vinegar on your shower curtain and give it some time to work. Come back in an hour, then use a bristle brush to remove the soap scum.

Once your shower curtain or door is nice and clean, you need to keep it up. I love this anti-mildew shower bathtub spray made with hydrogen peroxide. Add a few drops of essential oil, I prefer eucalyptus, put it straight into the brown bottle. Screw a spray bottle top right on there.

By the way, the reason why hydrogen peroxide often comes in these opaque brown bottles is that it can break down quickly in sunlight. Keep the new spray in the shower and spray your curtains and doors after every use. It will help prevent mildew and mold from forming.

You can use easy to find household products like white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to make natural cleaners to keep your shower curtain or door clean and fresh.

by Anjie Cho