Spring Cleaning--

Keep It Pure and Simple

The best part of spring cleaning is opening the doors and windows to welcome fresh air and sunshine. Why not add to that spring freshness with natural cleaners?

    Taken from the flowers, bark, leaves, and other parts of plants, essential oils are as natural as fresh air and sunshine. Many have their own properties as disinfectants, grease cutters and deterrents to pests--and they impart fresh and pleasing aromas that linger long after your chores are finished.

    Natural cleaning products are increasingly available in stores, but you can also easily and economically make your own mixtures with just a few basic ingredients. Chances are some of these ingredients, such as baking soda, white vinegar and borax, are already in your cupboards. One hundred percent pure essential oils can be found at natural products stores or online at www.auracacia.com.

    Homemade natural cleaning products are versatile; many can be used for a variety of tasks. Because essential oils are in a highly concentrated form, often only a few drops are needed for a solution that can take you through several cleaning cycles. Not only do you save money--your homemade cleansers will work just as well as commercially produced cleaners without harming the environment.

   "Choices abound," says Tom Havran, aromatherapy product developer. "From pine or lemon oil, whose essences suggest more traditional cleaning aromas, to tea tree and grapefruit, which people might not think of as cleaning ingredients."

Not sure which oil to start with? Here are some of Havran's suggestions:

• Pine is inexpensive and clean smelling. It is effective as both a disinfectant and deodorizer.
• Lavender has a pleasing scent, is anti-bacterial and deters insects such as moths.
• Tea tree oil has a sharp, spicy scent and is a good disinfectant and deodorizer.
• Lemon is fresh and clean smelling. It's also acidic, providing antibacterial and antiseptic cleaning properties.
• Grapefruit has a clean and uplifting aroma that eliminates odors--even strong pet odors.

    Making your own cleaning products with essential oils can be as simple as mixing 15 to 20 drops of any essential oil into a cup of baking soda, letting the mixture stand overnight so the oil can be absorbed, and then sprinkling the powder on carpet before you vacuum.

    You can also make a quick and easy disinfecting toilet bowl cleanser by combining one cup of water, one-quarter cup of liquid castile soap and 20 drops of white thyme, lavender or lemon essential oil in a 22-oz. spray bottle.

    Spring is a time of renewal that offers a perfect opportunity to replace chemical cleansers with pure and natural essential oils. Your whole family, including your pets, will benefit.

    For more spring-cleaning formulas you can make yourself with essential oils visit www.auracacia.com/springcleaning. While you're there, be sure to get more information about Aura Cacia's live web chats with host Tim Blakley, and download previous chats to learn more about using essential oils that benefit you and your family, naturally.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Our Gadget Corner features unique products designed for everyone, but also have extra benefits for the older population. This month we are focusing on gadgets which help those with grip strength difficulty due to arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, for example.   

Leveron Door Knob Lever:

Big Lamp Switch: The Big Lamp Switch knob is 2 inches in diameter and has three large spokes which help to create more leverage for turning lamp switches. Simply unscrew and remove your regular switch and replace with this one. Visit www.wrightstuff.biz.

Caring for Aging Parents Puts Boomers in a Bind

     You're rushing out of the office on a weeknight, hoping to get your daughter to soccer practice on time, cook dinner and help your other child with their homework. Just as you hit the road, your cell phone rings. It's the pharmacy telling you that the two prescriptions your father needs immediately are ready for pick up. Or you're off to your son's school play just as your mom's neighbor calls to inform you that she has fallen again and needs you right away.

     If these scenarios sound familiar, you're stuck in the middle and have joined the "sandwich generation." The term refers to adults with families of their own who find themselves caring for their parents as well. According to numbers from the National Family Caregiver Survey, 44 percent of Americans between the ages of 45 and 55 have aging parents or in-laws as well as children under 21.

     This means that lots of families are dealing as best they can with the stress of running two households. Whether your parent lives with you, lives nearby or lives in another state, trying to juggle all these responsibilities is stressful, no matter how much support you have from family and friends.

     And don't forget the guilt. There's plenty of that, too. Guilt over not spending enough time helping your kids with their homework because you're cooking and freezing meals for your dad. Guilt over making your mom postpones her doctor appointment because your meeting at work ran overtime. Guilt at not having enough time to spend with your spouse. Guilt over asking your next-door neighbor to drive the kids to football practice--again--because you have to make long distance arrangements to attend to your loved one's needs in another state.

     "Caring for an aging or ill parent is a full-time job that can take a toll on the caregiver. Add to that the demands of your job, lost time at the job plus your immediate family's needs, chances are you're going to need assistance along the way," says Richard Bitner of Visiting Angels, a national network of franchised non-medical senior homecare agencies.

     Bitner ads, "Visiting Angels provides something these families have been missing--stability in everyone's lives and peace of mind."

     Visiting Angels has over 270 senior homecare agencies in most states. For more information on the office nearest you, visit our Web site: www.OurVisitingAngels.com or call (609) 883-8188.

Courtesy of ARA Content