More than meets the eye.

Aside from the one way we all know vodka can be put to good use, it’s not a completely pointless liquid otherwise. In fact, the alcoholic beverage spreads itself quite thin on the usefulness scale. Vodka’s anti-bacterial properties are what give it such potency in combatting a lot of common ailments and household issues – from earaches to carpet stains. Grab yourself a bottle, or two, and redefine what it means to booze.

Poison Ivy Reliever

Apply vodka to an area affected by poison ivy and it will dry up surrounding skin, getting rid of any oils that are causing the poison ivy to inflame and itch.

Laundry Freshener

Fill a small spray bottle with vodka and lightly spray clothes. The vodka smell goes away when the clothes dry completely. The vodka helps to remove any unwanted odors.

Flower Preserver

Plants produce the ripening gas ethylene, which promotes maturation. Vodka stunts ethylene production and allows for flowers to stay fresher, longer. Spray flower stems with a 2:1 ratio mix of vodka and sugar. Repeat every few days.

Insect Repellent

Keep the insects at bay by squirting some vodka on your skin before going outdoors. Add essential lavender oil. Insects hate the smell of lavender, and you will prefer it to the smell of vodka lingering on your skin. You could also mix vodka into your scented moisturizer.

Jelly Fish Bite Soother

Much like vodka helps to treat poison ivy on the skin, the liquid also helps to alleviate the pain and itch that come post nasty jelly fish bite. Bring along a 1:1 mixture of vodka and water in a spray bottle to the beach just in case of an attack.

Hair Shiner

Add 1-2 ounces of vodka to your shampoo and watch as your hair emerges from a shower feeling cleaner, silky, and shiny.

Band-Aid Remover

Vodka will help to dissolve the sticky edges of a band-aid and allow for a painless removal. Not that you would, but a few swigs before peeling the adhesive off won’t hurt either.

Computer Screen Cleaner

Using water to clean a computer screen often leaves behind distracting smears. Apply vodka to the screen and wipe away for a seamless and clear complexion.

Eye Glasses Cleaner

It may not be the best idea to carry around a bottle of vodka, but a small spray bottle may be less conspicuous and prove to be very useful. Your glasses will get star treatment on the go.

Air Freshener

Mix equal parts water and vodka in a spray bottle and spray around the house. The vodka dissolves odors and the solution is completely odorless.

Razor Blade Cleanser

Soak razor blades in vodka and dissolve away build-up and buff the razor all in one. This trick will keep your razor blades clean and disinfected whilst extending the lifespan of your razor collection.

Jewelry Cleaner

Let your jewelry sparkle and shine. Soak and lightly scrub them in some vodka to remove any impurities.

Pore Reduction

Lightly soak one side of a cotton ball in vodka and dab your face. The vodkas acts as an astringent, tightening the pores and removing excess oils.

Homemade Mouthwash

Because of vodka’s capacity to fight bacteria and prevent infection, you can gargle it in the A.M. (without swallowing) to clean your mouth. Vodka may not be the first thing you want to taste on a sensitive morning stomach, so dilute it with equal parts water add a few drops of mint oil.

Cold Sore Treatment

Vodka can help to reduce cold sore inflammation and redness by drying the affected area. Dip one end of a Q-tip into vodka and use it to dab sores.

Shower Cleaner

Attack those moldy, dark crevices with a toothbrush and some vodka. Spray vodka onto moldy areas, let sit for 15 minutes, and then scrub away. The vodka kills the mold.

Antiseptic

Vodka is a great disinfectant and antiseptic. Apply to minor cuts and burns to kill bacteria.

Stickiness Remover

Vodka works wonders on removing all that is gooey! From stickers on car surfaces to gum on the bottom of a shoe, a little vodka goes a long way.

Treat Ear Aches

Put a few drops of vodka into your ear. Let the alcohol sit in the ears for a few minutes each and then drain. The vodka kills bacteria that causes pain.

Stain Remover

Vodka effectively gets rid of ink, grass and lipstick stains. Dab stain with vodka and rub the stain away. Add the stained garment to the laundry afterwards for a more thorough clean.

Tooth-Ache Reliever

Gargle vodka without swallowing, unless you want a buzz. The vodka will prevent infection and reduce inflammation and soreness in the mouth.

Foot Odor Cure

For those of you who suffer from foot odor, consider vodka your new best friend. Soak your feet in a shallow bucket of vodka, which will kill bacteria-causing odor. Let your feet dry to get rid of the vodka smell or wash your feet with fragrant soap directly after the treatment.

Fever Alleviation 

Vodka works well as a liniment to reduce a fever, because it evaporates very quickly and can provide a cooling relief. Apply vodka to a soft cloth and place on your chest.

Images: Karola Riegler, Bark, Tasumi1968, Marcus Vegas, Seishin17

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post 20 Unusual Ways to Use Vodka appeared first on EcoSalon.

Rhubarb is meant for more than just pie.

Currently I’m in Sweden taking care of an old house in the countryside. It’s as beautiful and lovely as its sounds. In the garden there is rhubarb, stinging nettles and leeks. The strawberries are flowering which shows that there will be delicious and fresh treats to pick in a couple of weeks . The deep red poppies are surrounded by bumblebees and the fish are jumping in the pond.

This weekend I had some dear friends over for dinner. I had successfully baked sourdough bread which we enjoyed with dried sausage, aged goat cheese and olives while my friend Johan prepared the rooks that was one of the sensations of the evening. The rooks are a delicacy similar to quail. In this part of Sweden there is an old tradition for farmers to hunt them as the birds often collect the seeds from the new seeded fields. Instead of just feeding them to the pigs, my friends and I had the pleasure to enjoy them with a creamy porcini mushroom sauce spiced with plenty of wine and herbs from the garden.

For dessert my Sofi Meijling made a Cardamom Panna Cotta with a jam she cooked with freshly picked rhubarbs from my vegetable plot. The panna cotta was made with both heavy cream and Greek yogurt (about 50/50) which gave the pannacotta a slight sour flavor (see example of other panna cotta recipes below). Sofi used about one teaspoon crushed cardamom to flavor this evening’s final dish.

This rhubarb jam was such a great reminder of how much I love having a vegetable garden. You don’t really need mush to make something so simply delicious.

Sofi’s Caramelized Rhubarb Jam
(for about 4 people as topping to pannacotta or ice cream)

About 6 rhubarb stalks
2 tablespoons regular sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar (Sofi used Swedish farin which is a similar sugar type)
1/3 cup water

Melt the sugar in a pan together with the water and let it cook for awhile. Keep an eye on the sugar so it doesn’t burn and stir a little now and again. You may need to lower the heat to medium. Clean the rhubarb and cut them into one inch long pieces. When the sugar is thick and sticky add the rhubarb and let them simmer until soft but not totally mushy. Set aside to cool before serving.

If you think this jam is too simple you can spice it up with either ginger, cardamon or licorice root.

The jam is also great together with aged cheese on bread but then I recommend you make a larger batch (just add more of everything).

Here are some Pannacotta recipes:

• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes Yoghurt and Vanilla Panna Cotta
• Jules Clancy makes Panna Cotta with Mascarpone and serves it with pot roasted pears.
• Ilva Beretta spices her Panna Cotta with lavender.

Illustration by Johanna Kindvall

The post Recipe: Swedish Rhubarb Jam appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dude! You’re clean shaven but are you green shaven?

Yes, the eco marketing of all consumer goods has reached the scratchy male whisker. Despite the notion that the greenest face is the hairiest one, not all men like sporting facial fur and not all females like going into-the-wild to make out.

What steps can you take before going under the knife? Don’t roam far from the healthy foam; don’t be a fool with the wrong disposable tool; never brace your face with a jug that’s mean to your mug.

Here are a few products your barber-in-the-hood probably never chatted you up about:

Razors:

Be kind to your face and to the planet with this innovation in shaving, the Preserve® Triple Razor. Featuring titanium-coated blades and lubrication strip for comfort, this cutting edge razor is made from recycled plastic – including Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups. It delivers a clean, close shave for both men and women. What’s more, it comes in four fun colors with an ergonomic handle that exhibits contours and gripping regions that enhance performance and control. Unlike other plastic disposables, after the shave it is fully recyclable. The blades are easy to replace by squeezing the arms of the Razor handle, popping off the blade cartridge and pressing in a new blade. The Preserve Triple Razor package doubles as a reusable travel case and can be returned for recycling using the postage-paid label.

Each Triple Razor package comes with two of Preserve’s titanium-coated blades. Replacement blades are available wherever Preserve Triple Razors are sold.

How to master the art of shaving so you don’t cut up your face? For that, check out this E How tutorial.

For those hooked on electric razors, Procter & Gamble’s Braun division has introduced a line of Energy Star-certified shaver chargers – a world’s first. According to a review by Trend Hunter, the Smart Plugs use 64 percent less energy than standard shavers and, according to the company, will save over 12 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year, or the equivalent of removing 1,073 cars from the road, planting 1,526 acres of forest or lighting 5,861 homes for a year.

The Lotion

Only $7.95 for 11 oz., Kiss My Face Moisture Shave is a cool way to go lime green. The lotion is a natural, cooling antiseptic that also acts as an astringent with its moisturizing formula containing highly effective natural essential oils, extracts and vitamins. Features include:

– antiseptic peppermint to cool and stimulate
– emollients olive oil and coconut oil and aloe vera for healing
– antiseptic goldenseal, also for healing
– Arnica aids circulation
– Lady’s mantle is an astringent and has styptic properties
– Sage, horsetail, and orangeflower act as astringents and refreshers
– Soapwort is rich lathering, effective with acne, and like lemongrass, cleansing
– Vitamins A and E are important nutrients for healthy skin
…all in a refreshing key lime.

Another soft touch is the Baby Face Healing shaving Cream from Ken Men.

The company is on a mission to formulate the “best possible shaving cream” and admits the word foam is not on its agenda, as there already exists a myriad of shaving foams on the market. Baby Face combines essential oils to create a shaving cream which can “adhere” to hair no matter how rugged the follicle. Ken says you no longer have to bleed to be smooth! (Ingredients include: De-Ionized water, Vitamins E and F, Ascorbic acid, Tea Tree oil, Rosa Mesquita, Flax seed & Macadamia Essential Oils, Salicylic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Oleth-20, Meadow foam Seed Oil, Lime, Coconut oil extract,oils of Mentha Veridis, Aloe Vera Juice Extract, Bisabolol, Essential oils of Sage, lime, vetiver, coconut pulp, patchouli & frankincense.)

The After Splash

Are you man enough to slap your cheeks with a product called Nancy Boy? The $20 blue bottle contains a refreshing gel that won’t burn or shock your skin. As the company puts it, “our position is that alcohol-based bracing aftershaves should have gone out with Joe McCarthy. They inflame the skin you’ve just abraded by shaving and worse, dry it out mercilessly.”

According to the site, this stuff is composed mostly (75%) of aloe, the healing, moisturizing wonderplant, and the bracing, cooling effect is naturally derived from the oil of peppermint. The natural witch hazel hydrosol in the formulation is another of nature’s best skin healers and soothers, while the alcohol, present at less than 1 part per hundred, is there to help sterilize any nick you might have self-inflicted.

Aubrey Organics Men’s Stock after shave is made with organic oils and extracts with a handsome scent of cedar, sandalwood and bergamot. It leaves a cool, tingly feeling and invigorates the face and tightens the pores. It is said to leave skin smooth and smelling yummy. Think English Leather without the beating. The formula includes witch hazel extract, organic aloe, cedar oil, sandalwood and patchouli.

Main image: dotbenjamin

The post Green Shaven appeared first on EcoSalon.

You spent a month’s pay on a deluxe organic mattress and maintain that it is worth every last cent, even when your pals give you a hard time for such a splurge. But, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After all, you sleep more soundly each night and awake every morning with an extra burst of energy. And you feel great knowing you’re not breathing in those nasty toxic chemicals. Plus, for a price so steep, it’s bound to last a lifetime, right?

Well, not exactly. And with a big investment like an eco mattress, make sure you practice these tips to extend its shelf life.

The first time you saw the mattress commercial with the wine glass test, you just had to reenact this unlikely scenario. Suffice it to say, a mattress pad is a must. It’s a lot easier to toss it in the wash than spend hours with soap and a scrub brush.

Everybody needs a little fresh air and sunshine, but what you may not know is that your mattress does, too. When it comes time for spring cleaning, take your mattress outside to soak in some rays for an afternoon.

Do you toss your damp towel on the bed after a steaming shower? Over time, this can be a damaging reflex, but it’s nothing some stylish hooks can’t solve.

If your mattress seems to sink in the spot where you snuggle up, then it needs to be flipped and rotated more often. Try working this into your routine whenever you change the sheets.

Jump on your bed for five minutes once every six months. Okay, maybe this won’t help your mattress, but isn’t it fun to revisit your childhood once in awhile?

P.S. If you like the bedding, check it out at VivaTerra.

The post 4.5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Mattress appeared first on EcoSalon.