Try this sustainable, safe cleaning recipe

Imagine…… instead of buying chemical products in plastic bottles or packages, you source safe powerful cleaners out of your front garden, This has a knock on effect on transport of product, less harmful chemicals into the waste water, and less plastic containers to go to landfill. Bonus!

Bottlebrush sounds like a cleaner to me, and research confirms it with antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties found. Used in Chinese medicine for gastro, skin infections and analgesic properties. Documented long term use by indigenous people as a powerful medicine. The research is well documented with evidence that it kills S. aureus (golden staph).

Right next to the Geraldton Wax, framing our house, is the rapidly growing C. viminalis also known as the Bottlebrush. Yesterday, its first ever flower appeared in a splendorous burst of colour. Very life affirming.

I have struggled to get some plants to thrive in this ‘new to me’ Perth soil (ha ha). But today I’m excited to see the Geraldton Wax, Wedding bush and Bottlebrush splashing colour in our little garden.

Recipe

Pick a handful of leaves and flowers of the Geraldton Wax/ Bottlebrush and place them in a pot. Next, pour 250ml boiling water over them and leave it for 5 minutes. Strain. Add 100ml vinegar (or not), or tsp of citric acid and put in a spritzer. It makes a sustainable supply of safe all purpose cleaner.

Support the world a bit at a time. Look around your streets and gardens, the bottlebrush is in full flower every Spring! Make your garden a pharmacy.

For more information of C. viminalis chemical properties see http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.015