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Insects and other damaging animals

Flies

Lavender , Mints , Elder, Mugwort (Felon Herb, St. John's Plant), European Pennroyal, Rue (Countryman's Treacle, Herb-of-grace), Southernwood (Lad's Love). Use fresh or in potpourri. Hang pieces of the fresh root of Elecampane (Horseheal, Scabwort, Wild Sunflower) by windows and doors. Plant Marigold by windows to deter flies from entering the house.

Wasps

Burn dried leaves of Hemp-Agrimony to drive them away.

Lice and Fleas

Burn leaves of Common Fleabane, Cinnamon Root (Ploughman's Spikenard), Mugwort (Felon Herb, St. John's Plant), or Wormwood on glowing coals in an open hearth or fire. Let the smoke fill the room, but try to avoid breathing it.

Ants

Place twigs of European Pennroyal, Rue (Countryman's Treacle, Herb-of-grace), or Tansy to keep ants away. Mix the leaves around at times to release more scent. The scent won't kill the ants but will make them stay away. Cornstarch can be used for the same purpose.

Mice

Mint and Tansy in the cupboards will keep mice away.

Weevils

Put Bay leaves in flour, rice, and other grain product containers to deter weevils.

General

Wrap apples, pears, root crops, and moist cheeses with dried leaves of nettle to preserve them and to keep insects away. This will keep the surface of the products supple and moist for 2-3 months. Wrap figs in leaves of Evening Primrose to preserve them. See Organic Gardening for more tips like this.

To keep insects away, put twigs of Costmary (Alecost, Bibleleaf), Basil , Lemonbalm , Fennel, Germander, Hop, Sweet Flag (Calamus, Flagroot, Sweet Cane, Sweet Grass, Sweet Root, Sweet Rush), Chamomile , Savory , Sweet Violet, Marjoram , mints , Sweet Woodruff (Waldmeister), Pine, European Pennroyal, Silverweed (Argentine, Crampweed, Goosewort, Moongrass, Wild Tansy), Rose, Rosemary , Sage , Thyme , Common Daisy, Southernwood (Lad's Love), or Dropwort underneath rugs or on the porch. This will also make your house smell good.

Cleaning

Disinfecting with Lemon

Mix 6 drops Lemon essence with 1-tsp isopropyl alcohol to make the dissolving easier and mix into 2-litres (8.4 American cups) of lukewarm water. Instead of Lemon essence, Thyme, Orange, Bergamot, Teatree, Juniper, Carnation, Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood, or Eucalyptus can be used. They are listed in order of disinfecting efficiency.

Disinfecting with Rosemary

Simmer leaves or smaller twigs of Rosemary in water for 30 minutes. The less water the more concentrated the disinfecting liquid becomes. Strain and use to clean sinks and bathrooms. Mix with detergent to remove fat stains. Rosemary can be replaced with leaves and flowering twigs of Eucalyptus, Juniper, Lavender , Sage , or Thyme

Steel Wool

Before steel wool became available to scrub pots with, people were using stems of Horsetail . The stem is covered with tiny quartz crystals, which gives it a sandpaper-like surface, ideal to scrub pots and pans with. Grab a handful of stems and rub against the surfaces. Wash off with water to remove green stains.

Metal Polish

Make a strong infusion of 25-g (0.9 oz) Horsetail per 6-dl (2.5 American cups) water. Let draw in the water for at least two hours and after that, simmer in the same water for 15 minutes. Strain the water from the plant and pour over metal objects. Let the objects lay in the infusion for 5 minutes, then remove them and dry with a soft cloth. If the object is too large to immerse in water, polish it with a rag soaked in the infusion. Dry it off, and polish with a soft dry cloth. Buttermilk can also be used to polish copper. Pour buttermilk over the copper items and let them sit over night, then wash off the buttermilk and rub the items dry with a soft cloth.

Scenting Clothing Drawers and Linen Closets

Put dried twigs of Costmary (Alecost,Bibleleaf), Lavender , Rosemary , or Southernwood (Lad's Love), dried pieces of Orange peel, dried pieces of root from Elecampane (Horseheal, Scabwort, Wild Sunflower), Rose, Violet, or Sweet Flag (Calamus, Flagroot, Sweet Cane, Sweet Grass, Sweet Root, Sweet Rush) in small sachets and hang in closets or put the herbs directly among the clothes.

Cleaning Windows, Counters, and other surfaces

Vinegar can replace chemical cleaners for this purpose. Mix 2 parts water with one part vinegar and use to wipe off dirty surfaces.

Stains

Shampoo works great for removing stains, especially greasy ones. This is a little like replacing one chemical with another, but shampoo is better to use than many other chemicals such as bleach.

Baking Soda

Baking soda gets a whole paragraph by itself because it is a very useful, relatively harmless chemical that most everyone keeps at home at all times. Along with everything else it does, it disinfects too.

It is great for removing bad smells, even such strong smells as cat spray. Just cover the smelling area with the powder and let sit for a while. Then vacuum it up. Sprinkling baking soda over the carpet 10 minutes before vaccuming is a great way of killing some germs and remove possible bad smells from it. It will also remove odour and stains from garbage bins, coffee and tea pots, plastic containers, cutting boards, enamel, cat litter boxes, dish-washers (between loads), and chrome fixtures. One way of removing odours can be combined with reusing film cannisters. Take an empty film cannister, fill it with baking soda, make some holes in the cover with a needle, and place in or behind your garbage bin or in other smelly areas to absorb the bad smells.

Baking soda is also an excellent bleacher for counters, sinks, bath tubs and other surfaces. Sprinkle some over the surface and scrub with a moist dish cloth until the stain is removed. Wipe off with a moist cloth afterwards. It works wonders for cool-aid stains!