Kitchen gardens are great… need to spice up the cooking? Or just want something to keep busy, look no further. Herb gardens are simple to grow, plus can easily be grown from most kitchen windowsills. When growing herbs unless using them often and plentiful, there will most likely be unused left-over herbs… yes drying or freezing them would eliminate this, but why not try something new. Turning herbs into household cleaners is a great way of saving money on pricey alternatives. Lots of herbs have great antimicrobial properties that are great for fighting germs.Thyme!Thyme has excellent antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal properties. The oil found inside thyme has been proven effective against certain anti-biotic resistant strains of bacteria. Thyme works great in an all-purpose cleaner or even combine it with other herbs on the list. As I previously mentioned, thyme oil is an effective natural agent against nasty bacterial strains. A study presented at the Society for General Microbiology's spring conference in Edinburgh pointed out that essential oils may be efficient and affordable alternatives to antibiotics in the battle against resistant bacteria.Rosemary!Recipes for DIY rosemary and lemon cleaners are plentiful… but why wouldn’t they be? Its smell is fragrant, strong and woody, unlike most other household herbs can actually mask the smell of vinegar. It has also been shown to kill certain strains of bacteria and fungi in a lab environment.Basil!Basil is another great herb that will abolish most common germs… plus its smells fantastic. Basil has shown to be very successful in killing germs, especially E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. Interesting fact… there are actually 35 different types of basil? Basil plants come in a range of variety and sizes, but holy basil is the most researched type of basil thus far. Holy basil is the species of basil most known for its powerful healing qualities.Peppermint!perhaps you don’t want your house to perpetually smell like an Italian restaurant. A good herb to grow to avoid unwanted odours would be mint, with the added bonus that it will also work as a great cleaning agent.The simplest and cheapest way to turn fresh herbs into a cleaning sensation is to fill a jar with the herb or herbaceous blend of your choice, pour warm white vinegar over the plants, and top with a lid. Its recommended to let it sit for a couple of weeks… once its ready, pour through a civ to discard the herbs, as the vinegar has already absorbed the germ destroying properties.
