Soy and Beeswax Candle Burning Tips SOY CANDLES Place soy jar candles on heat resistant surface away from anything flammable and out of reach of pets and children. * Before re-lighting, trim the wick to ¼" to ½" * Store soy candles away from sunlight and heat * Never leave a burning candle unattended * Allow the candle to liquefy to the edge of the container before extinguishing to prevent tunnelling * Do not burn candles in a draft * Do not move lit candles * Keep dead matches, wick trimmings etc out of the candle wax * Discontinue use of candle when ¼" of wax remains * Do not use cracked or damaged containers * Soy wax is water soluble which makes for easy cleaning of spills or jar. BEESWAX CANDLES * Burn candles away from anything flammable and out of reach of pets and children * To fit a candle to the holder set the stem of the candle in ½" of hot tap water to soften the wax on the outside of the candle. Push the candle gently into the holder. * The first time you light the candle allow it to burn until the liquid wax covers the entire top of the candle before extinguishing, this will ensure it will continue to burn evenly. * Before re-lighting, trim the wick to between ¼" and ½" * Store beeswax candles away from sunlight and heat * Never leave a burning candle unattended * Do not burn candles in a draft * Do not move lit candles * Keep dead matches, wick trimmings etc out of the candle wax * Use an appropriate holder when burning your beeswax candle Cat bathing hints and tips Home Scents suggestions for washing your cat. PREPARATION IS IMPORTANT We find the bathroom is the best place to wash your cat. Either put a baby's bath into the bath or simply use the bath. Place a rubber mat in the bath (or use a towel) so the cat has a comfortable footing. No more than 4-5 inches deep with warm water (depending on size of the cat). Fill the bath before bringing your pet into the bathroom, since some cats can be unnerved by running water. And fill a bucket or two with extra warm water for rinsing the cat: so you don't need to run more water during the bath, which may scare your cat. . Have "Pet Scents" shampoo and a small flannel ready plus a couple of clean towels ready for drying your cat. Do ensure you have previously brushed or combed your cat the thoroughly before bathtime especially if your pet is a long haired cat. NOW'S THE TIME TO WASH & RINSE YOUR PET. Use a calm, quiet re-assuring voice while washing your cat and keep a good grip on their neck or shoulders. If your cat prefers to have only two of their feet in the water, face them toward the back of the bath and let them stand on two feet. Soak the cat from the neck down, using a flannel. Use a little bit of our Pet Scents Truly Natural shampoo and with the water, wash your cat's neck, body, legs, belly and tail. Be sure to not get shampoo in their eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. Rinse thoroughly with the water in the tub, then drain the bath and rinse two more times with warm water from the bucket. It is essential to remove all the soap from the coat. DRYING Let the water drip from the cat while gently pressing as much water as you can from the fur before you wrap your cat in the towel. Rub gently with one towel. When the first towel gets too wet to be effective, switch to the next dry towel. Don't stop until your cat is just damp. Try warming the towels in the dryer or on a heated towel rail first -- many cats find this comforting. Short-haired cats can finish drying themselves in the bathroom as long as they're away from drafts. They will appreciate a heat source such as a radiator or heated towel rail and a dry towel to sit on. Beeswax Removal Here are some clean up hints should you accidently spill beeswax. * On carpet & upholstery - Carefully pull off as much wax as possible then place a brown paper bag or sheet of kitchen towel over the wax and apply a warm iron. Move the paper as it picks up the wax. * Clothing - Place several sheets of brown paper or kitchen towel between the wax stain and the ironing board and further sheets on top of the stain. Apply a warm iron and move the paper as the wax is soaked up. * Wood surfaces - Peel off as much of the cooled wax as possible then use a hair dryer on low setting to soften the wax and wipe it off with a soft cloth. Stain Removal Tips REMOVE BIRO OR PEN FROM WOOLLEN CLOTHING Dissolve 1 teaspoon of Home Scents Laundry Washing liquid with 1 teaspoon of White Vinegar and 1/2 litre of warm water. Soak the stain area for 1/2 hour, then very gently rub the stain from the inside of the garment using a piece of soft cotton. If necessary repeat soaking and gentle rubbing til stain is gone. Then wash the garment as normal. STOP ANTS INFESTATION IN YOUR HOME Difficult to stop them coming in but you can kill them. First test whether your ants are sweet or fat eaters by putting down a little grated cheese and nearby a little icing sugar. Whichever they go for then mix equal quantities with borax. Put this down on their trail, they will eat it and die. PROTECT LEATHER SCHOOL SHOES FROM SCUFFING. Polish them with boot polish and then rub them with the back of a hot spoon. This waterproofs them and hardens the boot polish into the surface of the leather so you have an extra layer. Article about us on "grownupgreen" website Home Scents - doing what comes naturallyHome Scents contacted us some while ago to explain about how it is possible for companies to tell us that our products are ‘Natural’ when the contain minimal natural ingredients. Here is Judith Mathias to tell us more. Judith Mathias runs Home Scents and is clearly proud to showcase her online natural products business to us. However with increasing numbers of products on the market claiming to be ‘natural’, what does this really mean? Judith explains why her company is sceptical of the scientific definition of ‘Natural’. Judith, from Home Scents Home Scents is an Eco friendly company supplying household cleaners, sprays, polishes and Baby products to those who care about their health and the environment. Based in the pastoral beauty of the Northumberland countryside, we are surrounded by all that is best in nature. This adds to our determination to produce only the very best for our customers. Our range has to be made using totally pure essential oils with vegetable based ingredients, 100% natural beeswax and nature’s own water from springs in County Durham. We have nothing to do with animal testing and never will agree with it. The word Natural has been hi-jacked by the faceless ones who run the companies that dominate the household cleaners market. As more and more customers read labels some companies have taken advantage of the fact that there is no legal or scientific definition as to what NATURAL really means. If a product contains less than one per cent of plant based derivatives it can be called “natural”. When we declare that our products are Natural we mean just that. No tongue in cheek with a nervous glance at the profit margin. We do care about our customers and what is happening to our planet. Everything Home Scents makes is biodegradable and cannot harm the environment. We want to do our best to safeguard customers and planet. Herbal extracts have been used safely and effectively for thousands of years by many civilizations. Why breathe in the fumes produced by a cleaner fragranced with Parfum (artificial musks, usually kept secret) when you can enjoy the healing and calming scents of Bergamot, of Geranium, of Lavender and so many more essential oils? Why expose yourself and your family to chemical guests? Show them the door and begin to recover your home from the grip of these suspect invaders. ALL of our ingredients are listed on our website and a scroll through should get the old nostrils twitching and not with hay fever! We have designed our own signature scents. Other items feature a blend of classic oils with pure beeswax to fragrance your furniture and floors while making a grand job of cleaning. We have recently started to come up with things to safeguard children. Our Surface Cleaner for High Chairs, Changing Mats etc is ideal for all the hard surfaces a baby or toddler encounters. It is as well to remember that a baby’s skin can be FIVE times thinner than an adult’s and an adult absorbs 60% of what is in contact with the skin; worrying to say the least. It can be disheartening when we see so many dubious products being lauded to the skies because of the things they can do, while nothing is said about how questionable they are. Don’t expect the politicians to protect us. French, German and British Euro politicians seem to be easily swayed by the heavy lobbying of big business. Companies like Home Scents can only stick to their ethos and gently point the way down the road to a safer, healthier way of life. For further information toddle along to www.homescents.co.uk. CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY CLEANING TIPS SPOT CLEANING CARPETS & UPHOLSTERY Using our Eco Carpet shampoo. Always apply diluted cleaning solution to a small inconspicuous area of carpet, blot with a white cloth and check for colour transfer before using. If colour transfer occurs, the carpet/upholstery is not colourfast and no treatment should be used. 1. If liquid spillage, blot up as much as you can with a clean cloth, pressing firmly all around the spill to absorb as much of the liquid as possible. 2. If the spillage is solid, scrape up what you can with a spoon or a dull edge of a knife/spatula. 3. Dampen a clean white cloth with diluted Eco carpet shampoo (1 part shampoo to 5 parts of very warm water). 4. Wipe area gently, working from the outer edge to the centre of the spot. Turn the cloth frequently so that it is always clean, and do not get the carpet/upholstery excessively wet. 5. Repeat this process until the spot is removed. 6. Dry the carpet by weighing down a half-inch pad of absorbent tissues or cloth to absorb the moisture or circulate air with a fan. 7. After the carpet is dry, brush the pile up. WHEN CLEANING CARPET/UPHOLSTERY WITH A CARPET MACHINE. 1. Vacuum carpet thoroughly to remove loose dirt. 2. For best results pre-treat any badly stained areas first. 3. Mix 1 capful (40ml) of Eco carpet shampoo with each 1.5 litres of very warm water 4. Clean carpet and upholstery following your machine manufacturer's guide 6. Allow carpet to dry thoroughly before opening the room for normal use.