Making home-made ice tea is really easy, and tastes better than the store-bought iced tea. When making your own, you are in control of the flavor and sugar. This ice tea is the perfect thirst-quencher for the scorching summer heat, and it’s healthy for you, too! Tea contains loads of antioxidants, especially black and green tea. Tea has been proven to block DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals. Tests performed on rats have found that rats who drank tea had less cancer. With all this in mind, it’s time to get cracking on making your very own iced tea!

Here’s what you’ll need: Tea of your choice, sugar (or honey or any other sweetener of your choice), sliced lemons, oranges, or limes, and mint leaves for serving.

Boil water and add 2-3 tea bags to steep. Add in your sweetener while the water is still hot and stir until it has dissolved. Taste to determine whether more sweetener is needed. Add in slices of lemon, orange, or lime if you like. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, remove tea bags, and pop it in the fridge to chill. When serving, add a genrous amount of ice cubes and mint leaves if desired.

That’s it! Easy to make, and super healthy, it’s hard to only drink one glass!

Photos: Yelp, Drizzle and Dip, Jugalbandi.

We’ve decided to ditch the store-bought deodorizers in favor of natural, home-made ones. Free of any toxic chemicals, they’re completely safe for you and your pets. These natural home deodorizers can be made in almost any combination. Simply add the ingredients (cut any fruit into slices ) to a pot and fill 3/4 of the way with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature down to a simmer. Leave the scent to simmer for a few hours, adding water as needed. If you like, you can use a crock pot instead of using the stove. You can also freeze the scents for future use. Remember, there are no measurements in these recipes! Experiment a little to find which scent suits you best.

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

1. Cinnamon sticks, orange rinds, apple peels, and whole cloves.

2. A few drops of vanilla and orange peels.

3. Lime, coconut oil, and vanilla.

4. Oranges, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and vanilla.

5. Rosemary, lavender, and lemon.

6. Cedar twigs.

7. Lemon, black peppercorns, and basil.

8. Earl Grey tea and vanilla extract.

9. Lemon, peppermint extract, and rosemary.

10. Orange and almond extract.

Photos: Day Break Houses, Eliza Domestica, A Joyful Dwelling.