Today's post on green cleaning comes from a guest author. Enjoy!
The commercial
cleaning products of today are chock full of toxic and harsh chemicals which
should be avoided whenever possible. Although their formulas are usually very
effective their long-term effects and hazards posed if applied the wrong way
make them a danger you don't really need in your home as long as you can avoid
them by using natural alternatives. You'll be surprised at how much can be done
by using the products our ancestors used for centuries without resorting to
commercial products and at how much of a cheaper alternative they actually are.
Here are some tips on what you will need to get the kit ready:
Baking soda, distilled
vinegar (white), washing soda, tea tree oil, liquid soap and some glass jars
and spray bottles.
Using the
aforementioned you can make a few useful products of your own, for example:
Mixing baking soda
with the liquid soap until they are blended into a creamy texture will provide
you with an excellent way to clean your bathtubs and sinks. It has a clear
texture and won't leave anything behind since the baking soda will dissolve as
you wash it away with water. You should usually make some of it only when you
use it, however you can store it if you place it in a glass jar and add some glycerol
to keep it moisturized. The added benefit of this cleaning alternative is its
extremely reduced toxicity compared to the usual scrubbers sold commercially.
A great way to make
window cleaner is by mixing about half a table spoon of liquid soap with three
spoons of vinegar and about two cups of water. The mixture can be placed in a
spray bottle and it will do the exact same thing commercial products do and is
much cheaper to make obviously. The soap will help you clean away the streaks
left behind by those products as well, so adding it to the mix works great.
Cleaning your oven has
always been a very unpleasant task right? Well by mixing a cup of baking soda
with water and some of the liquid soap mentioned earlier you will have a
perfect way of cleaning the fat and grime that collects inside ovens. Just
sprinkle enough water and then baking soda to cover the bottom of it and spray
some water until the mixture is wet. Let the whole thing sit overnight and wipe
it away on the morning. You'll find out it loosens and dissolves the worst of
the mess inside. You can clean the rest by using liquid soap and water.
Polishing furniture is
also possible by utilizing these products; just add half a teaspoon of oil
(olive oil, sunflower oil or whatever strikes your fancy) and a quarter of a
cup of vinegar or just lemon juice in a glass jar and use the mixture to polish
surfaces. It can be easily stored within the jar for a very long time and
reused at your leisure without losing its properties.
Vinegar can also be
used as a deodorizer to kill unwanted smells and contrary to what you may
believe its smell will dissipate with a few hours after drowning out the
unpleasant smells it was meant to cover. It can also be used to kill most
common mold, reportedly up to 82% of what we encounter in our kitchens and
bathrooms.
As you can see there
are plenty of opportunities and alternatives to commercial cleaners, so try
them out and see for yourself!
Learn more at: http://www.
Wow really great idea, its so important to be green these days.
ReplyDelete