Green-cleaning
Tuesday, August 12th 2008
By Mavis Fan
While we are cleaning dirt and germs with commercial cleaning products, we may actually be making things worse. Many conventional cleaning products are petroleum-based and contain toxic chemicals or irritants that are harmful to health and the environment. Green cleaning is the use of cleaning products and methods which do not endanger you and your little ones. You can keep your home clean and fresh-smelling without the toxic side effects. Here are some tips:
Toilet
Pour 1 part baking soda to 4 parts vinegar into the toilet basin. Let sit 15 to 30 minutes before scrubbing through.
Tub, tile and shower curtain
Wipe away soapy film, mildew and buildup with straight white vinegar, then rinse with water.
Floor (Tile or linoleum)
Use half cup white vinegar and one gallon of water to mop tile or linoleum. For very tough stains, apply undiluted white vinegar directly on stains.
Scattered Showers
To remove lime deposit corrosion from the shower head, remove and soak it with undiluted white vinegar overnight and replace.
Streaks and prints on stainless steel surfaces
Make your stainless steel surfaces shinny by rubbing with olive oil.
Rust stains from a stainless steel sink
Make a paste with cream of tartar and a small amount of lemon juice and wipe onto the stained surface, then buff off.
Kitchen Cutting Board
Kill germs off cutting boards by spraying undiluted white vinegar and leave overnight.
Oven cleaner
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand for about 15 minutes. Use a scouring pad for scrubbing most surfaces. Do not use this cleaner recipe on self-cleaning ovens.
To unclog drains
Pour 1 part baking soda to 2 parts vinegar down the drain. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then flush with hot water.
All-purpose cleaner
Fill an empty spray bottle with 4 cups water, 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1/4 cup vinegar. Use on countertops, glass surfaces, chrome fixtures and tile. Mix 2 to 3 drops of tea tree oil into your all-purpose mixture for areas with mold and mildew. Essential oils like lavender, orange, rosemary and clove can be added for the wonderful scents and disinfecting properties*.
Air-purifying spray
Mix the essential oils* of eucalyptus lemon and thyme with water in a spray bottle, then spray your germ-filled rooms.
Deter Rodents
Wipe pantry doors and cupboard with a towel dampened with water and few drops of tea tree oil. You can also leave a few drops of the oil at the rodents’ points of entry
Deter Ants
Deter marching ants without toxic insecticides. Spread a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water all around their points of entry– door jambs, windowsills, and foundation cracks.
Furniture polish
Polish furniture with equal parts olive oil and white vinegar.
Windows
Mix 2 cups water with a generous pour of white vinegar. A great way to recycle your newspapers is to use them in place of paper towels for a streak-free finish.
Shoe Polish
Mix together ¼ cup olive oil with a few drops of lemon juice. Simply dig your rag, wipe on, buff off.
Closet or out-of-season clothing
Mix together equal parts of the dried cloves, rosemary, thyme place in a small pouches or tea bags, then hang in closets or fold in with out-or-season clothing. Dried lemon peels with also do the trick.
Freshen wash and repel moth from clothes
Add few drops of tea tree oil to your washing machine
Fabric softener
Adding half cup of white vinegar to your machine’s rinse cycle. This will help to rinse out the detergent completely and leave your clothes feeling soft. White vinegar is especially good for breaking down the uric acid and irritating soup residue in your baby’s clothing, blankets and sheets.
Smoke in clothes
Pour 2 cups of white vinegar in a bathtub of hot water, hang your clothes above the tub and leave the odors disappear.
A note on white vinegar
Local white vinegar found in
*A note on essential oil
Some doctors recommend stop using essential oils for the first trimester of pregnancy. Essential oils of clove, rosemary and thyme should be avoided throughout pregnancy.
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