Green Cleaning – How to Clean Your Home Safely

People use chemical based cleaners in their homes every day, but do you realize the potential dangers that lurk in these cleansers? Drain and toilet cleaners, which are very toxic, can enter the groundwater and create harmful fumes. The chemicals in oven cleaners can remain on the oven surface and permeate food that is being cooked within it. Chlorine cleaners can harm the lungs and irritate the eyes, and some cleaners contain synthetic hormones that can negatively effect women’s reproductive health. Traditional household cleaners can also cause skin irritations, allergic reactions and can be a grave danger to children.

Not only are chemical based cleaners harmful to human health, they are destructive to the earth by causing pollution to groundwater, damage to plant life and even harmful effects to the ozone layer. But there are safer alternatives to these types of cleaners that are not only better for your health and the earth, but are also less costly. Surprisingly, the ingredients for these earth friendly, “green cleaners can be found right in your kitchen cupboard and do a great job at cleaning your home. Here is a list of some common, safe ingredients and how you can use them in your home.

Baking Soda
A common cooking mineral, baking soda is slightly alkaline in nature and is good at neutralizing odors. Sprinkle a little on your carpeting before vacuuming to freshen your carpets. Add a cup to your laundry to neutralize perspiration odors. Put a little on a damp sponge to use as a mild abrasive cleaner for bathtubs, sinks and countertops. Dilute in water to use as an all-purpose cleaner for walls, counter surfaces and floors.
Baking soda is also good at cleaning ovens. Just apply a paste of baking soda and water with a damp sponge and let it set overnight. Then, using a water bottle, spray it all with a mist of water and wipe clean it off with a sponge or paper towels.

Vinegar
Add 4 tablespoons of white vinegar to two cups of water and then add this to a spray bottle. This can then be used for cleaning your windows or for removing hard water buildup from your shower. Be sure to shake the bottle before using so that the ingredients are well mixed. This mixture can also be used for cleaning counter tops and bathroom surfaces. Straight, undiluted vinegar is very effective at cleaning mold and mildew.

**To make a safe and effective drain cleaner, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain and follow it with 1/2 cup vinegar. Let this sit for about 15 minutes (the mixture will get bubbly) then rinse it out with a kettle of boiling water.

Borax
This is very good at cleaning toilets. All you have to do is flush the toilet to wet the sides of the bowl, then sprinkle in some borax. Let sit for several minutes, scrub with a toilet brush and then flush.

Use for laundry stains by pre-soaking clothes in a mixture of 1/2 cup borax and 2 gallons of hot water.

Olive Oil
Use this as a furniture polish by mixing two parts olive oil with one part lemon juice. Just mix up enough to fill a small baby food jar because a little goes a long way. Dab a little of the mixture onto a soft dust cloth and use it on your wood surfaces.

Cornstarch
To use in place of spray-on starch, mix 1 or 2 tablespoons with 1 cup water and fill a spray bottle with this mixture. Shake well and spray on to your clothes before ironing. Use on carpet stains by first blotting up the stain, then sprinkle it with cornstarch and let it dry. Dampen a sponge with club soda, blot the area then vacuum it up.

There are also many earth friendly and “green” cleaning products available on the market such as Simple Green, Seventh Generation and Shaklee. Be smart, keep yourself safe and keep your home clean the green way!