An Eco-Friendly Home Cleaning Guide
It is easy to tell which of your home cleaning products are toxic. All you have to do is study the labels on the bottles and packages and look for toxic ingredients. Some of the known toxic ingredients commonly found in commercial household cleaning products are ammonia, chlorine, phenol, oxalic acid, phosphates, calcium hypochlorite, naptha nitrobenzene, ethanol, diethyl alcohol, sodium hydroxide, petroleum distillate, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, potassium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified all these common ingredients as toxic.
The good news is that using the safe and eco-friendly cleaners need not be a time consuming or costly affair. You can find some vegetable-enzyme based non-toxic household cleaning products in the health food stores and even supermarkets. Still it is very difficult to be 100% sure about commercial cleaning products because unlike manufacturers of food products home cleaning product manufacturers are not required to disclose all the ingredients in their products.
The best way to be sure that all your scrubs and sprays are completely safe and eco-friendly is to make them yourself at home from simple ingredients already used in the home. The best thing about using home made cleaners is that they are safe to use and light on the wallet. The most commonly used ingredients used for making homemade cleaning products are baking soda, white vinegar, lemons and lemon juice, club soda and hydrogen peroxide.
Most people have white distilled vinegar, popularly known as ‘white vinegar’, in their homes as it is used in many recipes. White vinegar can be used as an all natural powerful disinfectant and antibacterial cleaning liquid in the home. When diluted with water it can be used as an all-purpose home cleaner for cleaning mirrors, windowpanes, floors, bathroom tiles, showers and toilets. White vinegar works as well as any commercial cleaner and is a very good green cleaning alternative.
Another green cleaning item available in most homes is the lemon. Lemons have antiseptic and antibacterial properties in addition to their fresh citrus smell. Lemon juice can be used in the home very effectively to clean and disinfect countertops, floors and to remove stains from tiles. Clogged drains can be cleared with it. By adding limejuice to vinegar you can have a powerful all-purpose household cleaner with a fresh smell. Mix lemon juice with olive oil to get an all-natural furniture polish.
Baking soda can be used for so many house cleaning jobs that it is a boon for those who wish to follow eco-friendly home cleaning practices. In addition to being a natural cleaning product it is a very good deodorizer. It is used for cleaning stove tops, counter tops, bathrooms, and almost everything in the home by being sprinkled directly or being mixed with water. It also works as a wonderful fabric softener and all you have to do is pour a cup of it in the washing machine and wash your cloths, towels and sheets.
Tough stains and spots on your clothes or carpet can be easily removed by using carbonated or club soda. This is easily done by pouring club soda on the stained portion and leaving it to set for some time. The fizz and the carbonic acid in the soda helps in bringing the stain to the surface for easy removal by blotting it out. It is very useful for removing stains left by kids and pets.
As noted earlier chlorine based laundry bleach can be hazardous when used at home. A safe and effective alternative is hydrogen peroxide. You can safely use it for your laundry and other bleaching requirements. It is very useful for disinfecting and removing spots and stains. You can also use it for cleaning your toothbrushes. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes when exposed to sunlight. Hence it must be stored in a dark colored bottle in a dark place. Always pour out only the required quantity.
