Cleaning with Natural Products
There are natural cleaning products that can change the way you currently clean your home. Ammonia, bleach and other cleaning products are simply not natural! Some cleaning chemicals are harsh to breath in and hard on the hands. Cleaning with natural products is a great way to keep your home safe from harmful bacteria. There are several items that are probably already in your house that you can use to clean tough jobs that are more natural or easier on your hands and lungs. These natural cleaning prodcuts will surely change your cleaning ways!
Vinegar– although vinegar has a foul odor, it disappears as it dries. Vinegar does wonders for hard water stains. Rub a little vinegar on your faucet or stainless steel sink and you will find that the hard water deposits will come right off. Rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth to get a nice sheen. Vinegar can also take off the hard water deposits on your coffee pot as well. Simply pour it into the pot, let it soak and scrub off the deposit with a mild abrasive pad. Last, for those who have sensitive skin, vinegar can actually be used as a fabric softener! Add 1/2 cup of fabric softener in place of your store bought fabric softener, it breaks down detergent much better than regular fabric softener. This is a great natural alternative to harsch chemicals like CLR.
Baking soda is a great natural abrasive. Stubborn stains or bit of food in your stainless steel sink can be scrubbed off with baking soda and rinsed down the drain. Simply sprinkle the powder in your sink, wet a sponge and scrub in a circular motion. Baking soda can also be safely used on porcelain or fiberglass tubs, showers and sinks. Just remember to rinse thoroughly with water to avoid a potentially grimy finish that it left behind. Baking soda also is well known for helping reduce odors in refrigerators or other enclosed spaces. Just open up the top of the box and place in your fridge in an inconspicuous spot.
Fabric Softener Having trouble with hair spray residue? Sticky floors can be cured with a little fabric softener and water, mixed in equal parts. This mixture will remove hair spray residue from tile floors. It also leaves a wonderful scent and a nice shine to your ceramic tiles. Just mix the two in a spray bottle and spritz a bit on the floor. Wipe with a soft cloth and voila, it’s like a fresh new floor! While this is not necessarily considered a natural cleaning product, it is very gentle and worth mentioning.
Borax, sold in most grocery stores is a great freshening product for toilets. After cleaning your toilet, sprinkle about a quarter cup onto the sides of your toilet bowl. Swish around with your toilet brush and let it sit for 30 minutes to overnight for a clean, fresh toilet. Borax can also be used in your laundry to freshen up the load!
Lemon juice and baking soda works wonders for smelly garbage disposals. Pour ¼ cup of baking soda down the disposal, add a bit of lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes. Then run the disposal with cold water for another few minutes and you’ll notice the smell has disappeared.
Always be sure to test them on a small part of the surface you are cleaning first, just in case the properties of the agent might affect the color of the surface you are working on. You’ll find that cleaning with natural products will be easier on your hands AND your lungs!
