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Green-Clean Your
Home
By Amy Roffman New
From Natural Health, September/October, 1994
Many commercial household cleaners contain
ingredients that are toxic, corrosive, or flammable. Get rid
of them and substitute safe cleaners you can make with five common
ingredients.
I've been cleaning my home for years with commercial
products and have been satisfied with how quickly and effectively
they work. But many of them are among the most hazardous
products sold to consumers -- so hazardous, in fact, that they are
regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under the
Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
That Act states that products with the potential for
causing substantial personal injury or illness must carry warning
labels. Products made with chemicals that are toxic,
corrosive, flammable or combustible under pressure, or that act as
irritants or strong sensitizers fall under this category. Many
household cleaners fit this description.
While you may see warning labels on some commercial
household cleaning products, you seldom find listings of
ingredients, since manufacturers are not required to show them.
So unless you're willing to take the time to contact the
manufacturers and ask them what's in their products, it's easier to
use alternatives.
The best solution is to make your own "green"
cleaning kit. You can make one with five easily available
ingredients: baking soda, salt, white vinegar, lemon juice,
and borax. From these you can make cleaning products that are
sometimes -- though not always -- just as effective as commercial
products, but in all cases they are far safer and less expensive.
A cleaning kit that will handle all the tasks listed
here can be assembled for less than ten dollars and will reduce your
family's exposure to cleaning chemicals like ammonia, phenol,
chlorine, ethanol, cresol, and lye.
One note of caution: While borax is markedly
safer than the ingredients in many cleaning products, it should
still be stored away from children, pets, and food.
Air Freshener: We all know about putting
baking soda in the refrigerator to reduce odor, but I also use
baking soda to eliminate room odors. Sprinkle it on the
carpet, leave for a few minutes, then vacuum. This absorbs
food odors or musty smells.
Chrome Polish: An old trick for shining
chrome is rubbing it with newspaper. Another way is to rub the
chrome with white flour on a dry rag. When I tried this, it
restored the shine and removed some burnt-on spots on the top of the
toaster.
Coffeepot Cleaner: Run one cup of vinegar
through the cycle of your automatic coffee maker. Follow it
with a couple of pots of water. This not only cleans your
coffeepot, but also perks up the taste of your coffee. And it
cuts the calcium buildup on glass pots.
Drain Opener: Here are two methods:
Pour one and one-half cups white vinegar and two tablespoons baking
soda into the drain and cover tightly for a minute, then rinse with
hot water; or pour one-half cup salt and one-half cup baking
soda into the drain and rinse with hot water. While both of
these methods made some difference in my clogged bathroom drain,
they were not as effective as the chemical drain openers. But
the latter are very caustic. While some manufacturers of
commercial household products are trying to be more consumer- and
eco-friendly, strong chemicals are part of their business. And
even heeding the warnings on the label may not fully protect you,
since such warnings may refer only to immediate dangers, not
long-term effects like cancer and damage to the heart, liver,
kidneys, and central nervous system that may come about through
long-term exposure to chemicals found in these products.
Fabric Softener: Add one cup vinegar
during the rinse cycle. I tried this on my line-dried clothes.
It made the clothes softer and gave them a wonderfully clean smell.
Furniture Polish: Mix equal parts lemon
juice and vegetable oil. This polish produced a clean, shiny
surface. For smooth application, put the mixture on a cloth
and rub lightly, rather than pouring the liquid directly onto the
furniture.
Glass Cleaner: Mix equal parts vinegar
and water in a pump spray bottle, spray on glass, and wipe clean
with newspaper. When I tried this on the inside of my car
windows, I was amazed by the results. There is the mess of
newsprint to deal with, but the windows sparkled. This works
better than the commercial alcohol-based glass cleaner I previously
used.
Hand Cleaner/Deodorizer: I love to cook with
garlic, but I can't stand the smell that stays on my hands for days
afterward. After cutting garlic, onions, potatoes, or anything
else with a residual odor, wash your hands with baking soda;
the odor will disappear.
Linoleum Floors: Mop floors with one-half
cup of vinegar per gallon of hot water. I removed a thick
layer of soap buildup in my kitchen this way, and the floor looked
almost new, although the room smelled vinegary for a couple of days.
Mildew: Wash the affected area with a
solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Also try wiping
damp areas with a solution of borax and water to discourage mildew
from forming in the first place.
Pesticides: To control insects, sprinkle
borax, chili powder, or pepper around areas where you see pests.
(Never use borax in cabinets where food is stored.) I had ants
in the yard, and they went away when I sprinkled black pepper on the
anthills.
Scouring Powder: Baking soda works well to
remove baked-on crud from a casserole dish, and borax and a soft
bristle brush cleans some food stains from my porcelain sink.
Salt works well to clean metal barbecue grills.
Spot Remover: There are different
eco-methods for different types of stains. Club soda applied
immediately can remove most liquid stains. If the stain has
had time to set, dabbing, it with undiluted lemon juice can remove
it (be careful to test colored fabrics first, since lemon juice has
bleaching properties). For a more crusty stain, I tried
rubbing dry salt into the stain and saw some improvement, but there
was still a shadow of the stain left behind.
Amy Roffman New is a freelance writer in
Chandler, Arizona who specializes in health topics.
Resources for Further Reading
The Nontoxic Home (J.P. Tarcher, 1986) by
Debra Lynn Dadd.
Nontoxic and Natural (J.P. Tarcher, 1989) by
Debra Lynn Dadd.
50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
(Earthworks Press, 1989).
Staying Healthy in a Risky Environment (Simon
& Schuster, 1993).
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