I hope my series has boosted your confidence in your ability to get your house clean naturally while saving time and money. We have been using a lot of baking soda and vinegar around our place and it’s reassuring to know that my son isn’t being exposed to harmful chemicals. This week I’ll wrap up my series by highlighting some tips for cleaning the rest of your home. The bathroom and the kitchen are the two areas of my home I find most challenging to keep clean. These two rooms are also the areas that are likely to harbor the most bacteria.
My husband and I used to have a nightly ritual where we wiped our counters down with antibacterial wipes. Evidence has shown that the routine use of antibacterial soaps and cleaning products in the home may be contributing to multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria. If you get into the habit of regular, frequent cleaning you will avoid the proliferation of harmful bugs and save some time in the process. It’s so much easier to clean my home when I haven’t allowed the dust to gather and the mildew to show it’s colorful hue. Remember to utilize those natural ingredients I introduced you to a few weeks ago. Many of them act as a natural disinfectant and/or antiseptic.
Simple Detox Tip: Substitute ½ cup hydrogen peroxide
Because I’m a nurse AND I’m a bit of a germ-a-phobe, here is a natural disinfectant that will put your mind at ease.
Benefect’s Botanical Disinfectant
DIY remedies for the kitchen. (From The Green Guide)
Marble Countertops
Mix 1 tablespoon of castile soap with a quart of warm water. Rinse well and dry with a warm cloth. (How easy is that?)
“Other” Surfaces/Countertops
Dip half of a lemon in baking soda to scrub built-up residues. Follow with your all-purpose cleaner of choice. Baking soda and liquid soap in combination to your desired consistency works well too!
The Icing on the Cake: Add a few drops of those essential oils I discussed 2 weeks ago to a pint of water and place in a spray bottle for a final rinse on your clean surfaces and countertops.
So there will be times when you’re in a hurry and you need to wipe up a spill without creating your own science experiment. Check out my favorite all-natural surface wipes:
Caladrea’s Sweet Pea Surface Wipes (perfect for the little ones)
Wood Floors
Combine ¼ cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of warm water.
Linoleum Floors
Combine 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 gallons of warm water.
Be sure to rinse afterwards.
If you want to sanitize your floors, substitute ½ cup borax for vinegar.
Grease got you down? Use this recipe for success:
¼ cup washing soda
1 tablespoon liquid soap
¼ cup vinegar
2 gallons hot water.
*Not to be used on wax floors
And for those of you who’d rather purchase a “green” alternative, here are some all-natural floor cleaners:
Earth Friendly Products’ Floor Kleener
Oven cleaners are one of the worst smelling (and most hazardous) household products on the market. Unfortunately the grease build-up can be so significant that the job requires more than just some baking soda and water (try this first if you aren’t in dire straits). Remember, prevention is key. Consider these tried and true recipes for success:
Combine ¼ cup washing soda to 1 cup baking soda with just enough water to make a paste. Apply to surfaces and allow to sit overnight. Remove in the morning.
Stuck on grease? Try this natural alternative:
Planet Natural’s Natural Oven Cleaner
Through the Looking Glass
I’m not all that crazy about commercial glass cleaners. Their promises of streak-free windows and mirrors leave me disappointed. I’d much rather use my mother’s age-old newspaper strategy. Check out these DIY tips and some all-natural products that won’t require you to don protective gear.
Combine ¼ cup vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice (smells much better!) with 2 cups of water. Place your mixture in a spray bottle and voila! Don’t forget the newspaper!
Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
OurHouse’s Shiny Surface Cleaner
Aubrey Organics’ Liquid Sparkle Spray Cleanser
Naturally Yours’ Glass & Window Cleaner
As we conclude my series on “greening your clean,” I’d like to invite you to share what you are doing to detoxify your home. Maybe you’re starting to clean with the resources we’ve already been given. Perhaps you’ve decided to make use of some of the products I’ve highlighted throughout the series. I’d love to hear your thoughts and/or questions!
Greener Resources:
1 response so far ↓
1 Adriana // Jun 13, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Many consumers believe that using vinegar or lemmon juice it more effective than tap water….have you seen any test studies? CNN ran a story on the effectiveness of washing produce with tap water and the only thing that worked was bleach? but even that only removed 60% of bacteria.
Using ozone in water is actually an FDA and USDA approved process for removing pesticides and germs. There are quite a few distributors that already use this process and the biggest benefit is that it DOES NOT alter your produce in any way except for getting rid of all the bad stuff. Just take the Lotus Sanitizing System and try it, you will see for yourself that your produce will last up to 4 times longer without that stuff that you can’t see on it. Just think on average a household waste is over $350 in produce. The Lotus Sanitizing System will pay for itself in just a few months.
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