Greener Spring Cleaning
With the warm days of spring comes the urge to clean and freshen the home. But before you rush out to buy a new set of cleaning products, consider making your own less-toxic cleaning agents at home. Most comercial products contain dangerous chemicals, many of which are not listed on the label.
You can use familiar, everyday products and easy recipes to mix your own green cleaning products. These alternatives take the guess work out of determining what chemicals are safe for your family, espcially if you have kids and pets scampering across the floors.
Easy Recipes to Clean Your Home
For countertops: For a “soft scrub,” mix baking soda and liquid soap until you get a consistency you like. The amounts don’t have to be perfect. Make only as much as you need, as it dries up quickly.
For ovens: To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda*, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; rinse surfaces well (gloves are recommended as washing soda may irritate skin).
For microwave ovens: These can be cleaned with a paste made from 3 to 4 tablespoons of baking soda mixed with water. Scrub on with a sponge and rinse.
For cutting boards: Sanitize them by spraying with vinegar and then with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Keep the liquids in separate spray bottles and use them one at a time. It doesn’t matter which one you use first, but both together are much more effective than either one alone.
For a good all-purpose sanitizer: 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar, and 3 to 4 cups hot water in a spray bottle. For extra cleaning power, add 1/4 teaspoon liquid soap to the mixture.
For air freshener: A simple recipe of 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vinegar (or lemon juice), and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle can be spritzed in the air to remove odors
More Recipes
More recipes to clean your living room, bathroom, floors and carpets can be found on the Healthy Child, Healthy World website.
Greener Choices
Visit Consumer Report’s Greener Choices website for information on commercial products, including warning label information, health claims and many ingredients to avoid.
*Washing soda is sodium carbonate. It is typically used with laudry detergents to treat for hard water. Look in the detergent aisl for this product. This is a caustic chemical, use gloves when handling and avoid inhaling or getting on the skin, especially around the eyes. Also, keep out reach of children and pets.