Time to Green-Clean your Home!
Time to Green-Clean your Home!
12 April, 2010
Blog Category
Winter will be upon us before we know it. While we can still get the windows open and let in lots of fresh air, it may be a good time to give your home a freshening up. Happily, we no longer have to search high and low for eco-friendly cleaning products; a wide range has become available everywhere including most grocery stores. Do make sure you buy products with an Environmental Choice or Eco Logo Label, which means they are both non-toxic and biodegradable. Biodegradable is not enough. Some Canadian-made brands with this certification include Attitude and Bio-Vert as well as better-known names such as La Parisenne with one laundry detergent and a chlorine-free bleach and Hertel with a multi-purpose cleaner.
You can go one step further and make your own cleaners with common household ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients and supplies (keep posted on your fridge) and a few recipes to get you started:
Ingredients and Supplies
Distilled white vinegar (acetic acid): Cuts grease, removes stains and is an excellent water softener.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate): Cleans, deodorizes, removes stains and softens fabrics.
Borax (sodium borate): A natural mineral that kills mold and bacteria. An alternative to bleach, it deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap.
Borax (sodium borate): A natural mineral that kills mold and bacteria. An alternative to bleach, it deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap.
Castile or vegetable oil based soaps: Cleans everything.
Cornstarch: Starches clothes, absorbs oil and grease.
Herbs and essential oils: For disinfecting and fragrance.
Herbs and essential oils: For disinfecting and fragrance.
Lemon Juice: Cuts through grease and removes perspiration and other stains from clothing. A bleach alternative.
Salt (sodium chloride): An abrasive.
Toothpaste: A mild abrasive.
Olive or vegetable oil
Olive or vegetable oil
Microfiber or soft cloths (use old t-shirts)
Newspaper
Spray bottles and jars, preferably recycled
These 4 basic cleaners will cover most of your cleaning needs!
Glass and window cleaner
1 tsp liquid castile soap
3 tbsp vinegar
2 cups water
Shake lightly in spray bottle.
All Purpose Cleaner
1 tsp borax
2 tbsp vinegar
¼ tsp liquid castile soap
2 cups very hot water
Shake well until dissolved in spray bottle.
Natural Wood Furniture Polish
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Soft Scrub Cleaner
Make a paste with equal parts
baking soda and salt.
Check out this website for an extensive listing (amongst other valuable information!) of green cleaning tips and recipes.