How to Green Clean with Household Products
A Guide to Formulating Natural House Cleaning Supplies
Apr 20, 2009
Learn how to make your own natural, green house cleaning products for safer, healthier housekeeping.
Green cleaning is an affordable, yet highly effective method for house cleaning. What’s more, natural cleaning products can be made from many of the household supplies you already have in your home. Read on for cleaning tips on using making natural home cleaners.
- Use distilled white vinegar to get rid of grease and grime, mold and mildew, wax build up, mineral deposits, odors and some stains. White vinegar has mild acidic properties that neutralize alkaline substances, inhibit mold, dissolve scale and get rid of soap scum. It also helps with rust, tea and coffee.
- Ammonia can be used as a powerful grease-cutting solution around the house. Simply dilute a tablespoon of ammonia in one pint of water and scrub away. Note: Never mix ammonia with bleach, because this will create fumes that are toxic and can be highly harmful.
- Baking soda is slightly abrasive, making it useful as a scouring powder. It is an effective natural cleaner, particularly for proteins, animal stains and grease. It is also a natural deodorizer.
- Castile soap, a vegetable-based soap, is a natural cleaner made from olive oil that can be used as an all-purpose cleaner around the home. It bonds with dirt particles at the molecular level, enabling you to rinse it away with water.
- Salt can be used as a natural degreasing cleaner and a mild abrasive. A sprinkle of salt over the greasy surface, left for at least 30 minutes, enables you to wipe the grease away using paper towels.
- Lemon is a potent food acid that is an effective antibacterial or fighting many household bacteria. Adding it to the rinse cycle of the dishwasher helps to get rid of odors, while giving a shine to your glassware. It is also useful for getting rid of rust – simply squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the rusty area, let sit for 30 minutes and then wipe off.
- Borax, or sodium borate, is useful for cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting. It is also useful as a water softener, whitener and for cleaning painted walls and wallpaper. The alkali content in borax is effective in cutting oil, grease and dirt.
- Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) is natural anti-bacterial, whitener, and mold cleaner. Simply dilute 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 2 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto tile grout, a shower curtain or other mold-affected area and leave this for at least an hour, before rinsing it off. .
Before the advent of mass-produced commercial cleaners, these natural cleaners ruled in the home. They remain a healthy, effective alternative to this day.
The copyright of the article How to Green Clean with Household Products in Natural Products is owned by Dianna Monda. Permission to republish How to Green Clean with Household Products in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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