Green Cleaning

March 23, 2006

Green Cleaning

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.

From NATURAL HEALTH, SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 1994

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.

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.

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 an 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.

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 ammonia-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.

Scouring Powder: Baking soda works well to remove

baked-on crud from a casserole dish, and borax and a

soft bristle bnish cleans some food stains from my

porcelain sink. Salt works well to clean metal

barbecue grills.

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.

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) and Nontoxic and Natural (J.P. Tarcher, 1989) by

Debra Lynn

Dadd; 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth

(Earthworks Press, 1989) from the Earthworks Group;

and Staying Healtby in a Risky Environment (Simon &

Schuster, 1993) from the New York University Medical

Center.

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.~ Albert Einstein ~