Saturday May 17th, 2008
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Non-toxic cleaners to try
Posted by Statuesqueone on June 18, 2007 - 11:01pm.
With all the hoopla about toxic cleaning supplies and a recent piece in The San Diego Union Tribune on “Simply Green – Little changes in the kitchen can make a dramatic difference in the environment,” I thought I’d share my newfound knowledge. For those of us that don’t want to go so far as to make our own laundry detergent but do want to pollute less, I found there are other options that aren’t quite so drastic.
Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency show that the air inside our homes is more polluted than the air outside. I personally had a hard time believing this but when you take into account the fumes from all the different kinds of cleaners we use, artificial fragrances, disinfecting sprays, dryer sheets, cat litter, perfumes, etc. I started to believe them. The worst of the worst are ammonia based products and chlorine bleach, which are both pretty easy to replace by using effective non-toxic cleaners.
Replacing chlorine bleach is easy to do since the introduction of oxygen bleach cleaners. Oxygen bleaches are materials that release oxygen for cleaning and bleaching of stains and dirt upon addition to water. There are several different types of oxygen bleaches; hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate. Probably the most familiar is hydrogen peroxide because it is in a liquid form. Oxygen bleach gets rid of stubborn dirt and organic stains without having to use toxic and hazardous chemicals, it is a natural disinfectant, brightens fabrics, and can be mixed or used with other household cleaners. It may cost a bit more but I am willing to spend a little more to make my environment, both inside and outside, safer.
Now for the ammonia in our window cleaners, and our inside air… try vinegar. Everyone knows vinegar and newspapers are great for cleaning windows, the problem is we have used commercial window cleaners for so many years that there is a waxy buildup that vinegar alone won’t get rid of. So try this handy recipe and your windows will be sparkling clean without the ammonia fumes: combine 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent (preferably without phosphorous), and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and you’re good to clean! Works great on hard water build up too on those shower walls.
And then there’s that grimy oven, what to do about that without using ammonia? Try this recipe with good old-fashioned baking soda (you knew that was coming at some point, didn’t you?) 1 cup or more of baking soda, water, and a squirt or two of liquid detergent. Just sprinkle some water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. The grease will easily wipe up the next morning because the grime will have loosened. Just use a little soapy water to clean up the rest of the mess and it’s done! I haven’t tried it yet but I’m willing to and I hope you will too.
If you must resort to using commercial cleaners, and we all do at some point in our lives, one of the easiest things you can do to help reduce the indoor toxicity issue is to opt for non-petroleum based cleaners. Read the list of ingredients and be familiar with what they mean. If the warnings on the product say things like “danger” or “fatal if swallowed”, don’t buy it. Buy the products with warnings no stronger than the word “caution.” Be sure to use only when children and pets aren’t in the area as they are more susceptible than us grown-ups. And don’t forget there’s always environmentally–friendly Simple Green, one of my favs.
Happy safe cleaning!
Thanks for a straightforward and easy approach to cleaning Greener.
When I was growing up my Mom used vinegar and water for everything. Being and old
East Texas gal she new how to make do! One of the best soaps we had was lye soap. Mom would use the grease and fat left from cooking. When she got enough to use fat to make soap she did. We used it for everything. I took many a bath with it. This is not to say we didn't have store bought soap. She just felt that it was a waste of something, to throw it away. I am in the near future try my hand at soap making.
I use vinegar all the time on my kitchen counters and I add a few drops of pure essential tea tree oil. This is anti-bacterial and it smells good. It also leaves the counters shining. Love it and no chemical residues. I keep spray bottles of this in my bathroom and spray down toilets and shower.
As for carpet stains. Club soda works on stains if you soak the stains with club soda and then take a clean towel and blot the area. Works great and the sooner you apply the better.
Pet and kid friendly and biodegradable too.
I also offer Bio Pure - A concentrated probiotic cleaner all purpose cleaner.
Learn - Shop - Explore www.SunshineOrganics.net
I suggest using Shaklee. Not only are the cleaners safe for you but according to a recent study, using Shaklee cleaning products is equivelant to planting 10 trees each time used.
www.shaklee.net/maliam check it out-they aren't much more than the toxic cleaners you are using now!
No I have not, but now I am going to look into getting that book. What a little treasure to have on hand. Shaklee products are great and someone on this site actually sells them. I can't remember her user name, but I will try.
I use a line of cleaners that are great. They never use: chlorine,ammonia,phosphates,formaldehyde,aerosol propellants etc...
Instead, the ingredients are things like: Baking Soda, vinegar,naturally derived enzymes, citrus solvents etc...
They work better than the toxic brew most folks are using, and best of all it's LESS EXPENSIVE!
I have started shopping out of new store for my cleaning and personal care products. I love this stuff. It costs about the same as the store brands, but is SO much better for you and your family. I wanted to pass along this great info.
To get aboard and learn more about the products visit my site and request more info...I will call you back and explain how you can GO GREEN!!
www.momsincharge.com
Talk to you later,
Melissa
I use simple green often and it's amazing how great baking soda is for cleaning. I'm not quite at the level of making my own furniture polish or soap but I have found a few tips on better.tv. They have a great video that shows you how to make simple home cleaning products that are environmentally safe. If only everyone knew how easy it is!
Video - ersrc=rafbettertv...
I use vinegar all the time on my kitchen counters and I add a few drops of pure essential tea tree oil (other oils work too). This is anti-bacterial and it smells good. It also leaves the counters shining. Love it and no chemical residues. I keep spray bottles of this in my bathroom and spray down toilets and shower. It is great to remove the calcium deposit of hard water which is a common challenge here in Arizona.
As for carpet stains. Club soda works on stains if you soak the stains with club soda and then take a clean towel and blot the area. Works great and the sooner you apply the better. Baking soda is a good alternative to soft scrub and some of the other products that have clorine bleach. I love simplicity and not spending extra money on harsh chemicals.
I have been making my own cleaners for years. I love the environmental benefits in addition to knowing my children (even the four legged ones) are living within a greener home- but I often found my time issues had me running to the store in search of the big brands.
Laundry detergent is fairly time consuming and laundry is definitely not on my top ten list of favorite activities. Though if I write down my daily schedule, it does seem to pop up every day around here. Have any of you every heard of Watkins? They've been around for 140 years and have a line of plant based- natural and non toxic cleaners. Yep- I'm a Watkins rep- so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer anything for you.
http://www.WatkinsOnline.com/CathyTaylor
I have been marketing Shaklee products and use the green cleaning on a regular basis. Before I was using all that stuff with strong fumes and would always choke and end up leaving the room. If you can't find any of the other natural stuff , I highly recommend the all purpose cleaner. It is so concentrated that it only takes 2 drops to make a whole bottle of what is equivelent to windex. If that's all it was used for, it would make over 5000 bottles. You can take 1/4 tsp and make all-purpose cleaner, you can make a degreaser, or mop your floors. There are so many uses for it. If you end up purchasing it through my site, email me and I will send you out a sheet full of different uses.
LISA M.
SwitchYourStore@Shaklee.net
http://www.SwitchYourStore.com
http://www.GoGreenAndProfit.com
I also work for a company that has healthy products that rewards you for your purchases. Please visit my website:
www.freewebs.com/noriskopportunityforyou
Thank you!
Rhonda