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 [0] 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!