Green Cleaning is the act of using cleaning products that don't endanger you, children or the environment. This is especially important for people who have asthma, allergies, or compromised immune systems. Standard cleaning products often contain irritating chemicals that are actually dangerous to your health. The Green Cleaning products recommended here are effective, inexpensive, safe for you and the environment.
Green cleaning recipes:
- Tub and sink cleaner: Baking soda, liquid soap
Sprinkle baking soda on the porcelain fixtures and rub with wet rag. Add a little of the liquid, Murphy's soap to the rag for more cleaning power. Rinse well to avoid leaving a hazy film. - Window and mirror cleaner: White vinegar, water
Put 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the spray bottle and fill to the top with water. Spray on the surface. Rub with a lint-free rag. For outdoor windows, use a sponge and wash with warm water with a few drops of liquid Murphy's or castile soap in it. Rinse well and squeegee dry. - Linoleum floor cleaner: White vinegar, water
Mop with a mixture of 1/2 cup vinegar in a bucket (pail) of warm water. The vinegar odor will go away shortly after the floor dries. - Toilet bowl cleaner: Baking soda, liquid soap
Sprinkle baking soda inside the bowl as you would any scouring powder. Add a couple drops of soap in also. Scrub with a toilet bowl brush and finish outside surfaces with a rag sprinkled with baking soda. - All purpose cleaner for spots on woodwork, tile and linoleum: Murphy's liquid soap
Add a few drops of liquid soap to a wet washcloth and rub surface briskly. - Oven cleaner: Baking soda, water
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand a little while. Use the scouring pad for scrubbing most surfaces. A spatula or a bread knife is effective to get under large food deposits. This recipe will require more scrubbing effort, but it is not toxic to you or your child. Commercial oven cleaners are severe irritants. Do not use this cleaner recipe on self-cleaning ovens. - Drain cleaner: Baking soda, white vinegar, boiling water
This recipe will free minor clogs and helps to prevent future clogs. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain first, then 1/2 cup vinegar. Let it fizz for a few minutes. Then pour down a teakettle full of boiling water. Repeat if needed. If the clog is stubborn, use a plunger. If very stubborn, use a mechanical snake. - Copper cleaner: White vinegar, water, salt
Mix equal parts of vinegar and salt (a tablespoon of each will do) and apply to the surface with a rag. Be sure to rinse thoroughly with water afterwards, otherwise it will corrode. Don't use this cleaner on lacquered finishes.
Living a healthy lifestyle is more than “eating and exercising” properly. Eliminating or minimizing exposure to toxic chemicals is a key ingredient to a healthy lifestyle. I hope this information stimulates some thought and action within your household as it did within mine. Please see side 2 for more help and ideas.
Speak up and educate others,
Dr. Craig
By the Numbers: Resource: http://www.treehugger.com/
1. 17,000: the number of petrochemicals available for home use, only 30% of which have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment.
2. 63: the number of synthetic chemical products found in the average American home, translating to roughly 10 gallons of harmful chemicals.
3. 100: the number of times higher that indoor air pollution levels can be above outdoor air pollution levels, according to US EPA estimates.
4. 275: the number of active ingredients in antimicrobials that the EPA classifies as pesticides because they are designed to kill microbes.
5. 5 billion: the number of pounds of chemicals that the institutional cleaning industry uses each year.
6. 23: the average gallons in chemicals (87 liters) that a janitor uses each year, 25% of which are hazardous.
Resources:
Cleaning with Baking Soda: http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/bakingsoda
Cleaning with Vinegar: http://www.vinegartips.com/cleaning/
Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/kitchen
Buy non-toxic cleaning supplies: http://www.simplysmartliving.com/, http://www.methodhome.com/ (sold at Target)
