Are Your Cleansers Harmful?

It’s about that time when people give their homes a spring cleaning. I am a big proponent of keeping a clean, uncluttered home: it can promote productivity and organization, instill a sense of calm and order, and help manage and prevent unhealthy bacteria.

This year, why not add environmentally friendly cleaning products to your routine? "Green" cleaning products abound in stores, but you can also use common household items that are friendly to both the environment and your wallet. Try the following to clean your:

• Kitchen: Put 2 ½ tablespoons of white vinegar in a quart spray bottle; fill the rest with water and, if you like, a few drops of a pleasant-smelling oil extract such as orange or lavender. This is not only a cost-effective way to clean countertops, stoves and refrigerator shelves, but a five percent solution vinegar kills 99 percent of bacteria.
• Bathroom: Baking soda lends itself beautifully to cleaning toilets, tubs and sinks - simply sprinkle it on, and rub with a washable cloth. For tough stains, mix baking soda and water to form a paste, and let sit on the stain for 30 minutes.
• Windows: Tackle the dirt and streaks that build up over the winter months with a solution of two cups water and ¼ cup of white vinegar. Spray on, remove with a squeegee. You will find that you don’t need ammonia and other chemicals for a streak-free shine!

Comments

[Judy M]

Do you not mean 'baking soda'?

[HealthbyLisa]

i LOVE using vinegar!! besides not having all of the harsh chemicals in my house- i love not spending the time and energy trying to figure out what to buy and then trying to figure out how to keep it all organized. plus - its so much cheaper (= more money for my raw chocolate supply :-) ).

[Silvia Tamanti]

Here is how I make my dishwasher "soap" also useful for washing the dishes by hand. I have been using it for months and I am happy with it.
Ingredients:
3 lemons
400 ml water
100 ml white vinegar
200 gr salt

Cut the lemons and remove all seeds and then chop them in small pieces. Put them into a blender with the water and blend at maximum speed until smooth. Put this blend into a stainless steel pot and add the salt and the vinegar, and stir. Cook for abt. 10-15 minutes from boiling and then put it in glass containers. I have a very powerful blender and my mix is very smooth, If your blender is not that powerful the final mix should be filtered with a thin mesh filter. I fill the dishwasher soap container with it and also put a small amount on the inner side of the dishwasher door. You can also use it to clean your kitchen top or stove. Hope you like it! :-)

[Johanna]

This is a solution I particularly like.

• 1 quart of vinegar
• 1 cup of dried thyme leaves and flowers
• 1 cup of dried lavender flowers
• quart jar
• Place the dried herbs in a quart jar. Fill the jar with vinegar. et this sit for 24 hours. The next day the vinegar should be a lovely red color (This red color comes from the thyme).
Strain out the vinegar well and then place it in a spray bottle. Voila! You have your own super cheap, super effective herbal vinegar cleaner. We use this exclusively in our house to clean the stove, countertops, kitchen sink, toilet, windows, etc. It cuts through grease and leaves a pleasant scent. If desired you could even add some essential oils to the vinegar as well.

I add 1/4 cup of this solution to 2 cups water in a spray bottle.

[Terri L]

I make a veggie wash out of white vinegar, baking soda, grapefruit seed extract and water. It works great and is way cheaper!

[Ken Kinstle Mr Nopal Cactus Juice]

Dr. Weil is a constant source of great information. This is no exception, couldn't we trade some of the toxic chemicals in our homes for green alternatives? This is a great post!