If you have trouble pronouncing any chemical found in any household product you are currently using, then it usually has an environmental impact. Think of all the stuff you are rinsing and flushing down the drain into your septic tank. Your septic tank has to have its own healthy ecology (bacteria and such) to breakdown waste products. Disinfectants kill bacteria. So will bleach, ammonia, and lots of other commonly used components of household products. If you are on a sewer line, water treatment plants have to deal with that stuff you have used.
The following ‘recipes’ are environmentally safe alternatives to modern household cleaning products. Using these recipes will help you and your families avoid the health hazards associated with many of today’s cleaners. You will also be helping to protect the quality of our air and water.
These ‘alternative’ recipes have been commonly used around the house for many years. They are often less expensive than commercial products. Better yet, they will help to keep your home a safer place.
White vinegar can be found for as little as $1.00 a gallon. I have yet to pay more than $2.00 a gallon for it.
Borax can be found in the laundry detergent section of the store. It may seem expensive at first glance, but a little goes a long way.
Where vegetable oil is called for, I like to use olive oil. It does not have to be virgin.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Dishwashing liquid or liquid soap
Vinegar
Borax
Water
Mix 1 teaspoon liquid soap, 1 teaspoon borax, and 2 tablespoons vinegar (bottled lemon juice can be used in place of vinegar) in 1 quart water. Wipe or spray onto area to be cleaned; wipe dry with a cloth.
Toxic chemicals avoided: phosphates, glycol esters, ammonia, disinfectants, and caustics.
Window Cleaner
Vinegar or lemon juice
Water
Mix 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice and 1 pint of water in a spray bottle. Spray on. Rub with a cloth diaper or other lint free rag (not paper towels). For outdoor windows, use a sponge and warm water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Rinse well and squeegee dry.
Toxic chemicals avoided: glycol esters, alcohol, ammonia, propellant, and aerosol cans.
Bathroom Cleaner
Borax
Vinegar
Water
Mix ½ cup borax and ¼ cup vinegar in 2 gallons of hot water. Sponge on surface and wipe dry with a rag. After using the toilet, close the lid before flushing—it may help reduce the spread of germs. Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly.
Toxic chemicals avoided: Chlorine bleach, strong acids, glycol esters, and quaternary ammonium chloride.
Drain Cleaner
Baking soda
Vinegar
Boiling water
This will free minor clogs and help prevent future clogs. Pour ½ cup baking soda down the drain, then ½ cup vinegar. Let it fizz a few minutes. Then pour down a teakettle full of boiling water (about a quart). Repeat if needed. If the clog is stubborn, use a plunger or a mechanical snake. Cover drains with strainers or screens to keep out hair. Avoid letting grease go down the drain. As a clog preventative, do this once a week in the kitchen and bathroom drains.
Toxic chemicals avoided: lye, chlorine bleach.
Homemade Gentle Kitchen Cleaner
For a gentle but effective kitchen cleaner, blend 1 cup of salt with 1 cup of baking soda. Store in a covered container. This works wonderfully as a scouring powder and will keep indefinitely as long as you keep it dry.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Baking soda
Dishwashing Liquid
Sprinkle baking soda inside the bowl as you would any scouring powder. Squeeze a couple of drops of soap in also. Scrub with a toilet bowl brush and finish outer surfaces with a rag sprinkled with baking soda.
Toxic chemicals avoided: Hydrochloric acid, chlorine bleach, sulfuric acids, oxalic acid, and quaternary ammonium chloride.
Scouring Powder
Baking soda
Dishwashing liquid
Water
You can use baking soda as a scouring powder. Sprinkle it on porcelain fixtures and rub with a wet rag. Add a little soap to the rag for more cleaning power. Rinse well to avoid leaving a hazy film.
Toxic chemicals avoided: glycol esters, chlorine bleach, acids, and disinfectants.
Oven Cleaner
Baking soda
Water
Scouring pad (green or copper)
DO NOT USE IN A SELF CLEANING OVEN
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand. Use scouring pad for scrubbing most surfaces, a spatula or bread knife to get under large deposits. Use an aluminum foil bottom-liner and spot-clean often. If something does spill, or catches fire in the bottom of your oven, sprinkle table salt generously on it. It will help in cleanup and immediately put out the fire.
Toxic chemicals avoided: lye
Pot and Pan Cleaner for Burned-On Food
Baking soda
Water
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon baking soda in burned pot. Fill pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Remove pot from heat and wash with dishwashing liquid and water.
Chrome Cleaner and Soap Scum Remover
Vinegar
Apply vinegar to a sponge and rub. Wipe dry with a cloth or you will have spotting.
Toxic chemicals avoided: strong acids and bases
Copper and Brass Cleaner
Salt
Vinegar
Vegetable oil
Mix equal pats of salt and vinegar. Rub onto surface with a sponge until clean. Rinse in hot soapy water and dry thoroughly. Polish surface with a little oil on a clean, dry cloth.
Toxic chemicals avoided: petroleum distillates, ammonia
Stainless Steel Cleaner
Baking soda or vinegar
Green scouring pad
Scour with baking soda or vinegar. Rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly to avoid spots.
Toxic chemicals avoided: chlorine bleach, oxalic acid, and silica
Stain Remover for Red Wine
Water
Club soda
If the wine is still wet, blot first to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Saturate the stain with water or club soda. Rub lightly and blot dry. Repeat if necessary. Launder according to label directions.
Toxic chemicals avoided: petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons
Stain Remover for Ballpoint Ink
Milk
Saturate stain thoroughly with milk. Rub until stain disappears. Launder according to label directions.
Toxic chemicals avoided: petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons
Furniture Polish
Vegetable oil
NOT FOR VARNISHED WOOD
Apply a little oil to a cloth and rub into wood. Wait an hour. Rub to remove excess oil.
Toxic chemicals avoided: petroleum distillates
Watermark Remover for Wood
Toothpaste
Olive oil
Rub toothpaste into area with watermark. Then apply oil to blend color. Polish entire area with oil.
Cleaning a Wood Cutting Board
Dishwashing liquid
Scouring pad
Scrub board with dishwashing liquid and scouring pad immediately after each use. Rinse with hot water. Only fruits and veggies should be cut on a wood cutting board. Always use an impermeable surface for meat, poultry, fish, cheese, and eggs—any potentially hazardous food. To disinfect a cutting board with an impermeable surface, scrub with a scouring pad and a solution of 1 teaspoon bleach to 1 quart of hot water. If necessary, have 2 cutting boards: one clearly marked for veggies and fruits only.
Linoleum Cleaner
Vinegar
Water
Mop with a mixture of ½ cup vinegar in 1 gallon of warm water. The vinegar odor will go away shortly after the floor dries.
Toxic chemicals avoided: phosphates, ammonia, glycol esters, and detergents.
Dentifrice
Baking soda
Good old-fashioned baking soda on your toothbrush will get your teeth and gums just as clean as commercial toothpaste. You can even rinse with 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide (the same stuff in your medicine cabinet you put on cuts and scrapes) in 1/4 cup of water. Just rinse, gargle and spit.
Toxic chemicals avoided: You read the label on your toothpaste. It tells you not to swallow the stuff.
Laundry Booster
Baking soda
Add ¼ cup to ½ cup baking soda with your regular laundry detergent. It will boost the cleaning power to where you may be able to cut back by ½ the amount of detergent you normally use.
Carpet Freshener
Baking soda
Sprinkle baking soda lightly or liberally(depending on odor level) on your dry carpets, rugs, and upholstery. Let it be over-night or at least 30 minutes. Vacuum as usual.
Grease or Oil on Clothing, Carpets, Upholstery, and Concrete
Corn Starch
Sprinkle corn starch liberally on stain. Let stand. Brush or vacuum off. Repeat as necessary until stain is gone. This really works if you give it a chance. I removed olive oil from a silk shirt. It took 3 or 4 tries, but I saved the shirt.
The Power of Baking Soda
What is Baking Soda?
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a naturally occurring substance present in all living things. It helps living things maintain the pH balance necessary for life. Baking soda is made from soda ash, which is sodium carbonate. For more useful hints, check out www.armhammer.com
Doing Dishes?
Don’t forget the baking soda. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of baking soda to your dishwater. It will help cut grease and loosen food on dishes, pots, and pans. For cooked-on, baked-on foods, soak in a baking soda and detergent mixture, and then use dry baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth as a scratchless scouring powder.
Cleaner Fruits and Vegetables
The experts agree—you should wash produce before consuming it. To clean more of the dirt, chemical residues, and waxes from all varieties of fruits and vegetables, use baking soda. Shake some onto wet produce, scrub, and then rinse. It works better than water alone.
Remove Hair Buildup
For extra clean hair, try adding a small amount of baking soda (about the size of a quarter) to your shampoo. Wash, rinse, and condition as you normally would. The baking soda removes built-up residues from styling products and mineral abundant waters.
Great for Dental Gear
Baking soda works well as a cleaner for dentures, retainers, or mouth guards. Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to a bowl of water. Then soak dental gear for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with cold water after soaking.
Camping Necessity
Baking soda is a must for any camper. It can serve as a dish washer, pot scrubber, hand cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste, fire extinguisher, and first aid treatment for insect bites, sunburn and poison ivy, as well as much more. Plus, it saves space (one box compared to many products!)
Lawn Furniture Cleaner
To clean and deodorize lawn and pool furniture, mix a solution of ¼ cup baking soda to 1 quart of warm water. Wipe the furniture with this solution, then rinse clean. For tougher stains, sprinkle directly onto a damp sponge, scrub with it and rinse.
First Aid
Relieve the itching and pain of an insect bite with a baking soda paste. After you have removed any stinger, make a paste by combining 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Apply it to the affected area and let it dry. Wash it off and repeat, if needed.
No More Smelly Dogs
Instead of heading for the bathtub every time Fido smells, try giving him periodic dry baths. Rub dry baking soda into his fur, then comb or brush it through and out. Baking soda is nontoxic and safe for use on and around your pets.
