Spring Cleaning…Cleaner

February 28, 2010, 2:15 pm
Filed under: Conservation,environment,re use | Tags: environment, green

I think we are all ready for that wonderful time of year…S-P-R-I-N-G!!!!!!
We really have been hit hard by mother nature this past winter, but hold on, before you know it the birds will be singing, the buds will be budding and the sun will be shinning.
Besides shedding our winter layers, there is another part of Spring that is not so fun, but a tradition most of us adhere to. Spring CLEANING!! Not something that I look forward to, but if cleaner windows mean the sun can shine brighter into my little speck on the world, then here we go.

This year before purchasing all those chemical packed cleaners, try cleaning more environmentally safe. Using natural cleaning options is healthier, cheaper, and reduces our impact on our planet. Most of the ingredients are probably sitting in your cabinet right now. Go ahead, take a peak, I bet the majority of readers have the two ultimate ingredients needed in your cabinet… vinegar and baking soda!

Besides making great volcanic eruptions, these two ingredients are the best cleaners money can buy.

Vinegar can clean windows, disinfect floors and counter tops and make that reflection in your mirror sparkle brighter than your pearly whites.

For cleaning all surfaces put equal parts water and white distilled vinegar into a spray bottle and spray away. If you don’t care for the smell the vinegar leaves, just add a few drops of lemon juice and go ahead and clean just like you would with a commercially chemical based cleaner. Also, instead of using paper towels on your windows and mirrors, try using newspaper. Your windows will sparkle and no streaks!

Baking soda, besides baking, is an excellent deodorizer and mild abrasive. I’m sure at one time or other we all have had a box of baking soda tucked away in a corner of our refrigerators, but it can do so much more than that. Instead of using the commercial products to clean the sink or counter tops, just sprinkle some baking soda and scrub with a rag or sponge and shazam..Clean as clean can be! Sprinkle some on your carpet and wait 10-15 minutes then vacuum, it helps eliminate any odors your carpet may have captured.

You can make a paste by adding a little water and use it to clean soiled hands, and if you have any odors left on your hands from cooking, use the paste to wash that nasty smell away.

There are endless possibilities we can utilize to clean cleaner. The effort may take a few extra minutes instead of just buying a bottle off the shelf, but those few minutes can add up to years of a healthier life for you, your family and our planet.

At our house we have stopped buying conventional laundry detergent. We make our own. It cleans great, is less expensive, lasts longer and does not contain all those chemicals that you would find in commercial detergents.. By making a large batch, we are eliminating the use of fossil fuels to create the plastic bottles, to transport the bottles to the grocery store and then to recycle them.

Try making a batch at your house. If you go out to the laundromat, just put what you will need for the day into a reused container.

Laundry Detergent Recipe:

1-8oz bar soap, any brand you like, you can also use soap scraps.
1 cup Washing soda (different from baking soda) you can find it in the laundry aisle.
1 cup Borax
4 Gallons Water
Chop, or grate the soap into small parts. On the stove-top bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Once it boils add the soap flakes. Stir until all is melted.
While waiting for the water to come to a boil, add 3 gallons of water to a large bucket. Add the washing soda and borax.
Once the soap has melted carefully pour into the bucket with the other mixture. Stir to mix completely. Add essential oils
Let set overnight. Your detergent will become gel like. Mix once in a while before using.
Fabric Softener Option:
Vinegar is a natural fabric softener. Use 1/2 cup in the wash cycle. (But don’t use bleach at the same time—mixing vinegar and bleach may create toxic fumes.)

Adding lemon juice to your laundry will help brighten those whites and eliminate using chlorine bleach.

Hanging your clothes outside will not only leave your clothes smelling wonderful, but will help your pocketbook by saving energy and don’t forget about those fossil fuels.

Clean Blue Jeans

According to treehugger.com to clean your jeans just put them in the freezer for 24 hours, this will kill any bacteria on them. If you have visible soil or stains, you will have to use a conventional washing, but think of all the great stuff that will be saved by just popping them in the freezer!

We have one of those fiberglass shower/tubs in our bathroom, and until I discovered this great formula we had a terrible stain build up on the bottom of the tub. We tried everything, but thanks to Annie Bond and her wonderful book Better Basics for the Home, this formula has gotten rid of that stain and my entire tub is sparkling!

Tub Stain Remover

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Enough 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to make a paste.

Mix in bowl, using a sponge cover the stained area with the paste , let sit a few hours scrub clean then rinse .

The list of nontoxic, clean cleaning methods goes on and on. But I’ll leave it at this.

Happy Cleaning!!!!

Saved From the Landfill

Categories

Blogroll

Donate don't discard

Great Places in the Hudson Valley

Blog Stats