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Green Cleaning is a new name for an old way of cleaning. When you “clean green” you use less toxic alternatives to commercial cleaning products. Often the green cleaners are already on your kitchen shelves, and frequently the cleaning recipes have been handed down from your grandparents. As with all cleaners, avoid contact with eyes, keep out of reach of children and label all containers. While most of these all-natural cleansers are not poisonous, some, such as borax, can be toxic if swallowed by children or pets.
Chemical Product : OVEN CLEANER
Green Alternative : Wipe oven while still warm. Use baking soda and water combined to a paste and steel wool or a scouring pad to scrub.
Chemical Product : TOILET BOWL CLEANER
Green Alternative : Sprinkle baking soda or borax inside the bowl as you would any scouring powder. Add a little bit of white vinegar. Scrub with a toilet bowl brush and finish outside surfaces with a rag sprinkled with baking soda.
Chemical Product : DRAIN CLEANER
Green Alternative : To free minor clogs and help prevent future clogs, pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain first, followed by ½ cup vinegar. Let it fizz for a few minutes. Then pour down a teakettle full of boiling water. Repeat if needed.
Chemical Product : RUG AND UPHOLSTERY CHEMICALS
Green Alternative : A great non-toxic carpet and upholstery stain remover is club soda. Soak spot immediately with soda and blot until the stain is gone. For stubborn stains, rub a liberal amount of baking soda into the spot. Let it absorb overnight. Next day, remove the excess and vacuum the area.
Chemical Product : AIR FRESHENERS/DEODORIZERS
Green Alternative : Sprinkle baking soda on carpets before vacuuming for a natural rug deodorizer. Dissolve baking soda in two cups hot water, add lemon juice, pour into spray bottle, spray into air as air freshener. Unscented kitty litter, vinegar or charcoal placed in a bowl will rid rooms of odours. To replace mothballs, store cedar chips, newspapers or lavender flowers with clothing.
Chemical Product : FURNITURE POLISH
Green Alternative : Mix one part lemon juice and two parts linseed oil and, using soft cloth, rub into wood. Alternatively, you can also polish furniture with a mixture of one teaspoon olive oil and ½ cup white vinegar. To remove water stains on wood furniture, dab white toothpaste or mayonnaise onto stain. Allow the paste to dry and then gently buff off with a soft cloth .
Chemical Product : FLOOR CLEANER
Green Alternative : A three part warm water and one part vinegar solution cleans and disinfects.
Chemical Product : AMMONIA-BASED CLEANERS
Green Alternative : Use undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle for most uses. Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining ¼ cup vinegar, ½ teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and two cups of water in a spray bottle.
Chemical Product : ABRASIVE CLEANSERS AND POWDERS
Green Alternative : Rub area with ½ lemon dipped in borax, rinse and dry. Baking soda mixed with white vinegar makes a mildly abrasive disinfectant cleaner perfect for tubs, tiles, countertops, etc. |
