Many commercially available household cleaning products are toxic to the environment (and to you in some cases). Safe alternatives are easy to make, cheaper and just as effective as store bought products.
Save your money and help to protect the environment from chemical cleaning agents by using these simple alternatives in the home. You probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
There are a few useful kitchen store cupboard items that can be combined in various ways to cope with most jobs.
Baking Soda:
This degreases, cleans and removes bad odours. It can be added to soap to increase the effectiveness. It is also good as scouring powder.
Borax:
Cleans, disinfects and deodorizes. Borax is also a water softening agent.
White Vinegar/Lemon Juice:
Cuts grease and freshens.
These cleaners can be combined in various ways depending on your requirements. Here are some suggestions.
- Ordinary baking soda and a scouring pad like Scotch Brite is great for cleaning the stove. It will loosen all those stubborn, burnt on bits too.
- Clean all the shiny metal bits in the kitchen with a mixture of vinegar and water. Simply add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to warm water and use for cleaning, then rub dry with a soft cloth. This shines stoves (cookers), dishwashers, fridges, etc.
- Use a solution of 50% vinegar and hot water to remove deposits from tea and coffee pots. Soak well, then run the solution through before rinsing well.
- Use the same solution of vinegar and water to clean the microwave. (You could pour the same vinegar solution used on the coffee pot into a bowl and us it twice to make it more economical.) Take the bowl of water and vinegar and microwave for about 6 minutes. The bits inside the microwave with wipe away easily and the smell will go quickly if you leave the door open.
- Take the bowl of vinegar and water used above and pour it into the drain. It is a very good degreaser.
- Clean your fridge, inside and out with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in hot water. It's quick and leave the surface shiny and fresh smelling.
- Stainless steel and chrome can easily be cleaned with a paste made of baking soda and water. Apply the paste and rub off to leave a perfect shine. (Don't let it dry on the surface).
- To remove watermarks from furniture try rubbing with toothpaste and then polishing with a soft cloth
- To freshen carpets, especially where there are pets, sprinkle with baking soda and leave for at least fifteen minutes
- To clean glass use a quarter cup of white vinegar and two pints of water in a spray bottle. This polishes to a gleaming shine. Scrunched up newspaper is excellent for polishing windows.
- Use a cut lemon as a quick degreaser
- To polish copper pour a little vinegar onto the surface and rub with a soft cloth
- Remove scuff marks from vinyl floors with toothpaste
- A quarter cup of borax in half a gallon of water makes an al purpose disinfectant inside the house and out. Ideal for drains, paths, paved areas, as well as floors, shelves, cupboards, etc
- Remove chewing gum from surfaces by rubbing with ice. The gum will harden and flake off.
