Spring Cleaning – Economical and Eco-friendly!
It wasn’t until I became pregnant that I really paused to consider what I was using to clean my house. Other than avoiding bleach products (a guaranteed migraine trigger for me) I never really thought about what I might be exposing myself to during my weekly household scrub downs.
Like most people I know, I bought into the marketing that I needed a different product for my bathroom sink and tub and toilet and yet a few more for streak free windows and mirrors. Naturally my floors required something special of their own and while I’m at it I better get some spray “freshener” for my never stinky furniture, but you can’t be too clean or have your house smell too fresh, right? Hmmm….
Like I said, it wasn’t until I was pregnant that I stopped to think and wonder and then I started researching.
*What I found out changed my life – it is simpler, cheaper, just as clean and now it is healthier too. *
Did you know that indoor air quality is far WORSE than outdoor polluted air because of all the products we use and the off gassing from certain household items (think new carpet smell)? And that exposure to these chemical cocktails can have serious health impacts? Especially for our little ones whose bodies aren’t developed enough to fight off the chemicals. But here’s the great news:
We basically never need to use any of those harsh, expensive chemicals they sell us to make our houses sparkling clean. And you can save more than a few bucks by taking them off your shopping list and instead use just a handful of ingredients you already have in your house. I’ve found that all you really need is:
- water
- white vinegar
- baking soda
- hydrogen peroxide (but you can even skip this one!)
Different sources will add to that list with salt, lemons, borax and some other products. So far I haven’t found a problem I can’t clean up easily with just vinegar and/or baking soda and water.
Try it! What have you got to lose? Try cleaning your bathtub with baking soda. My tub has never sparkled more. Just sprinkle baking soda like it was cleanser, wet a scrub sponge and go at it. And it really doesn’t take that much elbow grease, I swear! Try it on your kitchen sink too!
Tips:
- Get rid of those hard water marks with vinegar (straight or mixed 50/50 with water) – spray some on, let it sit and it easily wipes or scrubs off.
- Stainless steel appliances don’t need fancy and expensive cleaners – vinegar (mixed half and half with water) does a great job.
- Tile or ceramic floors – require only vinegar and water. I’m still trying to find a solution for my wood floors. For now I buy a supposedly eco-kid-pet friendly product. (I say supposedly because even with the eco-friendly products you have to read the labels to see what you are really getting and I promise you, more often than not those unpronounceable chemicals listed are not safe. Not at all. That’s what greenwashing is all about. But I’ll save that for another day).
- And for those that are dependent on bleach or anti-bacterial products because you believe they are necessary to make sure everything is being killed… soap and water does the trick. Still feel like you need something more? Spray straight hydrogen peroxide (3% solution, the kind you find in the pharmacy) and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then you just wipe it off and rinse with water. It is just as effective as bleach. I didn’t believe this one myself and did more research. Since hydrogen peroxide is a non-toxic disinfectant it kills the microscopic critters and isn’t horrible for the environment or your family. I use it on my counter tops after dealing with raw meat.
Gone are the days of having to open the windows and turn on the fan to clean the house. Yeah, vinegar has a smell but it doesn’t last long and most importantly it won’t give you or your family asthma or cause cancer years to come. And with the exception of hydrogen peroxide (it should be kept out of reach of children) locking up your “cleaning chemicals” is a non-issue. You can even have your kids help clean if you’re just using vinegar or baking soda because it’s no longer a toxic job!
There are lots of sources of information for alternative cleaning products.
- One of my favourites is the Guide to Less Toxic Products because it gives you alternatives you can buy (safer commercial products) as well as really easy recipes to make your own cleaners.
- I also like this list of different uses for baking soda, vinegar, etc.
Want to know more? Click here
Happy Cleaning!
EcoMom
EcoMom is a Mums ‘n Chums member and posts regularly on the forum. She lives in Halton Hills with her husband and their soon-to-be 2 year old son. She is passionate about finding cheaper, greener, and heathier alternatives to the popular options we’re presented with in stores. If you have comments for EcoMom, please click here to submit them. We will do our best to post comments here.
Posted by: Sara Hodge on: 2010-04-08 Permanent Link: Spring Cleaning – Economical and Eco-friendly!
