ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Eco-friendly green cleaning around the home, to ensure the Earth's survival for future generations. There are many small steps we can do to reduce our family's impact on the environment, to make a healthier home by reducing the chemicals used in the home for cleaning and taking greener steps to detoxing our homes. The following are some homemade 'green' cleaning options...

Household Pollutants

Environmentally considerate choices, for your home and how you live in it.

As with any investment, we have an instinctive desire to protect our homes. We clean them, decorate them, renovate them. Yet so many of us heedlessly pollute our personal spaces on a daily basis without the slightest awareness of the potential harm we are doing to ourselves. In the quest for a shiny, fragrant home we regularly apply a cocktail of chemicals and poisons to our household surfaces as well as releasing them into the air that we breathe.

How to use less Pollutants

Experiment with less. Using less chemicals in your home doesn't mean that you have to accept a lower standard of cleanliness. Remember, your house isn't an operating theatre or scientific laboratory and certainly isn't the battlefield of dangerous germs as advertised by many cleaning product companies. Manufacturer's instructions are not the final word on product use, because the sellers have a financial interest in making you use more. 

While the message that stronger can mean harsher and more poisonous is definitely out there, there seems to be a general reluctance to acknowledge it fully. Somehow we assume that natural means ineffectual and gentle means weak. But there is a way to clean and maintain your home without turning it into a toxic battleground, a way that works for you and the environment. There is a whole arsenal of natural ingredients and techniques at your disposal that will enable you to keep your home squeaky clean and poison free.

Give cleaners more time to work.

Soak pots and plates in the sink. 

If clothes are really dirty, rub them with soap and soak before washing. 

Soak stains on porcelain and laminex. 

Soak the toilet bowl.

Leave natural 'green' mold and oven cleaners on overnight. 

For tough grime on stove tops, place a sodden cloth over grime until the grime is softened and easily removed.

Prevent dirt build up. If you clean regularly, housework need never be overwhelming.  And, quick action on a spot, stain or mark will solve little dirt problems fast and save further effort.

Use better cleaning tools. The 'quick and easy' convenience of harsh chemical cleaners have made us forget about the advantages of brushes, scourers, cloths, old socks and toothbrushes as effective cleaning tools and a bit of elbow grease. 

Use the following as a guide, you can tackle almost any cleaning problem without damaging the environment or your family's health. You'll discover that there is no need for a trade-off between your standards and your peace of mind.

Kitchen

Here are a few tried and true green tips, both old and new, to keep everything in your kitchen sparkling clean.
 
All purpose cleaner. Mix 2 heaped tablespoons bicarbonate soda with 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Store in air tight container. For really stubborn spots, use with an old toothbrush and scrub well.

Benchtops and stainless steel sinks/ appliances. Clean with plastic scourer and soap or baking soda (bicarbonate soda.)

Blocked Drains. Use rubber plunger to clean grease-blocked drains.

Brass. Shine with a loose paste of vinegar and salt.

Chrome. Polish with apple cider vinegar.

Copper. Using a soft cloth, rub with vinegar.  Polish with a soft cloth.

Decanters and Vases. Clean with uncooked rice and a little tea with a few tea leaves.

Dishwasher. Biodegradable dishwashing powders are now available in some supermarkets and health food stores.  The use of conventional dishwashing detergents (that are non-biodegradable) can be minimised by using washing soda each alternate wash.  This way you use only half the amount of detergent while avoiding scum build up which can occur when using washing soda only.

Automatic Dishwashing Detergent. Combine 250 ml borax with 125 ml baking soda.

Dishwasher rinse aid. Use white vinegar to prevent spotting and streaking.

Dishwashing by hand. There are biodegradable, low chemical dishwashing liquids available at most supermarkets and health food stores. Alternatively, use pure vegetable soap / castile soap or soap flakes. Dissolve soap by rubbing between gloved hands or use a wire basket. Using a splash of vinegar in the rinse water gives glasses and plates a lovely shine.

Soap gel. Recycle your soap scraps into liquid soap gel that you can use in a recycled pump pack. It's great for washing your hands and its useful whenever you need to use pure soap. Place a handful of soap scraps in a saucepan, cover them with water and leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring continuously, then lower the heat to a simmer. to completely dissolve the soap, whisk or mash it. Remove from the heat and allow the soap to cool. Mix through a few drops of essential oil, if desired. Pour into a pump dispenser for hand washing.

Fridge cleaning and deoderising. After cleaning with warm water and soap, wipe down with vanilla essence or leave an open packet of baking soda (bicarbonate soda) in the fridge.

Kettle cleaning to remove hard water encrustation, boil equal parts of vinegar and water in the kettle.

Ovens Make a paste of bicarb soda and water.  Apply with a spatula to the inside of the warmed oven.  Leave to dry, then clean off with a stiff brush or scourer and very hot water.

Oven Racks Use the laundry sink to soak racks in washing soda dissolved in hot water.

Silver Make a solution of one part washing soda to twenty parts water and put into a ceramic bowl with a piece of aluminium foil.  The effervescent bubbles created are non-toxic (carbondioxide).  Dip the silver into the mixture briefly.  Rinse in hot water then dry with a soft cloth.

Tea stains Rub cups and mugs with salt or lemon juice or scour with steel wool.

Laundry

Alternative washing products

Washing clothes Pure soap or soap flakes do just as good a job as harsh powders and liquid cleaners.  Biodegradable washing powders and washing liquids are now available from most supermarkets.

Machine washing Dissolve soap flakes in a little hot water before adding them to the washing water.  Soap residue or scum is the result of water hardness and is easily dealt with by adding 1/4 cup of washing soda to the wash cycle.  In areas where the water is very hard, add 1/2 cup washing soda to the wash cycle and 1/4 cup washing soda to the rinse cycle.

Hand washing clothes- Run soap filled wire basket shaker (or soap inside a mesh bag, eg. orange or onion net bag) under the tap when washing by hand.  You can use up all the little bits of unused soap in this way too.

Stain Removal

Act Quickly!  A fresh stain can be far more easily removed than a dried and ingrained stain.  Scrape off or absorb as much of the stain as possible.  If the stain is fresh and not greasy, it can often be removed by putting it straight into cold water.  Don't use hot water as this sets the stain permanently.

Ball-point pen stains Using methylated spirits, flush fabric repeatedly and then rinse.
Blood stains Soak in cold water for ten minutes then wash with soap.

Coffee stains Wash out with cool water, then vinegar.  Finally, rinse in cool water.

Fruit stains Immediately cover stain with salt and soak in milk before washing.

Grass stains Soak with methylated spirits, allow to dry and then wash.

Grease spots If the spot is fresh, sprinkle thickly with bicarbonate soda, leave for a few minutes then brush off.   For dried grease stains, wet fabric and rub bicarbonate soda into the spot.  If a stubborn stain, repeat and leave for a few hours then wash.  If the grease stained fabric can take a hot iron, place brown paper above and below the stained fabric and press for a few moments with a hot iron.  The grease will absorb into the paper.  Wash in warm soapy water.

Ink stains Soak the stain in milk, then wash in soapy water.

Linen Spots Rub spots with bicarbonate soda and lemon juice before washing.

Lipstick stain Soak stain in milk for thirty minutes and then wash in warm soapy water.  Put a little glycerin on the stain and a few hours later wipe with eucalyptus.

Mildew This fungus can be killed by hanging fabric in the hot sun or outside on a frosty night.

Mustard stain As for tea stain.

Nappies After scraping off the excess, soak soiled nappies in 3 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in warm water.  For stubborn stains, repeat several times.  Wash in warm soapy water. Sun-dry.

Perfume stain As for tea stain.

Raspberry stain Wash with soapy water and then rub lemon juice over the stain.  Leave for one hour before washing out.

Red wine Pour salt on immediately, let it stand for a while then soak in cold water and rub out.

Rust Saturate stain with lemon juice and cover with bicarbonate soda and leave to soak.

Scorch Rub well with white vinegar and rinse with cool water.

Tar Saturate stain with eucalyptus and cover with baking soda for one hour. Wash off in warm water.  For stubborn stains repeat several times.

Tea and Cocoa Rub with glycerin, leave for three to four hours, and then wash with soap and cold water.

Wax and Chewing Gum To remove from fabric, place a block of ice onto wax or gum or place fabric in a plastic bag in the freezer. After two hours, scrape off and sponge with eucalyptus.

Bathroom

Tiles & basin Use all purpose cleaner (mix 2 heaped tablespoons of baking soda with 1 tablespoon white vinegar). Apply with soft cloth.  Wipe off with clean moist cloth.  Leave a while for stubborn stains.

Mold removal Wipe vinegar onto surfaces, leave overnight, then scrub off.

Toilet cleaner Use vinegar and leave to soak for ten minutes. Limescale can then be scrubbed off.

Toilet deoderiser- Open windows top and bottom to draw in fresh air. Place a small bowl of pot pourri or a pot of mint essence in the bathroom and toilet. Place your favorite essential oil onto the toilet roll and everytime it gets turned it will release a fragrance.Wipe floors with vanilla essence.

Bathing- Put 1/2 cup of rolled oats in the toe of a discarded stocking or sock and run it under the tap as the bath fills. The oat-treated water will pamper your skin and the oat sock can be used for cleaning your skin.

Shampoo This can be made from mixtures of water and herbs, vinegar, lemon juice (as conditioner and lightener), egg yolks (for dry hair) or beer (for body). 

Biodegradable organic shampoos and conditioners are now available from some supermarkets and most health food and organic stores.

Furnishings
Carved furniture To clean, apply cedar oil with a cloth and then use an old shaving brush or a very soft baby's hair bruch to clean difficult corners.

Floors Clean lino tiles and floors (and bench tops) with one tablespoon of lemon essence diluted in 1/2 bucket of water, or wash with vinegar and soap.  Polished wooden floorboards and tiled floors can also be washed with vinegar and soap.

Furniture polish For softwoods, rub with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice. For highly polished furniture, wipe over with a shamois wrung out in vinegar and water.  Polish with a soft dry cloth.

Vinyl wallpaper Clean with a warm cloth and white vinegar.

Vinyl Upholstery To cut down on the release of volatile plasticisers from new vinyl, wash with a strong solution of cider vinegar, then rinse and dry well.

Wax floors Use beeswax to polish.

Windows and mirrors Clean with a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar mixed with one litre of water.  They can also be rubbed dry with newspaper.  If windows are very grimy, use soapy water as a pre-wash.

Wood and leather As a finish rub with olive oil.