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“Going green” is a phrase that is on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days, but being green can be overwhelming when there are so many options and opinions and information pulling you in different directions.
How can you be more “green” without having to overhaul every aspect of your life? By taking small steps to lessen your impact on the environment.
One of the simplest ways to help yourself, your family and the environment is to stop pouring expensive chemical cleaners all over the things you own and down the drain.
When you clean your bathroom with bleach cleaner, your floors with pine cleaner or your carpets with chemical-laden foam cleaners, those chemicals all get rinsed down the drain and into the water supply at one point or another.
Making your own household cleaners not only helps the environment, but it saves you cash and rids your house of items that can be potentially toxic to pets and children. Your toilets, floors and carpets all come in contact with your pets and family, and residue left behind from those harsh cleaners can be dangerous to one or both of them.
Items you already have in your pantry can clean your house just as well as or better than expensive chemical cleaners, and for a fraction of the cost and little effort. Check out these common household items that pull double or triple duty as cleaning products.
WHITE VINEGAR
Easily the most versatile natural cleaning product, white vinegar can be used to clean surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom, at full strength for tough jobs or diluted half and half with water for lighter cleaning, and can be used in a carpet shampooer instead of chemical shampoo, or for mopping tile or wood floors.
It can also be used to dissolve hard water stains and soap scum in the bathroom. It cuts laundry detergent residue and softens clothes, so use one cup in place of fabric softener or dryer sheets, which can contain formaldehyde, in the rinse cycle. For a glass and surface cleaner, mix one-fourth cup white vinegar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch with one quart of water and put in a spray bottle. Use newspaper to wipe it off windows and glass surfaces — paper towels leave lint. White vinegar is a natural deodorizer — it absorbs odors, rather than covering them up, and the strong smell disappears as soon as it dries.
BAKING SODA
Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it can be used in place of scouring powders. Sprinkle it onto a damp sponge and clean the stove and counter tops in your kitchen or your bathroom surfaces. Mix it into a paste with water and let sit on heavily soiled surfaces, such as tile and grout, for 10 to 15 minutes to loosen up grime before scrubbing. It is also a natural deodorizer, so it will absorb odors anywhere in your house you place a box.
Sprinkling baking soda on your carpet before vacuuming will absorb odors. To clean out slow drains, dump one cup of baking soda on the drain, then pour one cup of hot vinegar on top. Let sit for five minutes, then flush with hot water. Repeat if necessary. Use baking soda that has already served its purpose of absorbing odors in the fridge for clearing gunky drains to get more bang for your buck.
LEMONS
Lemons are naturally anti-bacterial and they are also deodorizers. Rub a lemon on the surface of a wooden cutting board to disinfect it before washing or toss a few cut up lemons in the garbage disposal to neutralize odors and disinfect. If you accidentally leave your coffee maker on and the coffee burns to the bottom of the decanter, squeeze some fresh lemon juice in, add a little salt and some crushed ice and swish it around. The burnt on coffee residue will dissolve. You can also mix 1 cup of lemon juice with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water (mix the water and lemon juice together first, then mix in the oil) as a wood furniture polish. Let it sit for a few minutes and then buff with a soft cloth.
BORAX
Borax has many household uses. Adding it to the washing machine boosts the cleaning power of your detergent and lets you use less of it, which saves you money and decreases the amount of chemicals going down the drain. It also acts as a water softener. Make a paste of Borax and warm water and apply to carpet or mattress stains and let sit until dry, then vacuum. Clean soiled garbage cans with Borax and water, then sprinkle Borax in the bottom of the clean, dry trash can to absorb odors. Mix equal parts of Borax and baking soda for a natural, inexpensive dishwasher powder — use between 1 1/2 and two tablespoons of the mix per load.
Make sure to add white vinegar to the rinse aid dispenser to avoid a white cloudy residue. You can also add two drops (no more or you will end up with a foam party in your kitchen) of regular dish soap to boost the sudsing power of the detergent.
You can buy a gallon of white vinegar, a box of baking soda, a few lemons and a box of Borax for about the same price as one bottle of chemical household cleaner, and you can get many more uses out of those items too, both in terms of versatility and quantity.
As you can see, doing something to further the green initiative doesn’t have to be time consuming, overwhelming or expensive. It can actually save you money in the long run and, more importantly, keep harsh, dangerous chemicals away from your family. Hopefully, adopting this one small aspect of being green will inspire you to make changes in other areas of your life at a pace that is comfortable for you.
