Nontoxic, earth-friendly cleaning products are nothing new. That's how people kept their homes clean before companies sold cleaners packed with synthetic chemicals. Your great-grandmother probably used vinegar and baking soda to scrub her house. This section shows that you don't need mass-produced chemicals to keep your home sparkling.
Here are the basics you'll need to green your cleaning:
Baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate (that's baking soda's chemical name) is a nontoxic, inexpensive, multipurpose cleaner. Many people keep an open box of it in the fridge to absorb odors, but you can use it in every room of the house. It's a cleanser, stain-buster, and all-around deodorizer. Try putting some in the cat's litter box to absorb odors. Or to freshen up a smelly carpet, sprinkle a layer of baking soda over it, leave the baking soda overnight, and then vacuum first thing in the morning.
White vinegar. Vinegar is all-natural and all-safe—and an excellent all-around cleaner. Like baking soda, it deodorizes and cleans. It's also a natural ant repellant: Spray or wipe vinegar along doors and window sills where ants come in to keep them out. And a half-vinegar, half-water solution will make your windows sparkle. (If the half-and-half mixture leaves streaks on the glass, try adding a drop or two of liquid castile soap, mentioned later in this list.) Be sure to use white vinegar; other kinds like cider vinegar may discolor what you're cleaning.
Lemon juice. When life hands you lemons…use 'em to clean your house! The mild acid in lemon juice makes it great for cutting grease and getting stains out. A mixture of equal parts lemon juice and water in a spray bottle cleans your kitchen and bathroom and leaves them smelling wonderful. (You can also add a few drops of lemon juice to your water-and-vinegar cleaner to make it smell less vinegary.) No need to squeeze endless lemons, either—bottled lemon juice works just as well as fresh squeezed.
Club soda. Not only does club soda make a good mixer, it also removes stains from fabrics and carpets, and does a great job of cleaning stainless steel. Pour a little on a cloth, and then dab at stains or wipe away fingerprints and smudges.
Borax. This white powder is a naturally occurring mineral that dissolves easily in water and removes dirt. It also kills fungi and works as a deodorizer. You can find it by the detergents in most grocery stores. You'll learn several ways of using borax later in this chapter.
Note
Borax is a natural substance, but it still requires some common-sense care when you're handling it. Borax can be toxic if swallowed, so don't store it where kids can get at it. Some people report that borax irritates their skin after prolonged contact, so wear rubber gloves when you work with it, especially if you'll be scrubbing for a while.
Olive oil. You've probably read that olive oil is good for your heart, but did you know it's also good for your wood furniture? To clean wood without using chemical polishes, combine three parts olive oil with one part white vinegar. Or, if you like lemon-scented polish, try two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice. Use a soft cloth to rub a small amount of polish into the wood, and then buff it with a clean cloth.
Castile soap. This soap is made with vegetable oil (olive, coconut, or jojoba, for example) instead of animal fat or synthetic chemicals, and it comes in both bar and liquid forms. You can find it in health-food stores and some grocery stores. It's gentle, versatile, and earth-friendly. Use liquid castile soap for washing dishes and clothes; dilute it with water to use it as a spray cleaner.
Coarse salt. This stuff is great for scouring pans and cookware. Mix coarse salt (like sea salt) with vinegar (try one part salt to four parts vinegar) to remove stubborn coffee and tea stains from cups, rust stains, and bathroom soap scum.
Tip
To polish copper, brass, or silver, mix a teaspoon of coarse salt into a cup of vinegar, and then mix in enough flour to make a thick paste. Apply the paste to whatever you're polishing and leave it there for at least 15 minutes. Then, rinse with warm water and use a soft cloth to make the metal shine.
Hydrogen peroxide. This mild bleach (which you can find at any grocery or drug store) is much safer than chlorine bleach: it breaks down into just water and oxygen. It fights bacteria and removes stains, including blood stains. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for cleaning (check the label to find out the percentage).
Essential oils. Not only do these smell great, they can also kill bacteria. These oils—which include thyme, peppermint, lavender, bergamot, clove, basil, pine, lemon, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and tea tree—are antiseptic and antibacterial. Just a few drops will do it: Choose a scent you like, mix 10–20 drops of the oil into a spray bottle full of water, and spray the mixture on surfaces to zap germs and bacteria. You can buy these oils at health food stores and shops that sell aromatherapy products. Look for the phrase "pure essential oil" on the label.
Cleaning cloths. To save some trees, recycle old clothes and towels by cutting them into squares and using them to clean instead of paper towels.
A squeegee. Rather than using fistfuls of paper towels to clean your windows, copy the pros: Use a squeegee to get your windows crystal clear and streak free. Squeegees are also great for cleaning mirrors and shower doors.
A plunger. To clear clogged toilets and drains without resorting to caustic chemicals, use a plunger and some good, old-fashioned elbow grease. Battling Bathroom Grime the Natural Way has more tips for unclogging drains.
Equal parts white vinegar and water mixed in a spray bottle is a cheap cleaning solution that gets the job done. But some people don't like the smell of vinegar, which can be a bit nose-wrinkling when you spray it (the smell dissipates quickly). Lemon juice smells better but costs more.
Here's a recipe for a good, all-purpose cleaner that works throughout the house. It cuts grease, cleans glass, disinfects countertops and other surfaces, removes soap scum from sinks and tubs, and leaves your home smelling great—all without hurting the planet:
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 drop liquid castile soap
4 drops grapefruit seed extract or eucalyptus oil, both of which are disinfectants. Undiluted eucalyptus oil can irritate the skin, so handle it carefully.
10–12 drops essential oil(s). Choose scents you like to boost disinfectant power and leave a fresh smell. Lavender is a good choice, as is lemon or tea tree oil. Or try a combination, like six drops of lemon oil, three of orange, and three of lime to make your home smell clean and delicious.
Mix all the ingredients in a clean 32-ounce spray bottle. Spray on, and then wipe with a soft cloth. That's it!
Note
This mixture can separate if it sits for a long time, so be sure to shake the spray bottle before you clean.
Go ahead and tweak this recipe to find the ingredients and proportions that work best for you. You might try different essential oils, on their own or in combination. You can also add half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to boost cleaning power. (If you don't like the smell of hydrogen peroxide, add a few more drops of essential oil.)
For most families, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where you do your cooking, eating, chatting, laughing, coffee-drinking, homework, and so on—in other words, it's where life happens. So you want it to be safe for your family, your friends, and yourself. This section gives you green cleaning strategies for the room everyone uses most.
For all-purpose cleaning, try the recipe on Recipe for an All-Purpose Cleaner. Use this cleaner on countertops, stovetops, walls, inside and outside the fridge—everything up to and including the kitchen sink! For more specialized cleaning, try these approaches:
For a good mildly abrasive cleanser, dampen a sponge and sprinkle on some baking soda, scrub away, and then rinse. Two tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in a quart of warm water shines up chrome and stainless steel sinks and stovetops without damaging the finish; simply apply the mixture, and then rinse it off.
If you need a nonabrasive cleanser, mix a quarter-cup of borax with enough liquid castile soap to form a paste. If you want, add a few drops of lemon oil to make it smell good and add germ-fighting power. Use a damp sponge to apply a small amount of the mixture to the surface you're cleaning, and then follow up with a rinse.
To remove fingerprints from stainless steel, dab a small amount of olive oil on a soft cloth, and then rub away the prints. To brighten stainless steel and protect its finish, dampen a cloth with white vinegar or club soda and use it to buff the surface to a shine.
When you run the dishwasher, use a phosphate-free detergent. The trouble with phosphorus (which shows up as phosphates in detergents) is that, after it's gone down the drain, it runs off into rivers and lakes. Plants love phosphorus—it's an important nutrient for them. So when too much phosphorus gets into a lake, for example, it makes the algae grow like crazy, which upsets the lake's balance, making the water cloudy and stinky and harming aquatic plants and animals. Dishwasher detergents can contain as much as 4 to 8 percent phosphates, so look for brands that are phosphate-free, like those made by companies in the box on A Green Kitchen Is a Healthy Kitchen.
To clean and deodorize the microwave, combine half a cup of white vinegar with a cup of water in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat it on high power until the mixture boils. Turn off the microwave and leave the bowl inside with the door shut for 5 to 10 minutes. This gets rid of odors and loosens zapped-on food splashes and stains so you can wipe them away with a damp sponge or cloth.
Cleaning the oven is a special challenge when you've banished harsh chemicals from your home; it can be tough to loosen baked-on gunk. The first line of offense is a good defense: Try to prevent spills by putting a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven's floor, under (but not touching) the heating element. Change the foil as needed (be sure to recycle it).
If something bubbles over and you need to clean it up, sprinkle coarse salt (Recipe for an All-Purpose Cleaner) on the fresh spill while the oven is still warm but not hot (don't burn yourself!). If the spill is already dry, you may need to dampen it first with water. After the oven has cooled completely, scrape away the residue, and then clean the oven with your all-purpose cleaner.
Another thing to try is baking soda. Dampen the oven, and then cover the area you're cleaning with baking soda. Let it sit overnight (don't use the oven in the meantime). In the morning, wipe away the baking soda with a damp cloth or sponge, and then rinse the oven. If necessary, use a steel-wool scrubber to (gently) scour off tough stains.
One more option: Combine two teaspoons of borax with two tablespoons of liquid castile soap in a spray bottle, then fill the bottle with water and shake it up. Spray the mixture onto oven stains, and then scrub the stains away.
To clean wooden cutting boards, rub them with lemon juice, leave 'em overnight, and then rinse in the morning. (Lemon is a great deodorizer.) If you're in a hurry to clean the board, wipe it with white vinegar.
To deodorize your kitchen, use baking soda or white vinegar. An open dish of either one works wonders in the fridge. Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of your garbage can to absorb odors. To get smells out of your sink, pour a cup of vinegar down the drain, wait an hour, and then rinse.
No-wax floors get clean when you add a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water and mop as you normally would. Another floor-cleaning recipe is to put a quarter cup of borax, a half-cup of white vinegar, and a gallon of water into a bucket. If you need to get scuff marks off, try sprinkling some baking soda over the mark, and then wiping the spot with a warm, damp, soft cloth.
Nobody likes a grimy bathroom. But despite what TV commercials would have you believe, you don't need harsh chemicals to keep yours clean and fresh-smelling. Especially when safe, natural alternatives are so easy to use and give you such good results. Try these in the bathroom:
There are several recipes for green toilet cleaners:
Use the all-purpose green cleaner on Recipe for an All-Purpose Cleaner. (It also works on the toilet's seat, lid, and tank.)
Mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide with one part water.
Combine one part borax with two parts lemon juice.
Combine an eighth of a cup of borax with a quart of water and add a few drops of liquid castile soap.
Whichever one you choose, shake the mixture before you use it, spray or squirt the cleaner into the bowl and under the rim, let it sit for several minutes, and then scrub with a toilet brush and flush to rinse.
If mold and mildew are taking over your bathroom, fill a spray bottle with water and add several drops of grapefruit-seed extract. Spray, wait a few minutes, and then wipe. Or try adding equal parts borax and white vinegar (start with a half of cup each) to a bucket of warm water. Use the mixture to scrub mildew away.
For tub and tile cleaning, try the all-purpose cleaner on Recipe for an All-Purpose Cleaner, or use baking soda to scour the tub and shower.
To clean tile grout, make a paste using three parts baking soda and one part water. Spread this paste on the grout, scrub it in with an old toothbrush, and then rinse.
To keep your drains clear, rinse them out (carefully!) with boiling water once a week. If a drain backs up, bust the clog with a combination of baking soda and vinegar: Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, and then follow it with half a cup of white vinegar. This is the same mixture that middle-school kids use to simulate volcano eruptions, so don't be alarmed when it foams up. When the fizzing stops, flush the drain with warm water. If the drain is still slow, use a plunger to break up the clog, and then repeat the vinegar-and-baking soda procedure.
Mirrors and shower doors shine up beautifully with a half-and-half mixture of vinegar and water. (If you get streaks, add a drop or two of liquid castile soap.)
The lime scale that coats faucets and plumbing fixtures dissolves in the mild acid of vinegar or lemon juice. Soak a cloth in white vinegar, and leave the wet cloth on the fixture for about an hour. Wipe, and then rinse. Or cut a lemon in half and rub the cut surface over the fixture. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
Air freshener doesn't have to come from an aerosol can—or contain chemicals like phenol and formaldehyde. You already know that an open dish of baking soda or vinegar absorbs odors. If you want to do more than neutralize odors, here are a bunch of sweet-smelling options that won't hurt your respiratory system or the environment:
Open the windows! Nothing freshens the air like fresh air itself.
Combine equal parts lemon juice and water in a misting spray bottle or a clean, empty perfume atomizer (a bottle that sprays a fine mist).
Combine a few drops of your favorite essential oil (Recipe for an All-Purpose Cleaner) with water in an atomizer.
Make potpourri. Ask your local florist for flowers that they're going to throw out, or choose sweet-smelling flowers from your garden. Lilac, lavender, and roses work well, as do herbs like rosemary and lemon balm. Lay out the petals in a single layer on an elevated screen or hang stemmed flowers in small bunches—the idea is to let air circulate freely around them. (It takes a week or two for the flowers and leaves to dry out completely.) When it's dry, put the mixture in an airtight container (add cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, or cloves if you like) and let the scent develop for about a month. When it's ready, pour your potpourri into a bowl or dish and place it where you want to freshen the air.
Use a cotton ball to soak up a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil, and then hide the ball in an inconspicuous place in the bathroom.
A greener lifestyle doesn't have to mean dingy laundry. You can keep your whites white and your colors bright without sending nasty chemicals down the drain (and from there into lakes and rivers). Here are some earth-friendly tips for the laundry room:
When you buy laundry detergent, look for products that are biodegradable, free of petroleum-based ingredients, and that don't contain bleach. To reduce potential irritants, pick detergents without dyes and fragrances, as well. (Check out detergents made by companies listed in the box on A Green Kitchen Is a Healthy Kitchen.)
Tip
If you want to know exactly what's going into the wash with your clothes, make your own laundry detergent. To do that, you'll need to get some washing soda, which is sodium carbonate, often used as a water softener. It's available in the detergent aisle of most grocery stores.
Here's what you do: Grate a bar of pure soap, like Ivory or Fels Naphtha, using a grater or by feeding it to a food processor in small chunks. Put the grated soap in a saucepan and add enough water to cover it. Stir it over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves.
Meanwhile, heat two-and-a-half gallons of water. Pour the hot water into a bucket. Add the hot, melted soap to the bucket and stir. Mix in half a cup of borax and a cup of washing soda (not baking soda). Let the mixture cool (it'll gel), then cover the bucket and keep it near your washing machine. To use the detergent, stir it to break up the gel and add half a cup to each load of laundry.
Wash in cold water, not hot, to save energy and lower your utility costs. Sometimes you may need to wash in hot water—for example, to help hydrogen peroxide whiten, as explained later in this list—but make it the exception, not the rule.
Hang clothes outside to dry whenever possible instead of running the dryer, which is a major energy hog. Air-dried clothes smell better, too—without chemical perfumes.
Use inexpensive wooden drying racks for indoor drying.
To whiten whites, switch from chlorine bleach to 3% hydrogen peroxide, which is the basis for oxygen cleaners (like OxiClean). Add a cup of hydrogen peroxide to loads of whites, and wash with hot water. Another option is lemon juice: Add half a cup to the rinse cycle, and then hang the clothes outside to dry.
To brighten colors, add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Three-percent hydrogen peroxide is also safe for most colors (test it on a small, inconspicuous spot first).
To deodorize smelly socks, dirty diapers, and sweaty t-shirts, add a half-cup of baking soda to your laundry detergent. (This will also whiten and brighten the clothes.) A sprinkle of baking soda in the hamper or diaper pail helps deodorize between laundry days.
There are lots of ways to banish stains besides chemical stain removers:
Spot-treat blood stains with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. (If you're cleaning colored fabric, test an inconspicuous spot first.) Put a little hydrogen peroxide on the blood stain and blot it. Then rinse thoroughly to avoid bleaching the fabric.
Sprinkle some baking soda or borax onto a damp stain, rub it in, and then wash.
Use baking soda and water to make a thick paste and apply it to grease stains. The grease should come out in the wash.
Try white vinegar on food stains like wine, coffee, jam, and ketchup. Rub in the vinegar, and then wash.
White vinegar is a natural fabric softener. Put half a cup of it in the rinse cycle to soften clothes (add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make your clothes smell heavenly, too). Or replace commercial fabric softener with the homemade kind, using this recipe:
Put one cup of baking soda in a one-gallon bucket, and then add two cups of water. Stir the mixture as you slowly add a cup of white vinegar. (When the vinegar hits the baking soda, it'll fizz, so take your time.) If you want, add a drop or two of an essential oil. Transfer the mixture to a clean bottle or other closed container. When you're ready to use the fabric softener, shake the bottle, and then add one-quarter to one-third cup of the mixture to the wash cycle.
To make laundry smell fresh, add a teaspoon of lemon juice with your detergent.
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