Learn how to clean your home with natural cleaning items
Are you concerned for the environment? Are traditional chemical-based house cleaners making you sick?
It may be time to switch to green cleaning, starting in your home! The great thing about environmentally-friendly house cleaners is that they’re not only better for the environment, but they’re better for your health and your wallet, too.
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Lemon
Lemon’s naturally pleasant smell makes it a wonderful natural cleaner. It’s naturally biodegradable, so it doesn’t harm the environment the same way soap products do. If you regularly consume lemons in the home, then you’ll be pleased to know that even lemon peel has its cleaning uses!
Garbage disposal systems have drains that can get nasty and smelly after a while, but putting lemon peel through the drain it can help with cleaning & freshening it. Some people find that pouring concentrated lemon juice into the drain and letting it sit there for a good amount of time does the same trick. Just don’t forget to rinse it through with water when you’re done!
Cleaning the microwave can also be a chore, especially if food particles have stuck to the inside walls and hardened. But when you put half a lemon in a bowl of water and run the microwave for a few minutes, the resulting “lemon steam” softens the food particles, making them easier to wipe off. Oh, and the microwave ends up smelling better, too.
Greasy stoves can also turn nasty after a while, but cleaning with lemon can fix things easily. After the initial wipe-down with a wet rag, smear some lemon juice on the stove surface and wipe again. When all the greasy streaks are gone, wipe everything off with a wet rag. The scent of lemon works quite well in removing any “cooking” smells left behind.
There’s much more lemon can do for your cleaning efforts. Leftover “lemon water” from your microwave cleaning efforts can freshen smelly drains. Lemon juice and olive oil can polish hardwood furniture. Lemon even gets rid of any soapy scum left on dishes!
Vinegar
Vinegar is also another widely-available food product that’s naturally biodegradable, and it also has its cleaning uses. It is one of my staples when it comes to green cleaning. Mixing one part vinegar, one part borax and about 10 parts water makes for a disinfecting and deodorizing cleaning mixture you can use on kitchen surfaces. I then add a few drops of my favorite essential cleaning oils like lavender or eucalyptus.
Undiluted vinegar also works well in cleaning & disinfecting toilets. Simply flush, then pour the vinegar on the inside rim, then scrub down as usual.
Baking Soda
Does your carpet smell from pets and the vacuum cleaner? Simply sprinkle baking soda on the offending spots and let it sit for an hour. It soaks up and neutralizes the smell quite effectively.
Baking soda also works well with vinegar to clear drains that have gotten all clogged up. Throw a cup of baking soda into the offending drain, then throw in a cup of vinegar to make things bubble. Then pour in another cup of vinegar and let the mixture sit for an hour. Then wash everything down with hot water.
Put a small container of baking soda in the back of your fridge. It will keep nasty odors at bay.
Make the switch to Green Cleaning!
And if you don’t feel like making your own potions, commercially made organic and natural house cleaners are becoming more and more affordable these days, so it’s high time to remove dangerous and polluting chemical-based cleaners from your home. It’s friendlier to the environment, to you, and to your finances.
Its time to make cleaning your home safe.
Are you concerned for the environment Are traditional chemical-based house cleaners making you sick
For tons of free cleaning short cuts and secret tips, visit www.speedcleaningsuccess.com. Katrina White, is the owner of SpeedCleaningSuccess.com, a directory of house cleaning articles. If you would like to receive more information, sign up to the free mini-course that will deliver cleaning tips and secrets to your inbox. All articles are written to provide tips to free up the time to do the things you love to do.
By: Katrina White
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