Go Green As You Clean
Is your cleaning really as clean as you think it is? In the battle to keep your living space clean and healthy, are you using conventional cleaning products with caustic and toxic ingredients? They can be just as harmful as the grime and bacteria they’re meant to eliminate.
Is your cleaning really as clean as you think it is? In the battle to keep your living space clean and healthy, are you using conventional cleaning products with caustic and toxic ingredients? They can be just as harmful as the grime and bacteria they’re meant to eliminate.
Whether you’re shopping for prepared natural
cleaning solutions or making your own, keep
in mind that the word “aromatherapy” is now
being applied to everything scented - from
dishwashing liquid to laundry detergent. The
true practice of aromatherapy relies on using
pure essential oils extracted from plants. These
natural plant essences nurture us on mental,
emotional, physical and even spiritual levels.
While house cleaning isn’t exactly a spiritual
exercise, adding the effects and properties of
essential oils to your homemade household
products can enhance the experience and the
effectiveness of your task.
Essential oils have potent antimicrobial effects along with their clean, pleasant natural aromas. Here are a few“classic” homecare essential oils:
Lemon (clean, sweet, uplifting scent; deodorizing),
Peppermint (minty, fresh; air purifier; mild pest repellent),
Eucalyptus and Tea Tree (air and surface sanitizers; fresh, therapeutic aromas).
You can also use this shopping list of key ingredients for making your own homecare products:
*
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) - Gently
abrasive scouring powder, odour absorber
and an excellent base for making your own
cleaning preparations.
*
Washing soda (sodium carbonate)
* Borax (sodium borate) - Natural mineral
compound, laundry booster, multipurpose
cleanser, fungicide/insecticide.
* White distilled
vinegar (acetic acid)
* Liquid soap (sodium hydroxide) - Choose from
vegetable oil-based soaps such as olive oil or
sweet almond.
*
Distilled water - Clean, distilled water acts as
a better carrier and dirt solvent. Tap water will
often contain salts and minerals that can lead
to spotting and build-up.
Essential oils
Follow these recipes for making your own basic homecare products:
Gentle scouring cream
1/2 cup baking soda
Liquid soap
18 drops essential oil
Add essential oils to baking soda and blend. Next, incorporate the liquid soap, several drops at a time, until a creamy paste forms.
Window cleaner
2 cups water
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon liquid soap
36 drops essential oil
Wooden furniture polishing oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
Carpet deodorizing powder
1 cup baking soda
18 drops essential oil
Carpet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid soap
18 drops essential oil
- Microwave cleaner
- It’s easy to clean baked-on food and spills from you microwave! Partially fill a measuring jug or coffee cup with water and add a slice of lemon. Boil the water for a minute, and then leave the door closed and let the steam loosen the mess. After 10 minutes, open the door and wipe away the grease.
- Homemade leather conditioner
- 1 teaspoon of household ammonia 4 teaspoons of white vinegar, 2 cups water. Mix ingredients together. Apply mixture, dry with a soft cloth, and then wipe on castor oil, using a soft cloth. Rub on leather shoe cream in the appropriate colour. Buff well. Or try a solution of two parts linseed oil and one part vinegar – test on a hidden area first to be safe.
- Restore the shine to a roasting pan
- Mix bicarbonate soda and distilled white vinegar into a thick paste. Apply to the stain with a kitchen cloth and scrub in a circular motion, adding more vinegar if the paste becomes too dry. It does take time, but the results are more than rewarding. Follow with a rinse in warm water and towel dry.
- Remove coffee and tea stains from cups
- Squeeze a wedge of lemon into the cup and fill with boiling water. Leave to soak overnight, then empty. Wrap a damp cloth around your finger, dip it into some sodium bicarbonate and rub the stains in a circular motion.
- Deodorise your dishwasher
- Cut a lemon in half, remove the pips and skewer the cut side of each portion onto the spikes of the upper plate rack or place in a muslin or cotton bag. Once the cycle is finished, remove the lemon halves and admire the miracle of citric acid at work. The same process done once a month – without dishes – will help to keep your dishwasher fresh.
- Remove rust from kitchen utensils
- Happy campers will know that sometimes utensils will get slightly rusty. To remove rust from knives or other kitchen utensils, stick them in an onion for about an hour. Move the blade back and forth to help the onion juice do its work.
- Old toothbrushes for cleaning
- Don't throw away your old toothbrush, use it to get into small areas for cleaning. Use around bathroom taps to remove built up grime. Clean tile grouth with a paste of sodium bicarbonate and refresh and whiten.
- Keep old sock for a cleaning mit
- Great for occasional dusting around the house. Pop your hand into the sock and wipe away dust from large surfaces. Also great for dusting delicate items - hold it in your hand while you dust. Use for dusting Venetian - wood and aluminium blinds.
- Homemade air freshner
- Don't fill the air in the your home with chemicals. Making your own room freshner is a breeze. Use the juice of three lemons and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and fill with water. For a longer lasting spray, add several drops of lemon essential oil to a bottle of distilled water.
- Non-toxic cleaner for nursery
- Make an anti-bacterial spray with grapefruit seed extract (available at health food stores). It's a safe and effective way to sterilise toys, change areas and just about anywhere your little ones can get their hands on. Add 1/2 cup of grapefruit seed extract to 500ml of warm water and place in a spray bottle. Make a fresh batch every time you wish to clean!