Using natural products to clean your home has several benefits. For starters, it allows you to keep possibly toxic products out of your home and away from your family, and secondly, you are helping to keep potentially harmful chemicals from entering the environment.
In fact, there are several natural products that you can use to clean your house just as thoroughly as store-bought products, but they typically cost you a lot less. Many of these products are natural disinfectants, so they kill germs and make your house smell wonderful. Here are a few of the natural products to clean your house with.
Lemon
Lemon juice is, for all intents and purposes, the workhorse natural cleaner that you can use for almost any cleaning task. Not only can it cut through grease like soap and kills germs at the same time, it is also a deodorizer that will leave your house smelling fresh. Lemon juice is also a bleaching agent, stain remover and a mold and mildew killer all in one.
When using lemon juice to clean, dilute it with water first. Although lemon juice is 100% nontoxic, if you use straight lemon juice without adding water it could remove finishes or paint if you’re cleaning a table or wall. You can use a solution of lemon juice for everything from wiping down counters, mopping the floor or even as a laundry additive to get your brights bright without using bleach.
For stubborn stains on clothes or throughout the house, you can add a little salt and use a toothbrush to create a great scrubbing solution.
White Vinegar
Another great, natural cleaning product is white vinegar: its acidity is powerful enough to act as a non-toxic degreaser and it works as an antibacterial and antifungal agent. Just make sure to use white vinegar, not malt or any other type.
As with lemon juice, you want to use water to dilute the pure vinegar. Usually, a 50/50 ratio of vinegar to water is perfect for any household chore. You can experiment with the ratio for different jobs, but you can probably guess that the tougher the stain or grease, the less water you’ll need to use.
Not only will vinegar help you get rid of stains and greasy messes, if you have a room that smells a little funky, from cigarette smoke or anything else, you can leave a bowl of vinegar uncovered in the room overnight. In the morning, the room will smell fresh and clean. The potential number of uses for vinegar as a cleaning agent are numerous, so try it out next time you want to forego any toxic cleaning products.
Baking Soda
Ah, vinegar’s best friend baking soda. You probably know what happens when you mix the two together — think: high school volcano for the science fair — but this reaction can come in quite handy when you have a clogged pipe. Just sprinkle some baking soda down the drain and pour some vinegar on top of it: the foaming action will help loosen the gunk that’s clogging your pipes.
You probably also already know that baking soda is a great way to remove odors from the air. If you have a closet that smells musty, or a refrigerator that just doesn’t smell quite right, an open box of baking soda will absorb the odors. And because of the powder’s powerful absorption, you can also sprinkle some on your carpet and let it sit for about fifteen minutes before you vacuum. This will give the baking soda a chance to remove any deep odors that vacuuming alone won’t get rid of.
Olive Oil
Many people overlook this cooking ingredient as a cleaner, but it can help you with a few household chores.
If you add a little salt, you can scrub pots and pans clean without needing to use soap. You can also use olive oil as a furniture polisher: just add a little lemon juice and water and your wooden tables and chairs will look brand new in no time.
One of the best uses for olive oil is as a lubricant. If you have any sticky hinges on your doors or cabinets, you can use olive oil to fix them rather than spraying a toxic lubricant. The olive oil will coat the hinges as well as any other product and is safe for your family.
If you want to get rid of toxic cleaning products in your home, try one of these natural substitutes.
Rosie Hardy is an eco-conscious young woman who tries to lead a life as natural and free from chemicals as is possible in today’s toxic world.
