TweetBack in the day who knew about Mr. Muscle or Flash? People used natural products to clean their homes. These products were inexpensive, they were used for multi-purposes and honestly, in my own opinion many of these products clean much better than the newer products that cover the shelves in the grocery store.
In addition, natural cleaning products offer environmentally sound, cost-efficient alternatives to the poisonous and potentially lethal house cleaning products used in many homes today. Use of these natural options is especially critical as most traditional cleaning products eventually contact the air, water, and/or soil, where they can cause major and permanent harm to animals, plants, drinking water, and food supplies.
So what should you consider using?
Vinegar
Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on a not easily seen area.
It is safe to use on most surfaces and best of all its incredibly cheap. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Do not worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries and if you want, you could always spray the relaxing scent of lavender to rid the smell. Here are some uses for vinegar in the rooms of your house.
Places to use vinegar in your home…
1. Bathroom – Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. Mop the flour in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution. The substance will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and tile. Make sure it is safe to use with your tile.
2. Kitchen – Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops, and floor.
3. Laundry Room – Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)
When you choose to use natural cleaning products like vinegar, you help keep our global home a bit cleaner and safer for this generation and those to come.
TweetHouse cleaning products are expensive. I can go into a supermarket and spend a hundred pounds on cleaning products alone. Now modern research tells us that many of the products we use and spend so much money for carry toxins. They are also telling us that these cleaning products can be hazardous to our health in the long run.
Therefore, I decided to do my own research and I came up with many ways to clean your home inexpensively. The mixtures I came up with are cleaning recipes to create natural cleaning products that you can easily make using the products you already have in your home. These cleaning mixtures are safe and not hazardous to your health and in the long-run will save you lots of money.
Now with the holidays coming up I am sure you need to save every possible penny. So, let us begin. Below is a list of cleaning recipes for all areas in your home.
Glass:
- To wash your windows use 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar to three liters of warm water. Dry with rutted newspaper for sparkling results.
- Do you have dirty vases in your home? Put in 1 tablespoon of vinegar and fill with warm water. Leave it to soak for 10 minutes. Rub the vases with a soft cloth then rinse.
Wood Floors:
- Mix one part olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture or apply with a spray bottle, then polish the wood with a dry cloth. Use this mix to make wood floors gleam.
Vinyl, Laminate or Ceramic Floors:
- Mop vinyl, laminate or ceramic tiled floors with 8 tablespoons of vinegar watered down in 3 liters of hot water.
- For pet odors and stains in carpets, mix equal parts of vinegar and water. Apply to affected areas. Use the mixture with kitchen paper towels, until moisture is absorbed. You may need to repeat the process one or two times.
Stainless Steel:
- Clean and shine any stainless steel surface with a paste of soda and water. Apply freely with a damp cloth. Leave for about 5 minutes, then wipe.
Microwaves and Ovens:
- Clean with a cloth dampened in equal parts of vinegar and water.
- To remove microwave odors, place some lemon slices in a bowl of water. Then put on high for a few minutes.
Baths, shower doors, tiles and grout:
- To get rid of body oils and soap scum use two parts soda to one part vinegar or lemon juice. This will create a thick paste. Use the thick paste with a damp cloth. Leave for 10 minutes then rub with a brush or sponge. As you rinse it off, drains will be kept fresh too. Use this mix on shower doors, sinks, tiles and grout. If cleaning grout, rub with a toothbrush.
Mildew and mold:
- To get rid of black spots use one part vinegar or lemon juice to one part baking powder. Apply and leave for one or two hours. Rinse off. It may need to be reapplied or left longer, depending on how severe your mold or mildew is.
Air Freshener:
- Baking soda eliminates odors. Mix 8 tablespoons with three drops of your favorite essential oil. Place in a decorative bowl or vase.
- Soda in the bottom of ashtrays absorbs smoke smells. It is also like sand for stubbing out cigarettes.
- Put some essential oil on a light bulb. When on, the heat will diffuse the fragrance.
Toilet:
- Keep the toilet clean and fresh – put eight tablespoons of soda in the bowl. Leave overnight.
- Sprinkle soda onto a damp cloth to clean toilet seat and tank, then wipe with a wet cloth.
Drain cleaner:
- Use one part soda, with four parts hot vinegar. Leave overnight if possible.
TweetYou cannot fully appreciate the need for a properly performing appliance until you see an old and wheezing vacuum cleaner doing nothing more than creating noise.
Nowadays there are plenty of house cleaning vacuum cleaners. You can even get confused when reading the endless features they have. What is most important thing to look out for? Definitely: floor type compatibility, size, power, airflow, suction, hepa filter, air quality, tools. is to choose the right vacuum cleaner for the right type of floor.
Vacuum cleaners are probably the most important and versatile cleaning tools in any house. Vacuuming and dusting has been arround for ages and it looks like nothing is going to replace this great american invention. Wiki says that “the first manually-powered cleaner using vacuum principles was the “Whirlwind”, invented in Chicago in 1868 by Ives W. McGaffney”.
TweetWe all know babies love to crawl and roll on the floor. The would most definitely put in their mouths almost everything they can grab. That horrifies parents big time. I am scared to death when I see my son licking the floor or a dirty toy he is playing with. Kids. But we have a responsibility as parent to raise a healthy brood. A few tips:
- Clean as you go. Whenever you see something that needs cleaning up do not wait for Saturday or Sunday house cleaning day- clean it now. You will not allow any build ups of dirt and germs in your house.
- Washing babies’ hands must become an unconditional habit. Frequent handwashing will remove germs from their most popular entry path – kids hands. Dirty toys, dirty floors, shoes, cars – you know kids – they love touching anything they can lay their hands on.
- Disinfect. House cleaning with standard cleaning materials can leave a false feel of security and cleanliness. In fact, there still may be lots of germs left waiting to be picked up. To get rid of them use cleaners and disinfectants in the same time. Most of todays sanitisers and disinfectants do not need rinsing or wiping after being applied to the surface.
- Maintain a good level of cleanliness. Regular house cleaning helps keep germs at bay and ensures a healthy indoor environment safe for everyone in the family. Most of us are very busy trying to earn a living through those difficult times and there is rarely enough to rest let alone spend 3 hours properly cleaning the house. Why not call a professional house cleaning company to take care of those chores for you? It’s worth having a try.
TweetNowadays everyone is suffering from allergies. I know at least 10 people of the top of my head whose kids suffer from asthma. Did you ever ask yourself why? Why do so many people suffer allergies, medical conditions, and various illnesses? Could it stem from the house cleaning products and the chemicals we use inside and outside our home?
How healthy is your home? Your home may sparkle because it is clean, but in the end, those chemicals might be damaging you and your family’s bodies more than you are aware.
The problem is in today’s world everyone is always on the run. Your either working, running to school events, running to after school activities, chauffeuring the kids to wherever, and tending to daily responsibilities. All these responsibilities fill up your daily schedules. With all this going on in your busy schedule honestly who has time to research how hazardous each cleaning product might be. Who has time to examine each chemical in every product and the long-term effects it might have on people and animals. How many people have the time to seriously think about what cleaning products are safest to use in the home? Who has the time to research this topic come on now?
But if you really want to protect the one’s you love than the health of your home is crucially important and this is why you need to know what products you are using to clean them. Even though your busy, make time, your family health comes first. Nothing matters more than a healthy home with happy people living in that home. This is why I have created a quick list of the three reasons why you should be cleaning your home with natural cleaning products.
Do it for yourself, your family and the environment:
- Safer & healthier: Do you know what is in the household cleaning products you are using? The fact is, most house cleaning products on market shelves today contain many harmful and hazardous toxins and chemicals. These hazardous toxic substances can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin, which can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and the brain and have the potential to cause many serious health problems. Natural cleaning products on the other hand are non-toxic and much safer to use because they are made from natural, wholesome, ingredients. In addition, when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting your home, they work just as effectively if not better than the chemical products that sell in thousands of stores.
- Better for the environment: Most retail brand household cleaning products are made from harmful chemicals and these substances later become pollutants for our air and our landfills. Natural cleaning products on the other hand are made from natural ingredients, which are non-toxic as well as biodegradable and thus have a reduced impact on our environment. In addition, most natural cleaning products are frequently made from recycled packaging and materials.
- Save you money: It should come as no surprise to you that the average costs for keeping up a family and a household are continuing to rise. However, you do not have to endanger the health of your families or your homes by using expensive, toxic chemical cleaning products. Natural cleaning products are not only safer to use, they also save you money because they last longer and cost less. In addition, to have a pretty scent in your home add 100% natural essential oils to your home made recipes such as tea tree oil, lavender or lemon oil which not only provide a fresh aroma and scent, but also have natural antiseptic, antifungal and disinfectant properties contained within them.
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