Safe, GREEN Household Cleaning Options

In my last post, BacOut: Gets the Stains and Smells Out!, I wrote about the benefits of Foaming Action BacOut Stain & Odor Remover for cleaning cloth diapers. For those concerned about using heavy chemicals in the home, here are a few suggestions for safer and less expensive household cleaning alternatives.

This list is not at all comprehensive; I am only listing products I have successfully used in my home. One of the main reasons I use these cleaning products is for a greater peace-of-mind. We keep all chemicals out-of-reach, but in the small chance our child touched or consumed any of the products, we would have little to no concern. Peace-of-mind also comes from knowing these products have less fumes and do not contain added ingredients, like perfumes, which can be carcinogenic.

Windows, Mirrors or other glass surfaces:
When cleaning windows, mirrors or other glass surfaces, use white distilled vinegar. It works great on glass surfaces and when coupled with old newspapers, you reduce lint and save money while recycling!

Stopped or slow drains:
Pour baking soda down a stopped or slow drain, followed with white distilled vinegar. The two all-natural ingredients create an acid-base reaction (remember those 5th grade science volcanoes?). Add more baking soda if there is too much vinegar, or more vinegar if too much baking soda. When the products stop reacting with one another pour hot water down the drain. Unlike the caustic, heavy materials seen advertised in television commercials, you can plunge or “snake” the baking soda/white distilled vinegar mixture.

Please note: If you have already attempted using “conventional” drain cleaners without success, DO NOT plunge or add ANYTHING else to the drain; call a plumber instead.

Stove top or oven:
With a cold/cool oven or stove top, pour baking soda onto a sponge or scrubbing pad, adding just enough water to make it slightly wet and paste-like. Scrub cooking surface/oven until residue dissolves or is scrubbed off. This does require some work on your part (elbow grease), but without the added concern of what you might breathe into your lungs, skin or expose to your food surfaces. Wipe clean with a wet cloth or sponge.

Bathroom surfaces:
Use lemon juice or white distilled vinegar on mold/mildew. For soap scum, a paste of baking soda and water on a sponge or scrubbing brush works well. Rinse with hot water.

Cloth Diaper Laundry
Select laundry detergets like Country Save Powdered Laundry Detergent for a gentler wash; it is free of dyes, fragrances, phosphates, enzymes, brighteners, or harsh chemicals.

Kitchen floor:
We use lemon juice diluted with hot water on our kitchen floor followed by a second pass with a clean, moist mop.

A few pointers:

• Buy in bulk! This saves you money, creates less packaging & uses less fuel for shipping.
• Keep old newspapers! Newspapers work better than paper towels when cleaning glass surfaces because they won’t leave lint.
• Recycle your old kitchen sponges, scrub pads, or cloth diapers for cleaning or wiping down counters in the bathroom, putting less waste into the environment and saving yourself some money.

Additional sources:
Green Spring (or Fall) Cleaning
Green Cleaning
Making a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
Green Household Cleaning Recipes