Why should I move away from name-brand cleaners?
Store bought cleaners are not only expensive, they're ripe with chemicals. Chemicals that are not safe for breathing or having on our skin. Some of these chemicals are carcinogenic, and the public is not made properly aware of the dangers they are exposed to.
What length are you willing to go to to have a clean, disinfected, lemon-scented home? Are you willing to suffer health effects later on? Have your kids suffer health effects? Continue to place a demand in the market for these dangerous chemicals and the environmentally destructive processes behind them?
Why not opt for a more affordable, healthy and environment-friendly option.
Because of vinegars acidity, it works as a natural sanitizer... killing most bacteria. It also has the ability to absorb odours. It's also great for use with your hair or skin... but more on that in future posts! It is the perfect household cleaner!
Baking soda is great at breaking down grime, and also absorbing odours... as most know. It also has it's functions with the human body... and in baking (how could we forget?)
The final important reason to use these items for all your cleaning is your budget! It saves you big time. 4 litres of white vinegar is only abut $5 or $6, and these last me at least a few weeks, usually a month. Baking soda boxes are just over a dollar and these can last me a couple of months. Remember that I use these two items for all of my cleaning.
Here are some ways to clean your house using baking soda and vinegar. There's tonnes more than even what I list. Don't be afraid to research and look them up... or discover them for yourself!
Bathroom:
Make a paste with a couple of tbsp baking soda and a little bit of water. Just add a little bit at a time until you have reached your desired paste consistency.Use a toothpaste with the paste to scrub the inside of the sink, around the nooks and crannies of the sink, and the metals (the tap, handles and stopper).
Use this same paste to scrub the shower head and the shower faucet, as well as any nooks and crannies around the bathtub.
Fill sink 1/4 or 1/2 full of hot water, and mix in a cup of vinegar. Wipe your bathroom counter and cupboards, and around the toilet.
Tub and Floor: Add some baking soda to this and scrub the tub, and the floor.
Floor: Use a mix of 3/4 boiling water and 1/4 vinegar and mop floor.
For the toilet bowl, pour a cup of vinegar into the bowl and allow to sit for 1/2 hour. Then, add in some baking soda (about 2 tbsp) and scrub away.
For the shower and sink drains: pour 1-2 tbsp baking soda down the drain. Wait 5 minutes, then pour down 1/2 cup vinegar. Allow to bubble up (you might not be able to see it, but you should hear fizzing). When fizzing dies down, turn on hot water and allow it to run down the drain at it's hottest for about a minute.
If you are concerned about the smell of your bathroom and would like some freshness, put a bowl of vinegar somewhere in the bathroom and allow it to sit for a few hours. You'll notice that it will not smell any more. At the same time, it's not scented either!
Kitchen:
Use baking soda scrub for the metal and crevices around sink.
Fill sink 3/4 full with hot water, and 2 cups of vinegar. Allow to sit for a few 5 minutes. Scrub and drain. This is to kill the bacteria in the sink. Did you know the average household sink has 4 times the germs/bacteria of the average household toilet. Ya. Yuck.
Use a 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water mix and wipe down the counters, cupboards and walls.
Microwave: Fill a bowl with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water and microwave for 30 -45 seconds. The vinegar will loosen stuck-on mess int eh microwave. Wipe down with good quality, tough cloth.
Fridge: Use baking soda to scrub the fridge, and then use a vinegar/water mix to wipe clean. You can always place baking soda in the fridge in it's box to keep the fridge from becoming stinky, but I'm not even sure that really works that well anyway.
Floor: Mop with a solution that is 3/4 hot boiled water and 1/4 vinegar.
Drain: See above in bathroom.
To get rid of scents: Boil in a pot on the stove a solution of 1/2 apple cider vinegar (my preference) and 1/2 water on the stove for 15- 20 mintues (or longer, depending on how much of this mix you have in the pot)
Other:
Mold along window sills: Take an old toothbrush, and fill a cup with 3/4 vinegar and 1/4 water. Dip the toothbrush in the mix and then scrub at the mold. Clean the grim off the toothbrush by sticking it back in the cup and shaking it clean. After a couple of rounds of this, the water will look gross, so rinse it out, and get some fresh stuff.
Laundry: Add a cup of vinegar to your laundry.
Stains: Apply vinegar to stains and rub in
Fruit Flies: Pour vinegar into a glass... only fill it about 1/8 or 1/6 full. I don't own plastic wrap, but sometimes I may have plastic from plastic packaging, or something similar. Wrap this over the glass and poke small holes in it with a pen or pencil. The fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and will climb in, but if you do the hole properly, and small they wont be able to get back out. Muahahaha.
Cat litter: Sprinkle the litter and surrounding area (if carpeted) with baking soda. It is not harmful to the cat and helps aborb the stink!
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