Problem products
All-purpose cleaners, often used in the kitchen, are harmful because of their fumes and the chemical residues left on surfaces. 2 These same fumes – and odors from other products – can create a lot of pollution. In fact, air inside a home is two to five times more polluted than air outside a home, thanks to cleaning fumes and air fresheners. 3
Bathrooms are easily filled with hazardous cleaning fumes. Even though most cleaning products for bathrooms should be used in well-ventilated spaces, most bathrooms are anything but well-ventilated. 4 Bathroom cleaners are particularly dangerous because they contain extremely harsh chemicals that are able to kill living things, like mold. 5 Yet the cleaners don’t stop at killing mold – they also harm other living things, like people.
Natural solutions
Fortunately, there are safe and affordable alternatives.
In the kitchen, you can:
- Mix baking soda with lemon juice or vinegar for an effective scrubbing paste.
- Dilute one part vinegar with one part water for an all-purpose cleaning spray.
- To clean stainless steel, use baking soda and vinegar.
- You also can scrub a dirty sink – or a pan with caked-on food – with salt.
- To easily remove crusty foods stuck in pots, boil water in the pot along with baking soda; if all the food doesn’t come off the first time, try once more.
In the bathroom:
- Sprinkle baking soda on a wet sponge to clean your sink or bathtub. Rinse with a little vinegar to remove any of the soda’s residue.
- Sprinkle baking soda in your toilet and scrub with a brush, and then rinse with vinegar.
- Or, clean your toilet bowl by sprinkling Borax, then scrubbing with a brush.
- Mildew in tile grout disappears by spritzing on rubbing alcohol.
Talk back
How about you – do you use any effective natural cleaning methods? If so, please leave a comment.
Sources
1. “Safer Cleaning Products. Fact Sheet.” Philip Dickey. Washington Toxics Coalition.
2. “For Your Home: Household Cleaners.” The Naked Truth Project. Consumer Products Guide.
3. “A Healthy House.” The Naked Truth Project.
4. “For Your Home: Household Cleaners.” The Naked Truth Project. Consumer Products Guide.
5. “For Your Home: Household Cleaners.” The Naked Truth Project. Consumer Products Guide.
Photo credit
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Jamie says
Castile soap! I used peppermint castile soap and baking soda to clean my bathroom, and it leaves everything smelling nice and fresh while I know all the germs are dead. Tea tree oil a great disinfectant as well, and easy to use if slightly diluted. Thanks for posting such helpful reminders during spring cleaning season!
kelli says
how would you use the tea tre oil?? spray bottle?
Andrea says
I don’t know about “natural” but I often clean my toilet bowl with whatever shampoo I have in the shower. Just squirt a little in, let it sit for a minute, and then clean it like normal. :)
Jacquelyn Stager says
Anxious to keep my new stainless steel pots and pans sparkling, I’ve found that just soaking them in the sink with hot water and a sprinkling of Bar Keeper’s Friend does the trick. In a few minutes I can come back and easily scrub them out with a brush to look like new again. Also, it’s important to wait till the pan cools off from cooking to begin cleaning it.
Jacquelyn Stager says
Jamie, where do you get that peppermint soap and how do you mix it with the baking soda? That sounds like a heavenly way to make the bathroom clean and smell good too! I don’t care for the smell of tea tree oil…
Hilary says
Jacque,
In the Akron area, you can find Dr. Bronner’s peppermint Castile soap at Mustard Seed Market. :)
Hilary says
Thanks for the great tips! I’m excited to try Castile Soap and baking soda … and I just bought Bar Keeper’s Friend this week and can’t wait to see how they make my stainless steel pots and pans sparkle!
Hilary says
Just a note … I’ve added peppermint castile soap to “My Picks” to the right. If you’d like to buy it right now, click on the link to purchase the soap from Amazon. As of today, it’s comparably priced to any castile soap I’ve found in stores.