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Spring Cleaning with Nontoxic Cleaners
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Posted by Janet Harriett on Mar.02, 2010
©iStockphoto.com - lisegagne
With spring comes spring cleaning. Banish winter’s stale mustiness with simple cleaners that are so nontoxic you could cook with them.
Hot Water
Water goes a long way toward a clean home. Steam cleans and sanitizes hard surfaces, though avoid using steam on wood floors, wood furniture or laminate. However, you don’t need a fancy steam cleaner to get the benefits of steam cleaning in a kitchen or bath. Simply boil a pot of water and pour a small amount carefully on your stove, countertops, sink and bathtub. Let sit for a minute for the hot water to soften the accumulated gunk, then wipe clean. For vertical surfaces, carefully dip a cleaning cloth in hot, not boiling, water and scrub away. Watch to ensure that you don’t burn your fingers. Clean crusty burner pans by soaking them in a sink full of very hot water. Hot water and a microfiber mop make short work of tile and linoleum floors, too.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a great all-purpose scouring powder. Sprinkle a little on a sponge or rag and scrub away soap scum in the shower or burnt-on bits in the oven. Sprinkle baking soda over the carpets and vacuum up to freshen floors without artificial fragrances.
White Vinegar
Full strength distilled white vinegar can dissolve hard water buildup on showerheads, faucets, shower doors and walls and in kettles or coffeemakers. Spray vinegar on glass and wipe off instead of using ammonia-based glass cleaners. When cleaning the fridge, wipe down shelves and interior surfaces with vinegar to kill germs and eliminate stale odors. Eliminate sink odors by pouring a cup of vinegar down the drain.
If you use full-strength vinegar in a spray bottle, empty the bottle after use and rinse thoroughly, since the acid can damage the sprayer mechanism.
Organizing
You can’t clean with clutter everywhere. Check out these Green Diva Mom decluttering tips:
Decluttering: Purging House and Mind
Posted under Green Cleaning, Home Environment.
Article By: Janet Harriett
Profile: Janet Harriett, Green Diva Mom's fomer editor, has been a writer and editor for print and online media, specializing in education and environmental issues since 1999. She lives on 2 acres in central Ohio with her husband, a 275-square-foot backyard garden and a home orchard growing 25 varieties of fruit. Janet holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing.
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June 24th, 2011 on 9:01 am
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