The Good Human » Natural Cleaning

How To Choose Healthier Cleaning Products

david — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:00:52 +0000

I want to use cleaning products that are healthier for the environment, but I worry that baking soda and the like won’t really get my tub and toilet germ-free. Should I continue using bleach products in the bathroom?

When it comes to household cleaning products, most mainstream brands make use of chlorine bleach, ammonia or any number of other chemicals that can wreak havoc on the environment and human health.

Ammonia is a volatile organic compound that can irritate the respiratory system and mucous membranes if inhaled, and can cause chemical burns if spilled on the skin. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which can cause eczema and other skin ailments as well as breathing difficulties if inhaled. And when it reacts with other elements in the environment, toxic “organochlorines” can form, damaging the ozone layer and causing health issues such as immune suppression, reproductive difficulties and even cancer.

Fortunately, growing public concern about the health effects of toxic exposure have led to an “explosion of environmentally friendlier and non-toxic products,” says the health information website, WebMD. “There are many products in this category—from laundry detergents and fabric softeners to multi-surface and floor cleaners, to tile and bathroom cleaners—that are…safer for people and the planet.”

WebMD warns that while many are indeed safer, others are “greenwashed,” meaning they are “marketed as natural while still including suspect chemicals.” How does one know? “Get in the simple practice of looking at product labels to see if the cleaning manufacturer is clearly disclosing all ingredients,” reports WebMD. “If it is not…it could mean the manufacturer is trying to hide a particular suspect ingredient.”

Also, just because a product has an eco-certification printed on its label doesn’t necessarily mean it should be trusted. To make sure, check the Eco-Labels section of Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices website, which gives the low-down on what labels really mean and whether they are backed up by government regulations. Another good resource is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Household Products Database, which provides ingredient lists for thousands of products on U.S. store shelves.

If you want to play it safe and natural when cleaning your home, WebMD suggests using white distilled vinegar —it kills mold and mildew, eliminates soap scum and sanitizes, all in one fell swoop—to clean windows, tile, cutting boards and countertops. Another effective yet gentle natural cleaner for countertops and bathtubs is baking soda, especially when mixed with a few drops of mild soap. Borax can be called in for tougher stains. If you’re interested in cleaning greener, there are many sources of natural cleaning recipes online. Or check out the cleaning products aisle at your local natural food store, where you will find a wide range of cleaning formulations from the likes of Seventh Generation, Ecover, and Earth Friendly Products (which sells a “Safeguard Your Home” retail pack that includes one each of a window cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, a dishwashing liquid, an automatic dishwasher gel, a laundry detergent and a fabric refresher), among many others.

CONTACTS: WebMD; Greener Choices; Household Products Database.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

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23 Ways To Use Vinegar For Nontoxic Cleaning

david — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:00:49 +0000

There are plenty of toxic products on the market you can buy in order to “clean” your house. But what you may not know is that distilled white vinegar does the job of most of them without any toxicity — and for much cheaper! Using only inexpensive vinegar, water, and a castile soap like Dr. Bronner’s you can clean almost anything. Here are 23 uses for vinegar you can start putting into practice today around your home.

Clean Your Coffeemaker – Run your coffeemaker just as you normally do, but instead of using just water use a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of water and vinegar. No coffee grounds needed, of course! I usually do it twice in a row, followed by at least twice using just water, to make sure it’s as clean as it was when I brought it home.
Unclog Stopped Drains – One of the most popular posts on the site is the one on how to unclog a drain using just water, vinegar, and baking soda. It works, I promise.
Disinfect Your Dishwasher – Run the dishwasher empty after pouring 1/2 of a cup of vinegar in the soap dispenser.
Clean Out Showerheads – Another popular post here on the site, it’s easy to clean your showerhead using vinegar and a small sandwich bag.
Clean Your Outdoor Grill – By spraying vinegar on your grill and then rubbing with aluminum file, you can remove most, if not all, of any leftover summer barbecue residue.
Remove a Sticky Label – Bought something recently with one of those “impossible to remove” stickers on it? Soak it in vinegar for a bit, should come off quite easily.
Remove Deposits From An Iron – Fill your iron with an equal mixture of vinegar and water and turn on/press the steam button. Once it’s empty, before your next use, do the same thing but with just water.
Clean Up After A Pet – Your cat left you a present on the carpet? After picking up any physical evidence, blot the area with white vinegar and a clean rag. Continue until the spot is gone and you are sure you got anything that could leave a smell the next day.
Clean Linoleum Floors – Instead of mopping with just water and/or with soap, try adding just 1/4 of a cup of vinegar to your bucket and mopping as usual.
Deodorize a Kitchen Drain – Pour one cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar. Let bubble up for a few minutes, then flush with hot water.
Clean Brass or Copper – By mixing vinegar and table salt you can make a light paste to clean these metals with.
Clean Up Wood Paneling – By using a mixture of 2 parts vinegar, 1 part olive oil and a small bucket of water, you can remove stains and dirt from wood paneling with a moist towel.
Deodorize a Garbage Disposal – Fill your ice tray with a vinegar & water mix, let freeze. Once frozen, remove some cubes, put in disposal, and turn it on. Flush with cold water.
Remove Mold in the Shower – Spray moldy areas with undiluted vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it off with a rag. Rinse.
Eliminate Strange Smells – Leave a bowl of vinegar out overnight in the general area the smell is coming from.
Clean Food-Stained Pots – Fill any stained pots with white vinegar and let them sit for an hour. Rinse and wash as normal with hot water and dishsoap.
Make Your Windows Shiny Clean – Mix a few cups of water with 1/4 cup of vinegar. Spray the mixture on your windows and instead of wiping with paper towels, use newspapers that were headed for the recycling bin anyway.
Kill Germs – Are you a germaphobe or someone prone to getting sick? Avoid antibacterials with triclosan in them and use vinegar instead. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and water and use to to kill germs on bathroom fixtures, etc.
Clean The Microwave – Get those tough to remove leftovers off the inside of your microwave by putting a 1/2 cup each of water and vinegar in a bowl and bringing it to a boil inside. Turn off the microwave, remove the bowl, and wipe off all that stuff you have been neglecting!
Remove Stains from Dishes and Cups – Soak in vinegar and water for a bit and the stains will disappear.
Clean Tile Grout – A safer and less toxic way to clean grout than using bleach is to use vinegar and an old toothbrush. Let the vinegar soak into your grout for a few and then scrub away.
Clean Fireplace Glass Doors – You can get soot off the inside of your fireplace glass doors with undiluted vinegar and a scrub brush.
Disinfect Baby Toys – Have you seen the ads on TV about playing with your boat in the toilet and the need for bleaching your kids’ toys? Well, no need to do that because bleach is toxic and you can disinfect baby toys using vinegar and soap.

So there you have it, 23 different ways to use vinegar around the house for nontoxic and inexpensive cleaning. If you have any other natural cleaning with vinegar tips, please be sure to leave them in the comments!

*As with all my cleaning articles, I recommend you test any cleaning solutions in an inconspicuous place to test colorfastness and any other issues that may come up.

Clean Your Showerhead Without Toxic Chemicals

david — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:00:26 +0000

That low-flow showerhead which was working fine now slowing down to just a trickle? It’s probably because of a build-up of calcium and other minerals in your local water supply. The nozzles get clogged up and water can’t be pushed through them anymore, potentially leaving you standing in a drip-like shower with soap in your hair. But don’t fear, as there is an incredibly easy way to clean that showerhead without using any toxic chemicals (or probably even spending any money) with something you might already have in your house — vinegar.

All you need to do is half-way fill up a plastic sandwich bag with a 50% water and 50% vinegar solution and put your showerhead in the bag to soak for a while. You can take the head out of the shower if you want, but I just leave it on there and use a rubber band (preferable) or a zip tie (2nd choice) to hold it up. This is what it looks like:

I usually let it soak in this solution for a 1/2 of a day or so, and then let the water run through the showerhead for a few seconds once I am done. Voila – all clean and back to the way it was when it was installed. Vinegar serves so many purposes around the house, so it’s always a good idea to keep some on hand just in case.

File Under “Finally” – Replenish Reusable Bottle System.

david — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:55:14 +0000

This is a brilliant idea, and I am amazed that it took this long to for something like this to come to market. This new household cleaning product, called “Replenish“, is basically an empty plastic bottle made from PET-1 with a “twist-on” bottom full of concentrated cleaner. You fill the plastic bottle up with water, mix in some of the concentrate, and you have a bottle of household cleaner. When you run out, fill up the bottle with water again, mix in a little more concentrate, and your bottle is as good as new. You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new bottle of cleaner every time you run out, which keeps plastic out of the landfill and the recycling bin for much longer. Each of the little concentrate pods makes four bottles of cleaner, so you pay for the cleaner and not the bottle and water usually found inside typical cleaners.

Supposedly the product is non-toxic to aquatic life, readily-biodegradable, PH Neutral, and 98% plant derived, and was developed in conjunction with William McDonough’s company MBDC, which does Cradle to Cradle products and certifications. (He is also the author of Cradle to Cradle, see my review right here) For people who only feel comfortable purchasing their cleaning products in a store, this looks like a safe, much less wasteful alternative to typical cleaners. Although…

You could always just mix up some vinegar, water, and maybe a little castile soap and make your own cleaner, which is what I do now. I have a reusable stainless steel spray bottle that I fill up, and it works just fine.