In Stephanie's blog below, there were a few great hints on "green" cleaners, so I thought I'd throw my two cents in! I'm a huge fan of vinegar and water (I do usually put a couple drops of dish detergent in it, just for scent and suds--I doubt my Palmolive is eco-friendly, but I'm okay with it). For scrubbing the sink/tub/oven, baking soda is the way to go (not with the vinegar, just with plain water--ever make a volcano in science class?) However, vinegar and baking soda do a great job of cleaning the garbage disposal--they break down all the fats and oils that build up. (Run a few ice cubes in there every few months to sharpen the blades, counter-intuitive though it may seem.) I wondered for a while if I was just being cheap, but Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook backs me up, and I love that my toddler and preschooler can "help" me clean, with no worries. Plus, vinegar, baking soda, and water can all be part of your food storage, so in an emergency, you can still have a clean house! ;)
Here's a great article I found that talks about how and where to use vinegar and baking soda, as well as lemon (which I'd never thought of, but which totally makes sense): http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm
As a non-green aside, although I've read that vinegar and water can be used to clean glass, I can never depart from NAME BRAND Windex--nothing else compares, in my humble opinion. Also, I love Lysol Power toilet bowl cleaner (blue bottle). I've tried a few different toilet cleaners, but this is the only one that gets rid of major hard water stains (as in "I never thought that'd come off!"), which was a big problem for us in our last apartment.
Okay! I will now close my epistle.
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5 comments:
Rock on. Those were GREAT tips. Thank you!
Also....save your citrus (after peeling or juicing or zesting), and send it down the garbage disposal at the end of the day to clean it and make it smell nice and citrusy.
I love the vinegar and water mixture! It also helps deodorize while you're cleaning, plus it's safe to use with kids and pets around. Thanks for all the other great tips, too!
I've never tried the Green thing, and I think I will now. There's certain things that I will probably always use good ol chemicals on, but I would definitely like to avoid it when possible. Thanks to Laura and Kage both!
Hey Laura - I had no idea you were such a greenie! :) I found a great glass cleaner, that does incredible work on mirrors, glass windows, and all fixtures. Amazingly, it also will get stains out of your cloth car seats! No joke! I bought my car used in 2000, and the woman who owned it before me had two young kids who spilled all kinds of stuff on the back seats and left stains. This glass cleaner actually got them out...And I learned that trick from a car window repair man (long story). The cleaner can be found at walmart..."Sprayaway Glass Cleaner" - no green friendly though, I'm sure!
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