You do not need to use expensive and toxic chemicals to clean your home.
The products you use to keep your home clean could be filling your environment with potentially harmful chemicals. Common cleaners used every day can leave behind toxic fumes and residue that could harm you, your children and your pets. Put down the harsh chemicals and use all-natural organic items to keep your home clean and deodorized.
White Vinegar
Keep your home deodorized and free of mold and mildew with all-natural white vinegar. This nontoxic liquid cleans a variety of surfaces and removes even the toughest odors. You can use white vinegar on walls, carpets, tiles and even in your laundry. To remove unpleasant odors from washable items, add 1 to 2 cups of white vinegar to the washing machine water along with the appropriate amount of laundry detergent. To keep odors out of your home, fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar. Mist walls, carpets, curtains and upholstery with the vinegar. As the vinegar dries on the surface, it will remove the unpleasant odors.
Baking Soda
Inexpensive and versatile, baking soda is not just for recipes. You can dissolve the fine powder in water to clean and deodorize your home. Mix 1 cup of baking soda with 1 gallon of warm water. Wash tiles, sinks, tubs and showers with a sponge saturated in the baking soda mixture. Dampen a clean cloth in cool water and rinse the mixture off the surface. Dry the item with a towel. If your refrigerator smells a little funky, place an opened box of baking soda inside your fridge. The soda will absorb the odors. Replace the baking soda with a fresh box every month.
Borax
Used in many commercial cleaners, borax will kill fungus while leaving your home clean and stain free. Like baking soda, borax comes in a powder form and you must dissolve it in water. Clean hard surfaces -- such as floors, walls, tiles, counter tops, sinks and showers -- with a ratio of 1 cup borax for every gallon of warm water. Borax is safe to use on wallpaper and painted walls. Furthermore, clean carpet stains by scrubbing the stains with a paste made from borax and cool water. Once you have removed the stains, rinse the mixture off the carpet by blotting with a damp cloth and patting dry.
Lemon Juice
The natural acidic nature of lemon juice will dissolve tough hard water spots on glassware, tubs, shower doors and sinks. Fill a spray bottle with pure lemon juice and liberally mist the surface with the juice. Let the juice soak on the surface for 10 to 15 minutes. Scrub with a sponge while continuing to apply the lemon juice. Rinse the surface clean with cool water and wipe dry with a towel. To restore shine to your tile floors, wipe them with a sponge dampened with lemon juice and let the juice dry on the tiles. The lemon juice will leave a pristine sheen on the tiles while filling the air with a citrus aroma.
