Most of the house cleaners bought at stores contains harsh chemicals that can cause skin and eye irritations. Some of the chemicals can also cause asthma, cancer and birth defects. As per EPA some of the hazardous chemicals included in the household cleaners are carcinogenic chemicals, endocrine, volatile organic compounds, PBT-persistent bio accumulative and toxic chemicals among others. Look for house cleaning ideas that are safe for you and the environment as well.
You do not have to buy cleaners that are loaded with harmful chemicals to clean the house. Look for natural ingredients that not only clean tough stains, but are good for your hands and the environment as well. Chemicals can cause havoc to our local rivers and disturb the aquatic life as well. Natural home cleaners can clean the dirt effectively, kill germs, and leave a pleasant, natural fragrance. Plus, these elements are safe for you and your family as well. Here are a few natural house cleaning ingredients that you can use.
Borax
Borax is versatile and works as a multipurpose cleaner. Add a tiny amount of borax on a damp cloth and clean the floors, tiles, fixtures and porcelain sinks and get rid of stubborn marks, yellow stains and dark patches on the corners. You can also use it to make your greasy kitchen cabinets sparkle. If you add it as a booster to your laundry detergent, it will eliminate odor from your stinky clothes. And, if you soak your clothes that have tough stains on them in borax water, the stains will be gone in no time; just give them a good wash after the soak.
Lemon
Lemon is a non-toxic natural house cleaning ingredient. It also works as a bleaching agent and deodorizer. You can remove mildew and mold with lemon juice in a jiffy. When you clean hard surfaces with lemon juice, it gives a beautiful shine to the surface. Lemon juice also removes grease from kitchen cabinets and tough stains from clothes. Use this citric juice to clean the chopping board and kill the germs. Lemon juice can also be used to clean grout. What’s more, you can clean metal grills as well by adding some salt to the juice and tightly wipe them off.
White vinegar
Vinegar is antibacterial and antifungal kitchen ingredient. It can be used as a house cleansing agent for all over the house. Mix vinegar with water in equal quantities and clean the carpet. It is also a great degreaser. In fact, you can use vinegar to clean your veggies as well.
Baking Soda
Apart from being a deodorizer, baking soda is an antiviral agent. It can eliminate grease and grime like a champion. You can use to clean counter tops, grills, sinks, tubs and bathroom floors. You can also use to unclog blocked drain. Put the baking soda in the drain and slowly pour white vinegar until foam starts to form. Then flush it with hot water. Repeat the process until the drain is cleared.
Salt
Salt is the most common ingredient found in every kitchen, but only a few use it for house cleaning purposes. Add salt to white vinegar to make a powerful house cleaner; remove mildew and stains of rust mix some salt with lemon soda and clean the affected area. Make your own eco-friendly household cleaner with these non-toxic ingredients and keep your house clean and fresh all the time. And the best part is that these ingredients are inexpensive, safe and healthy.