Monday, April 2, 2012

Spring Cleaning with Natural Products -- Baking Soda, Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar


Naturally, You'll Do Spring Cleaning in All the High Places.

Natural products work as well or better around the house than expensive brands you use because they have "in your face" advertising. When you go to the grocery or drugstore, buy only the basics to enjoy safe and practical cleaning at an affordable price. 

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a cheap alternative to spray cleaners to use in almost every room of the house. Baking soda cleans the tub, the sink and the commode in your bathroom. Just sprinkle the powder in areas where you use sprays. Wipe with a wet sponge or brush and rinse with clear water.

Baking soda works in the laundry as well. Sprinkle some baking soda in your wash to eliminate odors such as perfume and body odors. It also gets your clothes cleaner, assisting the detergent. 

Baking soda is useful in the kitchen. It cleans the sink and the pots without scratching. It's also good for odor absorption in the refrigerator. If your ice cubes have a taste, they may be old, or they may have absorbed refrigerator odors. Cover all open containers in your refrigerator with a plastic wrap and place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors.

White Vinegar

Use white vinegar to clean stubborn stains. It works well in the bathroom to clean around the faucets. Wet a cloth with white vinegar and wrap the area around the faucets. Come back in an hour and scrub the area with an old toothbrush to remove the sediment. Rinse the faucets with clear water. 

White vinegar cleans residue from glass, pottery or porcelain that's caused from standing water. Fill the container with white vinegar and let it sit over night. Scrub with a toothbrush and rinse with clear water. Use white vinegar in the kitchen when you have a stubborn stain or baked-on food. Leave the white vinegar in the item to soak, and rinse with clear water in an hour or so. 

Caution: don't leave vinegar in an aluminum pot or it may eat through the metal.

Rubbing Alcohol

Use rubbing alcohol throughout the house as a disinfectant. You can clean your countertops with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to remove ballpoint pen ink and sanitize the countertops for cooking or emptying the dishwasher. Rubbing alcohol cleans granite countertops and laminates. Don't get alcohol in the seams as it may dissolve the glue or sealants.

Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol is a good glass cleaner, and cleans mirrors better than purchased spray products. Place a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and use it to wipe the bathroom mirrors, fixtures and countertops. Use rubbing alcohol as a prewash to remove ballpoint ink spots on your washable clothing. 

Alcohol is flammable, so don't use it near an open flame.

These three products can help you do most of your spring cleaning. We also use hydrogen peroxide as a mild bleach. It's a disinfectant for countertops and sinks, and is safe enough to use as a disinfectant on your hands, a cleaner for cuts or wounds and a fungicide for plants. 

Inexpensive natural green products that don't harm the environment and don't require a propellant can work for you. At about $1 each, you can get all the cleaning products you need on a $5-dollar bill. 

See you soon!

Linda