do it yourself cleaning
DESCRIPTION
Have you been contemplating going green in your cleaning routine? There has never been a better time to make the transition to green cleaning. You have chosen to seek more information about making better choices for yourself, for your family and for the environment. Congratulations. The good news is YOU CAN. The great news is IT'S EASY.TRANSCRIPT
Do it Yourself Cleaning
Why make your own products?
Many of the usual commercial cleaning products contain petroleum based products, organochlorides, synthetic fragrances and colours which can be inhaled, come into contact with your skin and absorbed by the body as well as being flushed down the sink into our precious waterways -‐ resulting in water contamination, algal overgrowth and altering the water ph which directly affects marine life.
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By making our own products we can choose non toxic ingredients that have minimal impact on the environment. Here are some simple ingredients to help you “Do it Yourself”
White vinegar -‐
-‐ liquid cleanser and degreaser, good for polishing glass, ceramic surfaces, floors
-‐ The disinfectant properties of vinegar have been verified by numerous studies including those conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute, as reported on 48 hours (on CBS) in 2000. A straight 5% solution of vinegar kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of viruses.
Baking soda, -‐ absorbs smells, mildly abrasive general cleaner
Lemon juice -‐ mildly antiseptic, powerful degreaser, and mold remover (really good for removing mold between tiles in the bathroom)
Washing soda -‐ which is sodium carbonate, a strong alkaline that softens hard water, is a good degreaser, a heavy duty cleaner and very safe (though can be an irritant so wear gloves when handling)
Castile soap -‐ I use Dr Bronners liquid soap which is made from organic olive oil and is as pure and unrefined as you can get. The soap acts as a degreaser and is used in most of my recipes.
Borax -‐ used as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, fungicide, preservative, insecticide, herbicide and disinfectant. Care with using around food and with handling as can be irritant and is toxic at high concentrations. It is, however a very useful additive to natural cleaners as it's is so effective even in small doses.
Water and elbow grease! -‐ the use of scrubbing scourers and a bit of elbow grease goes a long way to clean surfaces. We may need to readjust how much work we need to do to clean a surface rather than relying entirely on the (often toxic and caustic) commercial products to do it for us.
Essential oils -‐ eucalyptus, thyme, pine, lavender and sage all have antiseptic qualities, citrus is very cleansing and smells fresh. Cinnamon oil smells lovely. The oils also make the products smell really nice as well as being antiseptic and safe to use (when diluted at the recommended rate).
Have a great time creating your DIY products!