A thorough clean without chemicals? I was a little skeptical. My generation is so used to having a separate product for each room and surface, each flamboyantly packaged in brightly-colored plastic with a long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Can simple household items like baking soda and vinegar really do what those products can? Has science refined the cleaning process or were my grandmother’s tactics just as good?
I decided to give it a try, because I want these posts to be well-researched, and, well, I was running low on some of my go-to cleaning supplies and these things were just sitting in my cupboards.
The results were surprising.

The Kitchen
I started out in the heart of the home - the kitchen. The dishes were crying to be done and instead of reaching under the sink where I hide all sorts of hideous bottles of cleaning products, I used castile soap (pure vegetable-derived soap with no chemicals whatsoever). It didn’t bubble up like I thought it would (I have a bottle of the same soap in the shower and it lathers beautifully) but it definitely cleaned nicely. My glasses came out shiny and streak-free.
I put a small bowl beside the sink with a few tablespoons of baking soda and enough vinegar to make a good paste. It froths and fizzes. I dipped a scrubby pad into the mixture and attacked a pot that had been badly burned. It worked so well that I dug out a pan that had been buried in the back of a cupboard after a particularly bad burn that I had tried in vain to scrub out. A teeny bit of elbow grease later, it looked like new. Near the end, I added a little salt which acts as an abrasive and that seemed to speed it up.

I read that oven cleaners can be particularly toxic and I am going to claim that is why I have been neglecting to clean ours. A suggested alternative is to douse the bottom of the oven with water and then shake baking soda over the entire surface. I’m now letting it set overnight as it said to do (I’ll let you know what I think).

The Bathroom
By now I am quite thrilled with the results I have been getting from baking soda and vinegar so I liberally apply throughout the room. I liked the cleaning products that you can just sprinkle on and walk away, so this approach appeals to me. I was amazed at how well the baking soda and vinegar cleaned. As it foams away, you just know it’s really working. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and you can wipe it off with a sponge.

I found an old empty spray bottle (from a hair product, actually, which has a nice fine mist) and filled it with a mixture of water with a couple tablespoons of vinegar. I sprayed it on the mirror and - get this - wiped it down with newspaper . I had been really skeptical of this tip - I thought the ink would come off, for one. But it didn’t. It actually worked great because it didn’t leave any tissue residue like paper towel would and there were no streaks. I felt like cleaning all of my windows - but I was able to contain my excitement.

This whole natural cleaning process made cleaning the bathroom much more bearable. I could scrub away at the shower without wondering what toxins I was inhaling or worrying about chemicals touching my skin.

These are just a couple of highlights from my spring clean so far but here are some other tips that I want to try:
Drain Cleaner: pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup white vinegar and let it foam up for several minutes before pouring down boiling water.
Air Freshener: a shallow dish of baking soda and lemon or an essential oil absorbs odors
Furniture Polish: one part olive oil to one part lemon juice - sponge or spray on and wipe off with a dry cloth

The Basics
Baking Soda - This is my really my new favorite product but it’s not new at all. Take it out of your fridge and put it to work! When mixed with water it forms a slightly alkaline liquid and cuts through grease and dirt almost everywhere. It can also be mixed as a thick paste to be more abrasive to scrub problem stains without scratching.

White Vinegar - It is a natural disinfectant and stain remover. It froths and is particularly effective when in the company of its best friend, Baking Soda

Olive Oil - for polishing

Lemons - The citric acid is perfect for bleaching, disinfecting and cutting grease. What smells cleaner than lemon?

Castile Soap - vegetable-based soap that can be used on its own as a gentle but effective cleaner or with baking soda as a paste.

This is something I’m going to stick with. It’s really a win/win/win situation:
It seems unnecessary to have separate cleaners for each surface in the home and by using basics that you already have and use in the kitchen, you save space in your home and in the landfill.
The chemicals in many commercially-made products are hard on your body and the environment.
Think of the savings - a box of baking soda is less than $2.

Without those toxic fumes, I just might be more inclined to clean!
Might be.

Sources:
Earth Easy: Non-toxic Cleaning
Channel 4: Eco Cleaning
The Daily Green: Easy, Non-Toxic, Green Spring Cleaning
Clean & Green
CBC: Tips For Non-Toxic House Cleaning
Care2: 5 Basics For Non-Toxic Cleaning

Tags: baking soda, cleaning, DIY, homemade, natural, Non-toxic, vinegar

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 12:55 am and is filed under How to. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.