All-Natural Ways to Clean Your Home

Are you ready to do some spring cleaning? If so, this might be a great opportunity to rethink your mix of cleaning chemicals. Store-bought cleaners often contain toxic chemicals that can harm your home and get into the environment. They also can be expensive and a hassle to locate and store. Instead, try some of these naturally effective and affordable options and save your money to take some economical online classes on your favorite topic.

A natural disinfectant, vinegar can be used for anything from cleaning counters and tile to cleaning glass surfaces such as mirrors. If you are worried about the safety of forgoing traditional cleaners in the kitchen, you should be relieved to learn that vinegar is effective at killing both salmonella and E. coli. Try mixing it with baking soda to scrub tile or mix it with some water in a spray bottle to clean glass.

To make an environmentally friendly carpet cleaner, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of cornmeal. Sprinkle on carpet, rub with a cloth, let sit for a few hours and then vacuum. The mixture should eliminate odors, soak up moisture, fight dirt, and work as an antifungal agent. To eliminate an acidic stain, try rubbing with a little club soda.

In addition to producing toxic chemicals, many silver cleaners strip off a thin layer of silver as well. Over time, this can damage your valuable decorations and utensils. Instead, try this silver cleaner made with natural and safe products: Table salt, baking soda, olive oil, and aluminum foil.

Find a pan large enough to fit your silver items in, line the pan with foil, put items inside then fill with water. Next, mix salt and baking soda and add to the water. Cover pan and let sit for four to five hours or overnight. Remove items from pan and rinse well with hot water. Finally, put a few drops of olive oil on a cloth and polish silver for a naturally shiny and tarnish-resistant finish.

For a natural way to eliminate unsightly rust, sprinkle a little salt on the area and then pour a little lime juice on top. Let this sit for a few hours and then scrub the rust away.

Now that you’ve cleaned your home, you probably want to freshen the air a bit. Open up the windows to let a little clean air in, then make a natural air freshener by mixing some water and essential oils in a spray bottle. For a naturally clean smell, try including oils such as lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, or rosemary. As an added bonus, some of these essential oils contain antibacterial and antifungal properties as well.

If you are using some of these natural ingredients to clean your home, you may also be reusing cloths and sponges to clean your home as well. Just remember to wash dish rags at least once a week and also regularly rinse sponges. To disinfect sponges, boil them in water for three minutes then microwave them for a minute. To become an expert in natural products and environmental issues, consider taking some online classes in environmental studies.

“National Geographic” (2012)