Environment Tips
Homemade Natural Cleaning Products by Allison Dick from HGTV Make cleaning safer for your family and the environment. A lot of over-the-counter cleaning products are harsh, abrasive and even potentially dangerous to your home and family. If you are concerned about risks to your health or the environment, you may want to consider using homemade, all-natural cleaning products instead. Read on find some easy-to-make and effective homemade cleaning products. White Vinegar (Don’t use Malt!) The queen of getting it clean, white vinegar, is mildly acidic and disinfecting. It’s great for removing calcium deposits, such as those in your humidifier. It’s also a potent grease and stain remover. You can use it to clean hard surfaces such as countertops and glass. White Vinegar Recipes: Dusting Spray: Combine 1 tsp olive oil and ½ cup of vinegar. Store in a squirt bottle or keep in a jar. Apply small amount of mixture to a soft cloth for use on your wooden furniture. Glass/Hard Surface Cleaner: Combine ½ cup white vinegar with a gallon of water. Soak cloth, ring it out slightly and use on your surface. Keep a clean chore towel handy for drying. Fabric Softener: Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to your washer’s final rinse cycle. Pure Soap Pure soaps, such as Castile, don’t contain any synthetic colours, scents or additives and are usually available in health and natural product stores. Pure soap is great for basic light cleaning and can be combined with a few drops of an essential oil for an added air-freshener effect. Lemon Juice Lemon juice is a great grease-cutter. When washing your dishes, add it to your water along with a pure soap. Lemon juice is also great for cutting through grease on porcelain and aluminum. Lemon Juice Recipe: All-Purpose Cleanser: Combine ½ cup of pure soap, such as Castile, with one gallon of hot water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Salt Salt is a great basic scrub that will give you extra cleaning power. Great for smaller jobs like removing tea stains from the inside of cups or cleaning out the coffee pot. Just fill pot with ice-cubes, pour in some salt and swirl. Baking Soda Baking soda is another effective scrub and a gentler alternative to salt. You can also place an open box in your fridge and freezer to help eliminate odors. Recipes for Baking Soda: Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner: Soak a firm bristle brush in a good all-purpose cleaner. Then add baking soda for extra cleaning power. You can also clean grout by combining one part water and three parts baking soda to make a scrub. Sink Scrub: Combine equal amounts of salt and baking soda to make a scrub for your kitchen sink. and there’s more tips below… Tips for Living Green from Greenpeace “We are all part of the environment and what we do to the environment, we do to ourselves”. Choose from a list of categories on their website for more information: Reduce, reuse, recycle Green tips for everyday Basic ingredients for green cleaning Basic recipes for green cleaning In the kitchen In the bathroom In the laundry room Indoor pests In the yard Outdoor pests Starting a compost At work After school In your community 10 Ways to Help the Oceans from the Canadian Wildlife Federation Web Site Choose items with reusable or recyclable packaging. Don’t litter—this will help reduce the chance of sending litter to the oceans where it could entangle or choke sea turtles, seals, and other wildlife. Use rechargeable batteries. Dispose of toxic waste such as paints, old batteries, and medicine bottles through proper toxic waste facilities and pick-up services. Promote the use of non-toxic cleaners at home and at school. Keep lawns free of chemicals or fertilizers at home and school. Walk or bike whenever possible, rather than ride in a car. Turn off lights when leaving the room. Turn off appliances (such as TVs, VCRs, and computers) when they are not in use. When traveling, stay at ocean-side resorts that do not endanger coastal habitats (such as beaches, dunes, and marshes) through practices like excessive night lighting, over-development, and high-impact recreational activities. Water Conservation – Save Water 49 Ways from americanwater.com SAVING WATER INDOORS Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning. Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system. Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.) Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet. Take shorter showers. Replace you showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs. Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain first and filling the tub only 1/3 full. Stopper tub before turning water. The initial burst of cold water can be warmed by adding hot water later. Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin. Retrofit all wasteful household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors. Operate