How to Clean Without Using Chemicals

There are many benefits to cleaning without chemicals.

Cleaning without chemicals costs less than buying a particular brand name chemical for your every cleaning need. It is also safer for the environment, and it’s safer for you, the family, and your pets.

If you feel that only chemicals can kill germs and thoroughly cleanse, take a look at these household items.

These household solutions can provide you with a safe alternative to the chemicals you might be using now to clean and disinfect your home. For a greener clean, think about adding natural ingredients.

Baking Soda:

Baking soda is excellent for deodorizing and neutralizing odors. Baking soda can:

• Remove stains
• Soften water and lessen the need for laundry detergent
• Cut or soak up grease
• Remove burnt on food
• Applied directly to a most surfaces, it can be used rather than a scrubbing cleanser
• Removes odors from rugs and carpets. Let it sit on the rug for a little while to give it time to work before you vacuum it up.
• Make it into a paste and try it on stains

Here is a general cleaner using baking soda to clean most surfaces.

• 1 quart water
• ¼ cup baking soda

Vinegar:

Vinegar is an excellent household cleaner and can be used on most surfaces (except marble) and many fabrics. Vinegar can:

• Kill most molds and mildews if used full strength and allowed to dry
• Clean windows – Mix 1 ¼ tablespoons of vinegar to a cup of water and add a couple of drops of liquid detergent
• Clean ceramic and tile floors – add ¼ cup of vinegar to one gallon of water and watch grease and dirt wash away

Vegetable Oil:

• Can be used as a furniture polish replacement
• When combined with vinegar or lemon juice it can be used to deep clean wood. Use a 2:1 solution of vegetable oil to vinegar or lemon juice. Put in spray bottle.

Borax:

Mix 1 cup borax and 1 cup of baking soda to make a dish washing detergent. Mix together and use about 2 tablespoons per load.

Rubbing Alcohol:

Great for cleaning chrome. Mix an small amount of rubbing alcohol to water.

Soften and Brighten Fabrics:

By adding ¼ cup of baking soda to the wash cycle or the same amount of white vinegar, these soften and remove cling.

To Help Kill Bacteria, Mold and Viruses:

Use white vinegar to clean most kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

To Clear Drains:

Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with vinegar.

When the drain has unclogged, wash it all down with water.

A plumbers snake is a mechanical alternative to toxic drain cleaners if the baking soda and vinegar refuse to work on a particularly tough clog.

To Freshen the Air in Your Home:

There’s nothing better than opening the windows, when the weather allows, and let in some fresh air.

If the weather is not particularly pleasant, try pouring a box of baking soda into a bowl to remove odors from the air.

Another quick way of freshening your home is to save citrus peels and put them in a bowl on the kitchen counter.

These are just a few ways to use non-chemical cleaners – most of which are found in every home.