Dr. StrangeRebmann, or how I learned to stop worrying and love cleaning my chemical free home – Part 3
Read part One, part Two & Part Three
Part 4 –
The Rest of the House & Laundry
I spend most of my cleaning energy on the bathrooms and kitchen. Sometimes, I feel the rest of the house must feel neglected – like the proverbial middle child. So, I have recently been expressing my gratitude to my living room and bedrooms for not needing so much attention. Luckily, this lack of dirt lends itself well to chemical-free cleaning. Basic vacuuming is a must – but contains no chemicals that I know of. Hooray! I do have a few tips for healthier cleaning and hope you find them helpful.
- Use a microfiber cloth or glove to dust the furniture, window sills, ceiling fan blades, etc. My addiction to dusting spray was easily overcome by these clothes – they work great.
- Use homemade all-purpose bathroom cleaner (See Part 2) to clean windows.
- For spots on carpet and furniture – try a damp cloth first. I know this seems strange, but I have a really old dog and a really crazy two-year-old, and I have not had a stain on a carpet or furniture that a damp cloth has not taken care of. Sometimes I have to address it two or three times – but I have to say – it has always come out. I just pretend that I have carpet cleaner on my rag – even though it is water – and work in circles. Let dry and repeat. I have heard, that for very tricky stains, baking soda and a spray of vinegar will work well, but I am sticking with water for now. (Note – of course this will not work for Sharpie marks and such – but I doubt many harsh chemical cleaners would take that out either.
- Switch to rags and cloth napkins. I have not bought any paper towels or paper napkins in two years – and it’s really no big deal. It was an easy switch, and now every single time we sit down for dinner or breakfast – the cloth napkins make it a little bit fancy. I throw the dirty napkins in with my jeans and launder once a week.
- Throw all your air fresheners away! This is easy and important – they are a big source of chemicals in the home. Use essential oils for fragrance instead. If you, like me, do not have a lot of the essential oil supplies or time to dedicate to this study, just find some of the pre-mixed sprays that you like. I have several from my local aroma therapist that are lovely. These are usually a little more expensive than a Glade Plug-In, but last at least five times as long.
- Think about alternatives for pest control. We, like most folks, have spiders in our basement. I know that spiders are an integral part of the web of life and all – but I really want them to live outside. So, I was thinking creatively and did some research via google and found that osage oranges (which just happen to grow locally around the corner) work wonders for getting rid of spiders. I have also read things about citrus oil and walnut branches working well too.
Laundry
- Switch to chemical free laundry products. I have used Method, Ecover and Mrs. Meyers products and have still had lovely, fresh smelling clean clothes.
- If cost is an issue, supplement laundry with Borax. I add ½ cup of borax (for a large load) to the washer as it is filling, and then add ½ as much laundry detergent as the instructions direct. This works great and saves $$ – and the clothes seems extra bright and fresh to me. For small loads – proportion down.
- To kill mold on the shower curtain – add ½ cup of Borax to the washer on the soak setting. Let the shower curtain soak for 30 minute to an hour. Switch to the regular was cycle, add Borax and detergent combo and let it go. This has worked for me much better than regular bleach used to.
- Limit the use of the dryer when possible. Did you know that Energy Star does not give ratings for dryers because they are so inefficient? I have not made the leap to a laundry line yet – but I plan to soon, and encourage you to do so if you can. If not, go ahead and think creatively about when to use the dryer. You can combine small loads, and dry things like rags on a drying rack. Give yourself a pat on the back, or a fair-trade latte, when you are able to reduce your dryer’s usage.
In conclusion, it is best to simply think before reaching for household chemicals. Do some research and try some different things. You can make a huge difference in your household air quality by being creative and choosing to be chemical-free.
© Copyright Elise Rebmann, 2008. All rights reserved.
Tags: Chemical-Free Cleaning, Home Air Quality, Natural Cleaning
2 Questions and a Comment:
1. When you use your microfiber cloth to dust do you wet it first or just use it dry?
2. Have you found a natural way to polish/protect/moisturize wood furniture? I can live without dusting spray but I love Pledge Furniture Care! You can use water to get off spots but how do you make dried wood look shiny and healthy? I love the way the wood looks after its all oiled up. Is there some sort of lemon juice or something you can use?
3. Thank you for pointing out how bad dryers are for the environment! We bought a new washer recently that spins the clothes fast and long enough so that they are just barely damp when the cycle is done (and you can run your washer all day without using a fraction of the energy one cycle of the dryer uses). I try to combine two wash loads in one dryer load and the efficency of our washer makes the drying time a fraction of what it would be with a normal washer. I realize everyone can’t go out and buy a new washer, but it is something to keep in mind when you can (and the amount of money you save on your electric bill is worth it!)
Thanks Dessa! I am thrilled to talk more about this – especially since I thought I had run on a bit with 4 articles.
1. I usually use the microfiber cloth dry for dusting – but then if something really needs more, I just spray a little water on it and use it damp. My laptop monitor is usually in need of a damp microfiber cleaning as fingerprints are terrific trouble that a dry cloth doesn’t handle as well.
2. I too love the look of wet wood and used to use Liquid Gold a lot before I realized that smell lasting 3 weeks was probably not good. Try this for dusting wood:
Add 2 tsp. light olive oil in 16 oz spray bottle
Add 20-30 drops lemon essential oil (less than $7 at the health food store and will last forever)
Add 1/4 cup Heinz or better white distilled vinegar
Fill to top with water (filtered or distilled if you have it) and shake like crazy
Use this in place of dusting spray
for polishing wood
Combine 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar in 8 oz squirt bottle
add 50 drops lemon essential oil – shake and use.
I’m getting these from Karen Logan’s book Clean House Clean Planet – which is my go to resource since I discovered it earlier this year. Everything I have tried works great, and I cannot believe I have not used these yet. Please tell me how they work. I am still using my spray Murphy’s Oil Soap on my wood when it needs a bit more than microfiber – but do plan on switching here soon.
3. Great links my husband found on clotheslines, we are currently trying to figure out where in our yard we can put one – enjoy
http://www.momadvice.com/money/line_drying_clothing.aspx
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/clotheslines_hu.php
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/13/7666/
Hi Elise!
I have found hydrogen peroxide to be my natural cleaner of choice and recommend it for getting stains out of carpet. *do a a dye check in a hidden place first, though).
I mix the drugstore variety with water in a spray bottle. This web-site gives you the mixing directions: http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/index.html
I use it for just about everything: glass, counter tops and it is the only cleaner I have found works on my carpets. I have off white carpet and two cats…need I say more?) Best of all there is no odour. I don’t like the smell of vinegar!
Great article series!
Deborah
Thanks Deborah!!!
I have not tried Hydrogen Peroxide yet – but have heard wonderful things. I even heard you could use it as a replacement for albuterol for kids with asthma – but that scares me a bit.
Have you tried Hydrogen Peroxide on laundry as a bleach replacement? I have heard it works like a bleach pen and am curious about that too.
For those of you that do not like the smell of vinegar, I have recently tried a wonderful baking soda cleaner for the bathroom. For 8 oz, mix 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup of your favorite smelling dish soap in a medium bowl. I like the Mrs. Meyers Lavender, but you know me and her have a thing.
Add 1/2 cup of water and mix for a while. Add 1 tbs vinegar (don’t worry the smell of the soap will hide it) and mix. It will foam up a lot here, don’t be scared. Pour into an 8 oz. bottle with a funnel and use like soft scrub. I used one of my used Mrs. Meyers dish soap containers with a pull top, bottled water style cap….but I believe you could use a flip top lid too. This cleaner is wonderful and my bathrooms are even shinier. I have been using on the tubs and sinks with great results!!!
Lots of happy cleaning energy to you all!! (I want to plug and suggest picking up Karen Logan’s book – Clean House Clean Planet again – it is super, super great. )
No, I haven’t used it in my laundry yet but of course if it takes stains out of carpets it makes sense that it would work for clothes. Getting the dilution right would be my concern although I notice when I was doing an internet search that there are commercial products available now, so that might be the way to go.
Deborah