Cleaning
From ACT GreenGuide
Got an exam to study for? How about procrastinating by making up a cleaning mixture? Most cleaning products use toxic chemicals that accumulate in your home and workplace. It easy to make cheap home mixes for cleaning, there is no need to replace grease and dirt with persistent and possibly toxic chemicals. Your cleaning needs can be met with basic ingredients from your local chemist and supermarket. Of course, all cleaners should be used with caution - the mixes you make with these are effective and environmentally sound, but are still not safe (or tasty) to eat! End even the ones that are tasty are quite tasty aren’t necessarily so great. Salt, for example, figures in these recipes a lot, and salt is the one thing that the sewerage system in Canberra CAN’T extract from the water. (Because we’re an inland city, most of the nasty chemicals that we dump into the water supply can’t be simply dumped into the ocean - so we have a very expensive sewerage works to extract them so that they can be buried in landfill.) Most household detergents and cleaning products contain heaps of salt, anyway, to cheaply bulk out the product and make it look like you are getting value for money, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Just think before you clean, about how often you need to do it, and what hygiene requires. If you must use detergent, make sure it is a phosphate-free, biodegradable one. It will say on the back of the bottle- just look! For some handy hints on alternatives to corporate cleaning products, check out this neat-o Canadian site: http://www.aeha.ca/help-with.htm#alternatives
Contents |
All-purpose cleaner
Mild mixture: 4 litres hot water 1/4 cup cloudy ammonia 1 tablespoon bicarb soda This mixture is safe for almost all surfaces, can be rinsed with water and is very effective for most jobs. For a stronger cleaner or wax stripper, double the amounts of all ingredients except water. Use gloves and DO NOT mix ammonia with chlorine products such as bleach, as an extremely toxic gas is produced.
Drains
For seriously clogged drains, pour in a handful of bicarbonate of soda followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar. Replace the plug to close the drain for a few minutes, then flush with water. Scouring sinks and bench-tops Who would have thought! Salt is an effective, non-toxic scourer and disinfectant for sinks and benchtops. It’s also nice on hot chips. (Ashes or baking soda with a little water do alright to.)
Burnt pots & pans
Start by removing as much as you can by hand. Fill with cold water, then add 1/2 cup or more of salt and possibly a piece of onion. Let sit overnight, then bring to a boil very slowly. Boil for five minutes, then let cool. Clean and scour the pot as usual.
Tiles & toilets
Common chlorine-based cleaning products are irritants and amongst the foulest of foul chemicals found in sewers which basically means they end up, at worst, in rivers, and at best, requiring a very expensive sewerage treatment plant to be paid for you your tax dollar. Think about it. Basic bathroom cleaning needs only a firm bristled brush with bicarb soda and hot water. To clean the toilet, apply a paste of borax and lemon juice to stubborn areas. Leave for two hours and scrub. A few drops of Eucalyptus oil in hot water will raise eyebrows and cleanliness in any bathroom. Glass, windows Take a deep breath. Windows washing has the reputation of being a repetitious boring and tedious task. Wash glass surfaces with soap and water. Rinse with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water OR use a spray bottle containing 1/2 C of ammonia, 1/8 cup vinegar and 1 Litre of very warm water. Warm is good as the warmer the water, the faster the evaporation. To dry, use washable and re-useable cheesecloth or crumpled newspaper, rather than native-forest paper towels. Carpets To fully clean and deodorize carpets, mix 2 parts cornflour with 1 part borax. Sprinkle liberally, leave one hour, then vacuum. For tougher stains, repeatedly blot with vinegar in soapy water. Ask another Guide about misplaced hair fragments, pieces of chewed banana and solidified squishy bits that you think your housemate should clean up. Or get rid of the horrible carpet. Rugs are easier to clean, and generally not made out of synthetic plastics.
Washing
Clothes Soap and washing soda is much more environmentally friendly than any detergent, and you can use it in your washing machine. When switching to soap, you need to remove all traces of old detergent by putting 1/2 a cup of washing soda with your clothes and running a wash cycle. For normal wash cycles, pre-dissolve 1/4 to 1/3 cup washing soda and add to the washing machine; put in your clothes, then 1 1/2 cup soap. In hard water areas use more washing soda, soft water areas use less or none. Relatively environmentally friendly shampoo, conditioner, detergents and cleaners are for sale from the ANU Food Co-operative. You need to take your own containers as they are sold in bulk.
Some kinds of stains need special treatment: Soiled Nappies: Pre-soak in 3 tablespoons bicarb soda dissolved in warm water in either tub or washing machine. Fruit and wine: Immediately pour salt or hot water on the stain and soak in milk before washing. Blot red wine with white wine. Ink: Soak in milk or remove with hydrogen peroxide (this will bleach colours!) Blood: Soak in warm water or remove with hydrogen peroxide. For a more stubborn stain, mix cornflour or talcum powder with water and apply mixture. Allow to dry and brush away. Coffee: Mix egg yolk with lukewarm water and rub on stain. Chewing gum: Rub with ice. Gum will flake off. Alternatively try a dab of eucalyptus oil. Mildew: Pour strong soap and salt on the spots and place in sunlight. Keep the spots moist. Repeat as often as necessary.
