So, this last week, when Amy was sick I decided to go through an deep clean the apartment. I'd been using Lysol for all of her, um, floor accidents, and was reading the back of it and it said that I should wash my clothes if I got Lysol on them...
WASH THEM?... wash anything I sprayed with it?
Not very 'family' friendly. So, Ryan and I went and bought some family friendly disinfectant -- the stuff Julie had me use at her Day-Care (Neutricide, I think is what it's called, from Don Aslett?). It got me thinking about what I use to clean things... and has made me do some research and changes.
When we moved into this apartment, I already got rid of quite a few cleaning supplies -- they were under our sink, and Amy was starting to show interest, so I decided they needed a new home up high where she couldn't reach them. So many of them we'd inherited and I really never used them anyways.
I have discovered several things since de-junking my cleaning stuff, and doing more research:
As soon as this Lysol is used up, I won't buy more... I plan on being pregnant or nursing on and off for the next many years so it doesn't make sense to have cleaning supplies that are 'hazardous' to pregnant women or children.
Vinegar works great for a great many cleaning projects -- mixed 1/2 -1/2 with water, it does the same as Windex; sprayed in 100% concentration it disinfects countertops just as well as bleach. Poured into the toilet and allowed to sit, it takes care of all that gunk just as well as Comet. Plus, it makes our house smell like 'Salt and Vinegar Chips' which I crave when I'm pregnant, but can't eat. ;)
Baking Soda is great for scrubbing the tub, sink, and other areas... plus it polishes up the metal quite well. It also helps my fridge smell clean.
Elbow Grease is pretty strong stuff. :)
A Pumus (sp?) Stone takes off the hard water deposit around the drain very well.
I will let you know all the neat recipes I'm finding for taking care of things, once I've tested more of them out myself. For the moment though, Amy just woke up... which means my currently clean house is about to be joyously ransacked again. ;)
3 comments:
Amen! I LOVE vinegar and baking soda. We use it to clean everything here-- I love that my preschoolers can help clean the bathroom and I don't have to worry about funky chemical residues. (Would you believe it's also good for your hair? A diluted apple cider vinegar rinse will make your hair shine like you wouldn't believe)
Hydrogen Peroxide is also a great safe and inexpensive sanitizer-- it's really good for use on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Pumice is too scratchy for our old porcelain sinks-- but we discovered that citric acid granules (the same kind I also use in cooking) do an incredible job of removing hard water deposits without leaving any scratches.
Woo Hoo for you and your greener cleaning scheme! (think of all the money you'll save!)
My favorite book about this topic is: "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan.
Practical. Easy. I'm making a batch of anti-septic spray right now for my cleaning bucket.
Good luck! I'm excited to read what you learn. I love adding useful information to my life.
(Oh, save your parmesan cheese containers and put baking soda in them. It works great as a replacement for Comet/Ajax/etc. I've also used old minced onion containers - after I wash them out of course. Those huge plastic spice containers from Sam's would work well too.)
I know what you mean. I've switched to vinegar for some things, but I really can't stand the smell, so then I put orange peels down my disposal to fresh up the place. I love Baking soda. It works wonders for Lucy's diaper pail. I just have to remember to use it often.
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