How to Keep Your Family Healthy with Nontoxic Housekeeping Products and Techniques

If you ask most anyone who is concerned with maintaining a healthy lifestyle what they do to stay healthy, you`ll probably hear the same answers over and over. You`ll hear them say that they have quit smoking, joined a gym or they have started eating better. Rarely if ever will you hear anyone say that they have changed their cleaning habits to try to attain better health.

There are no two rooms in the home that require cleaning more often than the kitchen and bathroom, and although wiping surfaces down is sufficient for every day cleaning maintenance, occasionally a deep-down cleaning is in order. But that does not mean that harsh fumes from commercial cleaners need to be involved in the cleaning and sanitizing process. Cleaning is supposed to make you healthier, not sicker. Some simple everyday household items will do the job without the fumes that can be so harmful to humans and the environment.

Sanitizing the Kitchen

Image credit

Sinks

• To clean acrylic sinks scrub the entire sink with baking soda and a non-abrasive sponge. Let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse well with hot water and dry completely. For tougher stains use undiluted extra strength white vinegar.
• For daily cleaning, scrub stainless sinks with baking soda and water. Rinse well with hot water and buff dry.
• For tough stains such as coffee or tea on stainless sinks, cut a lemon in half and sprinkle the cut side generously with table salt. Rub the lemon over the water marks in a circular motion. Rinse well and polish dry.

Microwaves

Add a few drops of dish washing liquid to the dishcloth and add enough water so that it is damp and slightly foamy. Place the cloth in the microwave and turn on high for one minute.  Use caution when removing the cloth, because it will be very hot.  Wipe the inside of the microwave out right away. Not only will the steam that was created help loosen cooked on spills, it will help to deodorize the dish cloth, too.

Stoves

To clean a dirty oven, heat oven to 250 degrees and then turn the heat off leaving the oven door closed. Place a small glass bowl filled with 1/2 cup of household ammonia on top rack and a pan with 3 cups of boiling water on the bottom rack and keep the door shut overnight. In the morning completely coat the inside of the oven with a thick paste of baking soda and water and allow to sit for at least 15 - 30 minutes. Scrub with a scouring pad and rinse completely.

• To clean burned on foods from burner rings, scrub with a paste of baking soda and water.
• To clean burner drip pans, soak them for 30 minutes in a sink full of very hot water with a couple of used dryer sheets in the water. Any burnt on foods should come right off.

Floors

Mop kitchen floors with warm water mixed with white vinegar and a few drops of mild dish detergent or Murphy`s Oil Soap.

Sanitizing the Bathroom

Image credit

Cleaning Bathroom Sinks

• Porcelain sinks can be cleaned quickly with a solution of three parts water and one part white vinegar in a spray bottle. Just spray on and wipe off. To remove toothpaste or soap scum, just add a little baking soda, scrub lightly, rinse well and dry with a sot cloth.
• To clean mineral deposits or water marks from chrome fixtures, just wet a soft cloth with a little full strength white vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Dry and polish with a soft dry cloth.

Cleaning Toilets

There are dozens of products available that will clean the hard water rings from toilet bowls, but most of them are acid or chlorine based and have a harsh smell and a lot of fumes. To clean the bowl in a less toxic manner, all you need is some white vinegar and some baking soda.

• Shut the water source for the toilet off and flush toilet. (This may have to be done more than once so that the bowl stays empty).
• When the bowl is empty, spray the  inside of the toilet bowl with full strength white vinegar.
• Sprinkle the vinegar with baking soda, close the toilet lid and let stand for one hour (overnight is even better if it can be left that long without flushing)
• After the vinegar and baking soda have been allowed to sit, use a toilet brush to scrub the entire bowl. Don`t forget under the rim.
• Turn the water back on and flush to rinse.

Cleaning Tubs and Showers

When cleaning the tub or shower,  nothing at all should be left undone. Be sure to remove all bath items and place in the bathroom sink or large plastic container while you clean the tub. Wipe all bath items off with a damp cloth before returning them to the cleaned tub area.

• Heat up (do not boil) enough white vinegar to fill a spray bottle.
• Spray showers walls, tub, taps and shower head with warmed vinegar.
• Allow the vinegar to sit for 15 - 20 minutes, then apply baking soda to a sponge and scrub all surfaces of the tub and shower.
• Rinse immediately with hot water, and dry all surfaces with a soft dry towel.