Natural Healthy Home Cleaning Tips
- Natural remedies will keep your bathroom and other rooms clean.bathroom image by Mikhail Olykainen from Fotolia.com
Dirt, dust and germs all contribute to a house that's not clean. While many products are on the market to help you keep your house clean, most of them contain chemicals, which means you're trading the dirt and germs for chemical exposure. If you are sensitive to chemicals or simply want to "go green" in your home, you can keep your home clean in a natural, healthy fashion with a few simple supplies. - Lemons are nature's cleaner, degreaser and deodorizer.lemons image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
You need three basic items you need to keep your home clean naturally and without the use of chemicals. Separately or in combination, white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda will clean any surface in your home and remove many types of stains. Lemon juice and white vinegar are both mild acetics. Both remove soap scum and hard water deposits in the bathroom, while white vinegar can be used to clean glass, wood and metal objects. Diluted lemon juice cleans tile, laminate and wood floors and, at the same time, serves a dual purpose by repelling ants, mosquitoes and fleas. Baking soda is a natural, mild abrasive cleaner. Use it to scrub stains from your dishes, bathroom and kitchen surfaces and to absorb spills in your carpeting. - Even pets can benefit from natural home cleaning methods.Puppies of the spitz-dog and cat in studio image by Ulf from Fotolia.com
Kitchen, bathroom, pet and human odors can cause your home to be less-than-fresh sometimes. Rather then reaching for a chemical-based air freshener, freshen and deodorize home odors with natural home remedies. Place a bowl of baking soda in each room to absorb odors throughout the week. Remove cooking and other kitchen odors by boiling a few sliced lemons in some water for 20 minutes. Add a fresh fragrance to your rooms by dropping a few drops of an essential oil onto a cotton ball and placing the cotton ball in an inconspicuous place in the room. Lemon oil or peppermint oil will freshen the air in your room and repel insects. If your pet is between baths and smells a little dirty, rub diluted lemon juice into the fur with your hands. There's no need to rinse this and it will freshen your pet's fur while keeping fleas at bay. - Hand wash your laundry as often as possible to cut down on water and electrical use. When it's not possible to hand wash your laundry, you can still save electrical use and spare yourself the chemical exposure that comes from using fabric softeners. During the rinse cycle, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the water so it can mix in with the rinse water. Using white vinegar in your rinse cycle will freshen towels that have a mildew smell. It sets colors in garments that tend to bleed and softens your clothing, eliminating the need for fabric softener. Hang your garments outside to dry for added freshness or indoors as a natural way to add some moisture to dry air.
