By Amy Roffman New
From Natural Health, September/October, 1994

Many commercial household cleaners contain ingredients that are toxic, corrosive, or flammable.  Get rid of them and substitute safe cleaners you can make with five common ingredients.

I’ve been cleaning my home for years with commercial products and have been satisfied with how quickly and effectively they work.  But many of them are among the most hazardous products sold to consumers — so hazardous, in fact, that they are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under the Federal Hazardous Substances

 Act.

That Act states that products with the potential for causing substantial personal injury or illness must carry warning labels.  Products made with chemicals that are toxic, corrosive, flammable or combustible under pressure, or that act as irritants or strong sensitizers fall under this category.  Many household cleaners fit this description.

While you may see warning labels on some commercial household cleaning products, you seldom find listings of ingredients, since manufacturers are not required to show them.  So unless you’re willing to take the time to contact the manufacturers and ask them what’s in their products, it’s easier to use alternatives.

The best solution is to make your own “green” cleaning kit.  You can make one with five easily available ingredients:  baking soda, salt, white vinegar, lemon juice, and borax.  From these you can make cleaning products that are sometimes — though not always — just as effective as commercial products, but in all cases they are far safer and less expensive.

A cleaning kit that will handle all the tasks listed here can be assembled for less than ten dollars and will reduce your family’s exposure to cleaning chemicals like ammonia, phenol, chlorine, ethanol, cresol, and lye.

One note of caution:  While borax is markedly safer than the ingredients in many cleaning products, it should still be stored away from children, pets, and food.

Air Freshener:  We all know about putting baking soda in the refrigerator to reduce odor, but I also use baking soda to eliminate room odors.  Sprinkle it on the carpet, leave for a few minutes, then vacuum.  This absorbs food odors or musty smells.

Chrome Polish:  An old trick for shining chrome is rubbing it with newspaper.  Another way is to rub the chrome with white flour on a dry rag.  When I tried this, it restored the shine and removed some burnt-on spots on the top of the toaster.

Coffeepot Cleaner:  Run one cup of vinegar through the cycle of your automatic coffee maker.  Follow it with a couple of pots of water.  This not only cleans your coffeepot, but also perks up the taste of your coffee.  And it cuts the calcium buildup on glass pots.

Drain Opener:  Here are two methods:  Pour one and one-half cups white vinegar and two tablespoons baking soda into the drain and cover tightly for a minute, then rinse with hot water;  or pour one-half cup salt and one-half cup baking soda into the drain and rinse with hot water.  While both of these methods made some difference in my clogged bathroom drain, they were not as effective as the chemical drain openers.  But the latter are very caustic.  While some manufacturers of commercial household products are trying to be more consumer- and eco-friendly, strong chemicals are part of their business.  And even heeding the warnings on the label may not fully protect you, since such warnings may refer only to immediate dangers, not long-term effects like cancer and damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, and central nervous system that may come about through long-term exposure to chemicals found in these products.

Fabric Softener:  Add one cup vinegar during the rinse cycle.  I tried this on my line-dried clothes.  It made the clothes softer and gave them a wonderfully clean smell.

Furniture Polish:  Mix equal parts lemon juice and vegetable oil.  This polish produced a clean, shiny surface.  For smooth application, put the mixture on a cloth and rub lightly, rather than pouring the liquid directly onto the furniture.

Glass Cleaner:  Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a pump spray bottle, spray on glass, and wipe clean with newspaper.  When I tried this on the inside of my car windows, I was amazed by the results.  There is the mess of newsprint to deal with, but the windows sparkled.  This works better than the commercial alcohol-based glass cleaner I previously used.

Hand Cleaner/Deodorizer:  I love to cook with garlic, but I can’t stand the smell that stays on my hands for days afterward.  After cutting garlic, onions, potatoes, or anything else with a residual odor, wash your hands with baking soda;  the odor will disappear.

Linoleum Floors:  Mop floors with one-half cup of vinegar per gallon of hot water.  I removed a thick layer of soap buildup in my kitchen this way, and the floor looked almost new, although the room smelled vinegary for a couple of days.

Mildew:  Wash the affected area with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.  Also try wiping damp areas with a solution of borax and water to discourage mildew from forming in the first place.

Pesticides:  To control insects, sprinkle borax, chili powder, or pepper around areas where you see pests.  (Never use borax in cabinets where food is stored.)  I had ants in the yard, and they went away when I sprinkled black pepper on the anthills.

Scouring Powder:  Baking soda works well to remove baked-on crud from a casserole dish, and borax and a soft bristle brush cleans some food stains from my porcelain sink.  Salt works well to clean metal barbecue grills.

Spot Remover:  There are different eco-methods for different types of stains.  Club soda applied immediately can remove most liquid stains.  If the stain has had time to set, dabbing, it with undiluted lemon juice can remove it (be careful to test colored fabrics first, since lemon juice has bleaching properties).  For a more crusty stain, I tried rubbing dry salt into the stain and saw some improvement, but there was still a shadow of the stain left behind.

Amy Roffman New is a freelance writer in Chandler, Arizona who specializes in health topics.

Resources for Further Reading

The Nontoxic Home (J.P. Tarcher, 1986) by Debra Lynn Dadd.

Nontoxic and Natural (J.P. Tarcher, 1989) by Debra Lynn Dadd.

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth (Earthworks Press, 1989).

Staying Healthy in a Risky Environment (Simon & Schuster, 1993).