Natural Housekeeping

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Have you noticed on the labels of many cleaning products there is a telephone number to call poison control as well as what symptoms to look out for in case of an allergic reaction? You’re basically cleaning your home with a toxic substance. Actually, it’s not an allergic reaction. It’s a poisonous reaction. It’s ironic that cleaning your house can compromise your health, but many of the most popular cleaning products are responsible for calls to the poison control center.

Cleaning products are often made with toxic, corrosive substances that contribute to poor indoor air quality and merely breathing the fumes can cause red eyes, inflamed lungs, and a host of allergic reactions.

There’s a price to be paid for being able to just spray and wipe away grime. Products containing phosphates, petroleum, and chlorine affect the environment as well. They don’t disappear when we flush them down the drain. They go into the soil and water supply and cause strange things to happen–like fish having both sexes.

Many people who are sensitive to chemical decide to make their own cleaning products for their personal safety and well being. While there are gentler products available at the health food store, these products have to be manufactured and transported.

Many cleaning products don’t actually leave surfaces clean. They leave a residue behind that attracts dirt and thereby surfaces get dirtier faster. So what is the best cleaning agent? Most surfaces will come clean with just water. It’s just that we don’t give water, a natural solvent, time to clean.

If you saturate a dirty surface with water and leave it for a few minutes, it will come clean. Only the smallest bit of vinegar or Castille soap added to water will be needed to clean almost anything.

Save an old toothbrush and use it for scrubbing things like shower tiles and mix baking soda and Castille soap to form a creamy paste. This mix will clean anything in the bathroom.

The beauty of Castille soap is that it can replace all the soaps you have. You can use it to clean the floor, the dog, your hair, and body.

Many people think that natural products may be good for light cleaning, but what about things like the oven? There are natural recipes for every dirty job imaginable.

Stubborn Oven Cleaner

¼ cup ammonia

¼ cup baking soda

¼ cut white vinegar

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Once the light goes off, turn off the stove. Put ammonia in a bowl or pan and let it sit in the oven for 4-6 hours and remove. Mix the vinegar and baking soda to make a paste. Remove the ammonia and add vinegar and soda to make a paste. Use the paste and a heavy duty sponge to scrub most stubborn areas. Mist the oven with water and wipe clean.