I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I’m sure you’ve never met anyone who insists they love cleaning the house so much they wish it took LONGER than it already does. That’s why we take every shortcut we can find to make this dreaded chore as simple as it possibly can be.
But the truth is, those easy-to-use cleaning products that are designed to slice those tasks in half come with a steep cost – and that’s polluting your home with hazardous chemicals.
Commercial cleaning products are hazardous to your health
Let’s be honest, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about what’s in your cleaning products. But the household cleaners that you use to shine, sanitize and deodorize are likely to contain ingredients that can cause everything from allergic reactions to cancer and birth defects.
Many are also highly corrosive, and can cause immediate, serious injuries if you (or a child) come into contact with them.
That’s why it’s a good idea to scrap those commercial products in favor of some natural tools that can do the job just as effectively, but are a lot safer to use.
3 safe natural cleaning tools to use in your home
For example:
1. Drain cleaners:
These are some of the most toxic chemicals you can bring into your home. Instead try a “hair snagger.” That’s a long, thin piece of plastic with pointy edges running up the sides that you thread down the drain and pull out hair clogs with. Since the vast majority of bathroom sinks get clogged by hair anyway, that should solve the problem.
2. Oven cleaners:
Instead of these extremely hazardous substances, try using a scrubbing solution of one part vinegar and four parts water sprayed on a cool oven. Allow to sit for a few minutes to dissolve baked on food, and then wipe. Or for tougher stains try combining baking soda and salt mixed with water to create a gentle scrubbing paste.
3. Window cleaners:
That jack-of-all-trades, vinegar, can replace ammonia and other toxic chemicals very easily. Simply mix a spray bottle with one-quarter white vinegar and three quarters water. Spray on glass and wipe clean just as you would with any other window cleaner.
And when surfaces need to be sanitized, some good, old-fashioned hydrogen peroxide can easily do the trick!
Do you have any natural cleaning tricks you already use in your own home? Please share them with us in the comments below.
Jenny Thompson is the Director of the Health Sciences Institute and editor of the HSI e-Alert. Through HSI, she and her team uncover important health information and expose ridiculous health misinformation, most notably through the HSI e-Alert.
Visit www.hsionline.com to sign up for the free HSI e-Alert.
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For cleaning stubborn turmeric/tomatoes stains on clothing mix bicarbonate of soda with vinegar into a paste. Spread on stain and leave a while before laundering. For coconut oil and olive oil stains, same procedure with dish soap. Toothpaste can remove some stains also.
Hi Margaret,
Thanks so much for your tips! All of us in the Healthier Talk office love to use both turmeric and coconut oil in our cooking, and your tips are sure going to come in handy.
–The Healthier Talk Team