Cleaning the house

Clean ingredients

Soap biodegrades safely and completely, and is non-toxic. Available in grocery   stores and chemists, it is sold as liquid, flakes, powder or bars. Bars can be grated to dissolve more easily in hot water. Look for soap without synthetic scents, colours or other additives.

Bicarbonate of soda cleans and deodorises. It softens water to increase the sudsing and cleaning power of soap and is a good scouring powder.

Borax cleans and deodorises, is an excellent disinfectant and softens water. It's available at chemists and supermarkets.

Washing soda cuts grease, removes stains, disinfects and softens water. It's available in the laundry section of your grocery store.

Vinegar cuts grease and freshens.

Cloudy ammonia cuts heavy grease and grime but it can be dangerous. Fumes irritate eyes and lungs and can be harmful to people with respiratory problems. Use ammonia only when other cleaners won't do the trick, and always provide good ventilation. WARNING! Never mix ammonia with bleach. Highly toxic fumes can form.

In the kitchen

Dishwashing
Rinsing dishes before food residue hardens makes cleaning them easier and uses less detergent. Commercial dishwashing liquids are designed to create unnecessary suds.

Dissolve pure soap flakes in hot water and use in place of your commercial detergent.

Add vinegar for really tough, baked-on grease.

Burnt pots and pans? Coat the area with a thick paste of bicarb and water and leave for several hours before washing.

Ovens
Prevent baked-on grease: don't overfill pans and scrape up spills as soon as they're cold enough to handle.

When spills seems unavoidable, put a baking tray on the bottom rack to catch   the worst of it.

When accidents happen, combine a strong version of our Heavy Duty Cleanser.  Wear gloves when scrubbing to protect your hands.

In the bathroom

Tiles
Most commercial tile cleaners do more harm than good because they contain chloride, a serious irritant to the eyes, nose and skin.

Wipe or spray vinegar onto the mould, leave overnight and scrub in the morning.

General bathroom cleaning
Use a firm bristled brush with bicarb and hot water.

Check out our recipes for more difficult cleaning jobs.

Toilet
Try a strong solution of vinegar.

Apply a thick paste of borax and lemon juice to stubborn areas. Leave for several hours.

Mirrors
For routine cleaning, use 3 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 litre of warm water.
To dry surfaces, use cheesecloth or crumpled newspaper.

 

In the laundry

When making the initial switch from detergents to soap, wash items once with   washing soda only. This will eliminate detergent residues that might otherwise   react with soap to cause yellowing of fabrics.

Laundry soap - Add 1/3 cup washing soda to water before adding clothes and   substitute soap flakes or powder for detergent. Flakes may need to be dissolved in a little hot water before adding to the machine.

Pre-soaking - Soak heavily soiled items in warm water with 1/2 cup washing   soda for 30 minutes.

Rub soiled areas with liquid soap.

Bleach - Use 1/2 cup borax per wash to whiten and brighten colours.

Fabrics softener - Add 1/2 cup vinegar or 1/4 cup bicarb during final rinse.

Static cling - To reduce static cling in tumble-dried synthetics like rayon or polyesters, dampen hands when folding.

Dry-cleaning - Try to buy items that don't require dry-cleaning as most dry-cleaning solvents are toxic. If you must dry-clean, air the clothes thoroughly before bringing them indoors. Many garments labelled "dry clean only" can be safely hand-washed using mild soap.

Windows

For routine cleaning, use 3 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 litre of warm water. To dry surfaces, use reusable cheesecloth or crumpled newspaper. If the glass is especially dirty, first wash with warm soapy water.

Drains

Your drains can be kept open, clean and odour-free without the use of corrosive drain cleaners.

There are two simple rules:

1. Never pour grease down the drain
2. Always use a drain sieve.

In addition, use this preventative measure for routine maintenance up to once a week.

Pour 1/4 cup bicarb down the drain. Follow with 1/2 cup vinegar and plug the   drain until fizzing stops. Flush with 4 litres of boiling water. If you have two sinks, plug one side before commencing the procedure. Also try this method if a clog does happen.

Carpets

When buying carpet, choose natural materials such as cotton and wool over synthetics. Buy rugs and carpets that haven't been treated with insecticides and fungicides.

When rugs are cleaned, make sure no pesticides are used. Avoid commercial products containing chlorine, formaldehyde and solvents such as trichloroethylene, methylene and nitrobenzene. If ingredients are not listed on a product, write to the manufacturer for information. It's your right to know exactly what you're buying. If a company won't divulge their ingredients, write back and tell them you are unable to buy their product - and ask them what they are hiding.

To thoroughly clean and deodorise carpets, mix 2 parts corn meal (polenta) with 1 part borax. Sprinkle liberally, leave one hour and then vacuum. Quick deodorising is easy - sprinkle the carpet with bicarb then vacuum.

Recipes

Heavy Duty Cleanser 1
  4 litres hot water
  1/4 cup cloudy ammonia
  1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
  Mix together. For a stronger mixture, double all the ingredients except water.

Heavy Duty Cleanser 2
  2 tablespoons borax
  1 teaspoon soap
  1 litre water
  This can be stored in a spray bottle.

Hospital-quality disinfectant
use 1/4 cup borax dissolved in 2 litres hot water. Keeping surfaces clean and dry reduces the need for disinfectants.

For more information visit Enviro-friendly products.