Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products

For a quick and easy way to help the environment, one thing you may wish to consider is switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products. There are many things commonly found around the house that can do as good of a job as a chemical cleaner, but will not harm the environment. These household ingredients also add the extra benefit of costing much less than their counterparts sold on store shelves.

Some of the items you may wish to consider using are baking soda, cornstarch, lemon juice, and white vinegar. Each of these products can be found in nearly every household and have a wide variety of cleaning uses.

Because of its versatility, baking soda is one of the best natural cleaners on the market. Not only does it act as a good scrubbing powder, but it also deodorizes, softens fabrics, removes stains and helps to clear clogged drains. Leaving an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator or freezer can quickly remove any odors that may be inside.

Much like baking soda, cornstarch can also be used as a deodorizing powder. For a simple carpet deodorizer, sprinkle some cornstarch on the carpet, rub it in and then vacuum an hour later. Another popular use for cornstarch is to clean up greasy stains. This works well because of the highly absorbent nature of the powder.

Lemon juice is another household item that can work well to remove grease. If you happen to have fresh lemons around the house, they can be great to use on those especially tough cleaning projects. Simply cut one in half and use the lemon directly on the dish, surface or stain that you wish to clean. Lemon juice is also excellent for cleaning brass and copper objects and making them shine.

Vinegar is an excellent cleaner for many surfaces but often needs to be diluted to work effectively. Using a mixture of one part water to one part vinegar works well. With this, it can be added to a spray bottle and used to spot clean any number of surfaces such as windows, mirrors, and counter tops. Just be sure not to use vinegar on marble as it can ruin the surface of the rock.

As a final note, there are a couple things that you must remember when using homemade cleaning products. The first is to always make clear labels describing any cleaning products you plan to store around the home. The other is to test a small and inconspicuous area before using the product on a new surface. Following these two simple rules can save you much frustration in the future and lead to the safer use of the cleaning products in your home - something both you and the environment can be thankful for.

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