Save the Planet with a Lemon

Check the label on any cleaner stocked on grocery store shelves, and you will find a long list of chemicals that reads like the inventory of a chemist’s laboratory. Trying to say the names of these chemicals is difficult enough; trying to understand their effect on the environment can seem impossible. So why should you stop using them?

These cleaners, and the chemicals they are made from, will be washed down the drain and out to wastewater treatment plants. Unfortunately, the treatment plants cannot remove all of the chemicals from the water. As a result, the health of whole ecosystems becomes threatened as dangerous chemicals wash into lakes, rivers and streams. The easiest way to prevent chemical contamination of the environment is to use natural cleaners in your home. Fortunately, natural cleansers are cost-effective, easy to find, and work just as well as their pricier chemical counterparts.

Lemons
Not only are lemons safe on the environment, they will also leave your kitchen smelling fresh. To clean your wooden cutting board, sprinkle coarse salt onto its surface. Then rub the salt into the board with the cut side of a lemon. Rinse the board with hot water and dry with an absorbent towel. You can also use lemons as an alternative to bleach to brighten your laundry. Add a few lemon slices to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Submerge your dingy whites in the hot water, and let them soak for an hour. Wring the laundry out before washing as usual. The load of laundry that comes out of your washer will be bright and clean.

Baking Soda
Baking soda is a staple in many kitchen fridges, so it is readily available. Better still, it is nontoxic to humans, making it a safe cleaning alternative in a home with young children. A baking soda paste can clean a variety of surfaces, from countertops and stainless steel in a kitchen to grout in a bathroom. To make the paste, simply mix one part baking soda with three parts warm water. Rub the paste onto a dirty surface with a damp sponge, then rinse clean. When you are cleaning grout, apply the paste with a small brush to whiten those narrow grout lines.

Soda Water
Carpet stains can be unsightly and are often impossible to hide with furniture. The key to ridding your carpet of stains forever is to attack the stain while it is fresh. Pour soda water onto the wet stain and blot the carpet dry with a clean, white towel.

Distilled White Vinegar
Vinegar can clean windows just as well as any chemical-based product. Pour distilled white vinegar into a spray bottle and apply to your dirty window. Wipe the window dry with an old, lint-free towel. Your home will smell like vinegar for a little while, but don’t worry - the smell will fade as soon as the vinegar dries. And all that will be left is a shining, clear pane of glass.

Water
Most people often forget the power of ordinary water. But it is an effective stain-buster. If you stain your favorite shirt or your linen napkins, place them in a bucket of water immediately. The water alone will prevent the stain from setting into the fibers of the cloth. If the stain is protein-based, like egg, use cold water. For all other stains, use warm water. Let the fabric sit in the water for a while, then launder as usual.

When you buy your produce, you can look for the organic label and know that you are doing your part to protect the environment. Not so with cleaning products. The USDA’s National Organic Program does not verify organic claims on any cleaning supplies. Moreover, claims like organic and biodegradable do not necessarily mean the product is environmentally-friendly. Some organic chemicals and biodegradable chemicals can be hazardous to both human health and the environment. If you want to see truly green products on store shelves, write to the manufacturers and demand that they start adopting more environmentally-friendly practices. Everyone deserves a greener planet. Until then, pick up a bag of lemons at the grocery store.

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