Detoxification

“Green” household cleaning chemicals — recipes for inexpensive, non-toxic alternatives

• Natural cleaning ingredients
• Recipes and tips for non-toxic green cleaners

Our bodies are under enormous detoxification demands from all sides, and it can seem frustrating when we try to address them. And nowhere do our decisions seem more important than in our own homes! On the one hand, we’re advised to keep our kitchens clean and disinfected for fear of food-borne pathogens — but on the other, the cleaning solutions we’re offered in the supermarket are full of toxins. The good news is that you can have inexpensive, non-toxic cleaners for your household if you’re willing to do a little “home chemistry” using some simple ingredients. We’ve collected a bunch of useful tips on how to do this for our readers who are looking for ways to keep a clean house without polluting their environment or emptying their wallets.

Natural cleaning ingredients

There are a few basic supplies you’ll need to mix your own natural cleaning solutions. Most can be bought and stored in quantity.

• Baking soda. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, or NaHCO₃) is a slightly alkaline compound that can neutralize acids, and with them certain odors — but it’s nontoxic enough to be used for just about anything (you can even deodorize your dog — just sprinkle on and brush!). As a paste, it makes a gentle scrubbing agent for sinks, counters, refrigerators, and other surfaces. It’s also great for removing odors from plastic containers, like milk jugs. In combination with other ingredients, it can be used to remove laundry stains, polish furniture, kill mold and mildew, and even remove tarnish from silver!
• Washing soda. Baking soda should not be confused with washing soda. Although the two are chemically similar and their chemical names sound and look a lot alike — washing soda is sodium carbonate (Na2CO₃) — washing soda is a highly alkaline substance and can be somewhat caustic. It’s an inexpensive way to treat greasy stains and soften hard water. Adding ½–1 cup to your wash will allow you to use less detergent to get clothes clean. Unlike baking soda, washing soda is harmful if swallowed, so be careful not to store the two near one another if you use them both. Keep washing soda out of the reach of children, and wear gloves while handling it.
• Distilled white vinegar. Baking soda can clean and deodorize, but it’s vinegar that lends real disinfectant power to many home cleaning recipes. Multiple studies have shown that a simple 5% solution of distilled white vinegar — the kind you find in large jugs in the supermarket for next to nothing — can kill 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. It cuts grease and can even remove scale on coffee makers. And though some people dislike the odor that comes with vinegar, it dissipates more rapidly than the fumes that come with chemicals — and white vinegar’s odor, unlike chemical fumes, isn’t toxic.
• Lemon juice. Like vinegar, lemon juice is acidic, which helps it to cut through dirt. Unlike vinegar, it has a pleasant scent. Lemon juice doesn’t have the same antibacterial properties as vinegar, but if killing microbes isn’t your main concern (for example, if you’re polishing furniture or cleaning brass or copper), you can use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
• Natural liquid soap (not detergent). Most of the liquid soaps you’ll find in the supermarket are actually detergents. True soaps, such as the ones you’ll find in natural foods stores, are made with natural minerals and fats. In combination with other ingredients, you can essentially create your own grease-cutting detergents, without the toxins and expense of mainstream cleaning products.
• Borax. Also know as sodium borate, this mineral occurs naturally and is environmentally safe. But it can be an eye and skin irritant, and should be kept away from children. It’s a strong disinfectant and deodorant, and can often work when gentler substances aren’t enough. You’ll find this ingredient in the laundry detergent section.
• Empty spray bottles. If you mix your own cleaners, you’ll need something to store them in. New, empty spray bottles are readily available at most stores, and they can be labeled with the recipe for the cleaning fluid you put in them so there’s no confusion. It’s generally not a good idea to recycle empty bottles from store-bought cleaners because of the potential for chemical reactions between the residue and some of the natural cleaning ingredients we list here (for example, vinegar reacts with bleach to create toxic fumes — so putting a vinegar-based cleaner into a bottle that contained a bleach-based cleaner could cause a serious health hazard).

Related to this article:

References & further reading on nontoxic green cleaning

 

Last Modified Date: 04/18/2011