green clean guide

7/28/2019 Green Clean Guide

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Many commercial cleaners create pollution and are bad for your health.

An EPA study (A Comparison of Indoor and Outdoor Concentrations ofHazardous Air Pollutants, 1998) showed that: Indoor pollution levels are often 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels.

Cleaning supplies and hazardous household materials are often the cause ofan increase in indoor pollution.

Commercial cleaning products contain toxins (volatile organic compounds,ammonia, chloride, etc.)

These toxins can create many problems for your health and the environment,especially if used over time or disposed of improperly.

What Can You Do?Switch to natural household cleanersthey are better! This improves indoor air

quality for you and your family, saves money, and benefits the watersheds.

You can make effective and inexpensive cleaning products with commonhousehold ingredients. Forget commercial cleaners and make your own greencleaning products at home! Green cleaning is good for your pocketbook, thecommunity and environment.

This kit gives recipes and products that can lessen these effects!

Green Housecleaning Guide

Make Your Household a Non-Toxic Sanctuary!

WMEAC1007 Lake Drive SEGrand Rapids, MI 49506www.wmeac.org

Provided By:

In this kit you will find a list of basicingredients to use for green cleaning.You may already own many of thenecessary items. Also included arerecipe cards which you can cut out.

How To Use This Kit:


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Green Clean Basic Shopping List

Most of the products you will need for your new cleaning supplies can be found in your

home. There are substitutes for some of the products, which are listed. When making

your own cleaner, always do so in a designated area. Use gloves. Do not re-use a

commercial bottle as chemicals could react. Follow the recipeorder matters. If you

dont things could turn out clumpy or reactions could occur.

White Distilled Vinegar: This versatile dilute acidic cleaner cuts grease. Youcan find it in the salad dressing section.

Baking Soda: This base is used to clean and deodorize. It increases the clean-ing power of soap, and is useful as a mild scouring powder. You can find it inthe baking aisle.

Borax Powder: A stronger base than baking soda that cleans, deodorizes anddisinfects. You can find it in the laundry section.

Castile or Vegetable-Oil Based Liquid Soap: An effective cleaning agent thatbiodegrades quickly and is found in the cleaner section or health stores. Plantbased dishsoap may be substituted, but only use half the amount.

Olive Oil: Non-toxic alternative to furniture polish. Food-grade linseed oil alsoworks.

Salt: Non-scratching abrasive cleaner with bacteria inhibiting qualities.

Distilled Water: Better than tap water as it eliminates hard minerals.

Essential Oils: See the chart on the following page for more information onwhich you might need or want. Keep in mind it is an optional ingredient.


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ESSENTIAL OIL GUIDE

The essential oils are an optional ingredient you can add to make the mixtures more

effective. This also gives the different cleaners a fragrance. They are fragrances from

plants. Different oils have different benefits. Some possible benefits are: antiseptic,

disinfectant, insecticide, insect repellent and fungicide. They also leave a great scent.

They are concentrated, so a few drops go a long way.

Avoid direct contact with skin, and use sparingly. Use only in diluted form. Some can

ruin paint or other furniture finishes. Some are not safe to use when pregnant (basil

and pennyroyal). The oils evaporate quickly, so tighten the lid and tape shut if

possible. Essential oils can be found at health food stores or online.

Antiseptic

Disinfectant

Bactericide

Fungicide

In

secticide

In

sectRepellent

Eucalyptus X X X XLavender X X X

Lemon X X X X XOrange X X X X

Peppermint X X X XTea Tree X X X X XRosemary X X X X X

Thyme X X X X XJuniper (Cedar) X X X X


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All Purpose Spray Cleane r

Add borax to hot water in16oz. spray bottle, cap, andshake until borax isdissolved. Add vinegar andshake again. Then addsoap and oil.

1 16 oz. spray bottle 1 tsp borax 2 Tbsp vinegar 1/4 cup vegetable-oil

based soap 1 1/2 cups hot water A few drops of

essential oil

Easy All Purpose Spray Cleaner

1 Tbsp. vegetable-oilbased soap (less ifusing dish soap)

Warm water Spray bottle

Dilute soap with warmwater in bottle. May need torinse with vinegar aftercleaning to remove anyresidue

Scouring Powder

1 cup baking soda 1 cup borax

1 cup salt An old jar

*If there is leftover film,wipe with a vinegar/watermixture.

Mix together and put inan old jar. Punch holes

in lid. Cover with plasticwrap when not in use.Wipe with sponge, rinse.A sliced lemon dipped inborax also works well.

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Simple Window Cleaner

Simply fill a spray bottlewith club soda and clean!

Club soda Spray bottle

Outdoor Glass Cleaner

1 squirt/1 Tbsp. liquiddish soap

Warm water

One squirt of liquid dishsoap into a bucket.Fill bucket with warm water.To eliminate streaks, win-dows should be cleanedwith the simple window

cleaner after they dry.

1 part vinegar 1 part water

Fill spray bottle 1/4 fullwith warm water. Pour

vinegar in until 3/4 fulland shake. Finish fillingwith warm watershake.To minimize streaking,use a dry piece of rag orpaper. Also can removelaundry stains.

Alternative Window Cleaner

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Linoleum/Tile Cleaner

Mix baking soda and liquidsoap in a bowl with fork anddilute with water. Addvinegar last and stir untillumps are gone. Pour intobottle. Shake well beforeuse. Squirt where desired.Be sure to rinse well.

22 oz squirt bottle 2 cups baking soda 1/2 cup vegetable-oil

based soap (dontsubstitute this)

2/3 cup water 2 tbsp. vinegar

Disinf ectan t Spray

16 oz spray bottle 1 tbsp. borax 2/3 cups water 3 tbsp. castile soap 20-30 drops tea tree oil

Fill bottle with water. Dis-solve borax in water. Addsoap and tea tree oil. Usethis to clean urine, feces,vomit, etc. Use on areas fre-quently so germs do not

spread.

5+ drops tea tree oilper cup

1 part white vinegar 1 part water 3-4+ drops castile

soap (optional - use ifneeded)

Add tea tree oil to vine-gar. Dilute by half with

water. Use to clean uparound toilet, floors, orbad-smelling jobs. Soakdishrags and sponges insolution to disinfect andremove odor.

Scent ed Vinegar Disin fec tan t

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Silver Polish

Put aluminum foil, salt andbaking soda into a bowl orlarge container. Fill withwarm water. Place silverinto the container. Wait onehour, then wipe with a softcloth.

1 sheet aluminum foil 1 Tbsp. salt 1 Tbsp. baking soda Warm water

Hand Dishsoap

Baking soda Water

Sprinkle dampened, dirtydishes with baking sodaand let sit for 5 minutes ormore. Excellent forespecially dirty, greasydishes.

Store-bought earth-friendlydishsoaps are phosphorus-free and biodegradable.

1 cup borax or bakingsoda

Disinfecting essentialoil (optional)

Pumice stone

Dump borax or bakingsoda and a few drops of

essential oil into toiletbowl and let sit for a fewhours. Then scrub.A wet pumice stone re-moves stains.

Toile t Cleaning Basics

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Foaming Toile t Cleaner

Mix castile soap and bakingsoda together in bottle.Then dilute with water andvinegar. This will cause thefoaming. Mix and pour intosquirt bottle. Rinse anddeodorize with scentedvinegar.

1/2 cup unscentedcastile soap

2 cups baking soda 1/4 cup water 2 tbsp. vinegar Squirt bottle Scented Vinegar

Green Clean Furni tu re Prep

Castile soap 1/4 cup vinegar Gallon water

Before using anyhomemade cleaner onwood, use this mixture toremove commercial productresidue.Put soap in pail of warm

water. Add vinegar. Washand dry furniture thoroughly.

2 tbsp. olive oil 16 oz spray bottle

20 drops lemon oil 1/4 cup vinegar Purified water Clean, lint-free

dusting cloth

Put olive oil in bottle. Addlemon oil. Add vinegar.

Fill the remainder of thebottle with purified water.Shake well and spray thesolution on rag.Equal parts of olive oil,lemon juice, and vinegarcan be used as polish.

Furniture Dusting

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Laundry Soap

Mix all ingredients togetherthoroughly. Use 1/4-1/3 cupper load.Choose phosphate-free andbiodegradable store-boughtsoap, or use one-quarter tohalf of the amount ofdetergent normally used.

1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 cup powdered

castile soap 1/4 cup washing soda 1/4 cup borax 4 drops essential oil

Alter na tive Laundry Enhancers

1/2 cup borax 1/4 cup lemon juice 1+ cup vinegar 1 cup baking soda

To improve detergentperformance use 1/2 theamount of detergent, andadd 1/2 cup borax.Lemon juice, vinegar, andthe sun are all bleach

substitutes.1 cup each of vinegar ORbaking soda deodorizes.

LIQUID 1/2 cup baking soda

DRYER SHEET Dried lavender

flowers Cloth tea bag

Add baking soda to therinse cycle - will soften

water and clothes andreduces static.

Fill cloth tea bag withdried lavender flowers.Use for 5-6 loads beforereplacing flowers.

Green Fabric Sof t ene rs

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Laundry Stain Remover

Make paste with bakingsoda/salt and warm water.Rub paste on spot and letsit for an hour then wash asusual

Eucalyptus oil works on oldstains. Apply with cottonball. Let dry, then wash.

4 tbsp. baking soda orsalt

1/4 cup warm water

Eucalyptus oil

Oven Cleaner

Water Baking soda 50/50 water vinegar

mixture (if needed)

Spray the oven with waterand sprinkle with bakingsoda to cover and add morewater. Let sit overnight andthen scrub out stains. Forany excess stains, use the

water/vinegar mixture in-stead of plain water in therecipe.

Light bulb rings Essential oil

Baking Soda Cleaned yogurt con-

tainer

Add a few drops ofessential oils to a light

bulb ring.

Put scented baking sodain a yogurt container.Punch holes in the top ofcontainerworks well inproblem areas.

Air Freshene r

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Drain Cleaner

Pour 1/2 cup bakingsoda into drain, thenadd about a cup ofvinegar. Mixture willfizz, so cover drain witha plunger until fizzingstops. Rinse well withhot water.

1/2 cup baking soda Vinegar

*Drain clogs can beprevented by pouringboiling water down thedrain once a month, usinga plumbers snake, or asink strainer.

Rug & Upholst er y Clean er

Baking Soda

Vinegar

To deodorize carpet, sprin-kle on baking soda, andleave for 10-15 minutes,then vacuum.

Vinegar helps remove

stains, smells and urine.Best if used in a 50/50 mixwith water.

1/4 cup castile soap 1/3 cup water

Blender Vinegar Carpet brush (if

needed)

Put 1/4 cup castile soapinto a blender and ad 1/3

cup or more of water.Blend until foamy. Smearmixture onto spots and letsit for a few minutes.Scrub, and finish with asquirt of vinegar and soakremnants with towel.

Rug/Upholstery Spot Remover

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Bug Con t ro lAnts

Soapy or peppermintwater can be sprayedonto ants to kill them ordrops of the oil can beplaced near entrypoints.

Soapy water Peppermint oil

*The best preventativeis to caulk points ofentry.

Weevil/Mot h Cont rol

Rue, Lavender, Euca-lyptus or rosemary oil

Lavender petals Bay leaves

Any of the oils can besaturated in cotton andplaced in cupboard (donot put directly onclothes or wood).Lavender petals or Bay

leaves can be placed inbowls in closets.

Lavender oil Pennyroyal oil

Eucalyptus oil Rosemary oil Water Small spray bottle

Fill small spray bottle withwater and add 10-15

drops of oil of yourchoice. Spray on pet bedsto prevent flea infestation.

Flea Con t ro l

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