Long before it was popular to buy a vast collection of different kinds of household cleaners that were "new and improved" with "stain fighters" and "grease busters" that promised to make cleaning easier and hassle free, homemakers new that there were already items in their organic pantry that were stain-fighting, odor-controlling, grease-busting tools of nature.
Green Cleaning with Salt: Nature's Absorbent Scrubber
- Salt poured on spills, especially greasy spills helps to absorb and lift the grease and then can easily be wiped off.
- Cast iron pans and skillets can be cleaned by sprinkling salt in them and scrubbing clean. This will clean them very well without drying out or rusting the pan.
- Burnt pans can be cleaned by sprinkling salt over the entire inside of the pan and adding a small amount of water while the pot is still hot. This mixture should soak for 30 minutes or so before scrubbing.
- Scrubbing with salt is not good for non-stick pans as it can mar the finish.
- Sprinkling salt on a lemon half and using it to scrub metals will remove grease, dirt or tarnish. Once the surface is clean it should be rinsed thoroughly and buffed to a shine with a soft cloth.
- Sprinkling salt on a lemon half and using it to scrub counters will disinfect and whiten them.
- Sprinkling salt of fresh wine stains will absorb the liquid and the color.
- Rubbing salt in a stained coffee pot will remove the hard water and coffee stains.
Cleaning Organically with Vinegar: Bacteria and Mold Killer
Vinegar's properties have been scientifically tested and it has been proven to kill both mold and bacteria. Vinegar can be used straight or diluted with water, mixed with salt water and mixed with baking powder for a soft scrubbing paste. Vinegar will not harm most fabrics, but should be tested for colorfastness just to be sure.
Vinegar is also a solvent and is useful for removing sticky adhesives and calcium, lime or rust build-up. Because of its solvency properties, it should be diluted and used sparingly on surfaces with a waxy surface or on marble or linoleum as it can remove the finish.
Non-Toxic Baking Soda: Sucks Up Dirt and Odors
- Baking soda can be sprinkled on any dry surface to help remove odors, such as carpets and fabrics, allowed to sit and vacuumed or it can be mixed with water and scrubbed on with a sponge for smelly surfaces such as trash cans, diaper pails or other places that odors hide.
- Mixing three parts baking soda to one part water will make a paste that can be used to remove tarnish from silver.
- Scuff marks on floors can be eliminated by sprinkling on baking soda and scrubbing off with a wet rag.
- Pouring 1/4 cup of baking soda down a drain once a week, then following it with running hot water will keep a drain clog-free.
- Adding 1/4 cup of baking soda to the washer when doing laundry will help to freshen clothes,
Lemons and their Juice: Natural Bacteria Killer and Whitener
- Rubbing lemon juice on stains in plastic bowls will bleach them back to white.
- Soaking white socks that need bleaching in a mixture of 1/2 cup lemon juice and hot water in the sink will bleach the stains and make the socks white again. After soaking, they can be washed in the washer with the remaining soaking liquid.
- Rubbing lemons on counters will clean and bleach away stains. For stubborn stains, sprinkling salt on the lemon before rubbing will help to make the lemon abrasive.
Robin Lewis - A Graphic Designer by day, artist, writer, gardener and researcher by night, Robin "Bodecoa" is eclectic, artistic and on an endless ...
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