Recipes for a Healthy Home

With a few common household products and a little old-fashioned elbow grease you have the ingredients for cleaning just about anything in your home.
Baking soda:   To clean drains,  add 1/4 cup followed by 1/2 cup vinegar. Close until fizzing stops. Flush with hot water.  To clean countertops,   enamel, chrome,  make a paste with water and rub, then rinse.  To deodorize carpets,  sprinkle, allow to sit, vacuum.

Borax:   To clean mildew,  sprinkle 1 part Borax to 2 parts baking soda on tile. Dampen and allow to sit. Scrub and rinse.  For an all-purpose cleaner,  add 1/4 cup vinegar, small amount of soap and 1/4 cup Borax to a quart of hot water, spray and wipe. Borax also disinfects, deodorizes, and brightens laundry.

Isopropyl alcohol (Rubbing alcohol):   To control insects on house plants,  mix 1 part alcohol to 7 parts water, spray.

Lemon juice:   To clean mineral build-up, tarnish and grease,  use full strength. Citrus peel extracts are natural solvents and flea deterrents.

Polident:   To clean toilet,  drop two tablets in, allow to fizz, brush and flush.

Salt:   To clean the oven,  combine with baking soda and a little water. Scrub with steel wool.

Toothpaste:   To clean jewelry and chrome,  squirt a small amount on rag, rub, and rinse.

Vegetable oil:   To polish furniture,  combine 2 parts oil with 1 part lemon juice and buff lightly.

Vinegar:  To whiten and soften clothes,  add 1/2 to 1 cup per load of laundry.  To freshen air,  put some in an open dish.  To clean windows:  add 1/4 cup or more to a quart of water and spray. Vinegar can be used to cut grease, dissolve gummy build- up and minerals, and inhibit mold growth.
 
 

Check your local markets for cleaning products that do
not contain harsh chemicals and recycled paper products made from "post-consumer" waste.