We all talk about eating natural and organic food, giving up plastic, using non-toxic containers and products etc. When you have already decided to live your life in a healthy way by eradicating toxic materials, why are you still using commercial cleaners containing harmful ingredients around the house? They do leave behind residues and the fumes too can be harmful for you! Here are the top chemical-free ways to clean your home:
CASTILE SOAP
Pure soap is a multipurpose product! For surfaces that need thorough cleaning and scrubbing, you can use castile soap instead of liquid detergents! You can add up little lemon essential oil to it and use it to wash dishes, stains around the house, windows, ceramic show pieces, washrooms, sinks etc.
BAKING SODA
Baking soda is multipurpose stain remover and surface cleaner. It can be used to scrub away appliance, taps, stubborn stains on the dishes, etc. simply make a baking soda paste using vinegar or lemon juice and let it fuzz initially, once the fuzzing stops, liberally apply the baking soda cleaning paste on anything you want to clean and keep it for 15 minutes. Scrub it away using toothbrush and rinse.
CORNSTARCH
Cornstarch can be used to clean and polish silver. Simply make a cornstarch paste using cornstarch powder and water. Apply this paste on the silverware and keep it for 1 hour and scrub it with a toothbrush. Rinse the silverware and they will look clean and polished.
VINEGAR
Vinegar just like baking soda is a multipurpose cleaner. Simply dilute 50% with water and pour it in a spray bottle. Use this to clean glass surfaces, tiles, kitchen cabinets and top etc. you can also mix little table salt in it for scrubbing the stained areas after spraying.
SALT
If you have food stains over the stove, oven, fridge, and anywhere else in the kitchen, you can use simple table salt. If the food stain is dried up, sprinkle some water on it and layer it with table salt. Let the salt sit on the dirt and stained areas for 30 minutes and scrub it away using a wash cloth or toothbrush.
MAYONNAISE
For hard to remove stains, you can use mayonnaise. Some stains remain forever on the tiles, on counter tops, kitchen surfaces, glass etc. Simply apply mayonnaise liberally over that surface and let it sit for 1 hour or more depending on how old the stain is. Finally, scrub the area using a toothbrush of buff it using rough cloth or scrubber.
LEMON JUICE
One of the strongest food-acids, effective against most household bacteria. It cleans bath edges and showers plus grouting on tiles.
CREAM Of TARTAR
Cream of tartar can be used to clean up stubborn stains. Simply apply the paste on stains and let it sit for 1 hour depending upon how old the stain is or how dark the stain is. Rub off using a wash cloth.
WASHING SODA
It is a stronger base than baking soda. Washing soda is preferred for really tough stains like grease or petrol stains on garage floors etc. It is a natural water softener and cuts through grease.