Green, Eco-Friendly Ways to Clean Your House
Green House-Cleaning Tips and Tricks
If you're anything like me, then you hate cleaning. You would rather be spending time with your family, reading a book, or working in the garden, than getting your cleaning rags and scrubbing the bathroom tub. Here are four easy tips that help your house to stay clean without excessive elbow grease. The best part is that these great house cleaning tips and tricks do not use harmful chemicals, making it safe for little ones, and protecting the Earth.
How to Prepare Vinegar Mixture to Clean Tubs
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeHow to Clean the Bathroom Tub
One of the worst jobs in the bathroom is cleaning the tub. Not just because of the germs and dirt, but the time-consuming scrubbing that occurs. Here is an easy, non-scrubbing way to get rid of the soap scum and buildup found in most tubs.
First, make a vinegar and dish soap mixture. Take a half cup of vinegar, warm it up in the microwave for ninety seconds. Then, take a half cup of clear liquid dish soap and mix it together. Once mixed, pour it into a spray bottle.
Once the mixture has been made, spray it copiously all over your tub. I have found that it works best if you spray the mixture while it is still warm. Make sure to get all the tough spots. This spray works wonders on shower curtains, sinks, and glass doors as well. Once you have sprayed your entire tub, set a timer for one hour.
You'll want it to sit for more than an hour, but less than two. Then take a washcloth and wipe down the tub and glass door. The soap scum and chemical buildup will wipe away without scrubbing. The vinegar removes stains and bad odors. The soap will hold it in place as the vinegar does its magic.
After you wipe off the excess mixture, rinse the tub with water. It's easiest if you have a spray nozzle on your showerhead, since the mixture is thick. You will see a difference right away.
Cleaning the Microwave With Vinegar
This is also a no-scrub method. Before you begin, make sure you wipe away all loose food and anything else that can be easily removed from your microwave. There is no need to scrub, so only get the loose food.
Once you have finished, mix a half cup of vinegar and a half cup of water together in a microwavable dish.
Once the mixture has been made, place it in the microwave and microwave on high for two minutes. It will boil; just make sure that it does not boil dry. Once two minutes have passed, do not open the microwave door; let it sit for another fifteen minutes so the steam can work its magic.
After fifteen minutes, open your microwave and clean. The baked-on food will just wipe away! No scrubbing is necessary. You'll love how easy this works, plus the vinegar will take care of any smell that may have developed. When you have really bad baked on food, you may need to repeat, as it only gets the top layer of grime.
Window Cleaning Tips
The best option to clean your windows is a diluted vinegar mixture, although I hear full-strength works just as well. I usually dilute it half water, half vinegar, which means you could even use the mixture you boiled in your microwave. Put this mixture into a spray bottle, then spray your windows just as you would with Windex or another window cleaner.
Using newspaper, wipe from the top to the bottom. Newspaper is suggested, since it will not leave lint that paper towel or washcloths can leave behind. As you clean the windows, you will want to look through them carefully and keep wiping until all streaks are gone. Once the window is clean, then wipe your cloth along the edges. This will get the dirt and debris that often collect.
How to Clean Faucets With Vinegar
Around the edge of many faucets, lime, calcium, and many other elements can build up very easily. I've used everything from the Works to CLR, and nothing has worked as well as this natural easy method.
Before I begin, I usually use a vinegar mixture, either the one for tubs or windows, depending which one is closer. I spray the entire sink and faucet. Then take a washcloth and soak it in vinegar. Wrap the vinegar-soaked cloth around the faucet, trying to cover as much of the hardware as possible. Let the cloth sit on it for an hour. Once an hour has passed, remove and wipe away clean, it works very well.
To clean the internal structure of the faucet, or to clean out a sprayer that has become clogged, remove the faucet and soak it in vinegar for an entire twenty-four hours. Then rinse with water. Your faucet will be as good as new.
Cleaning with vinegar is not only natural, but inexpensive and effective. By trying to clean more green, we are protecting our earth, our young ones, and our pets from harmful chemicals.
Do You Try to Clean Green?
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Questions & Answers
© 2012 Angela Michelle Schultz
Comments
Love this article. Its amazing how much you can do with vinegar. I have a ton of recipes for spt removers that call for it.
Excellent tips! I hate cleaning too, as it takes away from time I could be spending doing much more pleasant things, like reading or writing. Dirt doesn't really bother as long as I can't see it, and as my eyes are getting weaker with the passing years, I see less and less. lol Still, has to keep up appearances, I suppose. So your tips come in very handy. And I do appreciate that you use vinegar as your main ingredient. Thanks so much for sharing. Voted up!
Vinegar, baking soda and bleach are able to clean almost all types of dirt and stains. So go through it and try to use these Eco-friendly products. These products are neither costly nor contains any harmful chemicals and also easy in usage.
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I use vinegar for floors, counters, rinsing fruits and veges, and just about anything. Very useful hub.
All great ideas and I have been cleaning this way for awhile....it works well!
I'd never thought to clean a microwave with vinegar. Of course, I don't actually own a microwave, but the one at work could use a thorough scrubbing. Thanks so much for these green cleaning tips!
Good, practical suggestions, thanks. Helpful tips. Voting.
Thanks for sharing these great tips, I just started cleaning other homes and a lot of these tips have come in handy for me.
Vinegar has so many uses, and cleaning with it does make a good substitute for the harsh chemical based products. Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions on how to use it around the house.
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