Everyone wants a clean house, but as we learn more about the dangers of many man-made chemicals used in commercial cleaning products we don't want that stuff around our families.
Here are some ways to clean effectively without using chemicals in your home.
First, though, let me clear up what I mean when I say I will teach you how to clean without chemicals.
I mean I will teach you have to effectively clean your home with natural ingredients, not man-made chemicals.
Everything, in a technical sense, is a chemical.
Even natural cleaning ingredients, such as baking soda (NaHCO3) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
By avoiding those chemicals which are man-made we are most likely to avoid those that harm our environment and our health.
Once you are ready to clean your home without man-made chemicals you first need to gather up your natural cleaning supplies.
Some of the best and most versatile include:
The baking and washing soda are both alkaline in nature, with baking soda being mildly basic on the pH scale, and washing soda being very basic.
As bases these cleaners work best on oily dirt, and therefore are used commonly in all purpose cleaners and in the laundry.
White distilled vinegar and lemon juice are powerful cleaners because of their mildly acidic nature, meaning they are useful, for example, in removing soap scum and hard water deposits.
When trying to make effective homemade cleaning solutions a general rule to follow is not to combine an acidic and an alkaline product together, or they will neutralize the pH level of both, making them ineffective.
For example, combining baking soda with lemon juice will provide you with a nice smelling paste that is neither basic, nor acidic, but is basically neutral in pH and therefore does not have as much cleaning power as either substance separately.
A large exception to this rule is that vinegar and baking soda can be combined together when you want a chemical reaction that fizzes and bubbles.
This physical action of fizzing and bubbling is useful, for example, in cleaning out slow drains by physically moving the blockage.
However, in that instance you are combining the two ingredients for their interaction together, and not using them as cleaners based on their pH.
You would never combine vinegar and baking soda together to make a super cleaning all purpose cleaner, for example, because they would just neutralize each other and not be as effective.
Finally, hydrogen peroxide is not powerful because of its pH level, like the other natural cleaning ingredients, but instead for its natural bleaching ability.
That is why it is often used in the laundry as an alternative to chlorine bleach to help whiten and brighten your clothes, and help remove stains.
In addition, it is effective as a natural disinfectant and can kill many types of bacteria, viruses and molds.
Therefore, using hydrogen peroxide is an effective way of disinfecting your kitchen and bathroom, as an alternative to chlorine bleach.
Please note that hydrogen peroxide is much more effective for disinfecting than vinegar, although the latter is often touted as being good for this purpose.
So remember these rules when making effective household cleaners without using man-made chemicals -- use hydrogen peroxide, not vinegar, to disinfect, and never combine an acidic and basic cleaning ingredient together if you want to clean your home effectively.
Here are some ways to clean effectively without using chemicals in your home.
First, though, let me clear up what I mean when I say I will teach you how to clean without chemicals.
I mean I will teach you have to effectively clean your home with natural ingredients, not man-made chemicals.
Everything, in a technical sense, is a chemical.
Even natural cleaning ingredients, such as baking soda (NaHCO3) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
By avoiding those chemicals which are man-made we are most likely to avoid those that harm our environment and our health.
Once you are ready to clean your home without man-made chemicals you first need to gather up your natural cleaning supplies.
Some of the best and most versatile include:
- Baking soda;
- Washing soda;
- Vinegar;
- Lemon juice; and
- Hydrogen peroxide
The baking and washing soda are both alkaline in nature, with baking soda being mildly basic on the pH scale, and washing soda being very basic.
As bases these cleaners work best on oily dirt, and therefore are used commonly in all purpose cleaners and in the laundry.
White distilled vinegar and lemon juice are powerful cleaners because of their mildly acidic nature, meaning they are useful, for example, in removing soap scum and hard water deposits.
When trying to make effective homemade cleaning solutions a general rule to follow is not to combine an acidic and an alkaline product together, or they will neutralize the pH level of both, making them ineffective.
For example, combining baking soda with lemon juice will provide you with a nice smelling paste that is neither basic, nor acidic, but is basically neutral in pH and therefore does not have as much cleaning power as either substance separately.
A large exception to this rule is that vinegar and baking soda can be combined together when you want a chemical reaction that fizzes and bubbles.
This physical action of fizzing and bubbling is useful, for example, in cleaning out slow drains by physically moving the blockage.
However, in that instance you are combining the two ingredients for their interaction together, and not using them as cleaners based on their pH.
You would never combine vinegar and baking soda together to make a super cleaning all purpose cleaner, for example, because they would just neutralize each other and not be as effective.
Finally, hydrogen peroxide is not powerful because of its pH level, like the other natural cleaning ingredients, but instead for its natural bleaching ability.
That is why it is often used in the laundry as an alternative to chlorine bleach to help whiten and brighten your clothes, and help remove stains.
In addition, it is effective as a natural disinfectant and can kill many types of bacteria, viruses and molds.
Therefore, using hydrogen peroxide is an effective way of disinfecting your kitchen and bathroom, as an alternative to chlorine bleach.
Please note that hydrogen peroxide is much more effective for disinfecting than vinegar, although the latter is often touted as being good for this purpose.
So remember these rules when making effective household cleaners without using man-made chemicals -- use hydrogen peroxide, not vinegar, to disinfect, and never combine an acidic and basic cleaning ingredient together if you want to clean your home effectively.