Natural cleaning

The safe, low cost and less waste way to clean your home.

Natural cleaning or ‘green cleaning’ is a way to clean your home with fewer cleaning products and safe alternatives – producing less waste and reducing the need for harmful chemicals.

Most homes contain many more household cleaners than we really need. These cleaners create packaging waste that is disposed of by landfill and the chemicals in the cleaning products can damage human health and the environment. But we don’t need to use all these cleaning products to have a clean house. To clean cheaply, naturally and safely throughout the home, all you need are the following basic ingredients (plus a little elbow grease).

Your natural cleaning kit

• white vinegar cuts through grease and is a deodoriser and mild disinfectant;
• bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Powder) cleans, deodorises, softens water and is a good scouring powder;
• pure soap is a general purpose cleaner that is completely biodegradable;
• lemon juice is a mild bleach, a deodorant and a cleaning agent;
• washing soda cuts through grease and removes stains;
• borax is a naturally occurring mineral salt. It cleans, deodorises, bleaches and disinfects. Borax is also used to control pests such as ants and cockroaches.

General rule for cleaning

1. vinegar is first attempt, then bicarbonate of soda
2. if that doesn’t work then try vinegar and bicarbonate of soda together;
3. salt or borax come next;
4. then borax and lemon juice;
5. finally in some instances eucalyptus oil and steel wool (depending on the surface).

How to green clean
There are just three things that you have to remember to green clean:

• reduce the use of household cleaners by buying less, using less and looking for natural, safer alternatives;
• be smart when you shop, read the label to avoid buying the more toxic product and buy only what you need;
• think safe when handling and storing cleaners and dispose of them legally and safely.

Cleaning recipes to try at home

All purpose cleaner:

• warm water with pure soap or white vinegar is a cheap and easy general cleaner for use throughout the home.

In the bathroom:

• toilet cleaner - Make a paste from borax and lemon juice for cleaning toilet bowls;
• ceramic cleaner - Clean tiles, sinks, toilets and baths with bicarbonate of soda using a damp cloth;
• glass and mirror cleaner - Use newspaper with vinegar. To prevent mirrors fogging apply eucalyptus oil with a wad of newspaper;
• tiles - apply a borax (or bicarbonate of  soda) paste then scrub. Rinse well;
• air freshener - Use fresh flowers or sprigs of rosemary, lavender or mint.

In the kitchen:

• surface cleaner - Use bicarbonate of soda on a damp cloth to clean bench tops, sinks, windows and your refrigerator or freezer surfaces;
• dishwashing detergent - Use pure soap to wash dishes and add white vinegar to the rinse water to give glasses an extra shine;
• oven cleaner - Avoid caustic oven cleaners. Wipe the oven down while it is still warm with a soapy cloth or a damp cloth sprinkled with bicarbonate of soda;
• odours in fridge - Place a small dish of vanilla essence on the bottom shelf or leave an open packet of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge to absorb food odours;
  Hint: Add lemon juice or vinegar to the bicarbonate of soda for extra cleaning power. Mix to the consistency of a paste.

In the living room: 

• carpet cleaner - Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on the carpet before vacuuming to deodorise. It’s also a great stain remover. Just vacuum or brush up when dry;
• window cleaner - Add half a cup of vinegar to a litre of warm water for an effective window cleaner. Wash the window first with warm soapy water if especially dirty. Use crumpled newspaper moistened with vinegar to get a beautiful sheen.

In the laundry:

• bleach  - Use one cup of lemon juice in a half bucket of water and soak overnight, or substitute half a cup of borax per wash load to whiten whites and brighten colours;
• stain remover  - Rinse in cold water before stain can dry. Apply a bicarbonate of soda paste then follow with a normal wash. Try glycerine for stubborn stains. For delicate fabrics soak in a weak solution of borax and soap;
  Hint: Oil, grease, tar, gum, ink, grass stains and other stubborn stains can be removed by adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil before washing;
• laundry detergent - To make a cheap, environmentally friendly and safe washing detergent, mix one third of a cake of pure soap (grated) with one third of a cup washing soda. Dissolve in hot water in a bucket and top up with water. The mixture will set to a soft gel. Use 2-3 cups per wash;
• fabric softener - Vinegar acts as a fabric softener. Soak garment overnight in a solution three parts water to one part vinegar then wash as normal.

In the car:

• battery cleaner - Clean battery terminals with a mixture of two teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda to 1 litre of water and apply generously. Vaseline smeared around the base of the terminal will prevent further build up.
• polish  - Give your car a normal wash. Allow it to dry, then sprinkle cornflour over the duco. Polish it in and off to give that extra sheen.
• chrome polish - Use flour or bicarbonate of soda with a dry, clean cloth.
• tar remover - Moisten a cloth with eucalyptus oil and rub clean.

Hints: Get rid of that new car smell by wiping vinyl surfaces with a strong solution of vinegar, and air well. A soft cloth moistened with vinegar is great for cleaning windscreens and windows. Fill unused ashtrays with bicarbonate of soda to absorb smell and/or add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. And don’t forget to wash your car on the lawn. Always read and follow warning labels.

Sources:

• Chemical Free Home by Robyn Stewarts;
• The Easy Guide to Natural Cleaning by NSW Waste Boards.