Tee Cees Council for Monday April 12th 2021

April 11th - Hello Tee Cee,

I'm doing spring cleaning. (Yes Spring!) Do you have favorite "green" or "zero waste" cleaners that you would recommend that are not too expensive or difficult to find? I want to go green, but I'm on a tight budget.

Thanks Claudia

Dear Claudia,

I have a few favorite cleaners to recommend. They are efficient, extremely inexpensive, and I bet you can find them in your kitchen cabinets now. I hear you, "Oh no, she will tell us how to make our own cleaners." Yes. I am. But this DIY couldn't be easier, so stay here with me.

For a truly clean and eco-friendly home, take a tip from the original, waste-free, non-toxic cleaning guru - Grandma. Our grandmothers (or great-grandmothers, depending on your generation) didn't buy the millions of different cleaning products on the market today, and their homes were no less clean. In fact, it was potentially cleaner as it didn't have any toxic residue on surfaces or indoor air pollution caused by the use or storage of frequently toxic detergents.

Marketing campaigns over the decades have been very successful in tricking us into believing that if we don't use their products, our homes will be infested with germs. However, numerous studies and recommendations from none other than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that hydrogen peroxide in particular is as effective or more effective than conventional "antibacterial" cleaning and disinfecting agents.

And if our goal is a clean and healthy home (what's right, right?), We don't want to use products that look and smell "clean" but contain toxic or noxious ingredients. Volatile organic compounds that may cause asthma, cancer, or poisoning of our water system.

And then there is the zero waste advantage. When you make your own detergents, you avoid wasting single-use plastic bottles - and we're all here.

Go back to the basics of grandma

DIY time. Open your closets to find these basic ingredients (or buy them in bulk, they're really cheap) to make effective, non-toxic grandma-style cleaners.

Disinfectants

(Note: never mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together).

White vinegar is a proven natural disinfectant. It cleans and deodorises and while it has an unmistakable smell when wet, it is odorless when dry. Note: Never use vinegar on marble as it can attack the surface. I have a large jar of white vinegar and it will last forever as you dilute it with water to clean it.

Hydrogen peroxide is a proven disinfectant and can also be used in place of bleach for bleaching. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen in wastewater. Note: Do not use hydrogen peroxide on brass, zinc, copper, nickel, or silver.

General cleaners

Baking soda is a natural mineral. Cleans, deodorises, softens water (to increase the foam and detergency of soap) and is a good powder cleaner, especially in the bathroom.

Castile soap is safe, biodegradable, non-toxic, and available in grocery stores and health food stores. Look for Castile herbal soaps that are not the same as many "liquid soaps" made with petroleum-based detergents and without soap.

Lemon juice cleanses, reduces fat and refreshes.

Cleaning recipes

Here are some simple, non-toxic cleaning recipes to get you started:

Household cleaners: In a spray bottle, mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 liter of warm water, and a dash of lemon juice or a little vinegar to cut the fat.

To scrub surfaces: Try dampened salt or baking soda and a green scouring pad.

Window washers: Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 1 liter of warm water in a spray bottle. Rub with newspaper to avoid streaks (then compost with damp newspaper).

General disinfectant: Spray undiluted hydrogen peroxide or undiluted vinegar (not both! Do not mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together). For cleaning and disinfecting. Leave it on the surface for a few minutes to disinfect.

Sink, tub and tile cleaners: Mix: 1/2 cup of baking soda and 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid Castilian soap.

At ecocycle.org, you can get non-toxic cleaning recipes for everything from oven cleaners to metal polishes to stain removers with these basic ingredients.

Tea cee

Do you have any questions about zero waste? Rosie@ecocycle.org has the answers.

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