As the parent of a child with asthma, my family has had to start our own Eco movement at home to ensure our home environment has clean air, is healthy and chemical free.
That is why I have created a list of my favourite family and Eco friendly solutions to keep your home and the environment safe and healthy.
For the Kitchen
1. Vinegar and Water – use for cleaning your windows and stainless steel sinks and appliances.
2. Lemon Juice – great for disinfecting cutting boards, counters and floors. Mix lemon juice with hot water and a gentle detergent for washing kitchen floors. Use to shine brass and copper.
3. Vinegar and Baking Soda – pour baking soda and vinegar down kitchen drains and let sit. Flush with boiling hot water to clean your drains. Do this once a week to keep drains clean and clear.
For the Laundry Room
1. Hydrogen Peroxide – use full strength to treat stains immediately, then launder as usual.
2. Vinegar – works great as a fabric softener. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
3. Baking Soda – add baking soda to your wash cycle to brighten and soften clothes.
4. Borax – treat grease stains by covering with a mixture of Borax and warm water and let sit for 20 minutes for light stains, or two hours for heavy stains. Rinse with cold water and launder as
usual.
For the Bathroom
1. Vinegar and Water – use a mixture of vinegar and hot water in a spray bottle to clean your shower and tub surrounds, faucets, counters and glass/mirror.
2. Vinegar and Baking Soda – pour vinegar and baking soda into the toilet bowl and scour with a toilet brush.
3. Borax – use 1 cup of Borax per gallon of water to make a great solution for preventing and killing mould.
For the Bedroom and Living Areas
1. Baking Soda – sprinkle on carpet before vacuuming to remove odours.
2. Lemon Juice and Olive Oil – Mix 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice to make a furniture polish for hardwoods.
3. Club Soda – for small carpet stains. Pour onto stain and blot with paper towel or cloth.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide – pour onto carpet stains, let sit and blot with paper towel or cloth.
Commercially available products
1. Natura– they offer a multi-purpose cleaner containing tea tree oil (a natural anti-bacterial), cleaning cloths and reusable dryer sheets. Natura products are available at Home Hardware stores.
2. Method – one of my all-time favourite natural product lines is available at both Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart. They offer a wide range of hand cleaners, air fresheners, scented candles,
disinfecting wipes and multi-purpose cleaners.
3. Arm and Hammer – they have a line of eco-friendly laundry detergents that are gentle and safe. This product is available at a variety of stores, including Zellers.
