Home Cleaning Tips: Healthy, Safe, and Affordable

Healthy, Safe, and Affordable Home Cleaning Tips. Photo: residencestyle

Get prepped

Before getting started, wash your hands. Not only does it help you to avoid spreading germs, but it’s also a great way to get into a cleaning mindset. You can also give yourself a little motivational boost by putting on some great tunes. Before any cleaning, the session takes a few minutes to de-clutter. This makes the process of dusting and wiping down surfaces so much easier, according to Oklahoman.

Healthy and Natural Cleaning Tips for your home

Baking Soda for Cleaning

A paste of baking soda and water cleans ovens without the chemicals or the hassle of the self-cleaning cycle. Just make a paste on the bottom of the oven, leave for a few hours and wipe off for a shiny, chemical-free oven.

Spray the entire interior of the oven with water, making sure it is evenly damp.

Pour about a 1/4 inch layer of baking soda on the bottom of the oven. If you see any dry spots, mist it with the water bottle until it resembles a paste.

Walk away and leave the paste on for a few hours (with the oven off, unless you want to see some amateur special effects… I don’t recommend this!)The easiest and fastest way to clean your oven naturally without chemicals or baking soda

After a few hours, simply wipe up the paste with a cloth or an old towel. All the grime will come with it!

For really baked-on grime, this may take a couple of applications, but it always works and it is 100% natural, according to Wellnessmama.

Store Your Cleaning Products Safely

Keep your cleaning products away from children and pets, because many of them are dangerous if ingested or if they come into prolonged contact with skin or any contact with eyes, reported Household-management.

Here are some safety tips to follow regarding the safe storage of your cleaning supplies:

• Keep the products in their original containers, so you know what they are and when they expire.
• If you need to dilute a cleaning product, or you make homemade cleaning products, be sure to label and date your containers.
• Keep your household cleaners away from food storage areas. You do not want to get cleaners and food mixed up or combined in any way.
• Store your household cleaners in a cool, dry place.

Make Scouring Powder

Photo: oneessentialcommunity

For soap scum on tubs and showers, make your own scouring powder with 2 parts baking soda, 1 part salt, and 1 part borax. It will cut through even the toughest scum!

Pour ingredients into jar or bowl.

Mix or stir until well mixed.

If you want to make a shaker, put it in a pint or quart mason jar and poke some holes in the top (carefully) with a sharp serrated knife, or use the top of a parmesan cheese container!

Clean glass and mirrors using vinegar and newspaper

Mymove said that sing cloths to clean your glass and mirrors can leave streaks, smudges, and lint. Because the newspaper is a very dense material, it has soft fibers that make it non-abrasive and, therefore, perfect for cleaning glass. It’s also readily available in most households. If you’re looking to save some money or you want to switch to less toxic cleaning solutions, vinegar is a great cleaning agent and alternative to expensive window cleaners. It is also better for the environment as the dirty newspaper can be recycled after use. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Take an empty spray bottle and fill it with 50% white vinegar and 50% water

Step 2: Shake well and spray on the mirror or glass

Step 3: Use your newspaper to wipe down the surface

Bacteria, Food, and Food Preparation Area

People tend to buy a lot of antibacterial soaps, but overusing these can be as hazardous for your health as cleaning with toxic chemicals – not all microorganisms are bad. Use antibacterial cleaners when cleaning food preparation areas and when cooking raw meat, poultry, or eggs, as well as when someone around you is ill. Never use toxic cleaning products in food preparation areas, Thehappyhousecleaning noted.

Citrus Infused Vinegar

Photo: cleanmama

Fill a jar with (organic) citrus peels and pour undiluted white vinegar over them. Leave for a few days (up to 2 weeks) and strain out the vinegar to use as a natural cleaner. It works as a window cleaner (dilute with water), for mopping floors, or for disinfecting surfaces.

With Citrus Infused Vinegar, you can clean your shower head and faucets with vinegar and a plastic bag

Simple cleaning tips that require little work from you are the best. This hack will remove unwanted buildup, grime, and limescale from your shower and faucet heads with minimal energy from you, other than removing the showerheads and faucet handles themselves if necessary.

Step 1: Get a sandwich bag and fill it full of vinegar and baking soda.

Step 2: Put the showerhead or faucet handle into the sandwich bag, making sure they are fully submerged in the liquid.

Step 3: Secure the bag in place using a rubber band or hair tie.

Step 4: Wait between one to two hours and then remove the sandwich bag.

Step 5: Turn on the shower or faucet and allow the water to run through

Step 6: Enjoy your shiny, grime-free shower head

Dispose Of Your Home Cleaning Products Properly

When you finish with a cleaning product you need to make sure you dispose of it properly.

Many times the label itself will explain any specific rules for disposal. Follow them (see Rule 1 above).

Other considerations when disposing of cleaning products properly are as follows:

Keep even empty bottles and containers away from kids and pets, so they cannot get into them. Consider putting them into a closed garbage bag or can, instead of an open wastebasket in your home.

Do not flush disposable cleaning wipes down the toilet.

Do not pour cleaning products down your sink drain or into the toilet, according to Household-management.

Clean the Garbage Disposal

I use my garbage disposal a lot and sometimes it gets that not-so-lovely odor. To combat this, there are a couple of options:

• Cut a lemon in half, shove in the garbage disposal and grind (with water running) for 10 seconds.
• Freeze lemon and orange peels in ice cube trays with vinegar or water and throw these in and grind for 10 seconds.
• Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda in and then 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes before running the water and the disposal.

Use tennis balls to launder comforters and remove scuffs from the floor

Photo: homeimprovement

A tennis ball can be used to help the stuffing of comforters from collecting in one corner when it’s being machine-dried. Simply throw a few tennis balls into the machine with your comforter and start the cycle.

The power of the tennis ball doesn’t stop there. If you have any unwanted scuffs on your wooden floor, you can use a tennis ball to rub the area gently. If the scuff is particularly large, try adding a little baking soda to the area, rub it with the tennis ball, and then wipe any leftover residue with a damp cloth.

Read The Label (Including The Fine Print) Another way to say this rule is to "use as directed." The cleaning product's label will tell you how to use it safely and effectively. Follow those directions. It is important to pay attention to the following portions of the directions, in particular: What types of items do the directions say you can use the cleaning product on? What items the product specifically warns you not to use it on? Amount of the product to use? How long to apply the product (or how quickly to remove the product)?

Clean screens using your coffee filters

Give your television or tablet screen a good clean with help from your coffee filters. It turns out the little rippled cones of blotting paper that filter your morning coffee is perfect for leaving your screens streak and lint-free.

The filter works by catching the dust while cutting static on the screen – all without leaving behind unwanted fibers and lint like you would get with traditional household cloths. As you aren’t spraying your beloved appliances with household cleaners, this tip can be used on pretty much any screen, from phones and tablets to TV and laptops.

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