Nobody enjoys cleaning and the companies that produce all the chemical-based quick-clean products under your sink are counting on it. But once that product has eaten through the gunk clogging your bathtub, it pours into your municipal water system and out into nearby streams and rivers, introducing hazardous waste into already fragile ecosystems.
Studies are also starting to show just how hazardous products like these also are for your health; fumes from chemical-based cleaners and detergents contribute to allergies and respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis, and the toxins in them are harmful to eyes and skin. Cleaning products regularly account for about ten percent of Poison Control Centre visits.
Do yourself and the planet a favour: buy environmentally-friendly cleaning products, or better yet, make your own. Tried-and-true cleaning ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda still work just as well as anything with chemicals and a flashy label, and they’re cheaper and better for you and the environment.
Here are a few quick tips to get you started:
Drain Cleaner: Pour half a cup of baking soda and then half a cup of vinegar down the clogged drain. Seal it tightly until the cheerful gurgles exploding in your pipes come to an end. Clear everything away with a couple of cups of boiling water.
Oven Cleaner: Make paste out of baking soda, salt, and hot water. Spread it throughout the inside of your oven, and let it sit overnight. Wipe it away with a spatula or cloth and scrub what’s left with steel wool if necessary.
Shoe Polish: Olive oil with a splash of lemon juice, applied in much the same way as store-bought shoe polish, will do the trick nicely.
