Living Green Tips for Cleaning

Many natural products can be used to clean your house –which are better for you and the environment.  Some of the best natural cleaning products are baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, and water. Here are some living green tips.

Lemon juice:  Get rid of stains on your kitchen counter top by applying lemon juice and letting it sit for a few minutes.  Then simply scrub the area with baking soda and wipe with a damp cloth.  In your bathroom, clean your glass shower door by applying pure lemon juice onto the glass.  Just spray it with warm water and wipe it off with a clean cloth.

Vinegar:  Use vinegar to kill weeds that pop up between your interlock bricks in the driveway.  It is best to spray the vinegar on the weeds after a few days of hot, dry weather, when the weeds will really soak up the liquid.  Diluted vinegar also serves as a good floor cleaner for ceramic tiles – it leaves behind a nice shine & does not dull the finish.  Vinegar is also a natural fabric softener.  Add half a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle for soft, static free clothes.

Baking soda:  Use baking soda to control odours around the home.  Put an open box in the refrigerator to control odours from food.  Keep a box in the locker or closet where you store shoes and sports gear.  Sprinkle some baking powder in the garbage can or cat litter box before you insert the liner.  Baking soda is also a natural stain fighter for fabrics.  Just  apply a mixture of 6 tablespoons of baking powder with a half cup of warm water to stains before washing.

For an all purpose cleaning spray, combine baking soda with white vinegar, water, and a few drops of antibacterial teatree oil.  Wash out empty spray bottles and reuse them with this natural cleanser.

 

Don’t worry if you never learned some of the above living green tips from your parents – or if you never spent much time in the kitchen yourself.  Watch our videos – especially in the Chef School section under Cooking.  You will find kitchen safety tips, knife handling tips, fire safety, storage and preparation of food and nutrition tips.  There are lots of easy to follow recipes – many on video – so pick your favourite together & get cooking!!