Newsletters: March - April 2008
Cleaning Green is Simple
Natural Times-March/April 2008
By Sandy Beck
You could eat off my mother’s floor. The white walls were spotless. The windows shimmered. The tub sparkled.
Every weekend my mother filled a pail with sudsy ammonia, slipped on rubber gloves and scrubbed. She always said “a little ammonia and elbow grease” could clean anything.
Her garden was also perfect. The grass was thick, green and insect-free, and her roses robust. Our garage smelled like the chemical fertilizers, which she applied as directed.
After World War II, when returning GIs bought their dream homes, the motto was “Better living through chemistry” (thank you, Dupont). Our parents were assured using such products would result in a cleaner house and pest-free garden.
Fast-forward a few years.
“In the United States, the annual incidence of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) rose from 5.9 per 100,000 people in 1950 to 9.3 per 100,000 in 1975, to 13.7 in 1989. The elderly showed the greatest increase.”
This quote is from the Annals of Oncology, 1994, which provides solid evidence linking common pesticides and other chemicals to early onset of major health problems.
In 1981, my mother—an otherwise healthy and remarkably beautiful woman—died from NHL at the age of 59.
I have always suspected the plethora of cleaning and garden chemicals. So, you will understand why I am conscientious (obsessive) not only about the quality of the food we eat, but also the substances in and around our home.
Open the cabinet below your sink. Pick a cleaner. Does it contain sodium hydroxide, phenol, ammonia, chlorine bleach (one whiff gives me a sore throat and headache for hours), sodium lauryl sulfate or formaldehyde? How about the innocuous-sounding word “fragrance?”
These and many more can be toxic. Dangerous not only to your family but also to everyone and everything downstream. EPA reports warn that exposure to the chemicals in many common household cleaners “can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.”
Consequently, many companies have been quick to jump on the green bandwagon by stamping their labels with “biodegradable” (how long—a hundred years?), “non-toxic” (this is meaningless) or “organic” (organic cleaning products aren’t regulated by the Organic Foods Production Act).
“Simple” is my mantra when it comes to eating as well as cleaning. If there are ingredients that only a biochemist could understand, it doesn’t go in my shopping cart.
Using a few basic “green cleaners” eliminates potent toxins from our home. Experiment with combinations of these simple ingredients to create your own concoctions.
- White vinegar: An antifungal that also kills germs and bacteria. I use vinegar mixed with water and a little lavender oil to clean windows and wood floors. Straight vinegar removes mineral deposits from our stainless steel sink and faucets and cleans the birdcages. A 1/4 cup of white vinegar and a few drops of olive oil will polish furniture. Add a little essential oil (I love lavender) to make it smell nice.
- Baking soda: Eliminates odors, works as a gentle scouring powder and fizzes when combined with water or vinegar. Burned food? Sprinkle baking soda, let it fizz awhile (overnight for really tough jobs), then scrub off. The baking soda also does a good job on the sink, counters and oven. Baking soda and vinegar with a chaser of boiling hot water will unclog drains.
- Borax (sodium borate): Disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes. Dissolve 1/2 cup Borax in hot water. Effective not only in the laundry, but also on tub and tile scum. A mixture of 1/2 Borax, 1/2 baking soda and a little vinegar is a very effective cocktail for greasy jobs.
- Hydrogen Peroxide (3%): A nontoxic bleach and disinfectant.
I have also sampled several of the all-natural cleaning products that New Leaf Market carries. Here are my favorites:
Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent and Dish Liquids, Citrasolv Natural Cleaner and Degreaser, Earth Friendly Products’ Window Kleener with Lavender, Naturally Clean by ChemFree Solutions, Inc. - Tub and Tile and Mildew cleaners, and Sun and Earth Fabric Softener.
Two old favorites are Bon Ami cleaning powder (with the little chick on the can) and Shaklee’s Basic-H, which I’ve used to wash fruit and vegetables for many years. People used to think this was nuts . . . used to.
I’ve discovered many benefits to using to green cleaners, not least of all is peace of mind.
