HEALTHY HOME GUIDE

January, 2012

Introduction Residents of Windsor have started thinking about how they are personally affecting their local environment. In our homes, we contribute to air and water pollution, consume energy and water, as well as contribute to the local landfill.

The average Canadian household uses between 20 and 40 litres of cleaning products per year. Many of these products contain harmful ingredients that may affect your family’s health. Certain chemicals found in cleaning solutions may affect the nervous system, provoke allergies and even be carcinogenic. Once these toxins are released into the environment, they pollute our water and can cause harm to fish and wildlife. Here are some recipes for cleaners that are non-toxic, safe for you and the environment, and will probably save you money. For more information or to learn more about the City of Windsor’s environmental initiatives please visit www.windsorenvironmentalmasterplan.ca.

Sustainable communities and safe environments begin with a healthy home!

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Scents and other Toxic Ingredients

What do we mean by “scents”? We mean fragrances, aromas or perfumes – anything that adds a smell to something else. Scents can be found in many household and personal care products, including air fresheners, deodorizers, candles, some laundry detergents, fabric softeners and cleaning products. “Scent” or “fragrance” on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients, most of which are synthetic compounds made from petroleum products. Many compounds in fragrance are human toxins and suspected or proven carcinogens (Canadian Lung Association).

Being near a scented product can make some people sick. Some common symptoms include: headaches, feeling dizzy, tired or weak, shortness of breath, nausea, coughing and allergic skin reaction.

Look for these third-party certifications when shopping for healthy home cleaning products in certain grocery, drug and specialty stores:

Ecological Cleaning Starter Kit All of these items may be found in certain grocery stores and drug stores, as well as most natural food and specialty stores. If your local grocery store does not carry any of these items, ask the manager to stock them. Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) This powder cleans, deodorizes, whitens and softens fabrics. Borax This natural mineral can be used for cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting surfaces. Cornstarch Cornstarch has cleaning and disinfecting properties.

Essential oils These aromatic substances extracted from plants are available in a variety of fragrances such as citrus fruits, lavender, pine and mint. Adding an essential oil to your homemade recipe will produce a lovely aroma to the mixture. Warning: Essential oils can dissolve certain plastics.

Vegetable oil-based soap This type of soap contains natural oils that are easily biodegradable. Vinegar Vinegar is used a great deal in natural cleaning recipes as it cleans, disinfects, deodorizes, removes grease, dissolves calcium deposits, and eliminates and prevents to development of mould. In addition, it can be used to whiten clothing, remove stains and soften fabric.

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Lemons/lemon juice Lemon juice can be added to your home made cleaning solutions to give them a refreshing smell. Lemons are acid and have antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Lemon juice also acts as a natural bleaching agent.

Washing soda (sodium carbonate) Effectively dislodges dirt and grease, and removes stains. Warning: It is important to wear rubber gloves while using borax and washing soda. These compounds may irritate your skin, eyes and respiratory pathway. Borax and washing soda are toxic if ingested, however they are less toxic than many commercial cleaning products. Make sure to label your home made cleaning products and store them out of the reach of children.

Additional supplies:

Spray bottles

Squeeze bottles

A shaker (such as a cheese shaker)

Labels to identify your cleaning solutions

Cleaning cloths

Sponges, brushes, scouring pads

Rubber gloves

The Bathroom

Sink, tub and ceramic tile cleaner

Scouring Cream: ¼ cup baking soda 2 tbsp borax 2 tbsp washing soda Liquid soap 10 drops of essential oil Combine dry ingredients. Add enough liquid soap to make a creamy paste. Mix well. Transfer mixture to a squeeze bottle. Place some scouring cream on a damp sponge or cloth. Clean and rinse generously.

Note – The cream may thicken over time. Add a little water to decrease consistency.

Scouring Powder: 1 cup baking soda ¼ cup borax

Combine and store mixture in a shaker. Shake some of the powder on dirty surfaces and rub with a damp sponge. Rinse.

Shower Use a damp cloth dipped in vinegar to remove dirt, soap and calcium build-up on glass shower doors. Rinse thoroughly. To remove calcium deposits from the shower head, dip an old toothbrush in vinegar and use it to remove the calcium. If needed, soak the shower head in vinegar that has been diluted slightly with hot water.

Mould Eliminate mould by scrubbing surfaces with a damp sponge soaked with vinegar, then dry.

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Drains

Pour ¼ cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by ¼ cup vinegar. Let stand for 15 minutes, and then pour a full kettle of boiling water into the drain. Practical tip: Drain cleaners are very corrosive and are dangerous poisons to be kept in the home. They can also have very harmful effects on the environment. Although this recipe is a good alternate to commercial drain cleaner, use care when mixing baking soda and vinegar.

Toilet bowl cleaner Mix baking soda and washing soda together and sprinkle around toilet bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes and brush.

Deodorizers Spray deodorizer ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ cup hot water Lemon juice Essential oil Dissolve baking soda into the hot water. Add a few drops of lemon juice and about 10 drops of essential oil to this mixture. Mix well and store in a spray bottle. Spray this mixture in a room to eliminate bad odours.

Mirrors and windows 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups hot water Dilute vinegar in the hot water. Keep mixture in a spray bottle. Spray of dirty surfaces and use a cotton cloth or newspaper to clean surfaces. For heavy cleaning, use half water, half vinegar.

Floor ¼ cup vinegar 4 litres water Pour vinegar into a bucket of warm water and clean the floor with a well wrung mop.

The Kitchen

All purpose cleaners Baking soda cleaner 4 tablespoons baking soda 1 liter warm water Dissolve baking soda in water. Apply with sponge and wipe clean. Liquid soap cleaner 1 tablespoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap A squeeze of lemon 1 liter warm water Combine ingredients in a bucket. Apply with a sponge or rag and wipe clean.

Grease cutter ½ teaspoon washing soda ¼ to ½ teaspoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups hot water Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray and scrub. Wipe clean.

Sodium bicarbonate paste 3 tablespoons baking soda 1 tablespoon water Combine ingredients and apply to the microwave, stove, and kitchen sink. Rinse with a damp cloth soaked in vinegar. Practical tip: Clean the microwave by heating water in a cup for about 2 minutes. If you want, add a slice of citrus fruit. The steam will dislodge the dirt on the inside of the microwave. Simply wipe with a damp cloth.

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Stove 1 cup baking soda ¼ washing soda Water To clean the bottom of the oven, prepare the baking soda and washing soda mixture. Spray the bottom of the oven generously with water, and then cover with the powder mixture. Spray with water again, and let stand overnight. The next morning, remove the mixture with a spatula. Rinse with a damp cloth soaked in vinegar.

Pot and pan cleaner 3 tablespoons baking soda Salt Water Mix ingredients in a small bowl to form a paste. Scrub pots and pans with the paste, let dry, and rinse with hot water. Practical tip: To keep your fridge odour-free, place an open box of baking soda in the inside door of your fridge. After 6 months, exchange the old container of baking soda for a new container and use the old baking soda in your healthy home recipes!

Floors

Wood floors 1/8 cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap 4 liters water Mix and apply. Wipe clean ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup vinegar Drop or two of lemon juice Mix and apply. Wipe clean.

Carpet deodorizer Sprinkle baking soda over carpet and let rest overnight. Vacuum.

Carpet stain remover Apply club soda to the stain and scrub. ¼ cup vinegar ¼ cup water Mix and rub onto stain. Rinse with water.

Carpet foam ¼ cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap 3 tablespoons water Combine ingredients and beat to produce a foam. Rub the carpet with the foam and then rinse thoroughly.

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Furniture

Wood furniture cleaner ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice Mix and apply a thin coating. Rub well with cloth.

Upholstery foam ¼ cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap 3 tablespoons water Combine ingredients and beat to produce foam. Rub upholstery with the foam and then rinse thoroughly.

Leather cleaner ¼ cup olive oil A few drops of lemon oil Mix ingredients. Saturate cloth and apply.

Vinyl Cleaner ¼ cup vinegar ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap Water Mix ingredients. Saturate cloth and apply.

Laundry Room Use a vegetable oil-based liquid soap to wash clothes and linens. Try to choose products that DO NOT contain the following compounds: EDTA Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid combines with heavy metals in water. NTA Nitrilotriacetic acid may be carcinogenic for humans. Phosphates Encourages algae growth in water bodies. Chlorine Combines with organic materials to form chlorinated organic compounds Did you know that...? Chlorine in bleach ends up in wastewater and combines with organic molecules to form chlorinated organic compounds such as chloroform and carbon tetra chloride. These compounds are potentially carcinogenic and can end up in the food chain. Add between ¼ and ½ cup baking soda or washing soda to your laundry to soften water, deodorize and enhance the effect of your regular laundry soap.

Laundry bleach ¼ cup lemon juice

Laundry starch 1 tablespoon cornstarch 0.5 liters water Place in spray bottle and shake to dissolve cornstarch.

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Metal Cleaners

Aluminum Fruit based cleaner 2 or 3 halved lemons or 1 grapefruit sliced into quarters Water Place citrus fruit and water in the tarnished pan and simmer on the stove on low heat for an hour. Vinegar based cleaner 2 tablespoons cream of tartar Vinegar Mix ingredients to make a stiff paste. Rub onto metal and let dry. Wash paste off with hot water and dry with a cloth.

Brass and Copper Cleaning paste Flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup vinegar Mix ingredients to form a paste. Rub onto metal and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with water and dry with a cloth dampened with a small amount of vegetable oil. Liquid cleaner 2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon vinegar Mix salt, juice and vinegar in a small bowl. Rub metal with sponge and let dry. Rinse with hot water.

Chrome 3 tablespoons baking soda Water Mix to make a paste. Apply and rinse.

Silver 3 tablespoons baking soda Water Mix to form a paste. Apply using a soft, wet sponge. Rinse in hot water and dry with a soft cloth.

Stainless Steel 3 tablespoons baking soda Water Mix to form a paste. Apply with a green scouring pad. Rinse well to remove all residue. Alternatively, saturate a sponge with vinegar. Rub stainless steel, then rinse and polish dry with a soft cloth.

Thank you for doing your part to make our environment and your home a safer place to live!

Enjoy your healthy home!