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SALT LAKE CITY -- Vinegar, baking soda, lemons and salt. This isn’t the recipe for some culinary masterpiece. Instead, these are basic food items that contain an arsenal of power when it comes to cleaning the house.
For those shaking their heads and asking, "If I do this, will my house really be clean?" The answer is, "Yes!" According to the National Institutes of Health, these ingredients have proven antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. And other ingredients like tea tree or eucalyptus oils can be added as they have natural antimicrobial qualities that ward off most types of germs, fungi and molds.
Vinegar
- Windows, toilets, sinks, tile
- Mix dish soap and baking soda for tougher jobs or for floors.
- Mix with vinegar for a cleanser
- Sprinkle with salt for a scourer
- Use as an odor remover for microwaves, garbage disposals, surfaces
- Soap scum, rust, scouring
- Has antibacterial effect
White vinegar**. Who would have thought that one liquid could clean everything from windows to toilets, sinks to tile. Keep a spray bottle of half water and half vinegar handy and use it on mirrors, windows and for brightening water faucets. It shines metal and removes mildew, grease and wax build-up. Put vinegar full strength in the toilet, let it sit for 20 minutes and then scrub as usual. Mix in a little baking soda and let it foam on tile and grout. Or put it with a few drops of tea tree or eucalyptus oil in a bucket of hot water and you have a great floor cleaner. For the oven, mix 4 Tbsp. vinegar, 3 drops of liquid dish soap and 5 Tbsp. baking soda into a paste. Apply to spills with a sponge. Let sit for 45 minutes and scrub clean.Baking soda**. Aside from the aforementioned concoctions, replace your kitchen cleanser with this inexpensive cooking ingredient on tubs and sinks. And it’s for more than making "volcanoes" with children. The foaming action created by mixing it with vinegar can cut through the toughest scum.
Lemons. Don’t pucker up at this one. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle coarse salt over kitchen countertops. Now use the lemon, cut side down, as a scourer. It will freshen and clean at the same time. Just wipe with a clean, wet cloth when done. Then squeeze out the juice and put in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Place in the microwave and run on high for 1 minute. It will rid it of any leftover odors. Finally, cut the lemon into smaller chunks and send it down the garbage disposal. It will freshen and de-grease it in the process. That’s multi-tasking! Lemon juice can also be used to cut grease on aluminum and porcelain. It will whiten in the process, too.
**Salt**. As already mentioned, it’s great when used as a scourer, and salt water has an antibacterial effect. It can also be used to remove rust strains and soap scum.
For more tips, consider Candita Clayton's book, "Clean Your Home Healthy," Martha Stewart's "Whole Living" magazine, or the website www.greenlivingideas.com. These are just a few of the numerous resources available.
Kim has written for magazines like LDSLiving, the Washington Family, Back Home, Parents & Kids and Natural Life. She has two novels with Covenant Communications. Visit her at www.kcgrant.com.
