Home
News
Keep it clean, green and simple
After receiving questions from three individuals in the past week about green cleaning, I have taken it as a sign from a power more supreme than myself that it is time to share my top tips for cleaning green. Following these tips should make it easy to clean up your home without the use of questionable chemicals.
Eartha's most valuable tip for green cleaning is to keep it simple! Make it your goal to use simple ingredients, simple mixtures and to find simple yet creative solutions for your trouble areas.
I am not a supporter of staying home on a Saturday or Sunday to clean when I could be out and about enjoying all that Summit County (and beyond) has to offer. So, I am big on using cleaning products that I can whip up in a snap and that get the job done quickly. Whatever it takes to get me out the door, but that makes my place nice and sparkly clean, is a winner with me.
It is important to become familiar with the most common green cleaning ingredients and their capabilities. As you begin to use them you will come to understand the strengths and capabilities of each, but I will provide a basic overview to get you rolling without any guesswork.
Baking soda is a powerful all purpose cleaner that deodorizes and can be used as a mild abrasive. Eartha's tip: Sprinkle onto a wet sponge or wash rag and scrub away the grease and baked-on foods found on your stove top.
Borax removes odors, prevents mold and mildew growth and increases the cleaning power of soap. It also works as a disinfectant. Eartha's tip: Sprinkle into the toilet, leave overnight (or for just 30 minutes) and then return to lightly scrub with a toilet brush.
Lemon juice cuts grease, deodorizes, cleans glass and removes stains from porcelain and clothing (it will bleach, be careful). Eartha's tip: Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle the cut side of one half with salt and use to scrub your wooden cutting boards. Allow it to sit and then rinse it off. This removes stains and odors all at once.
White vinegar kills bacteria, mold, mildew and germs; cuts grease, soap scum, dirt and even wax; and deodorizes. Eartha's tip: Spray vinegar on countertops and cutting boards where meat is cut up, next spray hydrogen peroxide (do not mix them together or you lose effectiveness) and wipe clean. This method has been found in scientific studies to be more effective at disinfecting than bleach.
Once you master using these products by themselves you might want to try mixing a few of them together. Here are two of my favorite recipes:
Kitchen Floor Mopping Solution: In a bucket or sink combine about a cup of vinegar, and a drop or two of dish soap. Then fill the bucket/sink up the rest of the way with hot water. Throw in an herbal tea bag, which depending on the type you choose can add antibacterial qualities (such as any of the mints) or at the very least will add some nice fresh scents. Eartha's tip: Use cinnamon apple during the holidays and strawberry kiwi in summer.
Drain Cleaner: Pour a good amount (about 1/4 cup) of baking soda down the drain. Follow with an equal amount of vinegar. This combination is used in science fair volcanoes, so the popping and fizzing is to be expected and shows you it is working. Wait about 15 minutes and chase the mixture with really hot water to stop the chemical reaction and completely clear the drain. This is a powerful combo that is quite effective at clearing grease and grime from the drain. It can't, however, eat through hair - it is best to pull the hair out with a long wire if that is the problem.
Green cleaning has almost become a hobby for me. I put cleansers that I mix myself into mason jars or spray bottles and add my own handwritten and decorated labels. Friends have received my concoctions as holiday gifts and I have even gotten requests for refills. If only they knew how easy they were to make ...
Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier, Holly Loff, and Beth Orstad, consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation in our mountain community. Eartha believes that you can walk gently on our planet, even if you're wearing stylie shoes.
Submit questions to Eartha at recycle@colorado.net with Ask Eartha as the subject or to High Country Conservation Center, PO Box 4506, Frisco, CO 80443.
After receiving questions from three individuals in the past week about green cleaning, I have taken it as a sign from a power more supreme than myself that it is time to share my top tips for cleaning green. Following these tips should make it easy to clean up your home without the use of questionable chemicals.
Eartha's most valuable tip for green cleaning is to keep it simple! Make it your goal to use simple ingredients, simple mixtures and to find simple yet creative solutions for your trouble areas.
I am not a supporter of staying home on a Saturday or Sunday to clean when I could be out and about enjoying all that Summit County (and beyond) has to offer. So, I am big on using cleaning products that I can whip up in a snap and that get the job done quickly. Whatever it takes to get me out the door, but that makes my place nice and sparkly clean, is a winner with me.
It is important to become familiar with the most common green cleaning ingredients and their capabilities. As you begin to use them you will come to understand the strengths and capabilities of each, but I will provide a basic overview to get you rolling without any guesswork.
Baking soda is a powerful all purpose cleaner that deodorizes and can be used as a mild abrasive. Eartha's tip: Sprinkle onto a wet sponge or wash rag and scrub away the grease and baked-on foods found on your stove top.
Borax removes odors, prevents mold and mildew growth and increases the cleaning power of soap. It also works as a disinfectant. Eartha's tip: Sprinkle into the toilet, leave overnight (or for just 30 minutes) and then return to lightly scrub with a toilet brush.
Lemon juice cuts grease, deodorizes, cleans glass and removes stains from porcelain and clothing (it will bleach, be careful). Eartha's tip: Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle the cut side of one half with salt and use to scrub your wooden cutting boards. Allow it to sit and then rinse it off. This removes stains and odors all at once.
White vinegar kills bacteria, mold, mildew and germs; cuts grease, soap scum, dirt and even wax; and deodorizes. Eartha's tip: Spray vinegar on countertops and cutting boards where meat is cut up, next spray hydrogen peroxide (do not mix them together or you lose effectiveness) and wipe clean. This method has been found in scientific studies to be more effective at disinfecting than bleach.
Once you master using these products by themselves you might want to try mixing a few of them together. Here are two of my favorite recipes:
Kitchen Floor Mopping Solution: In a bucket or sink combine about a cup of vinegar, and a drop or two of dish soap. Then fill the bucket/sink up the rest of the way with hot water. Throw in an herbal tea bag, which depending on the type you choose can add antibacterial qualities (such as any of the mints) or at the very least will add some nice fresh scents. Eartha's tip: Use cinnamon apple during the holidays and strawberry kiwi in summer.
Drain Cleaner: Pour a good amount (about 1/4 cup) of baking soda down the drain. Follow with an equal amount of vinegar. This combination is used in science fair volcanoes, so the popping and fizzing is to be expected and shows you it is working. Wait about 15 minutes and chase the mixture with really hot water to stop the chemical reaction and completely clear the drain. This is a powerful combo that is quite effective at clearing grease and grime from the drain. It can't, however, eat through hair - it is best to pull the hair out with a long wire if that is the problem.
Green cleaning has almost become a hobby for me. I put cleansers that I mix myself into mason jars or spray bottles and add my own handwritten and decorated labels. Friends have received my concoctions as holiday gifts and I have even gotten requests for refills. If only they knew how easy they were to make ...
Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier, Holly Loff, and Beth Orstad, consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation in our mountain community. Eartha believes that you can walk gently on our planet, even if you're wearing stylie shoes.
Submit questions to Eartha at recycle@colorado.net with Ask Eartha as the subject or to High Country Conservation Center, PO Box 4506, Frisco, CO 80443.
