It is very clear that cleaning our homes is making many of us and our children ill. We have higher rates of allergies, asthma and respiratory illnesses than ever before.

Not only are we too clean, we are cleaning with products that contain very harsh chemicals. The more we use, the more we need as the germs we’re trying to kill evolve. We want quick, convenient and effective cleaning solutions but we’re paying the price, not only at the hip pocket, but it’s at the expense of our health. 

Being naturally clean in your home is easy & cost effective

These basic ingredients can have you whole home clean, are available from the supermarket and will not cost anywhere near as much as commercial cleaning products.

• White Vinegar - disinfecting, deodorising, stain removing - Please read this blog by The Eco Mum explaining the facts about white vinegar before using this as an option
• Bicarb Soda (baking soda) – deodorising, stain removing, abrasive
• Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) – disinfectant, streak-free
• Essential oils – Tea tree, lavendar, eucalyptus, pine, clove, rosemary. Each have their own therapeutic properties and add a pleasant naturally clean smell to your home
• Fresh lemons (lemon juice) – plant a lemon tree for the long-term but if buying lemons check they are Australian, not grown overseas and imported
• Borax – is a natural mineral that’s antibacterial, antifungal (kills mould) & removes stains. Available in bulk from some health food stores
• Microfibre, & Machine Washable Dish Cloths. Have one colour for food preparation areas & one for dirtier surfaces like cleaning spills off the floor. Wash regularly & allow to dry between uses
• Old hand towels or tea towels
• Spray bottle (very cheap to buy or rinse & recycle an old one)

These products can be purchased in bulk, which will save a lot of money and packaging. When you find your perfect mix from the suggestions below, make batches & store them ready-made in labelled airtight containers. “Keep out of Reach of Children” still applies to natural ingredients

Windows & Mirrors

• Equal parts of water & vinegar, spray window & wipe with newspaper
• Lemon juice can be added to the above mixture or used in water on it’s own
• Rubbing (Isopropyl) alcohol is effective and evaporates to leave a streak-free surface. Combine 1 cup Rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water & 1tbsp vinegar in a spray bottle. Clean with scrunched up newspaper.

Bathroom

• Mix some orange or lemon essential oil with bicarb soda & sprinkle it over surfaces (bath, toilet, sink). Spray with equal parts of water & vinegar & leave to sit for a few minutes before wiping off. Be careful of vinegar of some tiles. Do not apply undiluted as the acidity may eat into the grout
• Straight vinegar can be poured around the toilet and left to sit in the water for approximately 30 minutes. Then wipe clean to remove stains
• Mix 2 tablespoons Borax, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 cups hot water & transfer into a spray bottle. Use as you would any commercial all-purpose cleaner

Kitchen

• Cut a lemon in half and wipe over your stove bench tops then wipe clean with a clean damp cloth
• Lemon juice is perfect to shine stainless steel, silverware, brass & copper surfaces. Apply to a dry cloth and wipe surface clean (test first)
• Combine bicarb soda and an eco-friendly dishwashing detergent or mild soap to make a paste to clean surfaces then wipe clean with one part white vinegar 3 parts water & a clean damp cloth
• Corn starch will absorb grease & oil

Oven

• To clean the OVEN (everyone’s worst nightmare) mix bicarb soda, lemon juice & white vinegar to make a paste. Smear thickly over surfaces and leave for an hour. Then wipe or scrub clean depending on the level of build up you need to remove!
• Mix 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil-based liquid soap & 2 tablespoons borax & transfer into a sprax in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with hot water and shake well. Spray on oven and leave for 20 minutes. Scrub off

Carpet

• To remove odours sprinkle baking soda over your carpet or other fabric surfaces, leave for 10 minutes before vacuuming
• Put a few drops of orange or lemon essential oil onto a folded tissue and place over the filter in your vacuum cleaner for a pleasant odour
• Sprinkle Corn Starch over stains, allow to dry then vacuum
• For tougher stains apply neat lemon juice, leave to sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing with bicarb soda

Hard Floors

• For hard floors (tiles & floor boards) add 1 tbsp per litre of warm water and mop as usual. Do not use for slate
• Instead of filling your rubbish bin with paper towel that is likely to have been bleached with Dioxin (very harmful chemical), have an old tea towel, hand towel or specific machine washable reusable dishcloth (available from supermarket) to clean spills off the floor & spot clean. Make your floor cloth a different colour to one that will be in contact with kitchen surfaces

Clothes

• Apply Lemon juice directly to stains (oil, perspiration, make-up etc.) before washing. Can use as an alternative to bleach for soaking
• Vinegar is excellent as a fabric softener. Add it to the rinse cycle of the wash (the vinegar smell disappears when dry). It also helps to break down clothes detergent

Mould

• Spray straight white vinegar directly onto mould, leave for a few hours and wipe clean. Allow to dry in the sun
• Solutions of Borax & water can also be used

Unpleasant Odours

We tend to associate being clean with a pleasant or familiar smell of perfume, deodorant, disinfectant or even bleach. On the contrary, dirty may smell like bad body odour, the rubbish bin or a blocked drain. But clean actually has NO smell, which means you don't have to use chemcials with overpowering scents to have a clean home.  Plus, a lot of the time the perfumed or deodorising smells are actually masking the problem rather than getting rid of it, despite what we are led to believe on T.V.

Firstly, find out where the odour is coming from. If you have mouse traps, have you caught one a few days ago? Is there a potato in the cupboard that should have gone in the compost already? Does your kitchen sink need to be unblocked? Perhaps something fell down the back of the fridge or everybody has been putting off taking the rubbish out? The smell of cooking can be overpowering, especially meat and seafood, sometimes lingering in the curtains or furniture until the next day.

• Ventilation is the most effective way to keep the air in your home fresh and clean. Open blinds & windows and let the air flow and the sun shine in
• Naturally fresh smelling healthy herbs, spices and fruit such as lemons, oranges, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves are a wonderful way to fill your kitchen with a pleasant smell after a big cook-up. Put the ingredients into a pot of boiling water and let simmer on the stove for a while
• An oil burner and your favourite essential oils will fill a room with a sensational aroma and impart their therapeutic properties. Whatever you feel appropriate for the moment – calming, relaxing, uplifting, energising
• Don’t use fragrant oils; make sure they are 100% Pure Essential Oils.
• Bi-carb soda is a traditional and effective way to absorb odours. For example you may have something marinating in the fridge and the smell is not contained by covering or wrapping. If you don’t want it to taint the rest of the food place a few tablespoons of bi-carb soda in an open container
• Dissolve 2tbsp of baking soda in 2 cups of hot water, add juice of one lemon & essential oils if desired (lemon, orange, pine) for a naturally effective air freshener

If you don’t fancy making your own products you can buy a large range of natural, chemical-free cleaning products in the supermarket, online or at many health food stores e.g. Eliza Health Food & Gifts in Mt Eliza (Victoria) & BenOn Health at Benton's Square in Mt Martha (Victoria), Karingal Health Foods at Karingal Hub (Victoria)

Some commercial brands include:

• Back to Basics
• Clean Conscience
• Aware Laundry Powders
• Abode
• Nature Direct

Make sure detergents are phosphate free.  

You can read more about harmful ingredients and GREEN WASH at www.chooktopia.com

As I mentioned at the very top of this article it's important to read this article by The Eco Mum, where she reveals the results of her research into the origins of White Vinegar. It can be a little confusing at a glance but the basic message is to make sure your vinegar is 'distilled', otherwise it's made in a lab from chemicals! And that really defeats the purpose of using 'natural' products in your home.

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