| Household Chemical Alternatives: Mix Your Own |
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Glass cleaner: Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart water.
Bleach: Substitute borax, lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide.
Furniture/floor polish: Mix 1 teaspoon lemon oil with 1 pint mineral, olive or vegetable oil.
Wall cleaner: Mix ½ cup borax, 2 teaspoons dishwashing liquid, and 1 gallon warm water. May add dash of lemon juice or vinegar.
Rug shampoo: Mix 1 quart white vinegar and 3 quarts boiling water.
Rug deodorizer: Apply baking soda liberally and leave for 15 minutes before vacuuming.
Disinfectants: Use rubbing alcohol or ½ cup borax combined with 1 gallon hot water.
Roach killers: Mix baking soda with powdered sugar.
Ant killers: Discourage entry with chili powder.
Drain cleaners: Use plunger, then flush with mixture of boiling water, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup vinegar.
Silver polish: Soak in boiling water with baking soda, salt, and a piece of aluminum.
Abrasive cleaners: Rub with cut lemon dipped in borax, then rinse.
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| SOURCE: The Terrene Institute in Dulles, Virginia |
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| Clean Living, Without the Side Effects |
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- For an all-purpose cleaner: mix a cup of vinegar in a pail of water.
- To disinfect, use one-half cup borax or sodium carbonate (washing soda) dissolved in a gallon of hot water.
- Wash windows and mirrors with one part vinegar to every four parts water, or add 3T ammonia to the solution.
- To deodorize carpets, sprinkle with baking soda. Vacuum after 30 minutes.
- Oven cleaners containing lye and ammonia are especially toxic. For a healthier alternative, mix two teaspoons borax
and two tablespoons liquid soap in a spray bottle of water. Scrub vigorously.
- Use phosphate-free laundry soaps. There are plenty to choose from on your grocer's shelves.
- To polish furniture, mix 2 tsp. lemon oil and 1 pint mineral oil in a spray bottle.
- Toilets: pour 1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach into bowl, let stand for 30 minutes, scrub and then flush.
- Tub-and-tile: 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia and 1 gallon warm water.
- Drains: 1 cup each - baking soda, salt, and white vinegar. Pour into drain. Wait 15 minutes. Flush with
boiling water.
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