How to maintain a chemical-free home
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Flooring
This is a basic list of ingredients you will need in order to stop using those (often) dangerous chemicals found in most cleaning products. These ingredients are basically non-toxic and some of them are even used in food we eat:
- Bicarbonate of soda - this is found in the cooking section of your local supermarket. Buy lots, as it is used a great deal in natural cleaning
- Lemons - the whole lemon and their juice are used for their excellent acidic nature, use only organic lemons
- Linseed oil - the oil of flax (linseed) has excellent polishing properties for wooden furniture and hardwood flooring
- Olive oil - the oil of olives interestingly has some excellent polishing properties for wooden furniture
- Organic all purpose spray - this should be "100% certified organic" ortherwise it will contain artificial additives and toxic chemicals. This can be used instead of conventional cleaning sprays on any harder to clean surfaces (or for the sake of providing time-poor people with extra convenience, but using a wholesome, natural product)
- Organic dishwashing liquid - this should be "100% certified organic" ortherwise it will contain artificial additives
- Organic laundry liquid - this should be "100% certified organic" ortherwise it will contain artificial additives
- Salt - either rock salt or fine grain rock salt, just make sure it does not have any anti-caking agent
- Soda water - this is excellent to use to remove wine stains
- Vinegar (white) - use only white vinegar as any other type may cause discolouration
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Other items (non-edible) to use:
- Eucalyptus oil - this pure essential oil is produced from the eucalyptus tress, which is native to Australia and has many uses
- Fly swat - this is the best way to avoid using chemical fly and other insect deterrants
- Lavender oil - this pure essential oil is the oil of lavender flowers and has a great number of uses
- Pure soap (unscented) - use only unscented soap with no artificial ingredients (preferably organic)
- Tea tree oil - this pure essential oil is produced by the tea tree which is native to Australia and has many uses
Note: All the essential oils above should not, under any circumstances be ingested orally, as they can cause poisoning. Sometimes you can get the essential oils in a mixture of oil, which is much milder. Always follow the instructions on the labels.
Flooring
- All hard flooring - in a bucket, mix 1-2 cap-fulls of laundry liquid with warm water and add a few drop of lavender oil and a few drops of eucalyptus oil (it should not be too soapy); then, with a mop (or scrubbing brush), use this to clean the hard flooring. For quicker drying, use a dry mop on the area after it has been cleaned
- Carpet shampoo - to make your own, use a handful of pure soap and add it to a bucket of warm water; then add 2 Litres of boiling water mixed with 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda as well as 5-6 drops of lavender oil; use this to remove small stains from carpet but only use a small amount of water, as it is difficult to dry on carpet and can cause it to become stained
- Carpet steam cleaning - use only the steam (do not use the chemical cleaners that are added), to effectively remove any pet dander/hair, cigarette smoke, dust mites ad any other substances in the carpet; carpet cleaning companies are able to just use steam to steam clean your carpets if you request this; if you are doing it yourself and renting a steam cleaning unit, wash out the container with hot water and bicarbonate of soda several times, to remove any artificial cleaning chemicals that have been previously used
- Deodorising carpet - sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda all over the carpet and leave for at least 6 hours (overnight is preferable); later, vaccum it all up - the odour of the carpet will be gone. This method is especially useful when moving into a new place or for people who have pets inside the house
- Grease stains - sprinkle the grease stained area with some bicarbonate of soda and leave it there for about an hour; after this, brush the bicarbonate of soda off the grease stain and vacuum any bits
- Hardwood floor polish - mix together 1 litre linseed oil with 1 litre white vinegar in an airtight bottle and shake vigorously to mix thoroughly; use either a mop or soft cloth to polish the hardwood floors with this mixture - the mop is the quicker way and should be used on larger florr surfaces, but some people like to use a cloth and clean smaller surfaces (as well as harder to clean areas) with a soft cloth; leave the floors to dry before walking on them
- Ink stains - wash the ink stain straight away by adding some skim milk to the stain and rubbing it thoroughly; rinse off with some water and dry the area with a cloth. Some ink stains may need to be rubbed with a cut lemon and some fine rock salt; once this has been completed, rinse with a little water and dry the area with a cloth
- Red wine stains - if red wine is spilt on carpet, quickly pour some soda water over the stain (fine rock salt can also be used); after about 2-3 minutes, pour hot water on the stain and use a clean dry cloth to remove the red wine and water mixture (which should now easily come and should not stain the carpet); if the stain is stubborn, try this process again until the stain goes away
- Tiled floor - in a bucket, mix 1-2 cap-fulls of laundry liquid with warm water and add a few drop of lavender oil and a few drops of eucalyptus oil (it should not be too soapy); then, with a or mop (or scrubbing brush), use this to clean the tiled floor; the scrubbing brush should only be used for floors that have a lot of grime and dirt. For quicker drying, use a dry mop on the area after it has been cleaned
Last reviewed: 21 June 2009 || Last updated: 18 January 2010
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references
- Samways L. The Non-Toxic House: Making your home and work environment pollutant-free. Green Press, Australia 1991
- Stewart, R. The Clean House Effect: Hundreds of Practical, Inexpensive Ways to Reduce the Use of Chemicals in Your Home.
NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.