How to maintain a chemical-free home
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Your Laundry
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.
Laundry
- Blood stains (on clothes) - for any blood stains on clothes, soak the clothes in some water and add a handful of rock salt; the salt will naturally remove the blood stains from the clothes; leave the clothes in the salty water overnight and wash normally the next day
- Cupboard doors - use a cloth moistened with warm water to rub over the doors to clean them; any dirty areas should be cleaned with the warm cloth dipped in some bicarbonate of soda and then wipe clean with a wet cloth; finish it with a wipe from a dry cloth
- Grease stains (on clothes) - rub the stain with some slightly moistened bicarbonate of soda and leave it dry; remove any excess by brushing it off and wash the clothes in warm soapy soapy water (or use natural laundry liquid) with a squeeze of lemon juice added to the water
- Laundry sink - moisten a dry cloth with some white vinegar and add some bicarbonate of soda and use this to scrub the sink; rinse with some warm water to remove all the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and finish with a wiping over with a clean moist cloth and then a dry cloth
- Natural bleach - add one cup of lemon juice (use the juice of a lemon, strained) in half a bucket of water; clothes can be added to this to help bleach them naturally; for an even brighter bleach, take the bucket outside in full sunshine as the sun's rays will help to make the bleaching process work better
- Perspiration stains (on clothes) - soak the stained area in white vinegar (strained lemon juice can be used instead) for a few hours and then wash as normal; if this does not remove the perspiration stain, try the process again, but soak it for a longer period
- 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. For quicker drying, use a dry mop on the area after it has been cleaned
- Washing machine - to clean the washing machine, so it performs better, run an empty load after every 10 or so washing loads; use either pure soap which has been dissolved in water or natural (organic) laundry liquid
- Wine stains (on clothes) - cover the stained area with soda water and let it soak until the wine stain comes out; alternatively, cover the wine stain with fine grain rock salt and pour over it with very hot water and rinse off; wash as normal with pure soap or natural laundry liquid
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.