Lose those antibacterial cleaners, caustic drain cleaners and chlorinated cleansers, advises Ellen Sandbeck, author of three books on nontoxic living. Her latest book is “Organic Housekeeping” (Scribner, 448 pages, $30).
Sandbeck, 47, a Duluth, Minn.-based organic gardener, graphic artist and worm farmer, advocates cleaning with natural products. Some are old standbys on grocery store shelves, including 20 Mule Team Borax, Bon Ami cleanser, Murphy Oil Soap, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and Mrs. Stewart’s Liquid Bluing.
Common household staples — white vinegar, salt, baking soda, ketchup and olive oil — also can be used for cleaning. To get started on organic housekeeping, Sandbeck suggests going through your cupboards. When in doubt, read the ingredients on the label. Sandbeck suggests weeding out products that contain petroleum products, chloride, phosphate, antibacterials, fragrances and dyes. “If you don’t understand the label, don’t buy it,” Sandbeck says.
Her tips on how to make your own cleaners:
Window cleaner: Use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water. The first time you wash windows using this solution, add a couple of drops of dish soap to get rid of the film left by earlier commercial cleaners.
All-purpose cleaner: White vinegar works well to clean toilets, sinks, floors and other surfaces. Keep in a spray bottle. No residue is left after a wipe with a cloth; no rinsing is required.
Dishwasher soap: Mix equal parts laundry borax and washing soda (sodium carbonate). To prevent mineral buildup on dishes and glassware, fill the rinse dispenser with vinegar.
Laundry soap: Mix equal parts laundry borax and washing soda (sodium carbonate).
Drain cleaner: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of white vinegar. When the fizzing stops, pour boiling water down the drain.
Floor cleaner: Fill a bucket with hot water, add 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 drop of liquid dish soap or Murphy Oil Soap. To discourage ants, add a pinch of borax. Don’t rinse.
Or combine 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 cup clear ammonia in 1 gallon hot water.
Oven cleaner: Pour 2 tablespoons Murphy Oil Soap and 2 tablespoons borax in a pint spray bottle. Fill with hot water and shake. Spray on oven surfaces and leave for 20 minutes. Scrub with plastic scrubbing pad.
