Respecting the environment also involves the products we use to clean our homes from floor to ceiling. Consumers are often seduced by the promise of chemical products sold in supermarkets and forget about the impact of chemical products on their health and nature.
How about taking an inventory of what’s in your cupboard? We eat organic, but we insist on using bleach, and we’re not always ready for eco-responsible cleaning!
- Floor
We’re talking here about tile or all floors, such as linoleum, that support the passage of a mop soaked in hot water. To avoid using products that are harmful to the environment, but also to the health of you and your family (and your baby who crawls on the floor from time to time!), here’s a simple and often cheaper alternative to chemical cocktails that’s hitting supermarket shelves.
In a bucket of very hot water, pour a tablespoon of liquid black soap (you can find it at an organic or hardware store). You can add ten drops of white pine essential oil to it for a fresh smell. No need to rinse. Floors are gleaming and non-stick.
- windows
Cleaning windows is not easy. When you have bay windows, this task can quickly become a nightmare. How can I leave no trace? Our grandmothers used newspapers, that’s all. We rubbed it with a sheet rolled into a ball and the tiles were shiny again.
If your windows are really dirty, mix hot water and white vinegar. Wipe down and dry your windows with a microfiber cloth, an effective and essential ally.
- Faucets, sinks and bathtubs
Baking soda seems to be the best natural product for restoring a faucet that has been rapidly encroached by limestone. Along with white vinegar and lemon, baking soda must always be present in kitchens and bathrooms to clean, stain, polish and degrease countertops, faucets and stovetops.
This is another recipe too. Get a bottle of window washer with a spray on it. Pour in one liter of hot water, then one tablespoon of baking soda, then one tablespoon of white vinegar, and finally ten drops of tea tree or lemon essential oil. This product scrubs everything without exception!
- Toilet
Is your toilet clogged and fouled? Mix a half cup of white vinegar, a quarter cup of black soap, and three drops of eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils in a basin. Leave overnight. In the morning, scrub and flush the toilet. Better not? - Laundry
Ingredients in industrial detergents are often the cause of skin irritation or allergies. To wash your own (very gentle) clothes, it couldn’t be easier: mix 125 g of Marseille soap flakes (flakes) with three liters of hot water, add ten drops of lavender essential oil to sanitize and leave your laundry smelling great.
Once the mixture has cooled, add four tablespoons of baking soda. Shake it up and it’s ready. Put half a cup of this preparation in your machine’s detergent drawer. If you want to bleach and/or soften your clothes, pour one cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment. It doesn’t smell, I promise, plus it removes limestone from the machine by the way.
