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Green Cleaning Tips

“…Natural cleaning isn’t just great for the environment. It’s also great for your budget…” – Carrie
green-homes

The better way to clean your house:

  1. Drain Cleaner.
  2. Oven Cleaner.
  3. Toilet Cleaner.
  4. Tub and Shower Cleaner.
  5. Porcelain Stain Removal.
  6. Mirror and Glass Cleaner.
  7. Other Sources of Information to Tackle Climate Change.

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1. Drain Cleaner.

You Will Need:

  • 2 cups baking soda
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup vinegar

Directions:

  1. Remove all water from the sink or tub and pour about 1 cup of baking soda  down the drain. Make sure that baking soda makes it down the drain.
  2. Next, pour about  2 Cups of boiling water down the drain. The baking soda mixed with boiling water dissolves the sludge and gunk in the pipe, even if you don’t see it happening. Wait a few minutes.
  3. Now, pour another cup baking soda down the drain then add 1 cup of white vinegar  and plug the drain immediately. If you’re unclogging a double sink, plug both drains. You’ll hear sizzling coming up from the drain and see bubbles foaming up.
  4. When the bubbles have died down, add the remaining boiling water down the drain.
  5. Repeat this process if necessary. This can be used as a monthly treatment to help prevent future clogs too; simply pour a cup of baking soda down the drains followed by boiling water.

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2. Oven Cleaner.

You Will Need:

  • Baking soda
  • Water
  • Rubber gloves
  • Damp dish cloth
  • Plastic or silicone spatula
  • Spray bottle
  • White vinegar

Directions:

  1. Remove the oven racks: Remove your oven racks, pizza stone, oven thermometer, and anything else you have inside the oven. Set aside.
  2. Make a baking soda paste: In a small bowl, mix a 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water. Adjust the ratio of both as needed until you have a spreadable paste. For me this took about 3 tablespoons of water to get the desired spreadable consistency.
  3. Coat your oven: Spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of your oven, steering clear of the heating elements. I used gloves for this portion as my oven was pretty grimy. It helped me really get in there and coat the dirtiest nooks and crannies without having to worry about all that grime under my nails. The baking soda will turn a brownish color as you rub it in; it also might be chunkier in some places than others. That is fine. Just try to coat the whole oven to the best of your abilities, paying attention to any particularly greasy areas.
  4. Let it sit overnight: Allow the baking soda mixture to rest for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
  5. Clean your oven racks: Meanwhile, clean your oven racks. See the full cleaning tutorial here.
  6. Wipe out the oven: After 12 hours or overnight, take a damp dish cloth and wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can. Use a plastic or silicone spatula to help scrape off the paste as needed. I found that the damp cloth was enough for me, but a spatula might come in handy in those hard-to- reach places.
  7. Spray a little vinegar: Put a little vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz everywhere you still see baking soda residue in your oven. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and gently foam.
  8. Do a final wipe down: Take your damp cloth and wipe out the remaining foamy vinegar-baking-soda mixture. Repeat until all the baking soda residue is gone. Add more water or vinegar to your cloth as needed while wiping to really get the oven clean and shiny.
  9. Replace your oven racks: Replace the oven racks and anything else you keep in your oven, and you’re done!

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3. Toilet Cleaner.

You Will Need:

  • 1 spoon baking soda
  • ½ cup vinegar

Directions:

  1. Mix together half a cup of vinegar and a spoonful of baking soda.
  2. Pour the mixture into the toilet bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes.
  3. Scub.
  4. Repeat once a week.

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4. Tub and Shower Cleaner.

You Will Need:

  • Baking soda
  • Dishwashing liquid
  • Sponge
  • Nylon scrubber
  • Vinegar

Directions:

  1. Make a past of baking soda and dishwashing liquid.
  2. Wipe past on with sponge.
  3. Clean with nylon scrubber.
  4. Spraying the corners of your tub or your shower doors and walls with vinegar can loosen built-up soap scum.
  5. After spraying, allow it to dry. Then simply spray it down again and wipe clean.

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5. Porcelain Stain Removal.

You Will Need:

  •  Lemon juice
  • Alum powder
  • Nylon scrubber

Directions:

  1. Pour lemon juice over the stains.
  2. Sprinkle on alum powder.
  3. Thoroughly work into the stain.
  4. If the stain doesn’t come out immediately, let the mixture sit on the stain overnight.
  5. The next morning, add more lemon juice, scrub again, and rinse.

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6. Mirror and Glass Cleaner.

You Will Need:

  •  30ml White Vinegar
  • 500ml Spray bottle
  • Distilled water
  • Microfiber cloth

Directions:

  1. Mix 30ml of White vinegar with distilled water in spray bottle.
  2. Spray on.
  3. Wipe with microfiber cloth.

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7. Other Sources of Information to Tackle Climate Change.

South African websites:

International websites:

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