Category: Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Did you know that most households contain at least 20 toxic chemicals, most which are accessile to children? 

Whenever we spray an ammonia, use bleach based cleaners and disinfectants, use furniture polish or oven cleaner, we are releasing countless toxins into the air our families breathe.  Chemicals that have been sitting on the shelf unused for long periods are also a danger because chemicals react to heat, movement and age.  These chemicals get more concentrated and less safe the longer they sit there.  

Here are some safer alternatives to a clean and green home that are inexpensive, non-toxic and effective:

Vinegar. The acids in vinegar can cut grease and remove the most stubborn dirt and grime.  Vinegar makes an excellent floor, oven and window cleaner.  It can replace the toxic fumes and propellants of floor polish, ammonia and oven cleaners.  It is also safe for your skin.  Use vinegar straight for heavy grease or dilute it for window cleaning and lighter work.

Baking soda neutralizes and removes odors, purifies, absorbs moisture, scours and scrubs, polishes, disinfects, and cleans.  When mixed with vinegar, it will create a foaming action that will clean drains.  Say good-bye to poisonous drain cleaners!

Lemons. The acid in a fresh lemon cut will remove stains from metal pans, flatware, stoves, bakeware, and appliances.  Sprinkle some salt on the lemon for added abrasive cleaning for baked on foods in the oven, on the stovetop and on cookware.

Oven cleaners are among the most toxic of household chemicals.  Using lemon and salt may take a bit more elbow grease, but at least they are non-toxic!

Hydrogen Peroxide is an extremely potent stain remover and whitener.  Peroxide is an excellent substitute for bleach cleaners and additives in the laundry and bath.  It also cleans carpet and upholstery stains.  Peroxide does not remove color from fabrics like bleach does. 

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about you and your family.  Share your natural green cleaning recipes with us!  For more information on healthy green cleaning and green living, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.

Everyone likes a clean home, but few of us like the chore of cleaning.   Even worse, we often rely on a cocktail of hazardous substances to make our bathrooms sparkle or our floors shine. 

Dishwashing detergents often contain phosphates that pollute the groundwater, wood polish sometimes contains flammable toxins like nitrobenzene, and laundry detergent can contain bleach and other corrosives.

We lock our cleaning products under our cabinets away from children but do we ever stop to realize what these chemicals are actually doing to our own bodies?

Many cleaners irritate our skin, eyes, and lungs.  They also leave toxic residues or pollute the water when we rinse them down the drain.  But keeping our homes clean and avoiding toxic cleaners isn't tough to do.  Green cleaners are made from a range of safer substances that we already have around our house.

Stock up on a few safe, simple ingredients like soap, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and borax.  These products can take care of most household cleaning needs.

A paste of baking soda, salt, and hot water makes a great oven cleaner.

To clean up mold and mildew, use a mixture of lemon juice or white vinegar and salt.

Baking soda and cornstarch are both great carpet deodorizers.

For an effective glass cleaner, use a mixture of half white vinegar and half water.

Instead of using drain cleaner, try pouring a quarter cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar down the clogged drain.  Close the drain tightly until fizzing stops, then flush with boiling water.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about the health of you and your family.  For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com
and maidbrigade.com.
 

Did you ever wonder about the ingredients that make up your cleaning products?  Since companies do not have to disclose all the ingredients in cleaning products, how do we, as consumers, know which ones might be harmful to use?

Here is a list of frequently found ingredients that can be toxic to you and the environment:

Ammonia is found in glass cleaners, floor cleaners and bathroom cleaners.  It is poisonous when swallowed.  Ammonia is a big irritant to the skin or when inhaled.

Diethylene Glycol is found in glass and bathroom cleaners.  It is poisonous when swallowed and irritating to the lungs.

Chlorine Bleach is found in a variety of cleaners.  It is very irritating to the eyes and skin and is an environmental hazard.

Triclosan is found in antibacterial cleaners and thought to be contributing to antibiotic resistant bacteria.

DEA and TEA are found in many products and used as preservatives.  When combined with nitrosomes, they can produce carcinogens.

Petroleum based ingredients are found in all kinds of cleaners.  They are very bad for the environment.

Fragrance is found in air fresheners and almost all cleaners.  Fragrance usually contains phthalates used to stabilize synthetic scents.  Fragrance is a known carcinogen and is a frequent cause of allergies.

1,4-dioxane is found in dishwashing and other household cleaners.  It has been found to be a cancer causing ingredient.

Formaldehyde is found in a variety of cleaners.  It is a known carcinogen.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services takes pride in educating consumers about toxic chemicals!

For more information on healthy green cleaning and green living, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.

Chlorine is the bleaching agent found in some household cleaning products.  Though it will get whites whiter, this chemical is extremely irritating to the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes.  Did you know that chlorine was actually used as a powerful poison in World War I?

Chlorine is the household chemical most frequently involved in household poisonings.  It also ranks first in causing industrial injuries and deaths resulting from large industrial accidents.  The residues left behind, known as organochlorides, have been linked to many cancers, including breast cancer.  Studies have also shown a link between chlorine exposure from pools and the development of asthma in young children.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about the health of you and your family.  Please share your stories, tips, recipes and ideas on healthy green cleaning and green living with us.  For more information please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.
   

When you clean your oven, toilet, bath tile, kitchen floor, or windows, you can smell the toxins.  The product label even tells you to wear gloves, avoid contact with skin and eyes, and do not breathe the fumes.  If the cleaning products are too dangerous to touch, how are they cleaning your home?  What kind of residues are left in your oven, where you prepare food for your family?  What about the kitchen floor where your children are crawling, or the bathtub they are sitting  in?

These everyday products diminish indoor air quality by introducing a variety of harmful chemicals.  Is it possible that the air inside your home is more toxic than the air outside?  If you use bleach, traditional cleaning products, air fresheners, dry cleaning services, or other common household chemicals, it probably is.   

The EPA reports poisonings as the #1 cause of hospital visits by children.  Some hospitals report 79% of all poison control center cases involve children, with 64% occuring in children under age 5. The toxins commonly found under a kitchen sink are often the culprit. We welcome toxic chemicals into our homes in the name of cleanliness, but how clean is a home full of carcinogenic residues?

Green alternatives are the only solution.  As the truth about the chemical and petroleum industries leaks, consumers are faced with harsh realities. People want to protect their families, but it is hard to read between the advertising lines.  Companies put flowers on bottles of poison, and use the word "green" to distract consumers from a petrochemical additive, and leave out ingredient listings all together. The fact is chemical companies don’t have to list the ingredients on household cleaning products.

The green cleaning product revolution is evolving. There are numerous products on the market that aim to protect you, your family, and the environment. But no two eco-friendly products are alike. Look for cleaners that are enzyme-based, plant-based, and fragrance-free. Perfumes and dyes contribute to respiratory problems and multiple chemical sensitivity disorders.  Make sure the products you are using have the Green Seal of approval on the label.  Another alternative is to make your own green cleaning products at home.

The first step to protecting yourself and your family from common household toxins is information. When it comes to protecting your health and the environment, it is best to be choosy.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services would like to hear from you!  Let us know how you feel about harsh chemicals in your cleaners!  For more information on healthy green living, please go to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.
 

Having trouble trying to get your shower door tracks clean?  Here is a quick tip to use:

Plug the drain holes in the door track with a little bit of paper towel made into a ball.
Pour in undiluted white vinegar.
Let this soak for 30 minutes.
Unplug the holes and rinse the track with a spray bottle of water and run a rag down it.  This will flush the accumulated build-up out of the track.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about you and your family.  Share your comments with us!

For more information on healthy green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.

Vinegar is a mild acid which can kill 82% of mold species.  However, it also has the advantages of being natural and safe.  Vinegar is non-toxic and doesn't give off dangerous fumes like bleach does.

To kill mold with vinegar, use white distilled vinegar.  Vinegar is inexpensive and can be found in your local food store.

Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle without watering it down.

Spray the vinegar onto the moldy surface and let it sit for about 1 hour.

Wipe the area with water and allow the surface to dry.  The smell of vinegar should disappear within a few hours.

If you want to use vinegar to prevent mold growing on surfaces, just spray vinegar on the surface and leave it.  Repeat this every few days to ensure the surface will stay mold-free.  You can even mop your tiled bathroom floor or other non-porous floors with vinegar if you are worried about mold growing on them!

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about you and your family.  Leave a comment and let us know your ideas on how to get rid of mold the "green" way.

For more information on healthy green living, please go to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com.