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With this years flu season and the additional worry of the H1N1 virus, many of us are  spending extra time wiping down high traffic and germ prone surfaces, such as banister railings, bathrooms, and kitchen counters, in our homes and workplaces.  

Using inexpensive, homemade cleaning products to keep surfaces germ-free is a safe and healthier way to clean.  There are some reliable disinfecting solutions that can be made from products that can be found right in our own homes.

Full strength vinegar kills 99 percent of bacteria and 82 percent of mold, a claim that some well-known disinfectants have proven to be ineffective at. 

Vinegar can be made into an even more powerful antiseptic by adding a few drops of tea tree oil.  Another way to increase vinegar's effectiveness is to add baking soda.

Three percent hydrogen peroxide is another product that is a good household cleaner. It is a germicidal agent that is made up of only water and oxygen. This solution kills micro-organisms by oxidizing them. 

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 or maidbrigade.com.  For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.

What can you do when you want to avoid exposing your children to toxic chemicals like bleach, but still kill the germs that will make them sick?

Keep white vinegar in a spray bottle, and 3% hydrogen peroxide in another (the bottle containing the hydrogen peroxide should be opaque, as it will degrade in a clear bottle). 

Spray your contaminated surfaces with the vinegar and follow with hydrogen peroxide.

This lethal (to germs) combination has been shown to be as effective as chlorine bleach, killing 99% of bacteria.

You can also use distilled white vinegar to prevent mold, and use a mixture of borax and white vinegar to prevent mold from growing.

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 or maidbrigade.com.

Cleaning with vinegar and other non-toxic homemade cleaners is a great way to clean green.

As a degreaser, spray with straight vinegar and let soak for a while, then lightly scrub.  Wipe away and the surface will no longer have a greasy residue.

For the counters, the best way to clean counters is to first spray them with vinegar, wipe, and then spray with a simple peroxide solution (1/2 water and 1/2 hydrogen peroxide).  The 3% hydrogen peroxide can be used as a disinfectant.  Peroxide and vinegar, when used together, kills most bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  Do not mix the two as they are not as effective.

To clean windows and mirrors, spray with a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.  You can also use straight club soda for a streak-free shine.

For microwave cleaning, mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 cup water and microwave until it boils, then wipe.

For stain fighters, rub the stain with vinegar and wash.  For blood stains, put peroxide on the stain, scrub with an old toothbrush, and wash.

For bleaching laundry, instead of bleach, pour a cup of peroxide into the washing machine.

To clean dishes, use dish detergent but add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the dishwater to eliminate grease and odors.

Do you have any non-toxic cleaning recipes or comments that you would like to share?  Write to us and let us know what your favorite recipes are!

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 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.