From curtains to furniture and oven to carpet, the whole house needs some top-to-bottom cleaning every once in a while. In many countries — especially those with a cold winter — spring is the most common time of the year to do this, while in Islamic countries, decluttering the house prior to the start of Ramadan is a popular choice. Whenever you decide to roll up your sleeves: try to clean your house in a greener way this year. Green cleaning is not only very easy and effective, it is also a much more economical way to clean.
Conventional cleaning products are petroleum-based and contain hundreds of chemicals. Their impact on the environment is often unknown. Using natural, nontoxic products to clean the house will minimize the amount of chemicals washed down the drain, ending up in the natural environment and destroying fragile aquatic ecosystems.
Apart from harming the environment, several chemicals found in cleaning products affect the health of humans as well. While most of us have experienced how certain cleaning products cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation, less is known about chemicals used in cleaning products acting as carcinogens, reproductive toxins or teratogens (causing malformation of an embryo). Although the small amounts of cleaning products we usually employ for cleaning are unlikely to bring serious harm to our health, the problem is that most people use a whole array of products — one for the bathroom tiles, another to clean the toilet bowl, a spray for the mirrors, an anti-limescale product for the washer… This, plus the fact that we repeatedly expose ourselves to these chemicals and not always ventilate our homes sufficiently while and after cleaning, means that these toxins add up and can cause serious harm to us.
Green cleaning products are mostly non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources, but they can be hard to find in Saudi Arabia. An easy and effective way keep your house, the environment and your health status clean is to use cleaners made from things you are likely to find in your cupboard. Some white vinegar, lemon, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and olive oil is all you need to get your home spic-and-span!
Bathroom
To clean bathroom tiles, use some vinegar diluted with water, and rub them with a brush or sponge.
For the sink and water faucets, use a spray filled with pure vinegar. Spray it on the surfaces and leave it for a while, then wipe away with a clean cloth. If the lime or calcium buildup is very persistent, use paper towels drenched in vinegar and cover the sink and faucet with it. Leave it overnight; the next day you will have a shiny, new-looking sink and faucet.
To get streak-free mirrors and windows, spray some pure vinegar on them and dry with an old, crumpled newspaper.
Toilet bowls can also be perfectly cleaned with vinegar and baking soda. Pour some vinegar in the bowl and let it soak for 30 minutes. Then, sprinkle some baking soda on the toilet brush and scour the bowl with it. The result: a perfectly clean toilet.
Kitchen
Vinegar is also a very useful cleaning agent in the kitchen. To clean the counter and cupboards, use one cup of vinegar and three cups of water. This will perfectly disinfect the counter.
To remove smells from the fridge, fill a small cup with vinegar or baking soda dissolved in water and put it in the fridge. It will absorb any bad odor effectively.
The oven and microwave are often difficult to clean. However, with this easy trick, you won’t have to scrub hard anymore. Make a paste with equal amounts of baking soda and water, and apply it with a sponge all over the oven or microwave. Leave it for one night: the next morning you will be able to easily remove the dirt with a clean, wet sponge. Another way to clean built-up grease is to place a heatproof cup with water and lemon juice in the oven. Heat the oven and leave it for a while to let the lemon juice evaporate. The lemon dissolves the grease, making it a piece of cake to wipe it clean afterwards.
A slow drain can be loosened by pouring half a cup of baking soda down it, then boil a cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain as well.
Living room
Similarly to cleaning bathroom tiles and the kitchen counter, a mix of water and vinegar works great for mopping vinyl, laminate and ceramic floors. If you are not a fan of a vinegar smell all over the house, add some essential oil of your choice to your homemade cleaning product. Tea tree oil, for instance, is known for its antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic qualities, making it ideal for cleaning. For wooden floors or furniture, add some olive oil to the bucket to polish them to perfection. If the idea of not using any soap puts you off, use some liquid Castile soap, which is vegetable-based and not made with animal fat, as soaps normally are.
Stains or bad odors on the carpet can easily be removed by sprinkling some baking soda, cornmeal, or a combination of the two on them. Leave it in for a couple of hours and vacuum.
Dust is omnipresent in our part of the world, so dusting the house is a very important part of getting it clean. Use a damp rag rather than a very wet one, as this will hold the dust better. Soak it in equal amounts of water and vinegar and some drops of lemon and essential oil for a nice scent. Wring it out and start cleaning.
Many people worry that natural cleaning products are not as powerful as the concoctions sold in supermarkets. In fact, chemical cleaning products that kill all bacteria — including the good ones — are a threat to the world, as they contribute to the creation of drug resistant bacteria. Besides that, our germophobia may have led to the increase in the occurrence of asthma among children.
To prevent the spread of microorganisms, it is sufficient to soak cleaning sponges and cloths in a pot with boiling water after using them.
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