Cleaning
Research has shown that the average home is a more toxic environment than many public buildings. We spend so many hours of each day in our homes that it can quickly become a breeding ground for countless bacteria and viruses. It may be surprising that there are alternative ways to clean your home that also help safeguard the air quality. If you are interested in buying online, we recommend Lily’s Herbals. http://www.lilysgardenherbals.com/
Exposure to toxins in cleaning products and paints is taxing on the body. More than ever before children are experiencing asthma and other related conditions that are brought on, or accelerated by, the quality of air we breathe.
Keeping A Healthy Home Environment
Mothers are very aware of the environment that their toddlers are exposed to each day in the home. In that stage of life, children are constantly interacting with the floor either through crawling, falling, or playing on it. One way to create a safer environment for children is to remove your shoes at the door. Visibly, it reduces the dirt that comes into the home. On an “invisible” level, it is believed that the lead from gasoline exhaust, which is heavy, hovers close to the ground. When walking around in the outside world we pick up this lead residue on our footwear. This residue then enters the home, and remains close to the ground, where young children are playing. Leaving footwear at the doorway helps to keep the lead out of your home.
Often, a laundry basket is kept in children’s bedrooms to facilitate easy clean up. Similar to shoes, clothing carries the pollutants from the outside world, and when the clothing is in the bedroom all night the children are exposed to hours of toxins. Keeping laundry out of the bedrooms can help the health of your indoor environment.
Below are some recommendations for replacing household commercial cleaners with natural choices. Prepared products are now available at grocery stores and at health food stores. Home made cleaning products are eay to create, are easier on the environment (less plastic packaging, shipping, proper disposal), and are often easier on the budget. There is also a wealth of information online to help make this transition possible.
- Floor wash for mopping: 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of vinegar
- All purpose surface cleaner: half water and half vinegar
- Countertops
- Marble
- Glass
- Surface Scrub: baking soda (sprinle on surface, spread with cloth)
- Sinks, bathtubs
- Toilet, add germicide at same time, scrub with brush
- Stainless steel
- Silver polish (check online for recipe, do not apply directly to silver)
- Cleaning drains: add vinegar to the baking soda
- Boiling water: pour down drains monthly to keep drains clean
- Furniture Polish: oil (safflower or olive), lemon juice (same amount as oil), shake before using , make in smaller quantitites
- Humidifier – add eucalyptus (nice for nasal passages in winter)