Alternative Cleansers

Energy and food aside this week for me, I want to share what I found out about useful, non-toxic alternative household cleaning agents. I Googled “alternative cleansers” and found these two clever websites:

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/cleaning.html

http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm

They highlight baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), washing soda (sodium carbonate), vinegar, lemon juice, borax, castile soap and vegetable based soaps.
These nifty alternatives are simple solutions to saving money, improve our health and reduce the toxic products leaking into the water and soil. A lot of these cleaning methods are not new secrets. They are age old and very inexpensive. Our grandmothers used such everyday ingredients back in the day.

The Boston Globe recently had a story published about just how “green” new marketed products are. They are often more expensive and their green credentials are often questionable.

I have used washing soda in my laundry; it aids in softening the water and boosts cleansing power. Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), often used for stabilizing egg whites, not mentioned in these websites can be mixed with vinegar or hot water makes a great silver polish.

Ecocycle.org motto is “working to build zero waste communities” is also a useful website for ecological friendly news and tips. Remember Cap and Trade by Annie Leonard? Eco cycle features other public service type announcements narrated by Annie Leonard. There is a link that directs you straight to The Story of Stuff Project website.

Meghan