John Pletz is CEO of ServiceMaster Clean by Pletz, based in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and knows more than a little bit about cleaning products. Here he talks about natural things found in most homes that can be used for environmentally-friendly cleaning practices, making your home look and smell nice and not leaving any potentially harmful residues.
Sometimes people claim that something is 100-percent recycled, and in reality, the product inside is not recycled, just the cardboard on the outside. Or somebody will say that a product is green, based on a simple environmental attribute such as chlorine-free bleaching, without paying attention to how much energy is produced to make it, how it affects the water, or how it enters the atmosphere.
In other cases, a product might come with an environmental claim but there is no proof to back it up, no third-party certification. For example, if you are using toilet paper that says it has post-consumer recycled content, there might be no proof or evidence that it is there, just a sign attesting to the “fact.”
That is why it is so nice to use real products that you have at home, ones you know are safe and environmentally-friendly, to get the best and freshest cleaning results possible. Here are a few examples:
Lemons
- To take care of hard water build-up in and around sinks, lemon juice is great. Cut a lemon in half and use it to scrub the area. Use a scrub brush or pad and water to clean leftover pulp and loosen built-up particles.
- Stains on a countertop can be removed by rubbing the stain with lemon juice as well. Allow the juice to dwell on the stain for a few minutes, and then scrub the area with baking soda. Stains should disappear easily. Be careful not to leave the lemon juice on too long.
- For grease you can spray or rub lemon juice on greasy, sticky buildups, allowing some dwell time until the buildup washes off. Lemon juice also has a bleaching effect. So once again be careful. But, it works well and smells fantastic.
Baking Soda
Baking soda can be used as a scrubbing formula for tubs, sinks, tile and countertops. Mix half a cup baking soda in enough mild liquid soap or eco-friendly detergent to make a frosting-like consistency. First pour the baking soda into a bowl; and then slowly pour in the liquid soap or detergent, stirring continuously, until the consistency reaches that of a cake frosting. Scoop some of the mixture onto a sponge, wash the surface, and then rinse the area with clean water.
Vinegar
You can also easily make a great all-purpose window cleaning solution by combining a 1/4 cup of vinegar, just a drop of mild, eco-friendly detergent and three cups of water. Pour into a spray bottle and shake gently before using. Spray it sparingly on windows and wipe clean with a dry cotton cloth. Fold the cloth and switch clean sides to get more cleaning done per cloth.
