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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Eco-Friendly Ways to Clean Your Home

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that indoor levels of pollutants can be 2 to 5 times higher (and occasionally more than 100 times higher) than outdoor pollutants.

Indoor pollution is caused from a wide range of issues, ranging from tobacco products to damp carpet to household cleaning and maintenance products. Many of these frightening indoor pollutants can be eliminated from your household by switching cleaners. Fortunately, there are numerous eco-friendly ways to clean your home inside and out without resorting to harsh chemicals.


Eliminate Pet Odors

Keep your pet’s odor at bay with a homemade cleaner made from common household products. Mix lemon peel and white vinegar in a jar, and leave the mixture for several days. Remove the peel, and use the vinegar as a cleaner. Lemon juice and vinegar also can absorb odors. Recycle what’s left of the vinegar concoction to remove a pet’s urine stain. Allow it to mostly dry before sprinkling baking soda on top of it to eliminate and neutralize any remaining odor.

Detox Your Toilet

Toilet cleaners are full of abrasive and dangerous chemicals. Keep yours clean and sparkling with a combination of baking soda, white vinegar, tea tree oil and an essential oil like lavender or lemon. You also can make a scrub for your toilet from baking soda, liquid Castile soap and tea tree oil to get out stubborn stains. Those same ingredients can also be used to scrub down your bathtub and bathroom sink.

Get Streak-Free Windows

You don’t need Windex to get your windows clean. Instead, save the remains of your morning’s black tea and gather up some used newspapers. Put the tea on your newspaper and wipe clean for a no-streak shine. If you’re fresh out of black tea, a sliced lemon can also help get your windows sparkling clean and your room smelling fresh.

Make Your Furniture Shine

Treat your furniture to an eco-friendly clean with an oil rub. Use an old cloth and dampen with olive oil to wipe down the surfaces of your end tables, bookcases and coffee tables. For a deeper clean, add lemon juice and a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the mixture.

Keep Your Backyard Natural

Pools endure a reputation for housing harsh chemicals to keep it safe and clean for refreshing days of swimming. But some pools actually need little to no chemicals, such as salt water and natural pools. Popular in Europe,natural pools are carefully-designed backyard ponds with landscaping and natural vegetation that keep it naturally clean.

If you want to stick with your current pool, there are plenty of eco-friendly options on the market to keep it clean without harming your health or the environment. Specialty Pool Products offers options like Natural Chemistry Pool Algae Treatment System and Pool Perfect with biodegradable natural enzymes to reduce the need for chlorine and bromine while treating oil and scum.