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Cleaning Your Home Naturally

By: | Tags: | Comments: 0 | May 17th, 2018

Many of our Mesa chiropractic patients are curious about how they can live a healthier, more natural lifestyle. One of the largest sources of toxins in our life can be the cleaning products that we use. It’s amazing that the products we think should be helping us, can actually be causing us more harm. Before WWII, and the rise in chemical research, people used a handful of basic ingredients to keep their homes clean. Many people have become dependent on cleaning their homes with a toxic mix of chemicals.

TOP 10 MOST HARMFUL CLEANING PRODUCTS:
1. Scrubbing Bubbles
2. EASY-OFF
3. Up & Up Cleaners
4. Lysol Disinfectant
5. Ajax, Dynamo + Fab Ultra
6. Comet
7. Citra-Solv
8. Clorox
9. 409
10. Mr. Clean

BAKING SODA [Sodium Bicarbonate] – Use it to remove odors from refrigerators, freezers, drains, carpets + upholstery. It can also be used to remove stains + brush your teeth! Dissolve 4 Tablespoons in a quart of warm water to make an all-purpose cleaner, add vinegar to clean toilets.

BORAX [Sodium Borate] – Dissolves in water, and can be used as an alternative bleach to kill mold, mildew, and bacteria. When mixed with sugar, it can also be used to kill cockroaches. Mix half a cup into a gallon of hot water to disinfect and deodorize, add lemon juice to clean toilets. Putting half a cup into the bottom of your garbage pail will block odor-causing mold + bacteria.

CORNSTARCH – Can be used to clean windows, carpets + rugs. It also absorbs oils and grease. Mix with vinegar to make a window + glass cleaner. Mix with dry-cleaning fluid to remove grease, crayon or food stains from the walls.

LEMON [Contains Citric Acid] – Can be used as an alternative to bleach to clean and deodorize your home. Mix it with half a cup of olive oil to polish your furniture. Rub a cut lemon on chopping blocks to sanitize them, to remove stains, rub in the lemon juice and let stand for 20 minutes before rinsing. You can run the peel of a lemon through the garbage disposal to deodorize the sink.

VINEGAR – Containing about 5% acetic acid, vinegar has the ability to dissolve grease, remove soap, mildew or wax, clean windows, carpets + exteriors. It can be used straight or mixed in equal parts water to disinfect + deodorize your home. Undiluted, vinegar can clean toilet bowls. Water-Vinegar can be used to clean bathroom + kitchen surfaces and floors to clean and remove soap scum.

TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE – Sold at hardware stores as a white powder, TSP is a mixture of phosphoric acid and soda ash. It is less poisonous or caustic than other chemicals and has no fumes. Another water-soluble white powder, sodium carbonate, is sold as washing soda and can be used to disinfect, remove grease and other stains, soften water + clean clothes.

SOAP – Simple Castile or vegetable-oil soaps can be used as a shampoo or body cleanser. Olive oil-based soaps are said to be the gentlest on the skin. To make an all-purpose liquid soap, dissolve pieces of bar soap in warm water. When using soap in the laundry, add vinegar to keep colors bright, or add baking soda to soften and freshen fabrics. Mild Soaps are also good for hand washing silks and wools.

HERBS + ESSENTIAL OILS – Plants and their oils can be used to disinfect surfaces and give them a fresh fragrance. Tea tree oil, lavender, clove and grapefruit tree extract are considered good antiseptics. Make a spray to disinfect and kill mold by adding a teaspoon of essential oil to two cups of water. Other oils that can be used include thyme, sweet orange, lemongrass, rose, eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary, bitch + pine. Adding a teaspoon of washing soda, two teaspoons of borax, and half a teaspoon of liquid soap to a hot-water mix makes this an all-purpose cleaner. Let the liquid sit on a surface for 15 minutes before washing off.
To learn more about other hidden toxins in your home, chat with Dr. Laurie Pavtis at your next chiropractic or massage appointment!