Cleaning the Green Way

There are now some wonderful eco-friendly alternatives to cleaning your bathroom rather than using the highly toxic chemical cleaners available from your local supermarket. And you'll even find that you can make your house sparkling clean and smelling beautiful and fresh with everyday ingredients and products that are sitting in your pantry.

I visited a friend's home the other day. We have known each other for years and get on wonderfully well, spending time going fishing or watching a ball game. We even started playing golf. We laugh a lot because we each manage to lose at least one golf ball every time.

So I went round to have a relaxing afternoon, share a drink and perhaps play some pool on his table downstairs. But when I got there, I found him looking a little frantic. He had forgotten that his boss was going to show up for dinner that night. He was happy I visited because, instead of billiards, he was able to get me to help with some chores while he made supper.

I wasn't pleased, but I decided that friends help each other out. So I headed for his bathroom to see if it needed cleaning. And did it ever! There's some places in the house where you're judged more than others, and the bathroom is certainly one of those. And I have to admit, I take a bit of pride in keeping mine in good working order.

I opened his cupboard and found the normal array of cleaning chemicals that he'd bought from the supermarket. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a green freak, but I figure if we all do a little we can help clean up the environment. And the chemicals are really dangerous if they are ever swallowed by children, or if they somehow get into the storm water system, perhaps if there is flooding or a burst main.

So I headed back into the kitchen and found all the ingredients I needed to clean his bathroom. Fresh club soda is an excellent stain remover and polisher. White vinegar kills fungus and germs and baking soda can be used to eliminate bad odors.

Armed with these I returned to the bathroom and, with a bit of elbow grease, I cleaned it in no time. Once I'd done that, I had a quick look at his plumbing and found that the shower wasn't flowing so well. He has a flow restrictor shower head, but even so, it should have been working a lot better. I got a brush and a darning needle and carefully cleaned the pin holes through which the water comes in the shower head. That's all it took, just a bit of a clean, and lo, he had fast flowing water again.

I'd also noted that the water didn't flow so well down the sink hole, so I poured one cup of baking soda and three cups of hot water down into the drain, and it was as good as new when I rinsed it out. It wasn't much of a blockage, but if you let things go, they can turn into much worse problems.

I then checked his taps and toilet weren't leaking, then cleaned the floor with a combination of liquid castile soap, white vinegar and warm water. And to give it that finishing touch, before I finished, I mixed club soda with one teaspoon of lemon juice and used it to clean the mirror.

Autor: Scott S. Rodgers Scott S. Rodgers
Level: Platinum
Scott Rodgers is a retired master plumber who writes for both a plumbing and non-plumbing audience....

Scott Rodgers is a plumber with many years of experience in ecologically friendly plumbing solutions for your home. For more information visit http://www.eLocalPlumbers.com

Added: April 29, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/