Item 1 of our Guide on Cleansing your Home Without the Use of Chemicals.
// June 19th, 2010 // House and Home
After all the revelling of the holiday season, your home is probably feeling neglected and needs a complete clean. One way to go about this job is to buy loads of expensive cleaning products, or even hire a professional company to take care of the entire process for you. If these aren’t an option for you, then have a look at our guide Natural or homemade cleaners offer a variety of benefits, including hardly any health risks, lower costs, and yet another opportunity to go green. With lots of media attention focusing on germ control in the home and making sure your home is thoroughly clean, you can be forgiven for assuming the only way to do this is with toxic chemicals. We have put together an article for you on how to lower or even remove the need for these chemicals. Julie Kinnear, MLS GTA expert known for her green approach, will share few tips with you!
Cleaning out the Microwave
Quite often individuals forget about cleaning the inside of the microwave; after a while it is full of crusty food leftovers, a horrid smell, and a coat of grease and spatter that is hard to get rid of. Slice lemons and oranges and put them in a container of water before placing them inside the microwave – a tip from hygiene experts from Britain. Heating these on full power for about 5 minutes has many uses, as the steam softens the dirt and grease therefore making it easy to wipe clean, the oranges absorb the grease, while the lemons get rid of disgusting smells. If citrus fruits aren’t at hand, you can use a wet rag instead to make the steam (don’t forget a dry one would catch on fire!). The effect of the damp cloth is similar to the citrus fruit method if left in the microwave for a few minutes.
How to Clean out your Fridge
The inside of the fridge can be cleansed with a little soapy water, but remember you don’t need large amounts of the soap product. A toothbrush with a tiny bit of toothpaste is fantastic for those hard to reach places. Turn off your freezer if that needs cleaning out and place a bowl of hot water inside, this creates heat which helps the ice melt. Once the ice has defrosted use some lemon water to cleanse and freshen the inside of your freezer.
Cleaning the Top of your Kitchen Cooker Efficiently.
Some cooker tops are very prone to damage so you need to take particular care, such as glass-ceramic electric or induction cookers. Food and spillages can build up to hard to remove stains, therefore wiping the cooker top down after every use can help control this happening. Baking soda mixed with water, applied with a plastic brush, can be used to carefully scrub to top of your cooker clean if grease and burnt on food becomes an issue
Tips on Scrubbing your Oven
Nobody likes to clean out their oven. If you aren’t fortuitous enough to have a self-cleaning one, the chore is not fun. With quite a few methods of doing the job, it can be quite easy. Mix 5 tbsp of baking soda, 3 drops of liquid soap, and 4 tbsp of white vinegar into a thick paste; this is one of the most uncomplicated products you can make to scrub out your oven. Using a sponge to scour, apply the mixture to the inside of your oven. Before rinsing the oven, wipe the mix off the interior with a clean cloth and allow to dry. Half a cup of ammonia left in a closed oven for a few hours is another natural cleaning method. Using a damp rag, wipe the oven out and see for yourself how clean the oven looks.
