10051 Cleaning and Sanitation
I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.... I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. — Nancie J. Carmody
One person’s “clean” is another person’s “ugly mess”. iPermie isn’t here to suggest the level of cleanliness you should pursue in your living arrangements. Some people work well in a cluttered environment, others don’t. You have to come up with something that works for you and the people with whom you live and work.
Instead, let’s look at some low cost alternatives to the expensive and toxic cleaning products found in the big box stores. Cleaning your house and kitchen should not result in pollution for the environment.
Clean as the mess occurs.
No mess gets better on its own. Typically, with time a mess gets worse because, e.g., it dries, hardens, bakes in, gets scattered, etc., all of which makes the eventual cleanup harder. Be prompt in cleaning messes and save yourself time, aggravation, and effort. Then you don’t need such powerful concentrated toxic cleaning agents.
This document doesn’t repeat anything in 10061, which is a government publication that discusses natural methods of sanitation in the kitchen. That publication recommends the use of chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar to sanitize kitchen food prep areas.
Use natural sponges and cloths.
Avoid sponges and brushes made with plastic or polyester, as part of a general permaculture-recommended avoidance of plastics. Many manufacturers treat commercial petrochemical-based sponges with triclosan, which can produce a carcinogen when it interacts with water treated with chlorine. Once used, petrochemical-based sponges can breed bacteria and are hard to sterilize and keep clean. The processes that manufacture petrochemical sponges are toxic to the ecology.
The secret to using cloths for cleanups is to rinse them immediately after using them. Don’t let whatever it is you’ve wiped up harden onto the fabric. Rinse them and hang them over the edge of a laundry basket or on a hook so they dry and don’t mildew.
Loofas: the better scrubbing alternative
Loofas (sometimes spelled loofah or luffa) are a natural sponge. They grow on a vine. It’s in the same plant family as pumpkins. You can grow them in your garden or indoors in a pot. Pick the sponges after they dry, peel them, and cut them into usable sections. They last longer than petrochemical sponges. They can be sterilized easily in boiling water, or using a solution of hydrogen peroxide or hot vinegar. You can use a sanitizing solution of bleach if your not avoiding it because of its toxicity. Hang them up between uses so they dry. Use loofas for general cleanups and for washing dishes. Over time and use, they become softer and people often switch them from washing dishes to washing bodies. Eventually, they end up in the compost pile, after literally months of use for each sponge. No petrochemicals involved! From nature they come, and to nature they return. What’s not to like about that?
Formulas for natural alternatives cleaning products.
The Environmental Working Group has a database of information about commercial cleaning products. Use it to check out the toxicity and environmental impact of common commercial household cleaners: www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners The site has a guide to healthy cleaning which reviews a number of products that are not harmful to the environment.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Add 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into ½ gallon water. Use as needed to clean tile, counters, sinks, mirrors, windows.
All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
Make a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. You can add lemon juice. If it is a tough cleaning situation, warm the solution just this side of hot.
All-Purpose Spray Cleaner Version 2
In a spray bottle, mix 1 tablespoon non-sudsing ammonia, 1 tablespoon laundry detergent, 2 cups water.
Furniture polish
Mix 1 cup olive oil and ½ cup lemon juice. Spread a small amount on a soft rag and use that to apply to the furniture. Switch to a dry cloth and polish dry.
Fabric softener
Add one cup vinegar to the rinse. It naturally softens fabrics and removes soap residues.
Scouring powder
Use baking soda, full strength, anywhere you would use a chlorine bleach cleanser powder. Rub with a damp sponge, rinse and wipe clean. If it is a tough job, make a paste of water and baking powder, spoon it on the area that needs cleaning, and let it sit for 15 minutes before rubbing clean and rinsing.
Toilet Cleaner
Flush the toilet, add undiluted vinegar at the rim so it runs over the surface of the interior of the bowl. Brush clean.
Another method: add a half box of baking soda, let it soak over night. Brush the next morning and flush.
Third method: add a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar. After the water stops bubbling, brush it clean.
Mold remover
Mix one part hydrogen peroxide (3%) with two parts water. Put in a spray bottle. Spray on moldy tiles and let sit for an hour. Rinse and wipe clean.
Cleaning waste baskets and food storage containers
Soak overnight with warm water and baking soda. Rinse and wipe clean. If necessary, use one of the spray cleaners listed here.
Drain Cleaner
Pour ½ cup baking soda down a drain, followed by 1/ cup vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes then pour in a couple of quarts of boiling water. Do not use this method if you have already used a commercial drain cleaner.
Oven cleaner
Moisten the walls, top and bottom of the inside of the oven with a wet cloth or sponge. Mix 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/4 cup water into a paste, and spread this over the interior of the oven. Let this sit overnight. Remove it with a spatula and wipe clean.
Sticker remover
Wet with vinegar, wait 15 minutes, wipe off. Also works for price stickers and labels.
Window cleaner
Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar with 1 quart of water. Use crumbled newspaper, squeegee, or cloth to clean.
Tarnish remover
Spread some ketchup onto a damp cloth and rub tarnish on metal pots and pans gently in a circular motion. Also works to remove the tarnish from sterling silver. Cover sterling silver items in ketchup and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water and hand dry.
Hardwood floor cleaner
Boil a pot of water and add six black tea bags. Let steep for ten minutes and cool (you can add cool water). Pour into your mop bucket and mop the hardwood floor as usual.
Toilet cleaner 2
Pour a bottle of your favorite fizzy soft drink around the rim of a toilet bowl so it covers the entire interior surface. Let sit for an hour. Use a toilet scrub brush, flush and voila, clean toilet. And to think that some people actually DRINK soft drinks!
Dish rinse/toothbrush cleaner
Add 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to your dish rinse water to give an extra disinfection to the rinse. Dip your toothbrush in a cup of hydrogen peroxide and swish it around to disinfect, then rinse before using. What, you don’t wash your toothbrush? You should. Regularly. We store them in bathrooms where fecal coliform bacteria floats around in the air.
Mirror and household chrome cleaner
Wipe with isopropyl alcohol, and then with a damp cloth.
Design Considerations
As you design your life, keep in mind the importance of cleanliness.
Include sufficient storage or reduce the amount of possessions so that there is a place for everything. Practice so that everything is in its place. The popular custom of having a place for everything, but then keeping everything someplace else, should be avoided.
Don’t design any hazards into your life. It is a type 1 error to make a design decision that could introduce new hazards into your life.
Download the Kitchen Sanitation public domain PDF published by Ohio State University Extension at http://www.ipermie.net/. It discusses ways to clean and sanitize your kitchen using natural products.