Connie H.'s alternative cleaners

== Alternative Cleaning Products: A Tale from the Lair of the Killer Dust Bunnies ==

For many years I purchased too many commercial cleaning products believing that alternative homemade cleaners were fine if you were prepared to clean frequently and use plenty of elbow grease. I mean how else could our grandmothers have managed with plain old soap and water?

Frequent cleaning! Elbow grease! The thought is enough to make me run out and buy a drum of industrial strength cleaner. I dislike housework. I’m fortunately free of both environmental allergies and common allergies. Dust? I’ve signed a non-aggression pact. If it doesn’t bother me, I don’t bother it. I only tackle the dust bunnies when they begin morphing into top predators.

Before you think otherwise, I do have some standards. Grody washrooms and kitchens, for instance, are a definite turn-off. A few years ago, I decided that I should really try using some alternative homemade cleaning products that were environmentally safe. So I checked out the PERC library for a couple of good books and guides. I wish I had sooner. Natural and non-toxic homemade cleaners can be substituted for almost any commercial product.

I was surprised to learn how many safe, cheap, and effective cleaners were at my fingertips. Many, in fact, were in my kitchen: simple things like vinegar and baking soda. I simply don’t have space to list the many, many cleaning jobs you can accomplish with pure soap and these two non-toxic alternatives alone. Clean, deodorize, disinfect, scour, and polish! Remove mildew, calcium crusts, and stains!

Manufacturers have been brainwashing us into believing that we need a veritable arsenal of commercial cleaning products to shield us from an onslaught of household germs and bacteria. Admittedly, sometimes we face cleaning jobs that require more than soap and water or vinegar and baking soda. Kids and pets, loveable as they are, can pose some cleaning challenges. And then there are the nasties like mouse droppings, a roommate from hell, or the PERC kitchenette!

Stronger materials that you keep out of the reach of children such as household ammonia and borax should be used with moderation and caution. Don’t try to become a home chemist! For instance, mixing ammonia and chlorine bleach—and many commercially prepared cleaners contain one or the other—creates a poisonous gas! Many books and guides are now available with non-polluting home recipes for almost every conceivable cleaning job. So check out the PERC library, your local public library, or a good web site first.

Marketers would like us to accept that we need a different cleaning product for every cleaning need. It simply isn’t true. We’re wasting money, producing both toxic and non-toxic waste (packaging), and exposing ourselves to potentially harmful substances.

I was sold on the alternatives. Convenient! Cheap! Less guilt, and no additional drudgery for me!