Ask Umbra on green cleaning

Ask Umbra on green cleaning 7

Editor’s Note: It being the dog days of August and all, Umbra Fisk has trotted off for a well deserved vacation. In her absence, we’ve decided to dust off some oldies but goodies from the archives. And since we were dusting, we thought we’d start with this timeless green cleaning advice. Enjoy!

Q. Dear Umbra,

I’d like to start making my own environmentally friendly cleaning products for my home. Are there any books or websites you would recommend for cleaning “recipes”?

Rachel

A. Dearest Rachel,

No bleach required.You’ll be disappointed if you were expecting elaborate, paella-like recipes to replace the commercial products we’re told are essential to germ-free living. Turns out the steel wool has been pulled over our eyes. Without even turning to my research stacks, I can tell you that all homebrew cleaning recipes invoke four simple ingredients: white vinegar, castile soap, baking soda, and water.

Baking soda is the scrubber. Abrasive, soluble in water, and anti-fungal (or at least anti-some-fungi), baking soda requires a bit more elbow grease than chlorinated powders, but leaves you with a working windpipe. Vinegar is the deodorizer and sanitizer; its mildly acidic nature is anathema to bacteria and mold. Soap is the ... soap. It cleans away dirt. Don’t mix it with vinegar. Castile is a mild cleansing soap, usually liquid in form (one example on the market is Dr. Bronner’s, but there are others). Other components of a good, healthy cleaning regimen include hot water and arm strength.

There are mental aspects, too: Resist the television-induced notion that typhoid fever lurks in every corner of the house. In general, the kitchen is Bacteria Central and is the place that needs special attention. To wit, use common sense when handling meats, change dish rags and sponges often, keep the sink clean, and practice other habits recommended by Karen at the USDA. For most other places—the living room, the bathroom, the porch, etc.—soap, vinegar, and hot water are all fine.

I’m trying to get away from recommending particular internet sites when any decent site will do, so I’m going to dodge and recommend punching “natural cleaning recipes” into your favorite search engine. See what works for you. Forget any site that recommends ammonia. Nasty. And as for books—frankly, simple, common-sense homebrew cleaning recipes don’t merit the cost of an entire book.

I’m duty-bound to report my floor-finishing friend’s admonition against Murphy Oil Soap for cleaning wood floors. He swears it leaves a film that he has had to sand out of many a floor. Instead he recommends that you use ... vinegar and water.

Gleamingly,
Umbra

Comments

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Send your green-living questions to Umbra.

For even more green goodness, you can follow Umbra on Twitter (@AskUmbra).

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

menchita Posted 10:53 am
24 Aug 2009
I have gotten a lot of use from the book Better than Basics. I do use baking soda and vinegar for my basic cleaning needs. This book goes into so much more detail on how to address various types of stains or how to make your own lotion/ dishwashing liquid/ etc. Love it.
Permalink
kayakpatty Posted 12:21 pm
24 Aug 2009
I agree with Menchita - I bought Better basics for the Home a few years ago and I use it so much it's almost falling apart. It has good recipes for lotions, good combinations for essential oils, along with the usual baking soda, vinegar, etc. It is a great book!
Permalink
ESwit Posted 12:41 pm
24 Aug 2009
Women's Voices for the Earth has great recipes online. You can even get a "green cleaning party kit." http://www.womenandenvironment.org
Permalink
RHaymes Posted 1:24 pm
25 Aug 2009
Please forgive this shameless and not-too-subtle pitch for my husband, Michael DeJong's "Clean" book series for Sterling Publishing. Women's Voices for the Earth actually got the info from Michael's books (they had previously focused mainly on the cosmetics industry--a cesspool in and of itself--and are a wonderful organization every citizen should know about. But if you want your readers to get skinny from the proverbial horse's mouth, Michael has three books in print to date: "Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing," "Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself," and to be released this fall, "Clean Cures: The Humble Art of Zen Curing." The first book has about 250 recipes and requires only 5 ingredients, most of which are found in most pantries: Baking Soda, Borax (yes, it's still available in the laundry soap aisle--usually way up top or way down below), lemon, salt and white vinegar. "Clean Body" also uses only 5 ingredients in it's hundreds of recipes, each of which is edible and also found in most pantries: Baking Soda, lemon, olive oil, salt and white vinegar; and book 3, "Clean Cures," again uses only edible ingredients found in almost every home, with hundreds of recipes for chemical free first-aid treatments: apple cider vinegar, baking soda, honey, lemon and salt. All of the books are available through Amazon, they are cheap (or rather, low cost!), and Sterling Publishing has made them their first line of sustainably printed books. The link is as follows: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search;-type=ss&index=books&field;-author=Michael DeJongI recommend these books to you without prejudice, but would like to let you know that a large percentage of the royalties of this series (there will be 20 books in all) will be donated to the OneCleanWorld Foundation to offset general operating costs so that solicited donations, grants, and corporate sponsorship can go towards accomplishing our mission: The OneCleanWorld Foundation supports, raises awareness of, and encourages eco- and sustainability projects in the US and abroad through grants, technical assistance and/or micro-financing in the areas of education and outreach, advocacy and public health, and building or enhancing green economies and infrastructures.You can also see Michael in cleaning action at his website: http://www.MyKindofClean.comThis advertisement was paid for by Swiftboaters for OneCleanWorld! ANd btw, we LOVE Grist! 
<!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
Permalink
Green4Life Posted 9:47 am
28 Aug 2009
I've used baking soda and vinegar before to clean my kitchen counters, and they work just as well as brand name cleaners which are composed of harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances, etc. I've found green cleaning tips from different websites. I really like a green cleaning article by Sierra Club Green Home. They give a lot of little tips on what to avoid when cleaning.It's at http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/cleaning/green-household-cleaning/
Permalink
1. RHaymes Posted 10:50 am
  28 Aug 2009
  Just remember that the Sierra Club sold its soul to the Clorox company to endorse Clorox's CleanWorks products. There is nonthing in the market today that is 100% green, there is no legal definition for green, and companies are allowed to list as few ingredients as they wish--under the commercial argument of not wanting to give away trade secrets. The Sierra Club helped Clorox "green-wash" itself, but in reality, GreenWorks is a tiny percentage of their product line which includes Clorox Bleach (their biggest seller), one of the plastic wraps--Cling or Saran--Brita Filters, and Burt's Bees. Almost all that Clorox produces is petroleum based, and their carbon and environmental footprints are tremendous with all that Clorox Bleach washing down the drain and eventually reaching the water supply and eco-system.
  Permalink

Add a Comment

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Ask Umbra on green cleaning 7

23 Aug 2009 9:01 PM
by Umbra Fisk

Posted in

Read More About

Related Stories

Add a Comment

Sections

Columns

The Fine Print

Ask Umbra on green cleaning 7

23 Aug 2009 9:01 PM by Umbra Fisk

Posted in

Read More About

Related Stories

Comments View as Flat

Add a Comment

Posts With the Mosts

Recent Comments by ...

Sections

Columns

The Fine Print

23 Aug 2009 9:01 PM
by Umbra Fisk