Natural cleaning of a house isn’t any more difficult than cleaning it with exacting chemicals. It improves indoor air quality and is much safer, especially for children. To wash everything in the house, you don’t have to buy sophisticated products. Choose proven classics that respect the environment.
We have switched entirely to natural cleaning products, and your house is just as clean with the following five essential cleaning products:.
White Vinegar: Anti-lime and Antiseptic
Based on beet alcohol or cereal, white vinegar, also called alcohol vinegar, consists of water and acetic acid. It eliminates bacteria and odors, and it is an excellent anti-lime.
White vinegar is used for all descaling, tiles and fittings, coffee machines, and kettles. It degreases and shines dishes, disinfects the refrigerator, refreshes cutting boards, and cleans windows. It can also be used to soften the laundry and revive its colors. In short, it is a product that is used for daily maintenance, and it is the basis of many cleaning products.
Warning!
It is formally contraindicated on marble, limestone, and all varnished surfaces. It tarnishes precious stones and dissolves cultured pearls.
Baking Soda: Abrasive and Deodorant
Also called sodium bicarbonate, it comes in the form of a more or less fine powder. It is an anti-lime and degreaser, but it is also a disinfectant and fungicide, and it makes metals shine. Not to be confused with soda or sodium percarbonate, which is a natural bleaching agent.
It is used in the bathroom to make the bathtub and sink shine and remove mold; in the kitchen to get rid of bad smells in the bottom of the trash, in a refrigerator, dishwasher, etc. In combination with vinegar, it is also perfect for unclogging the pipes (pour 1 cup of bicarbonate, another of vinegar, and then, after 5 mm, 1 l of boiling water).
Warning!
Never use it on aluminum, wool, or silk. To bake, raise cakes, or bake vegetables without losing their color, use baking soda with finer grain sizes.
Soda Crystals: Disinfectants and Degreasers
Today, produced in the laboratory, soda crystals—sodium carbonate—occur naturally in natron deposits. When they come into contact, no life is possible; that is to say, they are corrosive!
They are used to clean, degrease, and disinfect during heavy work. Very effectively diluted in hot water to wash the walls before painting them, they also descale taps or tiles. It’s used to unclog pipes, make the glasses shine, and recover burned pans.
Warning! It must be used with gloves.
Lemon: Descale and Deodorant
Harvested between December and the end of April, lemon contains 5% citric acid. This very common citrus is anti-lime and antiseptic; it degreases and deodorizes.
Lemons used to be cut in half to get rid of bacteria at the bottom of the taps and to make them shine. It is as effective as white vinegar, plus the scent! It eliminates the traces of tea on the dishes; it helps us get rid of red fruit stains, infant milk, or marks of perspiration on cotton clothes.
You can also buy citric acid crystals; they have the same virtues as lemon. Nontoxic but extremely acidic, they require the wearing of gloves when you handle them. Perfect for overcoming limescale and rust.
Black soap: Cleaner and Degreaser
A mixture of vegetable oil (olive, flax, or sunflower, which gives it its color) and potash, black soap comes in both liquid and paste form. It is a powerful detergent; it degreases, cleans, and protects surfaces.
Black soap is used primarily to clean floors: tiles, porcelain, stone, and marble (a cap of liquid black soap in a bucket of hot water). It is also perfect for scouring the oven and removing dirt from the glass of your insert. It can also be used in filthy clothes as long as they are not afraid of anything.
Be sure to use only products that are guaranteed to be solvent-, dye-, and preservative-free. You can make your own products that you will keep in jars or bottles that have been previously cleaned and stripped of their labels.
Conclusion
Choosing natural cleaning means preserving your health, your wallet, and the planet. Keeping your home spotless does not necessarily imply using products with high disinfectant power or containing bleach. To clean up from top to bottom, there are natural products devoid of chemicals with the same effectiveness but that do not generate pollution and are not harmful to our health.