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It's never too late to make New Year's resolutions or toast to mother earth. Why not strive to make this Earth Day a green and clean one, starting with your home? Poisons and harsh chemicals are in the products in the cabinet beneath your kitchen sink. There's no better time than now to detoxify your home.
You can begin by replacing products made with synthetic chemicals with natural alternatives, or making homemade products from ingredients you likely have in your kitchen.
First, collect all the cleaning products you've accumulated over time and read their ingredients. Toss any products with bleach or ammonia and anything with a warning label, which means it may be poisonous or flammable. Check drain cleaners, oven cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, other disinfectants and furniture polishes in particular. According to The Washington Toxics Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting public health and the environment by identifying and promoting alternatives to toxic chemicals, most cleaning products are water-based and can be disposed of down the sink or toilet as long as it's in small quantities. However, never pour solvent-based products down the drain or dump liquid cleaning products in the trash. Since hazardous waste disposal instructions vary from state to state, the coalition advises that you call your local solid waste utility or health department on proper disposal procedures.
Now, substitute eco-friendly products for the products you threw away. It's easy to find alternative products. There are mild cleansers, citrus cleansers, non-chlorine based bleaches, vinegar-based glass cleaners and more. Health food and other natural foods stores are good places to start, or you can purchase products from Web sites like greenhome.com, shopnatural.com or gaiam.com. Some brands to look for include Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, Ecover and Sun & Earth. The Washington Toxics Coalition offers a fact sheet called "Safer Cleaning Products" with safer products and information on disinfectants, environmental hazards, and other related topics. Visit their Web site at watoxics.org for more information.
Next, you can try making your own natural products at home. With some basic ingredients you likely already have on hand, you can make a variety of cleansers. For example, hydrogen peroxide can remove mold and mildew instead of bleach, and vinegar substitutes for ammonia. According to Linda Mason Hunter, author of "The Healthy Home: An Attic to Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living" (Rodale Press), the most common ingredients needed to make your own natural products are: borax, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, salt, washing soda, cooking oil and lemons. In one section of her book, Ms. Hunter lists many easy-to-make recipes that you can use to stock your green cleaning cupboard. For instance, dissolving one cup of borax into a gallon of warm water makes a general cleaner and disinfectant for floors and kitchen counters. Mix two parts cooking oil with one part lemon juice and you have a furniture polish. Choosing eco-friendly products today will ensure a safer, cleaner and healthier home - and earth - for all of us tomorrow.
Copyright Colorado Hometown Newspapers 2004.
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