Greening My Insides #3

The Green Your Insides Challenge is about greening your home, and paying attention to what you put on your body, in your body, and around your body.








Cleaning my bathroom

There was a time when I only used the latest chemical products to clean the bathroom. The bathroom has a lot of different surfaces so there was a super shower cleaner, creme cleanser for the hand basin & bathtub, spray and wipe type product for walls, towel racks, etc., glass cleaner for the window & mirror, a toilet cleanser and something fancy for the floor. That was six different cleaning products creating a chemical nightmare in the smallest room of the house!

It all changed when I went to the naturopath about my dermatitis 12 years ago (see Greening My Insides #1 ) and I started learning how to live chemical free. Slowly all those harsh chemical cleaners were replaced with greener products or homemade cleaners, then these were whittled down to the few items I use today.

Shower: I clean my shower with a cheap organic shampoo and a green scourer sponge.
Method: Squirt a small amount of shampoo onto a wet scourer and scrub the tiles, tap fittings and glass screen. Rinse off with water. Open the window so the breeze blows through and air dries the shower, or you can can wipe the shower dry with a dry cloth.
Hint: Once you have the whole shower sparkling clean, keep the scourer & shampoo in the shower and quickly clean one wall or screen each time you have a shower. You will never have to do a major clean of the shower again :-)

Toilet: I clean inside the toilet bowl (and under the seat) with cheap vinegar and a toilet brush.

Method: Pour some vinegar into the toilet bowl. Grab the toilet brush, scrub the inside of the bowl and under the seat, then let the brush sit in the bowl for a while. How long is "a while" you may be asking.... while I clean the rest of the bathroom.... or I just leave it there until the next time I need to use the toilet, this option works better if nobody else is home at the time :-) After a while, brush the toilet bowl again and flush. Rinse the brush in the flushing water. Return the clean brush to it's holder. Wipe the rest of the toilet over with microfiber clothes (see below).

Window, mirror and all other surfaces: I clean the rest of the bathroom with microfiber mitts and cloths.

Method: Dampen a microfiber mitt with water, clean the surface then wipe dry with a dry microfiber cloth.

Floor: I use a microfiber mop.

Method: Open the window, mop floor with a damp microfiber mop and allow to air dry.

Notes: This style of cleaning saves me a lot of money, helps the environment and it's better for our health. Not only does this help my dermatitis, I've also noticed we get less coughs & colds since I've reduced the amount of chemicals in our home. Coincidence, or not?
I'm not fussy with brands of microfiber mitts/cloths. I find the cheaper brands such Oates and Sabco work just as good as the expensive Enjo brand.
If you can't afford microfiber mitts/cloths, or you're a frugal shopper, try using face cloths. Just remember you need two cloths, one damp for cleaning, and one dry to finish off. This may be a greener option than microfiber and is what I plan on using when my microfiber cloths wear out.

Additional information on microfiber from http://www.answers.com/microfiber

Microfiber textiles tend to be flammable and emit toxic gases when burning. They are made with synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon (often constructed from polypropylene), which are made from petrochemicals. Microfibers are not made from a renewable resource and they are not biodegradable. However, the petroleum energy used in fertilizers, pesticides, transportation and processing to produce cotton and other renewable resource fibres may outweigh direct use of the petroleum as base stock for producing fibre.

Have a great day.

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BevB