Clean and Green Bathrooms

There's two ways to add green to your cleaning routine, save money and save the planet. Get rid of those harsh and expensive chemical cleaners and look at a whole new way of cleaning the house. Start with what's probably the first room that comes to mind, the bathroom. Bathroom cleaners are expensive at nearly $5 a bottle or more. With one product for tub and tile, another for toilets, drain cleaner, shower head cleaner, and air freshener, you're looking at $30 or more for cleaning products in one room of your home. (Not to mention a cabinet full of cleaners.) Try mixing up your own batches of cheap, enviro-friendly cleaners that are light on the wallet.

Tile, Tub, and Sink

Ingredients: baking soda, vinegar
Cost: $1.50
What to do: Vinegar is your replacement for products like Mr. Clean. At $1 a bottle, it can't be beat and it cleans most anything. Dilute it with water at a 1/2 cup to 1 gallon mix (stronger if necessary.) If film is present in the tub rub the vinegar directly onto the film before scouring it with a sponge covered in baking soda. Rinse the sponge and use it to rinse away the surface.

Toilet

Ingredients: baking soda and vinegar
Cost: $1.50
What to do: Shake the baking soda inside the toilet bowl to cover it. Then, spray vinegar from a spray bottle onto the baking soda and wipe or scour with a toilet brush.

Drains

Ingredients: baking soda, vinegar, water
Cost: $1
What to do: Use often to keep drains clear before they clog. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into the drain. Follow it with 1 cup of vinegar. Allow it to sit and foam for several minutes before flushing it with 1 gallon of boiling water.

Lime Stains

Ingredients: vinegar, paper towels
Cost: $1
What to do: Soak the paper towels with vinegar. Then, wad the towels and lay them on top of the stain or wrap them around the faucet which is stained. After an hour remove the towels and rinse the area.

Clogged Shower Heads - only use on metal shower heads

Ingredients: You guessed it! Vinegar
Cost: $1
What to do: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar into 1 quart of water. Remove the shower head from its fixture and place it and the mixture into a kitchen pot. Boil for 15 minutes. Compared to expensive CLR Cleaner, this is a deal!

Hard Water Rust Stains

Ingredients: vinegar, lemon juice
Cost: $2
What to do: Drip the vinegar or lemon juice directly onto the stain (use a towel to apply it directly if necessary.) Let it stand or hold it there until the stain disappears before rinsing the area.

You've probably guessed that vinegar is a key ingredient in cleaning most everything - my grandmother's been telling me this for years. Clear the clutter of your cleaning supplies and replace it with a bottle of vinegar, baking soda, and a few other kitchen ingredients and you'll have an environmentally friendly, hard working collection of cleaning products all for under $5 total.

About The Author: Kelly Ann Butterbaugh is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to a variety of magazines and has written a history book for middle readers. Visit her website for writing help, lesson plans, history fun, or work for hire at http://www.kellybutterbaugh.com

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By 07/27/2007

I've been using vinegar and baking soda to clean with for years, a tip from my beloved great aunt! I also read in Hints from Heloise several years ago that vinegar has most of the same anti-bacterial capabilities as our harsh chemicals. I think we're going to see a big change in cleaning products soon! I don't think we know what we've been inhaling all these years, but I'll bet it's not good!

By (Guest Post) 07/23/2007

How does the vinegar and soda stand up as disinfectants?

By Steve (Guest Post) 07/23/2007

(To meoowmom:)
The 10 lb bags of baking soda (in the photo) are sold at Costco, but the price isn't significantly better than the $0.43 for a box of Wal-Mart store brand.

By Kathy (Guest Post) 07/23/2007

Thanks for this. I have been looking for environmentally friendly and less expensive alternatives. At my last garage sale I gave away most of my store bought cleaning formulas. Seems I was always running out and buying the latest. Now I'll just buy gallons of vinegar. Hope I can find large quantities of Baking Soda as well.

By 07/22/2007

I have not seen that size or bag of Baking Soda
out here in MO, I buy small ones or Generic
WalMart baking soda and white vinegar buy the gallons it works well...

By Lynda (Guest Post) 07/21/2007

How'd you first get past the pungency of vinegar odor? I use it for very few things, but when using it in boilg eggs to keep eggs from cracking, it makes the house smell TERRIBLE. In hairdressing, anything
"acid" hardens what it touches. Why would I want to do this? I may try it just to see if I can tolerate it, because most anything is better than chemicals. However, nothing can destroy germs like diluted bleach in small amounts. God bless you. : )

Editor's Note: Just use it 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water. The scent is much less then and it works very well. It may smell vinegary for an hour but after that it dissipates.

By 07/21/2007

I use white vinegar diluted with 3/4 water in a
spray bottle to clean the scum off my shower
curtain. I spray it down and wash in the washer,
it comes out clean as new.

By Linne Dodds (Guest Post) 07/21/2007

I've been cleaning our shower heads & the kitchen faucet screen with vinegar for years. You don't need to boil them,just soak them ,so this works fine on plastic shower heads too . Put vinegar in a plastic bag & fasten it on with a heavy rubber band like the kind that comes on broccoli or asparagus or take the hand held shower head down & put it in a cottage cheese or margarine tub .Pour vinegar over it to cover . With the kitchen faucet,unscrew the end piece & put it in a shot glass ,pour in vinegar & soak it & yes Cider & White work just as well . We buy the white by the gallon .
The worst part of the job is remembering how the faucet pieces go back together after using a fingernail to scrape the screen a bit .

By 07/20/2007

Hi glowgirl,

The article is referring to white vinegar, although I have heard about people using apple cider vinegar for many uses as well.

By 07/20/2007

Thanks for the info. I clean houses for a living and use only vinegar and water for mirrors--none of that Windex stuff because I found out that I had to clean off the Windex (or any other commercial window cleaner) as well as the spots on the mirrors. Now I'll also carry baking soda with me, as well as full strength vinegar. I've used vinegar at home for several different chores for many years. It's great as a weed killer--but it also kills grass, so be careful!!!

By Lee (Guest Post) 07/20/2007

Since the birth of our son I have been using vinegar and baking soda to clean our kitchen and bathrooms. Our friends are surprised when they find out I don't use any harsh or toxic chemicals because our home is really clean, and our family is rarely ever sick. This is a great way to save money and care for your family's health. For anyone interested in learning more, this is a great place to look http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

By 07/20/2007

Just to be sure--this is white (clear) vinegar, not the apple cider vinegar--right?