Bathroom Green Cleaning – Grimy to Shiny
How To Green Clean your Bathroom
Has your bathtub lost its shine? Do you have a hard time seeing your reflection through the toothpaste splatters in the mirror? It’s time to clean your bathroom – but maybe you should rethink those pricey chemical cleaners. Not only do they cost a small fortune, they also add to your home’s indoor air pollution. Fortunately, you can save your money and your lungs by making your own bathroom cleaning solutions. Here’s how to turn your bathroom from grimy to shiny with simple household items.
What You Will Need
- 1-2 boxes baking soda
- 2 c. white vinegar
- 1-2 lemons
- borax-a household cleaner-I purchased at Menards.
- lemon juice (or squeeze a little from the fresh lemon)
- 1/2 c. hydrogen peroxide (to whiten white towels, if needed)
- spray bottle
Toilet bowl
Sprinkle baking soda into the toilet bowl. Then pour half a cup of white vinegar all around the bowl. Wait until the mixture bubbles, then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. The baking soda and vinegar mixture cleans and deodorizes without sending harsh chemicals down the drain. Fido will be happy.
Bathtub and Tiles
Cut a lemon in half. Next, get the box of Borax, and dip the cut side of the lemon into the Borax. Hold the boraxed lemon and scrub away rings around the tub and soap residue on shower walls. Once your tub is sparkling, rinse it out with water, and dry with a soft towel. For stains on grout lines, mix 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a paste. Scrub the paste into the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse it clean.
Bathroom Counter
Use the other half of the lemon to clean soap residue and dried toothpaste from your bathroom counters. Dip the cut side of the lemon into baking soda this time, and scrub at the stains in a circular motion. Finish by wiping the counter with a warm, damp cloth and dry with soft towel.
Clogged Drains
Does it take an hour for your bathtub to drain? To clear clogs, boil a pot of water on your stove and add 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain, wait a couple of seconds, then turn on the tap water. Do you still have water sitting in your bathtub? Try the process again, or invest in a “snake” plumbing tool that can clean hair out of your home’s drains, no chemicals required.
Glass Mirrors and Faucets
To bring a shine to chrome surfaces, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 2 cups of water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, and take aim at your bathroom mirrors and bathtub taps. Wipe the surfaces clean with an old lint-free rag – worn pillowcases work great.
Towels
Have your white towels turned yellow? Instead of using bleach to whiten your whites, use 1/2 c. of hydrogen peroxide. Alternatively, you can launder your family’s towels, no matter the color, with oxygen bleach. But skip the fabric softener – it can cause a towel to lose its absorbency.
Floors
To clean your bathroom’s tile floors, mix 1 cup of vinegar and 2 gallons of warm water in a bucket. Use the solution to mop your floors clean; not only does the vinegar disinfect, it helps break up stuck-on dirt. The smell might be overpowering – a bit like an English pub – but the vinegar scent will dissipate as the solution dries.
Shelves
Bathroom shelves are dust magnets. To keep the dust bunnies at bay, dampen a microfiber cloth and wipe all surfaces clean. When the cloth gets dirty, simply toss it into your laundry bin.
Medicine Cabinet in Mind
While cleaning the bathroom top to bottom, clean out the medicine cabinet too. Well okay, at least twice a year. Get rid of any expired medications. Look on the label to see if it lists disposal instructions. If it’s safe to throw the medicine out with the household garbage, mix it with coffee grounds or dirt to make it less appetizing to children and pets. If the label doesn’t list disposal instructions, check with your pharmacist. Many pharmacies take back unused or expired medications; at the very least, your pharmacist can advise you on how to safely toss your old medicines.
Support Green Clean
With a few simple household items and a little elbow grease, you can clean and disinfect your bathroom. Baking soda, vinegar, lemons, borax, and microfiber cloths cost much less than traditional bathroom cleaners. Homemade cleaning solutions are also less toxic than most store-bought brands; baking soda and vinegar won’t harm the environment or irritate your eyes and lungs. Nothing can make cleaning the bathroom fun – but these green cleaners can make the task a little easier, cheaper, and safer.
For your bathroom floors, you can clean it by adding ½ cup of baking soda to a bucket of warm water and mop the floor with this solution and then rinse. You can also add lemon juice to the solution to give your floor a nice fresh scent.
Green cleaning is becoming a common practice by several homeowners and this is good to note because this is not only safe for the family but is also beneficial to the environment. May this post encourage other readers to choose eco-friendly products and services to help preserve the environment and prevent further damages.