Cleaning your home using sustainable, non-toxic methods and materials is easier than you might think, and oftentimes, it’s cheaper, too. To get your bathroom hygienically clean while minimizing harm to the environment, here are some tips:
Green cleaning your toilet
Simply mix half a cup of white vinegar with a spoonful of baking soda, pour the mixture into the toilet bowl and leave it for around half an hour, before scrubbing and flushing. Ideally, this should be done on a weekly basis.
Green cleaning your shower and tub
With a combination of baking soda and natural dish soap, you can eliminate soap scum and hard water stains, and even rust on ceramic tiles. Take a sponge and rub the paste onto what surface you’re cleaning, and keep going until it’s clean. Wipe clean with warm water, and for grout stains, use a toothbrush to scrub the paste into the stained areas.
Vinegar for safely destroying mold
Vinegar’s mild acidity helps to loosen mildew particles and kill bacteria, and can be used in your shower and tub to great effect, especially using a spray bottle. It can also be used on plastic or vinyl shower curtains, or if possible, you can pop it in your washing machine with a ½ cup of baking soda and a few tablespoons of vinegar, instead of regular detergent.
Green cleaning drains
Instead of using toxic drain cleaners to clear a blockage and prevent a nasty odor, try using a mixture of ¾ cup of baking soda and ½ a cup of vinegar, first. Once you’ve gotten rid of any visible debris, pour the mixture down the drain, plugging it and leaving it to sit. After around half an hour, you can remove the stopper and pour down some boiling water.
Mix 2 cups of baking soda with ½ a cup of natural dish soap, a cup of water and ½ a cup of vinegar for a fantastically effective sink cleaner. For fixtures and faucets, use equal parts vinegar and baking soda (or toothpaste for chrome fixtures), to polish them. To shine up a mirror without any streaks, a lint-free cloth and warm water is usually enough, although vinegar and water combined can be great for removing stains and spots.
Green cleaning the bathroom floor
Always hang your bathroom mats up to dry, as bacteria can easily build up in damp towels and mats if they never get a chance to dry out properly. If you can’t hang them up outside, at least drape them over the shower rod or hang them up. You can also freshen up bathroom rugs with a sprinkling of baking soda left for around half an hour, before being vacuumed. For tiled floors, simply add ½ a cup of baking soda to a bucket of warm water and mop as normal.
It’s possible to green clean your entire home, and the bathroom is a great room to start with, especially if you’re new to these methods, and usually rely on chemical based products to get the job done.
