Healthier House Cleaning

Clean Things You'd Never Think Of

• Mattresses. A magnet for allergy-causing dust mites, washing your mattress cover in very hot water (140˚F or more) every month, and wiping down the top of the mattress with hot water, can go a long way towards reducing morning stuffiness.
• Telephone receivers. A significant number of illness-causing bacteria and viruses live on telephone receivers and could easily be spread to your lips and with a quick lick, your mouth.
• Indoor garbage can. Emptying them isn’t the same as cleaning them. Regularly scrub them (particularly those in the kitchen and bathroom) to make sure germs aren’t germinating.
• Shower curtains. They get wet most every day, and they often stay wet, making them a perfect home for mold.
• Automatic dishwashers. Take a close look at the edges of the door on your dishwasher. Many are breeding grounds for mold and mildew.
• The fireplace. A clogged chimney is not only unhealthy, it can kill you if it ignites or, in the case of a gas fireplace, becomes blocked, sending dangerous carbon monoxide fumes into the house.

Use Fresh Window Cleaners

• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 spoonful of dishwasher detergent

OR

• ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 L distilled water

If you’re using the latter recipe and your windows streak, you’ve probably got wax buildup from the products you were using before. Switch to the vinegar and dishwasher detergent formula.

Sanitize the Toilet Bowl

1. Fill a spray bottle with straight white vinegar.
2. Pour a capful of vinegar into the toilet, then spray the sides of the bowl.
3. Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet, wait 15 minutes, and scrub with a bit of baking soda sprinkled on the brush.
4. Once a month, pour one cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl and leave overnight. The vinegar dissolves any alkali buildup to prevent hard-water rings in the toilet.

Clean Your Kitchen Floors, Don’t Disinfect

Disinfecting your floors serves no purpose if you can’t disinfect your feet. Instead, try these healthier homemade cleaners:

• Hardwood and laminated floors
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 1 L water
  • Use only 100 percent cotton terry towels to mop up.

• Marble, tile and granite floors
  • Very hot water.

• Linolium floors
  • Hot water
  • A touch of Ivory liquid dish soap, if needed.

Disinfect Your Cutting Board

Cutting boards can harbour 200 times more fecal bacteria that your toilet seat. Here’s what you do to get it clean:

1. Run it through the dishwasher.
2. Spray it with straight 5 percent vinegar and let it set overnight.
3. Microwave it on high for 30 seconds or swab it with alcohol to disinfect it.