Wash Wednesday: Cleaning WITHOUT Chemicals

In yesterday's post, I explained how fresh lemons and limes can be used as decoration...but don't just toss them out! You can use them to clean! Yes, cleaning WITHOUT chemicals. It's the best. And since you've already bought the fruit for "decorations" it's a bonus. No other expensive chemicals to buy! And it's the best for your family (especially if you have small children)!

After the lemons lost their color and needed to be replaced, it was time for my kitchen sink to get a good scrub down. I plugged the sink and I cut up the lemons. I took the end pieces to scrub the gunk off of the sink (stuck on soap) and was amazed that the lemon rind was even taking the water spots off of the faucet. It took almost zero elbow grease to work up the stuck on stuff (the soap sticky under the dispenser) and smelled great.

When I was done, I put all of the lemon (and lime) rinds in the sink and boiled some water in my teapot. I poured the boiling water in the sink with the leftover decorations and scrubbers (aka lemons and limes) and let it sit. It made the whole house smell like fragrant citrus.

When the water had cooled, I picked the larger pieces out of the sink and put them in the garbage where they continued their work to make the trash actually smell good! With two in diapers, that is saying a lot!

I allowed the smaller rinds to go down the garbage disposal and it helped "unstink" the disposal as well.

While I haven't tried this, I did find that you can even use lemons to clean your bathtub!

So why buy chemicals (seriously, next time read the ingredients on your cleaner...you can choose that...or just lemons and hot water) that smell "like" lemons when you can use the REAL thing...and no harmful chemicals??

How have you used natural items for cleaning?? Please share in the comments!

Wash Wednesday: Ridding of Hazardous Waste!

I still cringe to this day when I think of my dad, dumping the leftover paint (from rinsing paintbrushes and tools) or used car oil on our country, gravel road, mixing it in the rock. Surely, there was a better option to dispose of the water-downed substance. Perhaps no other options existed then but they do today.

Thankfully, our cities today offer so many opportunities to care for the environment, including recycle. Most cities provide recycle bins to each household as an incentive to recycle standard products like plastics, glass, and paper. In turn, cities can make money off of collecting people's garbage. Cities even allow for yard waste pick-up as a means to recreate mulch for later purchase. Overall, cities have a number of environmentally safe methods and means to recycle these days.

Judah and I were reminded once again of the importance of recycling when we saw the public works vehicles and trucks at our nearby Farmers Market last week. I would not consider myself an environmentalist but rather a concerned citizen when it comes to my own garbage. So while Judah sat in the garbage truck, I found out when the next city-wide clean up days were.

Still do you ever wonder what to do with leftover paints and cleaners? There are some things in your household that do not belong in the trash, regular recycling, or even on the curb for scheduled clean-up days. So what do you do with these hazardous materials throughout your home and garage when you are done with them (or want to be done with them).

Check with your local waste management authority. Most communities provide a hazardous waste, scheduled drop-off for similar items mentioned below. So think twice before you throw these items in your trash. Instead, check with your community on how to properly dispose of such materials.

Home and Garden: Aerosol cans, Batteries (household), Brush killer, Concrete cleaners & etches Fertilizers, Fluorescent light bulbs/ballast, Fungicide, Furniture polish, Insect spray Mercury thermostats/thermometers, Metal polish (solvent-based), Mothballs, Pesticides, Pool chemicals, Rat, mouse and gopher poison, Rust removers, Spot remover, Wallpaper remover, Weed killer

Garage and Workshop: Aerosol cleaners, Antifreeze, Auto polish, Auto starter fluid, Brake fluid, Car wax, Carburetor cleaner, Caulk, Contact cement, Driveway sealer, Epoxy, Gasoline, Glues, Kerosene, Lighter fluid, Motor Oil, Oil filters (used), Paint remover, Paint thinner, Paint (oil-based and lead-based), Petroleum-based adhesives, Roofing tar,
Shellac, Stain, Varnish, Windshield washer solution

Kitchen and Bathroom: Polish remover, Toilet bowl cleaner, Ammonia-based cleaners, Cleaners (solvent-based) Drain cleaners, Floor care products, Oven cleaner

Our own community is doing their particular drop off date for hazardous materials on June 25. For a complete listing of Iowa communities teaming up with Metro Waste Authority, check out the "Clean-up Crew."

To learn more about how to dispose of medicine, read "Cleaning Out the Medicine Cabinet" as well as learn more about Iowa's Takeaway program.