Green Soft Scrub!
Minerals in hard water and rusting hardware can stain a tub. A good tub is a clean tub – though the stains won’t hurt you, they just don’t look very nice. Here’s a stain-dissolving formula with an item that lives in the pantry: Cream of Tartar! It’s a pure by-product of winemaking that’s used as a stabilizer in cooking and is a main ingredient in baking powder.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 to 2 tablespoons 3% hydrogen peroxide
Mix the ingredients into a frothy paste. Scoop some onto a scrubber sponge and scour the stain thoroughly. Rinse.
For stubborn stains, let the past sit on the stain for 15 minutes, then scour and rinse.
Important note: Use this recipe within a few hours of preparing it or the hydrogen peroxide will become inactive.
Saving the Planet One Scrub at a Time
According to the Seventh Generation company, if every American household replaced just one 32-ounce bottle of chlorine-based bathroom cleaner with an eco-friendly, chlorine-free product, it would prevent 1 million pounds of chlorine gas from entering our environment. Now there’s a smart idea that in the long run, will definitely be less fuss!
(Adapted from Easy Green Living by Renee Loux, Rodale, 2008).
UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 101: The Non-Toxic Way
When we bought our couch a few years ago, we refused the stain guard because we knew the chemicals involved harmed the ozone layer of the earth. If they did that, we wondered, what would they do to me and my family? So while we enjoyed a chemical-free lounging destination for kids, dogs, and watching movies with snacks, we still needed some way to keep the thing clean.
Here’s what we came up with—five techniques to keep the couch clean and even remove stains, in a safe, nontoxic way:
Whipped Detergent
We like the foamy aspect of this formula so much, it is always our first
choice. The whipped detergent disperses the cleaning agent around so that no part of the upholstery gets it too thickly. We dip a gentle brush into this formula, scrub the upholstery, and then rinse using the brush. Equal amounts of water and liquid detergent (
never use laundry detergent)
Mix with a hand mixer until frothy. Scoop the froth onto a sponge, brush, or rag, and scrub into the stains. Rinse.
Vacuum and Softly Brush Weekly
As much as we resist this step, it is important to vacuum the cushions
and backs every week. Use a soft brush to remove loose soil.
Water Cleaner
Use cool water for non-greasy soil. Note that heat sets most stains, but
that you need warm or hot water for greasy stains. Just use sparingly.
Shampoo Cleaner
Mix with water and agitate. Dab onto a sponge or brush, and use on greasy stains.
3% Hydrogen Peroxide
Dab on stain, don’t rinse. Repeat until stain is gone. (Spot test.)
Information Courtesy of Care2.
Contribute to the Cook'n Club!
DVO would love to publish your article, prose, photography and art as well as your cooking, kitchen and nutrition tips, tricks and secrets. Visit the Newsletter Submission / Win Win for All section in our Forum for more information and details.
