 Non Toxic Alternatives to Common Household Hazardous Products |
| All-purpose Cleaners |
For tile and bathroom fixtures – use baking soda dissolved in water. |
| Air Fresheners |
Add spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, to boiling water and simmer. Set a bowl of potpourri in a sunny window or on a radiator. Grow plants such as spider plants and philodendron. |
| Brass Polish |
Use worcestershire sauce, or equal parts salt and flour with vinegar. |
| Chlorine Bleach |
Use dry bleach, borax, baking soda, or ½ c. of vinegar to whiten. Borax is a good grease cutter. Never mix bleach with ammonia. |
| Chrome Polish |
Use rubbing alcohol, or a small amount of ammonia with hot water, or white flour on a dry rag. |
| Copper Polish |
Mix equal parts salt and flour, heat equal amount of vinegar, mix to form a paste, apply and let dry, then wash off. |
| Drain Openers |
Pour boiling water with ¼ c. baking soda and 2 oz. Vinegar directly down your drain twice weekly to prevent clogs. Use a drain trap/strainer to catch food and hair. To clean a clogged drain, use a metal snake or a plunger |
| Floor Waxes and Cleaners |
Mop with 1 c. white vinegar mixed with 2 gallons of water to remove dull, greasy film. Polish with club soda. |
| Furniture Polish |
Polish with 1 tsp. Lemon oil or almond oil dissolved into 1 pint mineral oil. Wash with oil soap or castille soap and water. Rub toothpaste on furniture to remove water marks. Use the oil from crushed walnuts to conceal nicks and scratches. |
| Laundry Detergent |
Use the mildest product suitable for your needs. |
| Mothballs |
Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs such as lavender |
| Oven Cleaners |
Clean often with baking or washing soda: mix 3 tbsp. Soda with 1 c. warm water. Rub gently with steel wool. Use oven liners (tinfoil) to catch spills. A small dish of ammonia left in oven overnight will soften burnt spills, and can be reused. |
| Scouring |
Use baking soda |
| Silver Polish |
Soak silver in 1 qt of warm water with 1 Tbsp. Baking soda, 1 Tbsp. Salt, and a piece of aluminum foil; boil for 3 minutes, scrub with old toothbrush if necessary, dry with a soft cloth. |
| Spot removers |
Use club soda for fruit juice, tea, gravy, ketchup, and mud; immediate cold water for blood; lemon juice for ink, perspiration; beaten egg whites for spots on leather |
| Toilet Bowl Cleaner |
Clean with baking soda or use lemon juice and borax. |
| Window Cleaner |
Clean often. For windows and mirrors, use vinegar and water (2 tsp. Vinegar to 1 qt. water), let dry and polish with newspaper |
| Ant Control |
Pour a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint leaves at point of entry |
| Chemical Fertilizers |
Use peat moss, compost or blood and fish meal or composted manure. Never use chemical fertilizers near a well or body of water. |
| Flea Products |
Give pets brewers yeast, garlic tablets or vitamin B as preventatives. Herbal baths prepared with fennel, rue, or rosemary repel fleas. |
| Herbicides or Fungicides |
Pull weeds instead of using herbicides. Cover garden with plastic in the fall to prevent weed germination. Plant disease resistant seeds. |
| Houseplant insecticide |
Wash leaves with soapy water, then rinse |
| Garden Control |
Use organic gardening technique, such as netting or companion planting to keep insects from plants (Standing water allows insects to breed) |
| Insect Spray |
Blend 6 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 minced onion, 1 tbsp. dried hot pepper and 1 tsp. pure soap in 4qts. hot water. Let sit 1-2 days. Strain before using. Or place 1 cigarette in 1 quart water overnight. Strain and spray. |
| Roach Control |
Place bay leaves around cracks in the room. Set out a dish of equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar or equal parts oatmeal flour and plaster of paris , or chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins, or crushed tobacco and water. |
| Snail and Slug Control |
Lay broken sea shells around plants to keep slugs away. Fill a shallow pan with stale beer and place in the infested area. Overturn clay pots and snails will seek shelter in them from the heat; collect and destroy. Lay boards between rows of planted vegetables; snails will often attach themselves to the underside; collect and destroy. |
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