Bleach Alternatives That You Should Start Using
Bleach is a chemical product that is used industrially and domestically to clean and remove stains. It has a powerful substance that will help you to get rid of stains, bacteria and viruses and it became a convenient way of cleaning. But despite of it’s powerful uses, we all know that using bleach is very dangerous.
The Dangers of using Bleach
Bleach has harmful effects on your body. It can damage your skin, lungs, eyes and also known to burn human tissue internally and externally.
You may experience extreme headaches, migraines, shortness of breath that could lead to death if not treated immediately. Mixing it with many other cleaning products can produce toxic results.
Consider the damage that bleach can bring to some surfaces like your furniture and can lighten it’s color. Bleach is a good disinfectant or a cleaner but we can still avoid using it for the safety of our family and the environment.
Best and Easy to Find Alternatives to Bleach
Baking Soda
Surprisingly, baking soda is considered as a versatile product for good reason. As a natural cleaner, a mixture of it and hot water can be used as an effective, nonabrasive cleaner. You can use it to wipe away food residues, help you keep up with your pipes, clean your tubs, sinks, and shower curtain and also remove sticky marks from floors.
It is also a deodorizer, you may sprinkle baking soda on a carpet, let is sit for up to 3-5 minutes and then vacuum it. You can now breathe without the bad smell of the carpet.
If you are washing clothes, you can also use it remove coffee or any type of stains by just adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle and will freshen up clothes without all the chemicals products.
And to safely clean pots and pans, adding baking soda to the pan with hot water and let it soak for 15-30 minutes will help you lift the crusty food pieces left on each side of it.
White Vinegar
Vinegar’s acidity is what makes it powerful since it is acidic, it can counteract some left residue from soap. It can remove glue left behind the stickers and soap scum.
But white vinegar is the most acidic which make it a good cleaner and too strong for some types of cleaning.
You can use it for giving glass windows and mirrors, wood paneling or cabinets an extra-clean shine result. (with a combination of vinegar and water.)
It can also remove lots of stains, whether from a sweaty armpits that are slightly acidic will dissolve away in presence of another acid, like vinegar.
Lemon Juice
Another great alternative to bleach that might be sitting in your fridge or fruit basket. It is also acidic just like vinegar that provides the same natural bleaching action. The acidic properties of lemon make them a non-toxic way to clean and disinfect kitchen materials like cutting boards and trays.
In order to use it, cut the lemon in half and rub it on to the affected area (add salt if necessary). Or you can pour the lemon juice itself to the washer when washing white clothes to help keep them light.
COCA-Cola
Yes, it’s a drink but it is also a cleaner, another great cleaner! It is an excellent rust buster because of its citric acid. If you’ll try to soak a rusty coin for 24 hours, you’ll see how cola is good in breaking down rust particles and make them easier to clean.
For cleaning your toilet bowl, pour a can of cola for a few hours (or make it overnight) and flush it away, then ready yourself for a lighting toilet bowl!
It’s formula even extends into a cleaning windows. The citric acid works like other cleaning products such as Lemon Juice to remove smudges and streaks from windows.
The magical cleaning power of Cola can also clean a tile grout. Just let the grout soak with Cola for a few minutes and then wipe it up or use a brush to scrub it.
Sunlight
The ultraviolet rays of the sun is a great idea of whitening your clothes. This is the easiest way of getting away stains or dirt from clothes. If you also want to limit yourself from using the dryer machine and cut down the electric bill, this is a natural way of drying your clothes while sanitizing and whitening them all at the same time.
Just hang your clothes outside or under the sun, stains that are stuck or remaining dirt on it will be removed by directly exposing it to the sun.
These are just some of many green products that we can use at home. Using green products is a great ideal green cleaning to help save the environment and at the same time giving your love ones a much more healthier environment.
If you want to know more about how great green cleaning is see this blog post - Why you should choose and Eco-friendly cleaning?