Back to simple ways to save the bay

Illustration: Daniel Vasconcellos

De-Tox Your Home

A "green home" means a healthy Buzzards Bay!

Replace toxic cleaners in your home with these alternatives:

Aerosols
Replace with products in pump bottle or wipe on liquids

All Purpose Cleaners

Mix one cup of baking soda in one gallon hot water, or try 1/4 cup borax and one tablespoon liquid soap in one gallon of hot water or add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 gallon of warm water.

Bug Spray

Eliminate food and water sources such as crumbs and leaky faucets. Caulk openings around windows, floors, and pipes. Use non-toxic traps. Boric acid is a good, less toxic powder to apply along cracks and baseboards.

Deodorizers
Baking soda is a good all purpose deodorizer. Sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda on rugs, then vacuum. Zeolite is a non-toxic mineral that absorbs odors, bacteria, and mold. It is available as a powder or in "breather bags".

Disinfectants
Plain soap and hot water kill some bacteria. Citrus-based products have anti-fungal, antimicrobial, antibacterial properties and act as solvents. Mix 1/4 cup borax with 1/4 cup white vinegar in hot water for all purpose disinfectant.

Drain Cleaners

Use 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt followed by 1 cup vinegar and cover until fizzing stops, (about 15 minutes) then flush with boiling water. A weekly dose of boiling water poured down the drain will help prevent clogging. Use a plunger or drain snake on major clogs.

Floor Cleaners

Mix one cup white vinegar in gals. of water to remove greasy buildup. Polish with club soda. Add sour or skim milk to rinse water to shine floor. Glass and Window Cleaner Mix vinegar and water, 50/50, in a pump bottle, spray surfaces, then clean and dry with crumpled newspaper.

Household Batteries

Use solar power, wind-up watches, rechargeable batteries, or AC adapter

Laundry Products

Use soap flakes and borax or washing soda and borax instead of detergent. Use borax instead of bleach. Treat stains immediately when possible.

• Blood Stains: Soak in cold water, club soda, or hydrogen peroxide.
  
  
• Perspiration stains: Dab with a sponge soaked in a weak solution of water with vinegar or lemon juice.
  
  
• Ink Stains: Cream of tarter and lemon juice.
  
  
• Chocolate stains: Soak in club soda.

Metal Polishes

• Brass: Rub with olive oil to retard tarnish.
  
  
• Chrome: Polish with baby oil.
  
  
• Silver: Soak in boiling water with baking soda, salt and aluminum foil.
  
  
• Copper: Use a paste of lemon juice and cream of tarter, leave on for 5 minutes, wash in warm water, rub with a dry , soft cloth.

Mothballs

Moths only infest natural fibers such as wool, cotton, linen, and silk. Substitute cedar blocks or chips for moth balls. Vacuum often and clean closets, baseboards, and cracks in the floors. Store clean clothes in a sealed box or in a cedar box or chest.

Oven Cleaners

Cover the soiled oven surface with a baking soda paste, let stand from one hour to overnight, then scrub with a sponge or abrasive pad.

Scouring Powder

Use baking soda paste. Try a pumice stick on porcelain surfaces.

Toilet Bowl Cleaners

Leave borax to soak in the toilet, then scrub. Pumice stone will remove stains. For rings, mix borax and lemon juice into a paste, let sit for two hours, then scrub with a good brush. Tub And Tile Cleaner Use 1/2 cup of borax in hot water. Wipe bath tubs with vinegar then sprinkle with baking soda, scrub with a damp sponge, and rinse.

This page was adapted from text written by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.