Spring Clean Your Home!
Spend 1 hour safeguarding your home and environment this spring!
1) Check your home. Click HERE for an easy-to-use spreadsheet (or in PDF format)!
2) Clear out hazardous waste. Find those old and outdated or leaking containers.
3) Go GREEN with one or two items See BELOW for great ideas!
4) Take hazardous waste to WPWMA. Pack for safe transport to WPWMA for disposal.
Cleaning Alternatives
Baking soda and vinegar are low-cost, effective cleaning options to the expensive products we use in our homes. One gallon containers of vinegar can be purchased for less than the cost of one bottle of multi-surface cleaner and it can be used as:
- fabric softener - 1/4 cup in the rinse cycle clears odors and softens towels
- air freshener - a small cup set on the counter absorbs odors
- window cleaner - 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water and 1 TBS vinegar makes a great spray-on window cleaner
A box of baking soda can be used to keep your fridge and freezer odor-free. Replace the box every six months and use the old one for these common cleaning tasks:
- soft scrubbing powder - mix with a little bit of water for a cleaning paste for counters, cook tops and sinks
- microwave - 2 TBS baking soda with water and a cup, bring to a boil and the inside of the microwave will clean up nicely (and remove odors!)
- drains - unclog the drain with 1 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar (be careful!). Wait 4 minutes and pour 2 quarts of hot water down the drain. Repeat as needed.
More Tipshttp://housekeeping.about.com/od/environment/a/vinbaklemons.htm (expanded discussion of how to use lemons, vinegar, baking soda and other items to go GREEN in cleaning)
http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/natural-cleaning-alternatives (The New Homemaker - Ideas on natural cleaning with household products with some advertisements)
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste (Klickitat County, WA. - Extensive list of alterative cleaning products including ways to remove stains)
http://www.clark.wa.gov/recycle/documents/Publications/InHomeGarageWeb.pdf (Clark County, WA - PDF of multi-page booklet on pesticide and cleaning alternatives)
Listing these organizations does not imply endorsement. Always test cleaning solutions on a small inconspicuous area just in case discoloration occurs.
