At long last there are signs that this long hard winter may be over and Spring just around the corner. As always, at this time of year, the warmer weather encourages us to “spring clean” our homes and prepare the yard and patio for summer.

At It’s Eco Time we are committed to cleaning with home made cleaners which are both environmentally friendly and cheaper than store bought cleaners. Using store cupboard essentials such as, vinigar, baking soda and lemon juice you can make cleaning solutions for all your requirements. These recipies are also less harmful to the health of your family. If you would like recipies for specific cleaners then contact me helen@itsecotime.com and I will email you a complete list. Alternatively, sign up for our Newsletter which will contain recipies along with a variety of other information to promote a healthy, cost effective lifestyle.

Recently a friend of mine who had just become a new Mum was searching for the “greenest” household cleaning products in order to make her home chemical free and reduce the risk of allergies. I was reminded of the time in the 80’s, when as a new Mum myself, with a baby who suffered multiple allergies, I had to do the same research. I found that most cleaning could be taken care of by using store cupboard basics. Cleaning with natural products is not only healthier but more cost effective and reduces the need to recycle all those plastic containers. Here are just a few of my recipes. If you would like more or have specific requests then contact me at info@itsecotime.com

General Cleaner and Disinfectant

Dissolve 1 cup Borax in a gallon of warm water

Scouring Powder

Sprinkle Borax, baking powder or dry table salt on a damp sponge; scour and rinse.  Alternatively rub the area to be cleaned with half a lemon dipped in Borax.  Rinse and dry with a soft cloth.

Dishwasher Soap

Most automatic dishwashing detergents contain phosphates that pollute waterways. An environmentally preferred alternative is one part borax and one part washing soda.

Laundry Soap

Detergents were designed to clean synthetic fibers.  Natural fibers can be cleaned with natural substances.  Use a mixture of half borax and half washing soda.  To keep colors from fading, add a drop or 2 of vinegar in the laundry water.

Lavender Laundry Softener

32oz white vinegar, 32oz baking soda, 64oz distilled or purified water. ½ oz lavender essential oil.  Mix the vinegar and baking soda together over a sink as the two material when mixed will cause a fizzing reaction.  Add water and essential oil and stir again.  Pour into a container and use ¼ cup per load in the rinse cycle.

Drain Opener

Dissolve 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar in boiling water and pour down the drain.  Continue to flush with hot tap water until the clog breaks.

Over Cleaner

For spills, let the oven cool, then sprinkle salt on the spill right away.  Let it cool for a few minutes, then scrape the spill away and wash the area clean. For scouring the oven use baking powder.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Use a solution of baking soda and water or vinegar to clean the bowl. Sprinkle baking soda around the rim.  Scrub with toilet brush as needed.  The solution will clean and deoderize.

Furniture Polish

Mix 2 parts cooking oil with 1 part lemon juice.  Apply to furniture with a soft cloth and wipe dry.

Ceramic Tile Cleaner

A mixture of ¼ cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water removes dirt without scrubbing and doesn’t leave a film.

Our Governments maintain they are committed to developing green industries and projects over the next few years.  This is certainly good news! However, I feel that the most efficient and effective way to make a difference in the short term is for us to take individual responsibility for day to day actions and develop individual green programmes for our home and family. For instance, recycling programs are a patchwork of different rules and regulations for each city, town or district. Neighboring areas do not collect the same articles in the same way, and we often hear reports of a build up of recycled material having to be used for landfill as there are no buyers for it. Individually we can help be trying to reduce the NEED to recycle. Just because containers and packaging can be recycled does not make it the greenest option.  We should be looking for reusable items or reduced packaging. Composting is another way we can make a big difference.  It is estimated that food and garden waste make up around 30% of the waste stream in the US, so reducing this would have a marked impact on landfills.  Energy saving in the home not only has an environmental impact but is cost effective as well. Installing programmable thermostats,  LEDs and energy saving power strips will not only reduce your energy comsumption but your utility bill as well. There is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from managing your own lifestyle and developing green practices that work for you and your family.

I have been reading a lot of posts recently about how much energy is wasted because we allow our electronic appliances to stay in “standby” mode instead of switching them off. Although TV screens and computer monitors are blank the appliances still consume significant amounts of energy unless they are turned off at the socket.  Obviously this was of concern to me because although we try to be as energy efficient as possible, we do, like many other modern families have a significant amount of electronic equipment in our home and I wondered how much this inefficiency was costing us. So you can imagine how delighted I was to find a product that solves this problem. It’s an energy saving power strip. Autoswitching technology in these power strips turns off all peripheral devices as the PC goes to sleep mode or the TV is turned off, then automatically turns everything back on as the computer is activated or the TV turned on. We are installing them in the home office, media room and in our children’s rooms. If you’d like more information on these then look them up on www.itsecotime.com or contact me helen@itsecotime.com