In a previous article we have already talked about domestic pollution and the quality of the air we breathe in our homes.
To improve the quality of the air we breathe at home, it is a good habit to open the windows at least a couple of times during the day to encourage recirculation, but there are other measures we can take to combat the presence of pollutants.
In this article, we will look at one aspect of the indoor pollution issue, which concerns the use of chemicals for household cleaning, and offer you alternatives to keep your home clean with environmentally friendly detergents that do not harm you or the planet.
Preparing environmentally friendly detergents at home is another of those small daily actions that each of us can take to protect the health of the environment and the creatures living in it.
Recipes for eco-friendly do-it-yourself detergents
The recipes for making eco-friendly do-it-yourself detergents are quick and easy because they use ingredients that we usually all have at home.
Baking soda, vinegar, limone and olive oil are, in fact, your best allies for household hygiene and can be used as detergents for different types of household cleaning.
Hot water and a cup of vinegar or hot water and lime juiceone, for example, are excellent for making window panes shine. Hot water and bicarbonate of soda, on the other hand, are excellent for washing dishes or degreasing kitchen furniture; spray, wipe with a sponge and dry with a damp microfibre cloth.
Baking soda and limone juice are great for removing limescale from the shower, bath and bathroom fittings.
If you do not have bicarbonate of soda, you can replace it with white vinegar diluted in water.
To remove grease from the oven, you can prepare a pasty solution of fine salt, bicarbonate of soda and water. Rub it in with a sponge and remove the mixture with a damp microfibre cloth.
A few drops of limone added to half a cup of olive oil can instead be used to clean furniture.
Water and vinegar also come to the rescue when cleaning plastics, for example children's toys; combined they have a deep disinfecting azione, so take a basin, fill it with hot water, add water and vinegar and let the toys soak for about 15-20 minutes, scrub with an old toothbrush where the dirt is most resistant and then rinse.
We have suggested do-it-yourself solutions for making environmentally friendly detergents at home without having to use chemical-based products that pollute the air you breathe in your home and are harmful to the environment.
Having a sustainable home and minimising the use of chemicals is not at all difficult and laborious, it is just a matter of changing your habits, without having to give up any of your comforts.