((This is an article I wrote for one of my Green Living Blogs.))
A Kid-Friendly Alternative to Bleach
* Regular Price of a 26 oz bottle of Windex: $3.99
* Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover: $3.99
* Regular Price of a 32 oz bottle of Fabuloso Degreaser: $2.99
* Regular Price of a 60 oz bottle of Clorox Liquid Bleach: $1.99
* Regular Price of a 33.8 oz bottle of generic mouthwash: $3.49
Total cost of household cleaning supplies: $16.45 +tax**
* Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide: $0.89
* Regular Price of a dollar store squirt bottle: $1.00
Total cost of household cleaning supply replacement: $1.89 +tax
Total savings: Approx. $14.56**Prices taken from Walgreens.com
Take a look under your kitchen sink. What do you find there? If you were anything like I was six months ago, you'd find bottles upon bottles of various cleaners. Some for getting the grease off the stove, some for killing the mildew that springs up in the shower. Some for getting spots off of glass, some for removing water spots on the faucets, some for cleaning the toilet...
And in other parts of the house, there were products for removing stains from laundry, brightening whites, killing bacteria in the mouth, whitening teeth and improving the freshness of breath. Products that, had I stopped to think about it sooner, were putting a small leak into my bank account.
Then, I received an email. One of those chain letters that claims to be from the friend of a friend who's married to a man whose wife is someone important. "Do you ever notice that when you go to the hospital, it doesn't smell like bleach?" it wanted to know. It was a valid point, but I wasn't going to make life changes by reading information that has been presented to me in a chain letter.
Already I knew that - as opposed to most chemical cleaners - hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen as it ages. Both are harmless, natural elements found in daily life, safe for rinsing down drains. But without further proof of the uses of peroxide - and their safety - I wasn't going to make the switch.
I checked immediately with Snopes.com - a website known for seeking out those chain letters and other circulating email/internet myths and proving (or in most cases, disproving) them. Snopes had this to say:
"Hydrogen peroxide is a first aid staple in many households, routinely used to disinfect small wounds. Bottles of it are readily available at drug stores, with the compound formulated for home use vended in a dilute form of 3% to 10%. Hydrogen peroxide also finds applications as an antiseptic gargle, a clothes and hair bleach, and an aid to ear wax removal. A paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is used as a tooth scrub, and hydrogen peroxide is the major component of any number of tooth-whitening products."
Snopes continues to say that while most of the suggestions listed in the chain email (such as using peroxide as a gargle, or using it to disinfect wooden cutting boards) are valid, suggestions like spraying peroxide into your nose to clear sinuses may do more harm than good. "Given the Center for Disease Control's statement that, 'When used for household disinfectant purposes (3% to 5%), [hydrogen peroxide] is mildly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes,' we'd have to advise that trying out either tip might not be such a good idea."
Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to make my own cleaner. With the suggestions that peroxide is a skin irritant and may bleach fabrics, I diluted 1/3 cup of 3% peroxide into roughly 28 oz of water, in a new squirt bottle to avoid any residual chemical reactions. I also added a few drops of lemon essential oil (an holistic antibacterial agent... But mostly I liked the scent!) just for kicks, and set out to clean. The first surfaces to receive a generous misting of my new solution were the kitchen counters and sink faucet. After reading Snopes' advice that "...the 3% dilution hydrogen peroxide is commonly sold at won't be the 'sudden death to all germs' answer that this list of tips presents it as," I decided to let the mixture sit a while. After about one minute, I wiped the counters with a clean sponge.
The results were definitely pleasing! Grime that had hardened on the counter top was effectively removed with only a little bit of scrubbing. The mildew around the seal on the sink faucet wiped away -- along with water spots that'd been there for quite a while! And the lemon scent was great, too! I quickly moved on to the bathroom, where I promptly sprayed the mirror and counters. It didn't leave any streaks on the glass when promptly wiped with a clean, dry towel, and it helped with the mildew around the sink faucet there, too!
From there I found laundry with old stains and soaked them in the diluted peroxide, scrubbed lightly and rinsed thoroughly, and much to my delight, the fabric was not bleached, but the stain was gone! (This, of course, depends upon the age and nature of the stain. Stains caused by substances with protien in them - such as blood and some foods - will be easier to remove than others, like grass or dirt)
Best of all, with two cats in the house (I don't have children yet), I won't have to worry that they'll hop into a puddle while I'm cleaning, and burn their little toes. I don't need to fear that using this cleaner around them will bring on a case of pneumonia or lung damage, either. According to my vet, chemicals, smoke, and even natural outside agents like dust and pollen can be very harmful to a cat's respiratory system - especially when they're kittens. Our smallest kitten had a bad case of pneumonia when he was about 5 months old, which makes him highly susceptible to a repeat attack. After a $500 vet bill and the stress of nearly losing a "furry baby," I believe that this change is one of the smallest I can make to prevent further harm (and unplanned expenses!).
I'm uncertain, but I would wager that using diluted peroxide as a cleaner is also healther around pregnant women. Doctors informed my pregnant sister to stay away from cleaning agents entirely. How many women with homes to upkeep would simply stop cleaning for 9 months, and leave the work to someone else? It's definitely a subject to research further.
For now, I'll leave you to consider your own options, and with the following thought: Even if you aren't interested in saving the planet, think about the money you'll save! That puts the 'green' in Going Green!
A Kid-Friendly Alternative to Bleach
* Regular Price of a 26 oz bottle of Windex: $3.99
* Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover: $3.99
* Regular Price of a 32 oz bottle of Fabuloso Degreaser: $2.99
* Regular Price of a 60 oz bottle of Clorox Liquid Bleach: $1.99
* Regular Price of a 33.8 oz bottle of generic mouthwash: $3.49
Total cost of household cleaning supplies: $16.45 +tax**
* Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide: $0.89
* Regular Price of a dollar store squirt bottle: $1.00
Total cost of household cleaning supply replacement: $1.89 +tax
Total savings: Approx. $14.56**Prices taken from Walgreens.com
Take a look under your kitchen sink. What do you find there? If you were anything like I was six months ago, you'd find bottles upon bottles of various cleaners. Some for getting the grease off the stove, some for killing the mildew that springs up in the shower. Some for getting spots off of glass, some for removing water spots on the faucets, some for cleaning the toilet...
And in other parts of the house, there were products for removing stains from laundry, brightening whites, killing bacteria in the mouth, whitening teeth and improving the freshness of breath. Products that, had I stopped to think about it sooner, were putting a small leak into my bank account.
Then, I received an email. One of those chain letters that claims to be from the friend of a friend who's married to a man whose wife is someone important. "Do you ever notice that when you go to the hospital, it doesn't smell like bleach?" it wanted to know. It was a valid point, but I wasn't going to make life changes by reading information that has been presented to me in a chain letter.
Already I knew that - as opposed to most chemical cleaners - hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen as it ages. Both are harmless, natural elements found in daily life, safe for rinsing down drains. But without further proof of the uses of peroxide - and their safety - I wasn't going to make the switch.
I checked immediately with Snopes.com - a website known for seeking out those chain letters and other circulating email/internet myths and proving (or in most cases, disproving) them. Snopes had this to say:
"Hydrogen peroxide is a first aid staple in many households, routinely used to disinfect small wounds. Bottles of it are readily available at drug stores, with the compound formulated for home use vended in a dilute form of 3% to 10%. Hydrogen peroxide also finds applications as an antiseptic gargle, a clothes and hair bleach, and an aid to ear wax removal. A paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is used as a tooth scrub, and hydrogen peroxide is the major component of any number of tooth-whitening products."
Snopes continues to say that while most of the suggestions listed in the chain email (such as using peroxide as a gargle, or using it to disinfect wooden cutting boards) are valid, suggestions like spraying peroxide into your nose to clear sinuses may do more harm than good. "Given the Center for Disease Control's statement that, 'When used for household disinfectant purposes (3% to 5%), [hydrogen peroxide] is mildly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes,' we'd have to advise that trying out either tip might not be such a good idea."
Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to make my own cleaner. With the suggestions that peroxide is a skin irritant and may bleach fabrics, I diluted 1/3 cup of 3% peroxide into roughly 28 oz of water, in a new squirt bottle to avoid any residual chemical reactions. I also added a few drops of lemon essential oil (an holistic antibacterial agent... But mostly I liked the scent!) just for kicks, and set out to clean. The first surfaces to receive a generous misting of my new solution were the kitchen counters and sink faucet. After reading Snopes' advice that "...the 3% dilution hydrogen peroxide is commonly sold at won't be the 'sudden death to all germs' answer that this list of tips presents it as," I decided to let the mixture sit a while. After about one minute, I wiped the counters with a clean sponge.
The results were definitely pleasing! Grime that had hardened on the counter top was effectively removed with only a little bit of scrubbing. The mildew around the seal on the sink faucet wiped away -- along with water spots that'd been there for quite a while! And the lemon scent was great, too! I quickly moved on to the bathroom, where I promptly sprayed the mirror and counters. It didn't leave any streaks on the glass when promptly wiped with a clean, dry towel, and it helped with the mildew around the sink faucet there, too!
From there I found laundry with old stains and soaked them in the diluted peroxide, scrubbed lightly and rinsed thoroughly, and much to my delight, the fabric was not bleached, but the stain was gone! (This, of course, depends upon the age and nature of the stain. Stains caused by substances with protien in them - such as blood and some foods - will be easier to remove than others, like grass or dirt)
Best of all, with two cats in the house (I don't have children yet), I won't have to worry that they'll hop into a puddle while I'm cleaning, and burn their little toes. I don't need to fear that using this cleaner around them will bring on a case of pneumonia or lung damage, either. According to my vet, chemicals, smoke, and even natural outside agents like dust and pollen can be very harmful to a cat's respiratory system - especially when they're kittens. Our smallest kitten had a bad case of pneumonia when he was about 5 months old, which makes him highly susceptible to a repeat attack. After a $500 vet bill and the stress of nearly losing a "furry baby," I believe that this change is one of the smallest I can make to prevent further harm (and unplanned expenses!).
I'm uncertain, but I would wager that using diluted peroxide as a cleaner is also healther around pregnant women. Doctors informed my pregnant sister to stay away from cleaning agents entirely. How many women with homes to upkeep would simply stop cleaning for 9 months, and leave the work to someone else? It's definitely a subject to research further.
For now, I'll leave you to consider your own options, and with the following thought: Even if you aren't interested in saving the planet, think about the money you'll save! That puts the 'green' in Going Green!
