The Real Clean

Whether you’re a committed spring cleaner with the requisite six-week game plan to attack every corner of your home before summer arrives, or just manage to get the kids’ winter clothes out of the front hall in time for bathing suit season (never mind wiping down the walls, defrosting the freezer and reorganizing the closets by colour and type of clothing), there’s one thing we’re thinking we can all clean up this spring.
We’re talking about the toxic chemicals in our everyday cleaning solutions. After years of looking at those skeleton symbols on the labels, we’re asking ourselves why we really need products that are corrosive to the eyes and skin, cause illness when inhaled or swallowed, or contain carcinogenic chemicals to keep our houses clean.

However, it turns out that you can get the same clean results from some totally safe ingredients most of us already have in our kitchens—vinegar and baking soda—so we’ve got a few recipes for your spring cleaning.

Floor Cleaner
Mix one gallon of water with 1/2 cup vinegar in a bucket to mop or scrub floors (oh, the glamour).

Tub and Tile Cleaners
Scrub surfaces with baking soda slightly moistened with water. To remove mineral deposits around faucets, cover deposits with strips of paper towels soaked in vinegar. Let sit for one hour and wipe.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda around the inside of the toilet bowl and scrub with toilet brush. Add some white vinegar into the bowl (removes rings) and let sit for a few minutes before cleaning with the brush.