ask mr. green
Take Life's Lemons... And Clean With Them?
Dear Mr. Green,
After a lifetime of mess, I have finally hired the best cleaning woman in the universe! Sadly, she believes that bleach is the answer to everything, even my laundry! How do I teach her there are better ways to clean without using such toxic chemicals?
All the Best,
Messy Missy
Dear Bye-bye to Bleach,
Congratulations on the addition of a housekeeper to your home. (I fought it for years even though I once cleaned houses myself.) Although I'm the complete flip-side of your messy self, (I'm über-tidy!) we, too, have a wonderful individual who visits our home twice a month to vacuum, dust, wash windows and clean the kitchen and bathrooms.
Before ever meeting us, Deb - the young woman who now cleans our house - had read my book Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing and was already applying the safe and simple recipes found in it at other clients' homes. And because of what she learned, she now feels better, and knows that her own health and well-being are far more important than anyone's necessity for bleach-infused, sparkling white undies, towels and sheets or kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
Many people have a deep-seeded association with the smell of chlorine bleach and "cleanliness," and I have a very simple solution to your "bleach" predicament. Stop buying it. By not purchasing bleach and having it in your home, she would no longer use it and you both would avoid the toxic effects of chlorine. "But then what would she use to clean?" you ask.
I suggest you visit the beverage aisle of your favorite local grocery and buy the biggest and cheapest bottle of lemon juice you can get your hands on. Not the cute little squishy plastic-y thing that looks kinda like a lemon, but a big honkin' bottle. Instead of using that ¼ cup of bleach when she runs your next load of tidy-whities, have her use ¼ cup of lemon juice as an utterly eco-friendly alternative. The bottled citrus costs about the same as bleach, and used in the exact same amount per wash, brightens your whites safely with the added bonus of not destroying the fabrics you are washing. Prior to the manufacture of chlorine bleach, it's what your unwittingly eco-conscious grandmother did with her dirty whites, eons ago.
For even more whitening, you might also want to soak your white fabrics in a tub or sink of hot water and ¼ cup of lemon juice, and let them sit overnight before your housekeeper gets there. In the morning, just have her rinse the contents with cool, clear water and then launder as usual (without bleach, of course!). For an additional boost of whiteness, have her add another ¼ cup of lemon juice to the machine.
Additionally, now that the weather is getting warmer, for what I consider one of life's greatest luxuries (not to mention that it's absolutely free, and uses no energy) have her hang your wet laundry on an outdoor clothesline to expose them to the noonday sun. No dryer sheet in the world could ever give you what Mother Nature can.
Now for the other cleaning chores she loves to use chlorine bleach for...bathtubs, sinks and toilets get just as clean without the use of bleach-infused commercial products by combining one cup baking soda, one cup borax and a heaping tablespoon of table salt. Stir the three together and place the mixture into a recycled jar or container with a pour or sprinkle-style top (you can re-use a non-dairy creamer container, or punch holes in the metal top of an old mayonnaise jar--be creative and recycle!). Have your housekeeper use this newly mixed concoction the same way she would use any other kind of bath or kitchen cleanser. And for an extra bonus, have her use a halved lemon as a scrub brush. The acid of the lemon reacts with the baking soda so you can expect to see your own homemade "scrubbing" bubbles, your surfaces will be just as shiny as they were from the toxic stuff, and the aroma of lemon-y goodness will fill your home.
Sure... your housekeeper can clean with it, use it to brighten your white fabrics, and even sweeten the air in your home with it - but better than anything else - lemons make swell lemonade--so leave her a homemade pitcher of that, too. Natural, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly cleaning may take a bit more time to prepare for, but once you have all the basic ingredients on hand, and are no longer purchasing all those nasty, chemical commercial cleansers, it will become second nature to you both. And you'll be taking care of your housekeeper, while your housekeeper takes care of you!
about mr. green
From re-gifting, re-cycling, to natural cleaning products for your home, Mr. Green has all of your ecotiquette answers. Our Mr. Green (aka. Michael De Jong), is the author of "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing." He lives in Jersey City with his partner (Richard,) dog (Jack,) and three goldfish (Phil, Jill and Gill) all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in "CLEAN" and is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by an immigrant family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of "CLEAN" books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing" can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.
Click here to send him a question and he'll put in the elbow grease to scrub out the answers!
