Squeaky clean

I’d rather have bamboo shoots stuck under my fingernails than lift the feather duster, despite the fact that I come from a long line of meticulous women. Legend has it that my grandmother scrubbed the crevices of her tenement kitchen floor with a toothbrush, and the greatest compliment my mother could give one of the neighbors was, “You could eat off her floors.”

Unlike my mother, who cleaned every day, my rule of thumb is to tackle dirt only when I’m expecting guests. I hear my mother’s voice reporting on the state of cleanliness in so-and-so’s house when she’d return from a visit, so I dust, polish and scrub lest I fail some imaginary white-glove test.

Recently, I’ve been replacing the commercial, chemically laden cleaning products under my sink with simple cleaners my grandmother must have used. They’re cheaper, work just as well and don’t contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde and harsh acids.

When you use products containing VOCs, the air you breathe in your sparklingly clean house will be filled with toxins.

Indoor air pollution is one of the nation’s most pressing health concerns. According to a five-year EPA study, concentrations of 20 toxic compounds were 200 to 500 times higher inside some homes than outside. Many commercial products come in health-damaging aerosol sprays and contain fragrance and color additives. Some contain antibacterial agents that create antibiotic resistance. Commercial cleaners take an environmental toll during their manufacture and disposal.

On the other hand, white vinegar, baking soda, borax, hydrogen peroxide, club soda, lemon juice, liquid castile soap and corn meal are cleaning agents Grandma must have used (along with that toothbrush of hers) that present no environmental hazards.

I use baking soda on my stovetop, stainless steel sink, countertops—every surface in the kitchen and bathroom, in fact. It removes grease and grime without abrasion. It can also be used to deodorize carpets and garbage cans and eliminate ink, pencil, crayon or marker spots from painted surfaces.

I foreswore conventional oven cleaners a while back when I literally choked on the fumes they produced. Conventional oven cleaning chemicals are loaded with toxic ingredients, including ethers, ethylene glycol, lye (sodium and potassium hydroxide), methylene chloride and petroleum distillates. To clean your dirty oven, coat the inside with a paste of water and baking soda. After about 8 hours, put on a pair of gloves and scour off the grime.

White vinegar and lemon juice are acidic so they neutralize alkaline substances such as scale from hard water, dissolve gummy buildup, eat away tarnish and remove dirt from wood surfaces. Vinegar mixed with water cleans windows.

Club soda works well on stains. If one of your guests spills spaghetti sauce on the carpet, tackle it right away, all the while protesting that it’s really nothing. With a rag, blot off any solids, then liberally pour on club soda. The soda’s carbonation brings the spill to the surface, and the salts in the soda thwart staining.

Instead of commercial air fresheners, use aromatherapy oils.

Olive or lemon oil are good furniture polishes.

It’s also important to pay attention to the tools and accessories that help you clean. Use natural, durable mops, sponges and buckets. Reduce your consumption of nonrenewable resources and save money by recycling old clothing into rags rather than using paper towels.

An Internet search will yield a wealth of information on green cleaning products and Heloise-like “recipes” for tackling a variety of cleaning challenges. Many of the area’s local shops sell green cleaning products like Mrs. Meyer’s or Seventh Generation.

I’ve tied on my apron—now bring on the dust!

- Marcia Nehemiah