Even though stores would like to sell you dozens of cleaners, you don’t need them. With just five simple ingredients, you can clean nearly everything in your car, office, or home.
Commercial cleaning providers know that many cleaning jobs have five separate actions:
- Remove the dust and dirt
- Dissolve and rub away the buildup
- Rinse off the dissolving solution
- Dry, shine, or polish
- Prevent further soiling
The Green Ingredients
Home and office cleaning with household items has become a very popular green trend. With the following five ingredients, you can cleanse an amazing array of surfaces.
- White distilled vinegar
- Table salt
- Baking soda
- Dish detergent
- Water
Vinegar: Make sure you use distilled white vinegar. Cleaning with vinegar is economical and non-toxic. Because vinegar is naturally acidic, it dissolves many substances. It also kills bacteria and germs. Don’t be afraid to use vinegar because it has an odor. After a few minutes, the smell wears off.
Salt: Table salt is an effective abrasion agent. Because it is soft, it will not scratch surfaces but will help remove tough caked-on substances.
Baking Soda: Baking soda is also a good scouring agent. It is essentially the opposite of vinegar. Baking soda tackles stains that vinegar cannot remove.
Dish detergent: Soap is used to break the surface tension of water and allow water to get closer to the stain.
Water: Soft water is considered the best dissolvent in the world. Over time, it will dissolve or change almost anything. Water is the perfect cleaning agent. It is best to use soft water or distilled water for rinsing.
You can combine these five ingredients in various ways to make a useful assortment of safe, non-toxic, office cleaning formulas.
The Tools You Will Need
You will also need a few common items to complete your cleaning kit.
- bowl for mixing
- several spray bottles to hold spray solutions
- rubber gloves for heavy cleaning
- old toothbrushes for scrubbing
- soft towels for drying
- soft cloths for polishing
- dryer static sheets for making baseboards anti-static
Full Strength Vinegar
Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and use to:
- wipe desk and countertops to remove stains, kill bacteria, and leave a fresh smell
- soak plastic items to remove stubborn stains
- clean the coffee maker
- spray on cutting boards for five minutes, then rinse
- spray on all surfaces of the toilet to kill bacteria and germs
- soak showerheads and faucets to remove calcium buildup
- clean the wheel of a can opener with vinegar and a toothbrush
- discourage mildew by spraying on outside window sills
- soak your sponges in vinegar and then rinse
- clean sticky scissors
- clean shower door tracks with vinegar and a toothbrush
- clean road grime off of windshield wipers then rinse with clear water
Naturally, your commercial cleaning services will take care of the regular heavy duty jobs, but it’s always recommended that you have these green and natural cleaning products on hand to tackle any spills or in-between cleanings.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.maintenance-one.com as the original source).
