ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SPRING CLEANING
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(1) ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SPRING CLEANING
By Ella Tyler
Spring cleaning could be hazardous to your health. The material safety
data sheet for a common all-purpose cleaner reports that exposure to
one
of the ingredients in the product "will cause blood and bone marrow
damage" and also says that if the product contacts the eyes it "may
cause chemical burns with permanent corneal injury." However, it is not
necessary to give up a clean house to keep your family safe, according
to Diana Walton, owner of Purely Organic Cleaning Service & Consulting.
Her substitute for commercial all-purpose cleaner is one teaspoon
borax,
one teaspoon washing soda, and one cup hot water. Instead of
store-brought disinfectants, which often contain phenol and cresol
(linked to diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, kidney and liver damage),
Walton recommends mixing a tablespoon of borax with a cup of hot water
and putting the solution into a spray bottle.
Other substitutions she recommends are using hydrogen peroxide instead
of bleach and a bowl of vinegar (or open windows) as an air freshener.
Walton says that commercial air fresheners work by numbing the sense of
smell. She suggests that toilet bowls be cleaned by wetting the side of
the bowl with white vinegar, sprinkling borax inside the bowl, and
waiting for 30 minutes before scrubbing.
"Soap is soap," Walton says, "so there are no reasons to have a
different cleaner for every area of your home."
If your spring cleaning involves getting rid of hazardous waste, there
will be a special collection from 8 am to 2 pm on Sat, Apr 8, at Harris
County Annex 13 & Sports Complex, 17423 Katy Freeway. Hazardous waste
includes products such as paints, stains and varnishes, cleaners,
polishes, automotive products, pesticides, fertilizers, and certain
electronics. Items that have the words warning, danger, toxic,
corrosive, irritant, flammable, or caution on their labels are
considered household hazardous waste.
Houston residents can recycle household hazardous waste and most other
materials at the Westpark recycling center. In addition, the facility
has a space called ReStore that is a repository for items that might be
used in art projects and a book swap.
Before you put something in the trash, check out the web sites of area
environmental groups. Many of them have wish lists. For example, Armand
Bayou Nature Center's list includes items such as 2-liter bottles,
buttons, fabric and yarn scraps, egg cartons, nature magazines, and
neck
ties, all to be used in the education programs for children. Anyplace
that has programs for children will probably welcome such materials.
