Recently, I found that a particular company puts peanut oil into their deodorizing spray. At first I was concerned about this simply because I have a friend who has a son that is deathly allergic to peanuts. I forwarded this information to her and that was the end of it for me… until two days later. I was cleaning my bathrooms and realized that for a big part of the day, I was having a hard time breathing and this reminded me of my friend’s son. I’ve been using these products for years and never gave it a second thought as to WHY I would struggle for hours after using them! I just powered through it, as I’m sure a lot of people do! This gave me pause to think of what these chemicals were really doing inside my body. And if this is how MY body feels… what are they doing to the little bodies of my kids!
Being a mother, I of course feel that it’s necessary to share what I’ve learned. It’s all great information… especially for the natural (or at least NEAR natural) surfaces in your home… like, granite, etc. By the way, that’s our specialty here at Regal Surface & Stone *wink wink*
Many of the products that are on the market today are laden with toxic chemicals. This, of course, results in toxic fumes. Did you know that many of these fumes may promote bacterial growth that become resistant to antibacterial drugs? Not good, right? Here are some simple solutions that are efficient, cost effective, multipurpose and most importantly NON-TOXIC!
Vinegar! It’s an effective dissolvent and can tackle everything from grease and lime scale to soap scum and hard wood floors! Mix a one part vinegar to two parts water and you should be good to go. For tougher jobs, you can use less dilution. Quick tip: Wash your fruits and veggies in this solution then rinse and strains. Not only will you remove the pesticides but your berries will last longer!
Lemon juice! It’s an antifungal, antibacterial, streak-free deodorizer and you can use it on all surfaces! For kitchen use, you can combine this with water and vinegar and disinfect your counter tops and leave a fresh scent behind. Another way to use Lemon juice is with Olive Oil. In a spray bottle, blend 1 cup of olive oil to ½ cup of lemon juice. Spray into a cloth and use this to polish your wood furniture. In every way, this is leaps and bounds above the stuff in a can!
Baking Soda! This stuff is awesome. Not only is it a great deodorizer, but it’s a soft abrasive that helps to remove tough stains. It’s easy to work with… all you need to do is sprinkle it onto the surface you’re looking to brighten/clean and work it into a paste. For tougher jobs, let it sit for a few minutes. Otherwise, use a clean, wet cloth and wipe it away until there is no trace. If you need to add a little more to the abrasiveness, you can add salt (also an anti “bad stuff” product)!
There are other products out there, I’m sure, but these are my favorites. I hope that you find these solutions effective and useful! As always, if you have any questions, or even anything to add… give us a call!