10 Eco-Friendly Ways To Clean With Vinegar

Guest post from Christine Maddox.

We have a complete open door policy for guest blogs. If you have an idea for a blog, please email it to me, and if it fits our criteria, I will send you a complete submission guide. We post one blog per week, more or less.   jim.murray@ourgreendirectory.com

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Cleaning in an eco-friendly way can be both easy and inexpensive. One of the best eco-friendly cleaners is plain white vinegar. White vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent, removes bad smells, and helps to shine a variety of surfaces. It is safe to use on almost anything and around children and pets. Here are ten ways you can clean with vinegar:

1. Get stains off linoleum with vinegar. Apply vinegar directly to the stain and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes. If stain is still there apply the vinegar again and then sprinkle with baking soda. Scrub the stain with a brush or cloth until it is removed and then rinse it clean.
2. Shine no-wax floors with vinegar. Just add a cup to a gallon of warm water and wash the floors for a clean, fresh smelling shine.
3. Clean the toilet with vinegar. Pour in a cup or more to the toilet bowl and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Scrub well and then flush for a white and scent free toilet.
4. Clean and open up a scummy or clogged shower head with vinegar. In a sandwich bag mix half a cup of baking soda with a cup of vinegar. Tie the bubbling bag over the shower head and let it sit for at least an hour after it stops bubbling. Then remove and run the water for a few minutes to clean out any residue.
5. Clean shower door or sliding door tracks with vinegar. Pour in white vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes. Then rinse with hot water and scrub with a toothbrush to remove any lingering build up.
6. Sanitize a sponge or loofa with vinegar. Let the sponge or loofa sit submerged in undiluted vinegar overnight. Then rinse well and squeeze out the moisture. Let it sit in the sun until dry and it should be germ, mildew, and scent free.
7. Clean the ring or film from your bathtub with vinegar and baking soda. Rinse out the tub with the vinegar and let it sit several minutes. Then scrub with a baking soda paste and rinse with warm water for a sparkling tub. This also works great on grout and tile!
8. Keep shower doors clean by spraying them with vinegar each time you get out of the shower. This will help to break down hard water stains and prevent soap build up.
9. Remove lime, calcium, and soap deposits with vinegar. Tie a bag of undiluted vinegar around lime coated faucets and let it sit for several hours. Then remove and rinse off.
10. Remove grease wherever it gathers with a vinegar spray. Just spray on and let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe off the grease.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This post is contributed by Christine Maddox. Currently she is pursuing her Master’s degree from University of Texas as well as blogging for www.4nannies.com. She loves to write anything related to parenting, kids, nanny care etc. She can be reached via email at: christine.4nannies@gmail.com.

How important is recycling?

This post comes to us from the lovely and talented Christine Maddox from www.4nannies.com.
We have a complete open door policy for guest blogs. If you have an idea for a blog, please email it to me, and if it fits our criteria, I will send you a complete submission guide. We post one blog per week, more or less.   jim.murray@ourgreendirectory.com

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There has been a huge focus on recycling in recent years as people across the world attempt to cut down on the negative impact they can have on the environment. As well as individuals doing their bit, businesses and entire nations are getting involved; coming together to make a difference. With this in mind, are we doing enough to hit recycling targets, or does more need to be done?

Why bother?

There are some people who don’t think there is any point in recycling anything and just throw everything away. However, if you are one of these people, take a moment to consider the impact this actually has. You may find that you want to start recycling some of your items. Landfill sites are filling up rapidly and space is running out for all the rubbish. Nobody wants to be living next to a giant rubbish site, but if the amount of waste keeps building, this is a very real possibility for the future.

A lot of the items that end up in landfill sites can easily be recycled, effectively taking up less room and making space for things that can simply rot into the ground. Plastic bags from supermarkets take years to break down but can easily be reused for your shopping several times over. Some shops have started giving incentives to people who reuse their old shopping bags, while others have started charging for plastic bags in a bid to crack down on the amount of waste these create.

Bigger scale

The amount of waste being created across the world can impact us in a bigger way as well. Many people are concerned about the effects of global warming and the greenhouse effect so governments in various different nations have implemented recycling targets. Wales was recently shown to be on track to meet its recycling target, having a long-term goal of zero waste by 2050. While that might seem like an unachievable goal, they are already hitting over 50 per cent of that target.

If all the countries in the world took a similar stance to recycling, the effects it has on the environment could be drastically reduced. From the point of view of a business, recycling might not be a top priority but it should be. There are various companies that are dedicated to waste disposal and recycling so it would be wise for businesses to recruit these services if necessary. If the nature of the business means that lots of waste is being created but it is not practical for them to recycle or reuse any of it, an external company could sort this out for them.

It’s easy to think that the little things don’t make much difference but if everyone started recycling on an individual scale, the overall results would be breath-taking. Even in a small office, doing as something as simple as putting the empty milk cartoons into the recycling bin can do its bit towards saving the environment and cutting down on the carbon footprint left on this earth. Of course as a business there are professional providers of business recycling including http://www.bettsenvirometal.com/.