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A CLEAN GREEN HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, November 28, 2004

The turkey is almost gone and hopefully the company too. Now is the time to sit and make plans for the upcoming holiday season. Our jobs change this time of the year from doing "business as usual" to going to holiday parties, preparing for office parties, buying presents, trees, home decorations, food. In our haste, we sometimes just buy for convenience instead of remembering the unnecessary overflowing garbage that results from these purchases.

We all will be cleaning the nooks and crannies for special holiday guests. Green cleaning may take a little more thought, but it won't run you out of your house with fumes and will save you money.

As we close up our homes for the winter we are trapping indoor air pollution. The EPA has found that concentrations of pollutants inside homes can be up to five times higher than outside. Ironically, a major source of indoor air pollutants is conventional cleaning products. They are loaded with fragrances and petroleum-distilled chemicals known as volatile organic compounds that vaporize into the air. As the chemicals build up in the air space that you are working in, the toxicity also builds up. Safer alternatives made from plant-based cleaning agents can be found in the health food section of most grocery stores.

My arsenal of natural cleaning includes sponges, rags, brushes (including old toothbrushes), and micro-fiber cleaning cloths which only need water to clean. I primarily use baking soda, lemon juice, white distilled vinegar, mild soap, and a pumice stone. 

Here are a few cleaning alternatives:

Laundry 

Try a half-cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle as a fabric softener and to eliminate static cling. By adding one quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle, you will soften fabric and get a non-chlorine bleach booster for your laundry detergent. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant, so between rain storms hang out your clothes and save energy by not running your dryer.

Floors 

My favorite nontoxic floor cleaner is one cup vinegar per gallon of hot water. One benefit is that you will not have to rinse after you mop.

Bathrooms

I start with baking soda and a brush. If need be I'll add lemon juice to the baking soda for a paste and let it sit for a short while. I have used ketchup or toothpaste to clean the brass faucet handles. For toilets, forget the fancy stuff, use simple non-chlorine scouring powders or a pumice stone.

Drains

The best advice is prevention. Keep screens in all sinks. Pour boiling water down the drain regularly. If you notice a sluggish drain pour one-half cup of baking soda followed by one-half cup vinegar and let sit for fifteen minutes then flush with hot water. A couple of years ago, I picked up a "Zip-it" at a hardware store. This long, thin, toothed piece of plastic can be inserted in a lavatory drain without removing the plug. When you pull it out, hair and other debris is removed.

Ovens

Coat crusty oven surfaces with a paste of water and baking or washing soda. Let stand overnight then scrub off wearing gloves. Many books are available on the subject such as "Baking Soda Bonanza" by Peter A. Ciullo, "The Vinegar Book" by Emily Thacker and "Clean & Green" by Annie Berthold-Bond. Online sources include www.thegreenguide.com and www.mrscleanjeans.com. To get you started, VALCORE has free copies of "Clean it!", a small guide to safer house cleaning methods. Drop by and pick one up.

Deep Fried Turkey Oil

If you deep fried your turkey this year, you can recycle that used cooking oil. Vallejo residents can take it to Vallejo Garbage Service's BOPA recycling area located at 2021 Broadway. Their hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 

Green Party Guide

For suggestions on a Zero-Waste party, drop by VALCORE for a copy of our Green Party Guide. It is also available on the A Sorted Affair page of our web site. 

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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