FOR RELEASE: March 27, 2020

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For many of you, it’s time to start spring cleaning! A reminder, some products used every day, such as cleaning products, contain toxic chemicals. These products found in the home are often out in the open or hidden behind cabinet doors, in the kitchen, bathroom, and garage.

There are alternative homemade cleaning formulas that can be just as effective in cleaning, disinfecting, and getting rid of unpleasant odors and be non-toxic. Alternative cleaning ingredients include: baking soda, washing soda, vinegar, lemon juice, liquid soaps, detergents, and essential oils. These ingredients can work as effectively as store bought cleaners if you take time to understand a bit about the chemistry behind it.

Baking Soda A commonly available mineral, baking soda is made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline (it's pH is around 8.1; 7 is neutral). It neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and adsorbs odors from the air. Sprinkled on a damp sponge or cloth, baking soda can be used as a gentle non- abrasive cleanser for kitchen counter tops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens, and fiberglass. It will eliminate perspiration odors and even neutralize the smell of many chemicals if you add up to a cup per load to the laundry. It is a useful air freshener, and a fine carpet deodorizer.

Washing Soda A chemical neighbor of baking soda, washing soda (sodium carbonate) is much more strongly alkaline, with a pH around 11. It releases no harmful fumes and is far safer than a commercial solvent formula, but you should wear gloves when using it because it is caustic and it could irritate and burn your skin. Washing soda cuts grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax or lipstick, and neutralizes odors in the same way that baking soda does. Don't use it on fiberglass, aluminum or waxed floors—unless you intend to remove the wax.

White Vinegar and Lemon Juice White vinegar and lemon juice are acidic—they neutralize alkaline substances such as scale from hard water. Acids dissolve gummy buildup, eat away tarnish, and remove dirt from wood surfaces.

Liquid Soaps and Detergent Liquid soaps and detergents are necessary for cutting grease, and they are not the same thing. Soap is made from fats and lye. Detergents are synthetic materials discovered and synthesized early in this century. Unlike soap, detergents are designed specifically so that they don't react with hard water minerals and cause soap scum. If you have hard water, buy a biodegradable detergent without perfumes; if you have soft water you can use liquid soap (both are available in health food stores).

Mold Killers and Disinfectants The EPA recommends simple soap to use as a disinfectant. There are many essential oils, such as lavender, clove, and tea tree oil (an excellent natural fungicide), that are very antiseptic, as is grapefruit seed extract. Use one teaspoon of essential oil to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle (make sure to avoid eyes). A grapefruit seed extract spray can be made by adding 20 drops of extract to a quart of water.

The potential risk of a poisonous exposure still exists if the homemade formulas are not properly labeled and stored out of the reach of children. Follow these precautions to avoid an unintentional poison exposure.

• Never mix homemade cleaners with store-bought cleaners
• Use cleaning products in a well-ventilated area
• Don’t use food containers to mix homemade formulas
• Properly label all containers
• Store safely out of the reach of children and pets