Green house cleaning has conquered everyone. But while some tricks are effective, other "natural" remedies are useless and harmful. For example, you should actually avoid to use vinegar and opt for citric acid, which is far less polluting. You should also stop thinking that fabric softener is useless, as it helps reducing skin irritations. Finally, don't try to use Coca Cola for clogged drains!
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Green house cleaning in recent years has conquered everyone. More and more people in fact give up the classic detergents with harmful chemicals – either to pollute less, or to save money. But while some tricks are indeed very effective, other remedies presented as miraculous are useless if not harmful.
It seems that even housekeeping has ended up in the world of urban legends. In fact, some rumors about ecological and portentous solutions are nothing but false beliefs. So, let’s try to shed some light and dispel the false myths once and for all.
Here are the most common mistakes when it comes to ecological cleaning and how to fix them.
Green House Cleaning Myths: Vinegar Is a Multipurpose Product
It is described as one of the key ingredients in ecological cleaning, the basis of many DIY recipes. It is true that it has certain properties – for example, it sanitizes and removes limescale. However, it’s not good for all surfaces, as it can damage the most delicate ones, such as marble and granite. Besides being corrosive, it is much more polluting than another natural ingredient, citric acid. Just think that it is 54 times more impacting on aquatic organisms. Moreover, it requires a lot of energy (and therefore CO2 emissions) for operations such as bottling and transport.
Vinegar is still better than many chemical detergents. However, if you want a better alternative, try citric acid.
Fabric Softener Is Useless
Fabric softener is one of those products we tend to stigmatize. It pollutes, causes skin allergies, ruins the washing machine and fabrics, it is a useless expense because it is useless. And yet it’s not really like that. It is true, it is not fundamental for softer garments: in fact, if fabrics are of good quality, they are hardly ruined in a few washes. Nor for perfume, which is precisely the main cause of allergies and dermatitis. However, it has another important function.
The pH of the skin is 5.5 while detergents, even the most natural ones, have an alkaline pH. Marseille soap for example is 9.5. If we put clothes washed with detergent alone in contact with the skin, we run the risk of irritation. The advantage of the softener is that it has a pH of 3-3.5. As a result, it lowers the pH of the fabrics and bring it close to our parameters, thus preventing dermatitis.
Curious Green House Cleaning Tricks: Coca Cola Releases Clogged Drains
This is a curious false myth which has spread very recently. If you want to try this popular remedy, keep in mind that the corrosive effect of this soda is quite powerful. In other words, it might even work, but with the risk of ruining the pipes. Better to try a softer and even cheaper solution. To remove the deposits, pour half a glass of bicarbonate and then a solution with a litre of hot water and half a glass of citric acid.
