Alternative Cleansers

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

August 24, 2000

THE NEXT time the drain clogs or the window is smudged or the carpet is stained, you don't necessarily have to remember the jingle to a television commercial.

You can get through plenty of cleaning and household roadblocks with everyday products from the pantry or the cupboard under the sink: baking soda, white vinegar, corn starch, ammonia and salt. In most cases, homemade cleaners made from these ingredients are environmentally safer and much less expensive than commercial brands.

I've become more of an advocate of homemade cleaners because my new house has a septic system instead of a sewer system. Like most homeowners with sewer systems, I rarely concerned myself with what went down the drain. (Not ecologically sound, I know). However, because what goes down the drain can have an effect on how your septic system works, I became more concerned with the cleaners my family uses.

Excessive amounts of chlorine bleach and any amount of latex paint, for example, are not good things to empty into your septic system.

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Now, I'm not wacko about this stuff, but I must admit, it's kind of neat to clean your windows with a solution of vinegar, ammonia and water that costs about 20 cents a gallon instead of a 16-ounce spray bottle of a commercial cleaner that runs more than $ 2.

Many homemade cleaners use mild alkali or acids as the cleaning agent. Alkali-based homemade cleaners often are made from baking soda, ammonia and borax (a disinfectant soap). Mild acids used in homemade cleaners usually are vinegar and lemon juice.

Always use time-tested recipes. Mixing ingredients on your own can be risky. For example, mixing ammonia with chlorine bleach or vinegar with corn starch can create dangerous-sometimes lethal-fumes.

Try these Web sites for homemade cleaner recipes:The Michigan State University Extension Home Page (www.msue.msu.edu/; click on Home Maintenance and Repair) and Clean Up Pages. Com (www.cleanuppages .com).

With that in mind, scour the pantry and try these recipes:

Drain cleaner: Equal amounts of baking soda and vinegar. Pour baking soda into a semi-clogged drain, then add vinegar. Wait several minutes and flush with boiling water. Repeat.

The combination of baking soda and vinegar turns the fatty acids in the clog into soap and glycerine, which then washes down the drain.

To prevent odors from building up in drains, pour in baking soda and flush with boiling water weekly.

Drain cleaner II: You'll need 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of washing soda (often available in the laundry aisle at grocery stores), 3-4 tablespoons of cream of tartar, 4 cups of cider vinegar.

Mix baking soda, washing soda and cream of tartar thoroughly, then pour mixture slowly down the drain. Heat vinegar to near boiling, then pour it into the drain. Wait several minutes before flushing with hot water.

Drain cleaner III: Pour a 1/2 cup of baking soda and a 1/2 cup of salt down the drain and then flush with about a half-gallon of boiling water. Let sit for several hours, then flush with water.

A couple of hints: to clear a clogged drain, a simple plunger is a great tool. Once you've cleared the drain with the plunger, then try one of the above drain cleaners.

WARNING: Don't use any of the above drain cleaners after using a commercial cleaner; the vinegar can react with the commercial brand to create toxic fumes.

Scouring powder: One cup baking soda, one cup salt, one cup borax. Mix thoroughly and keep in airtight container. Use in place of abrasive cleansers.

Spray starch: Mix one tablespoon of corn starch in a pint of cold water. Pour into spray bottle and use in place of commercial spray starch. Shake the bottle often when using.

Window cleaner: = teaspoon dish soap, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 cups water. Mix and store in spray bottle. Intead of paper towels, wipe and dry windows with old newspaper.

Window cleaner II: For big jobs, mix one cup white vinegar to one gallon warm water. Scrub windows with old lint-free rag, wipe dry with old newspaper.

Carpet stain remover: Use shaving cream on an existing stain. Dab in the cream, then rub and rinse with cool water.

Carpet stain remover II: For heavy stains, especially from grease, try squirting a couple of drops of dishsoap in a 1/4 cup of milk. Mix thoroughly then rub into stain. Rub and rinse with cool water. Rinse and blot with old towel until soap is gone.