Child Friendly Household Cleaners
As a parent, you can never be too careful when it comes from protecting your young children from dangerous chemical household cleaners. Even when you lock up and use strict precautions when using conventional cleaning solutions, they may still pose a risk to your child’s health – and to your own! To avoid the hazards associated with chemical cleaners, Dr. Milan R. Kapadia of Quakerbridge Pediatrics suggests utilizing some safer alternatives around your home:
Baking Soda
Chances are very good that you already have baking soda in your home, but are you taking advantage of its powerful cleaning applications? As a natural and child friendly nontoxic cleaning solution, baking soda will get the job done. It can be used to scourer counter tops, oven tops, and ovens between meals. It can successfully neutralize smelly odors and can be effectively used to unclog drains. Put away the store bought drain cleaners and pour ½ cup of baking soda, followed by ½ cup of vinegar down your clogged drain. Cover the drain with a wet cloth (unless you want a volcano), wait five minutes, and flush with steaming hot water.
Lemon Juice
Not only does lemon juice smell fresh but it can also be used to cut grease, lighten laundry stains, and even polish metal! Add ½ cup of strained lemon juice to your laundry’s rinse cycle to help remove tough stains such as grass and to brighten the colors of your children’s clothing. Combined with baking soda, lemon juice can also be used to remove tarnish and polish household metals such as brass, copper, bronze, and even aluminum.
Vinegar
It’s no secret that vinegar is an amazing all-purpose household cleaner! It is very child friendly and safe to use as a natural cleaning solution around your home. White distilled vinegar can be used to deodorize and disinfect happy messes that your child creates while playing or eating, can remove dirt from wood floors and furniture, and works wonders in the bathroom. Create a natural bathroom cleaner by adding a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to a spray bottle. Use the child friendly nontoxic cleaner to shine mirrors and windows, to clean bathroom tile, counters, and cabinets, and even to remove stubborn soap scum from the tub and shower.
Share Your Solutions
Dr. Milan R. Kapadia reminds parents that effective household cleaners do not need to be purchased in your grocer’s cleaning aisle. Sometimes the safest way to clean your home is to use a child friendly nontoxic solution that you create from natural ingredients you already have in the pantry. Have a cleaning solution of your own? Share it on the Quakerbridge Pediatrics Facebook page or leave your tips in the comments below!
