The cleaning
products mostly available in the market are extremely harmful for our environment. Commonly used detergents
are made from petrochemicals and harms environment as it is not easily biodegradable. Phosphates that are used to soften water pollute water and endanger plants. Disinfectants used in the house kills both harmful and friendly bacteria that decompose sewage. Therefore it is wise to reduce the amount of detergents and switch over to soaps that are non-toxic and biodegradable. Optical brighteners brighten or make our clothes seem whiter by absorbing UV light and re-emitting blue light, which are not necessarily cleaner. Enzymes that attack stains, soil may cause allergies. So in order to protect our environment it is wise to use humbler and eco-friendly cleaning agents. For instance use only half of the recommended amount of detergent and dilute all liquid cleaners with an equal amount of water. So use the following eco-friendly house cleansing agents suggested below:
Washing soda naturally softens water and cuts down grease; on the other hand baking soda is a good oven cleaner and facial cleanser too. Salt, too could be used as a mild antiseptic. Stains could be removed well by use of lemon juice. Switch on to natural pure soap flakes for washing task. Borax could be used as a substitute for chlorine bleach. It also increases effectiveness of plain soap, softens water, whitens clothes and fights bad odor. Similarly vanilla essence can be used to get rid of dirty smells. You can also try the following all purpose cleanser, made as follows: mix 50 ml each of cloudy ammonia (avoid inhaling fumes) and soda bicarbonate in 4 litres of hot water. Use either as spray or directly pour on a cloth.